What You Need To Know If Scotland Becomes Independent

British parliament has had seemingly no end to referendums in the past year. Whilst Brexit has left the majority of the national devastated, Scottish parliament are now trying their luck again for Scottish independence. Of course, many people adore travelling to Scotland, with famous cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow posing as popular tourist attractions, which is hardly surprising considering their outstanding architecture and distinguishable culture. However, if Scotland were to become independent, how would these things change? Would you be able to use your EHIC when travelling there? Luckily, yes, but that’s just the beginning – here’s the rest.

What Will The Defence System Be Like?

We live in an unfortunate world where terrorism is on the rise, and it’s a contemporary issue that needs close monitoring at all times. However, with the SNP indicated that they plan on disposing of Britain’s Trident nuclear missile programme, agreeing on a defence system will become highly problematic. I don’t know about you, but when travelling to a new country, the last thing I was is a thought in the back of my mind niggling about how the country remains less protected than others across the continent. Having said this, defence is a massive employer for Scotland, and it’s said that a total force of 15,000 regular and 5,000 reserve individuals would be created following the vote for independence, so it could go one of two ways.

Would They Keep The Pound?

It has been insisted by Salmond that Scotland will remain using the pound as their default currency should the country vote for independence. Nevertheless, the three main political parties sat at Westminster state that they would rather block such a currency union. Overall, the final decision over how the currency in Scotland will change following a vote for independence is unclear, and whilst some experts have mentioned the pound staying, there are also other theories. For example, currency experts have suggested that the pound will still be used, however not in a formal currency union. As well as this, it has been rumoured that Scotland could join the euro, or even create their own currency (we can’t lie – we’d love to see what they would come up with!). Either way, the euro option would take a lot of time and planning, and creating a new currency entirely will cost too much money in itself and with the vote for independence not being cheap, they’ll really need to think it through.

Will I Need A Passport To Visit Scotland?

To ensure the process of Scotland gaining independence is an uncomplicated as possible, parliament have discussed how the country will remain within the common travel area, similar to how Ireland already is. With this said, there are numerous political rows erupting over the matter (surprise, surprise) due to issues of immigration. Currently, it is difficult to see Westminster government signing up to an agreement regarding open borders, especially considering that an independent Scotland will be taking a different approach on immigrants. However, the effects of Scotland’s choice for independence remain unclear, and thus, the issue of passports is likely to remain unresolved for now.

There are many changes bought with Scotland’s potential vote for independence, but at such an early stage, these effects aren’t yet set in stone. All we can say in brace yourselves – we could have another Brexit on our hands!