The United Kingdom could be viewed on the world stage as a “power in irreversible decline” if Scotland votes for independence next year, a report by senior MPs has warned today.
The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee concluded that even the Special Relationship with the US could be harmed if a separate Scotland makes good its threat to remove the Trident nuclear deterrent from its waters.
Countries hostile to the UK would also seek to exploit the damage to Britain’s reputation and “soft power”, the report said, for example by lobbying for the UK to no longer be permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The UK’s influence in the EU would also be eroded, the committee said, although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) could limit the fallout from a ‘yes’ vote by starting to brief other countries now about the impact.
However, the study also warned Scots that independence would not mean them having more weight on the world stage, even going as far as calling the concept of a separate Scottish foreign policy a “misnomer”.
They would be forced to tailor their actions to suit the British as they would remain dependent on the rest of the UK (RUK) for their security and intelligence, the MPs said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10028772/UK-a-world-power-in-irreversible-decline-if-Scotland-separates.html
