Spain v Scotland

When David Cameron was Prime Minister, he is said to have cut a deal with his Spanish right-wing PP counterpart, Mariano Rajoy, that Spain would block any attempt by an independent Scotland to join the EU and that the UK government would do the same should Catalonia had manoeuvered itself into a similar position. As things stand, neither Cameron nor Rajoy had to make such a move but this does not mean that the current Socialist government would pander to the Scots, far from it.

All it takes is for one EU member state to object to the entrance of another state/country into the family and Spain, not wishing to set a precedent and give the Catalan independence movement any reasons to get excited, is not going to open its arms to Scotland, far from it. So, should Scotland succeed in another move for independence it may well find itself in the wilderness with no EU roof over its head to protect it from unsettled times.

Economic experts have said that Catalonia, which is much more of an industrial and economic engine than Scotland, would fall into recession within two years of independence - something Scotland should take note of.