O flower of Scotland... Come be a Crown Dependency, says Guernsey politician

Thursday 09 February 2017

Islanders might be left scratching their heads over some propositions churned out by the States, but this time it’s our Guernsey neighbours with the outlandish idea: to “take a cup o’ kindness yet" and invite Scotland to become a Crown Dependency too.

According to Jonathan Le Tocq, Guernsey's former Chief Minister and present Minister for External Affairs, Scotland should get a "devo max" deal in order to obtain a Channel Islands-style arrangement with the EU as a post-Brexit safeguard.

Crown Dependencies - a title under which the Channel Islands and Isle of Man fall - are politically independent, but refer to the monarch as Head of State.

Although technically outside of the EU, the arrangement allows Jersey and Guernsey to benefit from being a member of the Customs Union and single market for the purposes of goods and trade.

Such a deal would certainly please Scotland's Remain-voting majority, as well as Independence voters, as it would allow them to take full control of their government - minus defence and foreign policy - as well as keeping EU trade benefits.

Pictured: All of Scotland's 32 local authority voted 'Remain' in the EU Referendum, taking 62% of the Scottish vote overall.

“It could be argued that when the UK joined the European Community back in the seventies there was no separate parliament or government of Scotland to make a different or independent choice, unlike in Guernsey which did.

“However there has been some devolution since and a separate government now exists, although not fully independent or autonomous like the Crown Dependencies.

“So Scotland could choose to change its constitutional relationship and become more like a Crown Dependency (what has been termed "devo max" in the past). It has not yet chosen to do so, but were it to do so it would, I believe, find that it's options were legally and constitutionally broader,” Mr Le Tocq explained.

"The nub of the issue is a constitutional one and relates to our differing constitutional relationships which of course have emerged over generations. As such the simple answer is that they could shift again."

An SNP spokesperson echoed these remarks, stating that: "The Channel Islands are a prime example of how it is already possible to have a differentiated deal within the UK, as the Scottish Government's paper 'Scotland’s Place in Europe' outlined.”

But islanders might want to pause before they start donning kilts and chanting 'Flower of Scotland' to welcome a new addition to the Crown Dependency Club.

Referring to the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, which saw 55% of voters vote 'no' to becoming an independent country, a UK spokesperson described Scotland's "constitutional position" as "settled divisively in 2014."

Nonetheless, they added that, "The whole of the UK is leaving the EU, and we will get the best deal for all parts of the UK as we leave."