"YOU'LL BE OUT OF EUROPE AND HAVE TO JOIN THE BACK OF THE QUEUE"

WHAT THEY TOLD YOU IN 2014:

"Vote Yes and you'll be out of the EU. Spain will veto you. You'll be at the back of the queue behind Turkey and Serbia. You'll lose your EU passport, you'll need visas to go to Spain."

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:

On 23 June 2016, Scotland voted 62% REMAIN in the EU. Every single council area in Scotland voted Remain.

England and Wales voted Leave. On 31 January 2020, England dragged Scotland out of the EU against our will.

So who took us out of Europe? Not independence. Westminster.

1. THE BACK OF THE QUEUE LIE

• Spain will NEVER veto Scotland. Spain's own foreign minister Jose Garcia-Margallo said in 2014: "If independence was legal and agreed, we would not veto." In 2017, Spain's foreign minister Alfonso Dastis said: "We would not block Scotland's EU membership." In 2018, Spain said again: No veto if UK agrees referendum (Edinburgh Agreement style). Spain's problem is Catalonia - illegal referendum. Scotland had legal, agreed Edinburgh Agreement in 2014. Totally different.

EU WANTS Scotland

We are already 100% aligned with EU law. We were in EU for 47 years (1973-2020). We already meet every EU standard - food, fishing, environment, human rights, workers rights. Turkey has been trying for 25 years because it doesn't meet standards. Scotland meets them on Day 1.

How fast?

EU President said Scotland's application would be "relatively speedy". Ireland's Europe Minister said 3-4 years. Scotland would be EFTA first (like Norway) - 3 months to join EFTA, then EU in 2-3 years while we are already in single market.

WHAT WE LOST BECAUSE OF BREXIT

Since England dragged us out:

• EU funding: West Lothian got £30m+ EU structural funds for jobs, training. Gone. • Erasmus: Scottish kids can't do Erasmus study in Europe free. Gone. • Free movement: Your kids need a visa to work in Spain, France, Germany. Used to be automatic. • Food costs up 25% since Brexit - EU import checks. • NHS staffing crisis: EU nurses and doctors left, can't come back easily. NHS Lothian lost 100s. • Farming: Scottish farmers lost EU subsidies, now get less from Westminster. • Fishing: Sold out - promised better fishing, got worse - have to sell langoustine to EU with 20-hour paperwork.

Polls now: 70% of Scots want back in EU. Even 40% of 2014 No voters now say Brexit makes them Yes.

INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND IN EU - WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

• Scottish passport = EU passport again. Travel, live, work, retire in 27 countries, no visa. Your grandkids can work in Barcelona, Berlin, Dublin. • EU funding returns: Farming, fishing, Highlands, Islands, West Lothian regeneration - billions. • Cheaper food, lower bills: Back in single market, no import tariffs. • Back in Erasmus, back in EU research, back in EU medicines agency. • Irish model: Ireland independent 1922, joined EU 1973, now GDP per person DOUBLE UK's. Why? Because EU single market of 450 million, not UK single market of 67 million. Ireland used EU to become rich. Scotland can.

BORDER AND EU - WE ALREADY ANSWERED

See Border page - Ireland is in EU, UK out, no hard border for people. Same with Scotland. Scotland would be in EU, England out, but people still free to travel via CTA (Ireland does it now).

Goods: Some paperwork for lorries, done online, same as Dublin to London now. Not a wall.

Q: Will I need a visa to go to Benidorm? A: Right now since Brexit you DO need to queue in non-EU queue, 90 day limit. In independent Scotland back in EU - no visa, no queue, EU passport lane, live there 6 months if you want. Q: Will Spain veto us? A: No. Said 3 times they won't if referendum is legal and agreed like 2014. They veto Catalonia because illegal. Scotland is legal. Q: How long to rejoin? A: EFTA in 3 months (Norway, Iceland club) - gives single market access immediately. Full EU 2-4 years, but you're already trading freely during that. Q: Will we have to use the Euro? A: No. No new EU country forced to join Euro without meeting criteria and referendum. Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Czech, Denmark all in EU but not Euro. Scotland can use Scottish pound and keep it. EU law allows it.

BOTTOM LINE

BOTTOM LINE: IN 2014 THEY SAID VOTING YES WOULD TAKE US OUT OF EU. IN 2016 ENGLAND VOTED AND TOOK US OUT OF EU AGAINST OUR WILL. INDEPENDENCE IS THE ONLY WAY BACK IN. 62% VOTED REMAIN. 70% NOW WANT BACK IN. IRELAND SHOWS HOW RICH A SMALL COUNTRY GETS INSIDE EU. SCOTLAND'S FUTURE IS EUROPEAN, NOT ISOLATED WITH BREXIT BRITAIN.