“We didn’t vote for it up here, and it feels like England is pulling us out of Europe regardless of the consequences. It’s made me realize that the differences between the two countries might be more than skin-deep, so I’m definitely weighing up whether Scotland is safer going in a different direction.”
EU membership hurdles
But while Brexit has undoubtedly invigorated the nationalist cause, it also presents challenges. In 2014, the SNP’s argument was greatly simplified by Britain’s European Union membership: An independent Scotland would simply rejoin, and by virtue of England’s place in the European community, border issues would be moot.