I was head of the Scottish Office industry department when the single market was established, and thus was the civil servant responsible then for Scottish Office European matters, for industrial support and promoting inward investment. I was a committed Remainer until the Brexit vote. But I now find it hard to believe that the SNP seriously intends that Scotland should rejoin the EU if Scotland becomes independent. In 40 years of public service I never experienced anything as bureaucratic as working with the European Commission. But bureaucracy was a price worth paying when the benefits to Scotland of being in receipt of the so-called structural funds were obvious, and the introduction of the European single market in 1993, and freedom of movement, were clearly benefits

Source: The Times March 02, 2021 00:22 UTC