I don't think the claim is insidious given that it clearly stated.causan_dux wrote: ↑Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:33 pmThis doesn't need a graphic (a right or a wrong one) to express it.
If Scotland quits the UK, it can have borders with other countries (which hardly needs to be said).
If an independent Scotland joins the EU, it must have a border with rUK. I think that single sentence is all that is needed to counteract this supposed SNP claim.
It appears to me that the whole diagram is intended to try to insidiously claim that independence and joining the EU would be economically disastrous for Scotland. That could be true "Given Scottish dependence on trade with UK" (meaning rUK), although this would depend on where the EU-UK trade terms are headed. But it is not true given the multitude of other arrangements that are possible, is it?
Whether a border along the Tweed and divergent regulation between Scotland and rUK would be economically disastrous for Scotland is a different question. Partly it'll depend upon how people think of what counts as disastrous. As with Brexit, opinions may differ. Given that the Scottish economy is more integrated with that of the rUK than the UK was integrated with the EU, I can assume that the economic effects would be worse then we've seen with Brexit.
There's a big difference between what's possible and what's plausible within the next few years. If a referendum on Scottish independence were to have a yes result in 2022, then the negotiations would be with the Johnson government. I can't see how it would accept following EU regulations etc in order to keep an open border with Scotland as an EU member. Similarly, given its stance on Ireland, I can't see the EU being willing to accept an open border with the rUK.
That narrows down what other arrangements may be possible.
If the referendum was at some point in the future then other things may be possible. A UK rejoining the EU would make Scottish independence much easier in practice. But realistically that would be decades in the future, if ever.