EUROPE will this month host a major event examining whether the Celtic Alliance can help lead the UK back into the European Union, a decade on from the Brexit vote that Scotland overwhelmingly rejected.
Organised by the Greens/European Free Alliance parliamentary group, MEPs in Brussels will host an event in the European Parliament on June 23 titled: “10 years on: time to end Brexit? Can Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland lead England back into the EU?”
The event will feature former SNP Europe spokesperson Dr Philippa Whitford, leading Brexit critic and writer Anthony Barnett, ex-Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans and Sinn Fein MEP for Dublin Lynn Boylan.
Together, they will examine whether Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can act as “anchor nations” to pull a reluctant Westminster establishment back towards Europe.
Scotland and Northern Ireland both voted to remain in the EU, and since then support for rejoining has surged across the UK. Recent polling suggests backing for EU membership has risen to around 60% in England and 63% in Wales, rising above 70% in Scotland once “don’t knows” are excluded.
The event comes as more than 10,000 Scots have already emailed the Prime Minister asserting Scotland’s right to choose its own future, via a petition co-ordinated by Believe in Scotland.
Elise Tallaron, convenor of Yes for EU, said Scotland’s recent election result strengthened its hand in that debate. “Scotland has just elected a majority of MSPs who want to see us back in the EU,” she said. “This means we are in a great position to influence the debate in other EU nations. Once independent, rejoining the bloc will be good for Scotland and good for the EU. My hope is that this will eventually lead to the other nations also reversing Brexit.”
Andrea Pisauro, spokesperson for Europe for Scotland, said the 10th anniversary of the referendum underlined how far opinion had turned.
“Ten years after the Brexit referendum, none of those who campaigned for Brexit has the slightest intention of celebrating the anniversary,” he argued.
“Meanwhile three out of four devolved nations within the UK are led by parties that seek independence in Europe.
“A large majority in England agrees but England has no devolved assembly that can voice this desire. Westminster remains the epicentre of a semi-permanent constitutional crisis, where prime minister after prime minister tries to reset the agenda without ever making Brexit work.”
He described Brexit as a “silly and dangerous project” in the face of global challenges such as Donald Trump’s return to the White House and Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war in Ukraine, insisting Scotland’s consistent opposition to leaving the EU must now be taken seriously.
“As a European campaign we strongly believe Scotland’s democratic will must be respected at all times,” he said.
“That’s why we are going to Brussels to honour Scotland’s democracy and remind European institutions that most people and nations in the UK are unhappy with the way Westminster is run and would like to rejoin the EU.
“We think that Scotland’s self-determination movement, in the context of a Celtic alliance with Wales and Northern Ireland, has the intellectual energy and creative potential to lead England back to the EU.”
Both Yes for EU and Europe for Scotland are volunteer-led campaigns, which say they rely on public donations to fund events like the Brussels conference.
