Referendum 'yes' vote would lead to years of a debilitating divorce

Alex Orr (letters 9 April),  in his response to comments about the international complications that might arise if Scotland votes ‘yes’ in September’s independence  referendum as outlined by 

George Robertson, former UK Labour Minister of Defence and NATO Secretary General, overlooks the latter’s observation that Scotland’s separation from the rest of the UK would involve a long debilitating divorce.

If people are already getting tired by the continuing politicking surrounding the referendum campaign they should prepare themselves for several years of further wrangling if Scottish electors do vote ‘yes’. The un-costed fantasy wish list that is the Scottish Government’s independence ‘plan’ (in the document Scotland’s Future) assumes that the government of the remaining United Kingdom will happily go along with its numerous demands.  As we have seen in relation to the currency union, the armed forces and weaponry, energy policy, banking regulation, pensions and more there will be continual hard bargaining on both sides with no guaranteed outcomes for Scotland or the UK.

With all such issues and others to be resolved the Scottish Government’s timetable

for independence in March 2016, eighteen months after the referendum, is also fanciful when we consider that it took much longer for the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament even to resolve the single issue of same sex marriage legislation.

People who vote ‘yes’ will, if they are successful, have to prepare for a bumpy ride with great uncertainty as to the future, for several years. Unfortunately if there is a ‘yes’ vote those opposed to independence will also have to endure the same consequences.

Letter in the Edinburgh Evening News 11 April 2014