External affairs and the constitution are conflated as a matter of course. For its part, the Scottish government has done little to dispel the impression that its international policies are motivated by its goal of independence.

the Scottish government has no substantive international relations strategy. While the government published a Global Affairs Framework in May, the document is simply a collection of vague promises and worn platitudes. It offers no strategic direction, nor measurable objectives, to structure Scotland’s post-Brexit European and international relationships as part of the UK.

On foreign policy, the SNP defines itself in contrast to the UK government in the hope of portraying Scotland as more progressive than the rest of Britain. Such efforts are no substitute for the cogent strategy of a non-EU European sub-state.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters