The Scottish Government's commitment to offering dual citizenship in the event of independence is a welcome gesture, but not likely to be deliverable ("Nationalists plan for dual citizenship", The Herald, March 11).
The UK has traditionally been tolerant of individuals holding dual citizenship, but what works for individuals becomes rapidly unworkable when whole populations are involved.
Dual citizenship was adopted by some when Ireland became independent. It was not very successful then and in the last 95 years the obligations and entitlements of citizens of modern states have become much more complex.
When Czechoslovakia split it had been hoped dual citizenship would be available to those who wished, but the practical difficulties proved overwhelming. Czechs and Slovaks were forced to choose one or the other. The same thing happened when Serbia and Montenegro split.
The rights of individuals when states split are spelled out in the 2009 European Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Successor States (ECASS). This gives individuals the right to choose. In our circumstances, ECASS would give each of us the right to choose whether to remain British citizens or become Scottish citizens, post independence. There is no right to dual citizenship.
An issue that arises is military conscription. The UK does not have conscription and the SNP is also against it. However, many small countries have problems making up military manpower numbers and are forced into conscription of young people. The SNP has used Norway and Denmark as exemplars for a Scottish national defence structure. Both of those countries have military conscription.
The SNP cannot guarantee that a future independent Scottish Government would never under any circumstances resort to conscription and, indeed, given the timetable to 2016 the SNP has set, the issue might arise immediately. So who would be eligible for conscription should this prove necessary? This is not an issue where a fuzzy fudge on citizenship will suffice.
Another issue that arises is the matter of state pensions. There are a million pensioners in Scotland. Which Government will pay pensions and to whom? There is no pot of investment money to be transferred – state pensions are paid out of current Government expenditure. So an independent Scottish Government would need to fund one million pensions from day one. Is there not a fairer arrangement to be proposed in negotiations for a Scottish Government to pay pensions only to its own citizens and for the rest of the UK to pay pensions to those who remain British citizens resident in Scotland? And what of the million or so people who would be eligible for Scottish citizenship who live south of the Border? Again, a fuzzy fudge on citizenship will not do.
The idea of dual citizenship on a mass scale is an impractical fumble. Let us at least be honest and say the referendum will give Scots the chance to choose one or the other, but not both.
Russell Vallance,
4 West Douglas Drive,
Helensburgh.
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