RULE 23 of good government – if you are going to commission an expert to write a report on a controversial subject, best make sure he agrees with you.
Michael Moore, the Scottish Secretary, could be forgiven for kicking his Scotland Office desk after the expert in question, Professor James Crawford of Cam-bridge University, lauded as the authority on international law by Whitehall insiders, was asked, in the event of Scottish independence, about the SNP Government's ambitious transition timetable and the prospect of an independent Scotland having to apply to international organisations for membership.
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