Rethinking the Union, Part 2 at Edinburgh International Book Festival

David Cameron may not be popular among Scottish voters but he raises an intriguing argument. Scotland would, he claims, lose its influence on the international stage and be marginalised by organisations such as the UN and NATO. Worse, Scotland’s entry into the European Union may be vetoed by a Spanish government anxious not to spark its own regional independence issues. Does Cameron’s argument add up, or is he just scaremongering? The outspoken former Labour MP and Cabinet Minister Tony Benn, joined Dr Nicola McEwen, Director of Public Policy at the Academy of Government and Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh and Alyn Smith, Scotland’s youngest member of the European Parliament, to debate this political hot potato in an event chaired by Scotland correspondent for the Guardian, Severin Carrell. It was recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival.