Ms Sturgeon insisted her resignation was not in response to the „latest period of pressure“, which has included controversies over gender reforms, trans prisoners and the strategy on independence.
Archiv: separatism / splitting countries
Ukraine’s EU trade deal will be catastrophic, says Russia
(22 Sep 2013)
The Kremlin aide added that the political and social cost of EU integration could also be high, and allowed for the possibility of separatist movements springing up in the Russian-speaking east and south of Ukraine. He suggested that if Ukraine signed the agreement, Russia would consider the bilateral treaty that delineates the countries‘ borders to be void.
„We don’t want to use any kind of blackmail. This is a question for the Ukrainian people,“ said Glazyev. „But legally, signing this agreement about association with EU, the Ukrainian government violates the treaty on strategic partnership and friendship with Russia.“ When this happened, he said, Russia could no longer guarantee Ukraine’s status as a state and could possibly intervene if pro-Russian regions of the country appealed directly to Moscow.
Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council on Ukraine
Madame President,
Excellencies,
Russia’s war in Ukraine shows no sign of letting up.
The past seven months have seen unspeakable suffering and devastation.
The latest developments are dangerous and disturbing.
They are further steps away from any prospect of peace – and towards an endless cycle of horror and bloodshed.
As I have said from the start, this senseless war has unlimited potential to do terrible harm – in Ukraine, and around the world.
The idea of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, has become a subject of debate.
This in itself is totally unacceptable. All nuclear-armed states should recommit to the non-use and progressive elimination of nuclear weapons.
I am also deeply concerned by reports of plans to organize so-called “referenda” in areas of Ukraine that are currently not under government control.
Any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the UN Charter and of international law.
Don’t let Putin bluff us. Russia is losing.
With defeat looming, Putin is trotting out a new strategy: He will annex Ukrainian territory and then threaten to use nuclear weapons if the Ukrainians and their allies in the West don’t let him get away with it. If the West were to give in to his nuclear blackmail, what would stop him from announcing tomorrow that Kyiv is also Russian territory (which he clearly believes)? Or Tallinn? Or Tbilisi? Or even Warsaw or Helsinki? We cannot live in a world where an evil dictator can redraw international borders at will with threats of nuclear annihilation. And we don’t have to.
Remarks by President Biden Before the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Putin’s own words make his true purpose unmistakable. Just before he invaded, Putin asserted — and I quote — Ukraine was “created by Russia” and never had, quote, “real statehood.”
And now we see attacks on schools, railway stations, hospitals, wa- — on centers of Ukrainian history and culture.
In the past, even more horrifying evidence of Russia’s atrocity and war crimes: mass graves uncovered in Izyum; bodies, according to those that excavated those bodies, showing signs of torture.
This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people. Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should not — that should make your blood run cold.
‚I’m not bluffing‘: Putin warns west over nuclear weapons – video
In a national address on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin says Russia will be mobilising further troops for the war in Ukraine. He claims the west is using the threat of nuclear weapons to blackmail Russia, and that ‚those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them‘.
Putin also said Russia would give its full support to the referendums announced for this weekend in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to join the Russian Federation
Meanwhile on Russian state TV: Apti Alaudinov, the commander of Ramzan Kadyrov’s Chechen detachment „Akhmat,“ tells state TV host Olga Skabeeva that Russian forces in Ukraine are fighting „holy war“ against the LGBT & the Antichrist. He hopes Russia will soon face off with NATO.
More genocidal rhetoric on Russian state TV: hosts and pundits repeatedly assert that Ukraine no longer exists, Ukrainians who refuse to see themselves as Russians and fight back against the invasion are described as Nazis and compared to insects (bugs, worms).
Here’s an example:
Russia seeks to annex Ukraine’s east, south later this year, U.S. says
“First, these proxy officials will arrange sham referenda on joining Russia. Then, Russia will use those sham referenda as a basis to try to claim annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory,” Kirby told reporters during Tuesday’s White House press briefing. Kirby added that the referendums “will take place later this year, possibly in conjunction with Russia’s regional elections.”
#Russia is discussing plans to divide #Ukraine into districts. A scheme for the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine in the case of its occupation by #Russian troops was shown at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The NI Protocol lacks democratic legitimacy and must be removed
It is the Protocol – not Brexit – that has created a border in the Irish Sea. As such it represents an existential threat to the future of our place in the Union. No Conservative and Unionist government can stand by and watch as the pro-union people of Northern Ireland diverge further and further from the rest of the United Kingdom. The checks on the Irish Sea border are the symptom of the underlying problem, that Northern Ireland is subject to a different set of laws imposed by a foreign entity without any say by any elected representative of its people.
Russian commander suggests plan is for permanent occupation of south Ukraine
A senior Russian military commander has said that the goal of Russia’s new offensive is to seize control of southern Ukraine and form a land bridge to Crimea, indicating that Russia plans a permanent occupation of Ukrainian territory taken in the war.
Rustam Minnekayev, acting commander of the central military district, also told members of a defence industry forum on Friday that control over southern Ukraine would give Russia access to Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova, indicating that Russia may attack the port city of Odesa.
After stabilization of the situation in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region, a referendum may be held, head of the provisional civil administration Vitaly Ganchev told RIA Novosti
Russia has reportedly begun to consolidate power in areas of Ukraine under its control, shaking up the leadership of the Luhansk People’s Republic and trying to push a referendum in Kherson.
Ukraine fears Russia will hold sham referendum in occupied Kherson
(Apr 18, 2022)
Human rights commissioner Lyudmila Denisova said Russian forces were distributing propaganda material telling people in occupied Kherson that Moscow was acting for their benefit.
She said leaflets handed out “blame the Ukrainians themselves and their chosen government” for the aggression against their country, echoing the Kremlin’s messaging about the invasion.
Putin wants ‘Korean scenario’ for Ukraine, says intelligence chief
(27.03.2022)
Vladimir Putin is seeking to split Ukraine into two, emulating the postwar division between North and South Korea, the invaded country’s military intelligence chief has said.
In comments that raise the prospect of a long and bitter frozen conflict, Gen Kyrylo Budanov, who foretold of Russia’s invasion as far back as November, warned of bloody guerrilla warfare.
The „Snipers‘ Massacre“ on the Maidan in Ukraine
(September 2015)
Conference: Annual Meeting of American Political Science AssociationAt: San Francisco
The massacre of almost 50 Maidan protesters on February 20, 2014 was a turning point in Ukrainian politics and a tipping point in the conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine. This mass killing of the protesters and the mass shooting of the police that preceded it led to the overthrow of the pro-Russian government of Viktor Yanukovych and gave a start to a civil war in Donbas in Eastern Ukraine, Russian military intervention in Crimea and Donbas, and an international conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine. A conclusion promoted by the post-Yanukovych governments and the media in Ukraine that the massacre was perpetrated by government snipers and special police units on a Yanukovych order has been nearly universally accepted by the Western governments, the media, and many scholars. The Ukrainian government investigation identified members of the special company of Berkut as responsible for killings of the absolute majority of the protesters, but did not release any evidence in support, with the exception of videos of the massacre. The question is which side organized the “snipers’ massacre.” This paper is the first academic study of this crucial case of the mass killing. It uses a theory of rational choice and a Weberian theory of instrumental rationality to examine actions of major actors both from the Yanukovych government, specifically various police and security forces, and the Maidan opposition, specifically its far right and oligarchic elements, during the massacre. The paper analyzes a large amount of evidence from different publicly available sources concerning this massacre and killings of specifics protestors. Qualitative content analysis includes the following data: about 1,500 videos and recordings of live internet and TV broadcasts from mass media and social media in different countries (some 150 Gigabytes) , news reports and social media posts by more than 100 journalists covering the massacre from Kyiv, some 5,000 photos, and nearly 30 gigabytes of publicly available radio intercepts of snipers and commanders from the special Alfa unit of the Security Service of Ukraine and Internal Troops, and Maidan massacre trial recordings. This study also employs field research on site of the massacre, eyewitness reports by both Maidan protesters and government special units commanders, statements by both former and current government officials, estimates of approximate ballistic trajectories, bullets and weapons used, and types of wounds among both protesters and the police. This study establishes a precise timeline for various events of the massacre, the locations of both the shooters and the government snipers, and the specific timeline and locations of nearly 50 protesters’ deaths. It also briefly analyzes other major cases of violence during and after the “Euromaidan.” This study includes two video appendixes. This academic investigation concludes that the massacre was a false flag operation, which was rationally planned and carried out with a goal of the overthrow of the government and seizure of power. It found various evidence of the involvement of an alliance of the far right organizations, specifically the Right Sector and Svoboda, and oligarchic parties, such as Fatherland. Concealed shooters and spotters were located in at least 20 Maidan-controlled buildings or areas. The various evidence that the protesters were killed from these locations include some 70 testimonies, primarily by Maidan protesters, several videos of “snipers” targeting protesters from these buildings, comparisons of positions of the specific protesters at the time of their killing and their entry wounds, and bullet impact signs. The study uncovered various videos and photos of armed Maidan “snipers” and spotters in many of these buildings. The paper presents implications of these findings for understanding the nature of the change of the government in Ukraine, the civil war in Donbas, Russian military intervention in Crimea and Donbas, and an international conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine.
Security Council Approves ‘No-Fly Zone’ over Libya, Authorizing ‘All Necessary Measures’ to Protect Civilians, by Vote of 10 in Favour with 5 Abstentions
(17 March 2011)
Adopting resolution 1973 (2011) by a vote of 10 in favour to none against, with 5 abstentions (Brazil, China, Germany, India, Russian Federation), the Council authorized Member States, acting nationally or through regional organizations or arrangements, to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country, including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of Libyan territory — requesting them to immediately inform the Secretary-General of such measures.
Putin’s absurd, angry spectacle will be a turning point in his long reign
This was not a politician convening his team for discussions, this was a supreme leader marshalling his minions and ensuring collective responsibility for a decision that, at minimum, will change the security architecture in Europe, and may well lead to a horrific war that consumes Ukraine.
Putin appeared genuinely angry and passionate in his speech, which he almost certainly wrote himself.
Putin paves way to invade as he signs decree officially recognising independence of two rebel-held territories in eastern Ukraine to let him send in troops to ‚defend them‘ – while Boris condemns move as ‚very ill omen and a very dark sign‘
– Vladimir Putin will recognise Ukraine’s eastern regions as independent and sign a degree to that effect shortly
– Move would pave the way for Russian troops to roll in, on basis of ‚defending‘ them against Ukrainian ‚threats‘
– Mr Johnson said Putin’s decision to recognise the two separatist Ukrainian republics was an ‚ill omen‘ and a ‚dark sign‘ that things are moving in the wrong direction
– Putin spoke after an hours-long meeting of Russia’s security council, with aides laying out the case for war
– Having spent days staging what are widely thought to be false flag attacks and blaming them on Kiev, Kremlin officials presented them as ‚evidence‘ that ethnic Russians are at risk of ‚genocide‘ and must be protected
– All eyes will now turn to Ukraine’s border regions, where Russian tanks have been spotted in ‚battle formation‘
Ukraine seeks urgent UN Security Council meeting over Russia threat
“On President (Volodymyr) Zelensky’s initiative I officially requested UNSC member states to immediately hold consultations under article 6 of the Budapest memorandum,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted, citing the landmark 1994 deal, also signed by Russia, the United States and Britain.
Kremlin says Moscow will see two Ukrainian regions as independent, a potential pretext for war
The Kremlin announced Monday that Moscow will recognize the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, a move that Russia could use to justify an attack in those areas.
Ukraine and Donbass accuse each other of heavy shelling
Kiev has been locked in a civil war with the two breakaway territories since 2014, when separatists declared independent republics following the ousting of then-President Viktor Yanukovych during mass street protests. Ukrainian officials, along with Western countries, have accused Russia of supporting the rebels and fueling the conflict.
How Boris Johnson’s Brexit guru tried to quit after Carrie Symonds pals‘ takeover at No 10: Dramatic Downing St showdown as duo win key posts – before Lord Frost has to be bought off with Cabinet job
The promotion of Lord Frost to the Cabinet Office prompted speculation that Scots born Mr Gove may be put in charge of a new Cabinet drive to stop Scotland breaking away from the UK.
Nicola Sturgeon accused of siding with EU over vaccinations
Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of siding with the EU in its battle with the UK over vaccine doses, with the Scottish First Minister pledging to publish confidential vaccine data despite warnings that the information could jeopardise the UK’s supply.
Ms Sturgeon promised to publish the data – which reveals how many vaccine doses her nation expects each week – to counter claims that she is failing to rollout the vaccine in Scotland at speed.
Nicola Sturgeon is accused of taking the EU’s side and risking vaccine rollout as she vows to publish details of UK’s supplies despite Boris Johnson ordering her to keep them secret – as Brussels claims AstraZeneca is giving Britain too much
Despite the PM warning that the information must be confidential to protect the rollout, Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood she will release it from next week ‚regardless of what they say‘.
The timing of Ms Sturgeon’s intervention was particularly provocative given that it came as Mr Johnson was on an official visit to Scotland to make the case for the Union.
Pompeo Sends Well Wishes for Liberation Day
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday issued a message celebrating Liberation Day on August 15, which marks the day Korea was liberated from Japan’s colonial rule.
In a Fatal Error, C.I.A. Picked a Bombing Target Only Once: The Chinese Embassy
(July 23, 1999)
WASHINGTON — The director of the CIA disclosed Thursday that the agency had selected just one target in the 11-week air war over Yugoslavia, and its decision led to the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in May.
„It was the only target we nominated,“ the director, George Tenet, said at a rare public hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.
CIA DIRECTOR TESTIFYS OVER BOMBING OF CHINESE BELGRADE EMBASSY
(video from July 1999)
The C-I-A has revealed it had accurate maps and some agency employees knew the correct location of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade mistakenly bombed in May during NATO’s air campaign against Yugoslavia.
The C-I-A Director George Tenet made the announcement on Thursday while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee in Washington D-C.
Missiles slam into central Belgrade
(April 20, 1999
Web posted at: 10:35 p.m. EDT)
At least two cruise missiles struck the building believed to belong to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s ruling Socialist Party, CNN’s Brent Sadler reported from the scene.
Flames were pouring out of the upper floors of the building, which is about 15 stories tall, and the ground level was also engulfed in fire.
Cruise missiles blast Belgrade
(Monday, April 5, 1999)
Nato spokesman Jamie Shea said it was „a very successful and extensive night of operations.“
In an interview with BBC World, he said a change in the weather enabled Nato to step up its activities against infrastructure targets, and against Yugoslav ground deployments in Kosovo itself.
Cruise missiles strike Belgrade again
(April 4, 1999)
At about 4:35 a.m. Sunday Belgrade time (9:35 p.m. EST) Belgrade was rocked by a large explosion.
CNN reporters saw a fireball and an orange glow which lit up the sky.
From the Archives, 1999: NATO launches air strikes against Yugoslavia
First published The Age on March 25, 1999
(…)
NATO chief Javier Solana ordered attacks against Yugoslavia after President Milosevic rebuffed a last-ditch peace offer and revved up his war machine by declaring a state of emergency — the first since World War II.
„We must stop an authoritarian regime from repressing its people In Europe at the end of the 20th century. We have a moral duty to do so. The responsibility is on our shoulders and we will fulfil it,“ Mr Solana said in Brussels.
Sorting Through the Lies of the Racak Massacre and other Myths of Kosovo
(February 15, 2001)
There was the ethnic cleansing. The atrocities. The refugees chased out of Kosovo by the Serb army. The mass graves. The heaps of bodies tossed into vats of sulphuric acid at the Trepca mines.
NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said there were 100,000 Kosovars unaccounted for.
Remember?
If you’re like most people, you have at least a vague recollection of something that seemed to approach a modern-day Holocaust.
Problem is, none of it happened.
What really has happened in Kosovo
(14 May 1999)
In the US-NATO assault on Yugoslavia, accusations of genocide in Kosovo play the same role in the propaganda war as cruise missiles and cluster bombs in the air war. The claims that Serbian troops and paramilitary forces are slaughtering thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Kosovar Albanians, the comparisons of Slobodan Milosevic to Adolf Hitler, the invocation of the Holocaust–all these serve as weapons, if not to convince, at least to intimidate public opinion.
The purpose of this propaganda, whose tone has been set by the White House, is to block any critical thought or even serious reflection on the part of the American people about the mushrooming conflict in the Balkans.
Who remembers Joe Biden wanting to bomb Serbia?
Monumental stupidity of online smear artists in action: Last night I RT’d a simple tweet with a 2-minute video of Biden angrily demanding massive bombing of Belgrade: seems relevant to know for a presidential candidate. ?♂️ Now I’m a Milosevic apologist, war crimes denier, etc.
Ukraine to raise issue of Russian attack in Donbas at UNSC meeting
According to him, the Ukrainian delegation will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.
The meeting will start at 22:00 Kyiv time.
In addition, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said he would also raise this issue at the UN Security Council meeting.
Zelensky: Enemy offensive in Donbas attempt to disrupt peace process
He also recalled that today, in connection with events in the country’s east, a meeting of the NSDC has been scheduled.
„We will discuss and decide on further steps. Our course towards ending the war and adherence to international agreements remains unchanged – as does our determination to repulse any manifestations of armed aggression against Ukraine,“ Zelensky concluded.
Bolivia coup led by Christian fascist paramilitary leader and millionaire – with foreign support
(11.11.2019)
Bolivian coup leader Luis Fernando Camacho is a far-right multi-millionaire who arose from fascist movements in the Santa Cruz region, where the US has encouraged separatism. He has courted support from Colombia, Brazil, and the Venezuelan opposition.
By Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton
The rebel alliance has taken control of parliament – and Brexit. What happens next?
Every Monday, a group of unlikely bedfellows meet in Jeremy Corbyn’s parliamentary office. Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat leader; Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader; Caroline Lucas, the Green party’s sole MP; and Liz Saville Roberts from Plaid Cymru all gather to discuss their common aim — preventing a no-deal Brexit. This rebel alliance is more than just a group therapy session: last week, they succeeded in taking control of parliament and immediately started to give instructions to the Prime Minister.
Commons chaos: Rebel Tories hint they could back second referendum after MPs scuffle in chamber in protest over shutdown
Labour MPs started singing revolutionary anthem The Red Flag after Scottish and Welsh nationalists sang Flower Of Scotland and Bread Of Heaven.
The extraordinary scenes erupted as the Commons session was closed down shortly before 2am by the prorogation order, recommended to the Queen by the Prime Minister, in an act most MPs believe was intended to prevent Parliament having a say over Brexit. Minutes earlier, Mr Johnson suffered his sixth Commons defeat when MPs failed to back his call for a snap general election.
Joe Biden Is Proud of His Record on Iraq, but His Plan to Segregate It Would Have Unleashed Chaos
As Biden acknowledged this week, the plan to divide Iraq along ethnic lines he cooked up with Gelb was criticized at the time as more likely to incite than tamp down sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing, as it had early in the war in Bosnia and following the partitioning of Ireland, India, and Palestine in the last century. In each of those prior cases, partition, which looked good on paper and was accepted enthusiastically by extreme nationalist/segregationist leaders in each place, had the same result in practice: It encouraged violent sectarian cleansing and the destruction of the multiethnic societies that had existed in those territories for centuries.
Brexit: Opposition parties to reject PM election move
Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP and Plaid Cymru say they will vote against the government or abstain in Monday’s vote on whether to hold a snap poll.
Labour’s secret ‚Stop Boris‘ deal with the Scots: ‚Hypocrite‘ Corbyn holds talks with SNP to push General Election back to NOVEMBER to guarantee No Deal Brexit is dead (and because they believe they’d lose if it was any earlier)
– Labour and SNP chiefs met last night to agree a pact to prevent No Deal Brexit
– Jeremy Corbyn and Ian Blackford said to have agreed no election before Oct 20
– Senior colleagues are petitioning Mr Corbyn to seek an election in November
– Sources say it is because Labour MPs do not think they could win a snap election
– Mr Johnson said he would rather ‚die in a ditch‘ than ask the EU for an extension
Boris Johnson could be the last prime minister of the United Kingdom
Boris Johnson, the UK’s new prime minister, wants you to know that he loves his country.
Specifically, he wants you to know that he loves the Union between the four nations that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Unfortunately for Johnson, this love is not always reciprocated.
The Balkans XX years after NATO aggression: the case of the Republic of Srpska – past, present and future
(16.04.2019)
Serbs have never in their history attacked or otherwise imperiled any NATO member country – nor did the Republic of Srpska present any threat to world peace and safety as it has been presented by Western media and self-proclaimed experts at the time i.e. in decades of satanization of Serbs as a people.The real explanation is that after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Warsaw pact NATO set its new goal i.e., to spread to the East. This is how NATO transformed itself into a political expansionist organization.
„Serbia ready to protect Serb people in Kosovo“
He recalled that Belgrade had information that this would happen, and on 17 May informed the local and international public and representatives of the EU that the Albanians were preparing the arrest of dozens of people in the north of Kosovo under the pretext of fighting organised crime and corruption, which will cause great anxiety and fear among the Serbs.
KFOR reacts: We don’t interfere
According to him, it is a police action of the kind that also took place on in the past, so KFOR „only monitors the situation.“
He also commented on the stance of Serbian officials that KFOR should do something about the action of Kosovo special forces. „This has been discussed earlier, we do not interfere with police actions, until we are asked to intervene,“ Grasso said.
Sloppy work: Pristina special forces lose confidential docs
The newspaper’s sources said that local citizens found these documents, which also contain photographs and personal data of Serbs who were the target of the Albanian strike against Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavic, anf Zubin Potok yesterday.
At a Press conf today w EU delegation head @FabriziSem, Serbian PM Brnabić says that Serbia is “rational,” while Kosovo Albanians “literally just emerged from the woods…for them it is all the same whether there is war or not, and that scares me.”
DEVELOPING: Serbia orders its troops to full alert after reports that Kosovo police entered Serb-populated regions of the former Serbian province
(28.05.2019)
GENERAL ELECTION 2019: Socialist Party wins general election but falls short of an absolute majority
Pedro Sánchez took the highest number of seats in Congress, but will need the support of Unidas Podemos and regional parties if he is to form a government
Ian Blackford: „In all eventualities, there must be a people’s vote“ SNP, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, Greens and the Independent Group issue joint statement saying they will push for a public vote to be included in #Brexit legislation
Ryan Heath, POLITICO’s Political Editor, sits with the foreign minister to discuss a multitude of hot topics including Catalonia, the Spanish political economic landscape, Brexit and the 2019 European election.
(Video)
Spanish foreign minister: UK will split before Spain
And he reiterated Spain’s insistence that negotiations over the future relationship between Gibraltar and the EU should be handled separately to those with the U.K.
“I am very much [more] worried about the unity of the United Kingdom than the unity of the Kingdom of Spain. I think the United Kingdom will split apart before the Kingdom of Spain,” he said, in an apparent reference to movements in both Scotland and Northern Ireland to leave the U.K. over its EU departure.
Brexit SPLIT: UK will BREAK UP and Scotland should rejoin the EU, says Spanish minister
Spain has faced its own independence claim from the region of Catalonia, which voted to separate in a referendum dubbed illegal by Madrid. The Spanish government has always opposed Scotland being allowed to join the EU, apparently worried that it would start a precedent for newly independent European states to join, encouraging Catalan separatists.