LESLEY RIDDOCH, writer, journalist and broadcaster, is one of the most popular personalities in Scottish media. She is a weekly columnist for The Scotsman and a regular commentator in other papers. In 2006 she was shortlisted for the Orwell prize for political writing. During the 1990s, she was founder of the feminist magazine Harpies and Quines, assistant editor of The Scotsman (where she edited a special edition known as The Scotswoman written by its female staff in 1995), and contributing editor of the Sunday Herald. Her latest work is the popular Blossom: What Scotland Needs to Flourish.

EBERHARD ‘PADDY’ BORT, a graduate in English and German of Tübingen University, is a Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh and the Academic Coordinator of the Institute of Governance. His teaching has included Scottish Society and Culture, Contemporary Irish Politics and British Studies. He is currently the Book Reviews Editor of Scottish Affairs.

The Nordic countries have a veritable smörgåsbord of relationships with the European Union, from in to out to somewhere in between.

So, what does that mean for Scotland?

Well, somewhere in this incredible diversity of relationships with Europe is an arrangement that’s likely to be good for Scotland too – strangely enough, maybe more than one. Inside or outside the UK, Scotland wants to keep trade and cultural links with Europe – that much is clear. But is the EU really the best club in town for an independent Scotland?

Or would Scots benefit from ‘doing a Norway’ – joining the halfway house of the EEA and keeping the Single Market but losing the troublesome Common Fisheries and Agriculture Policies?

Would an independent Scotland need the support and shelter of another union – or could the nation stand alone like the tiny Faroes or Iceland?

These tough questions have already been faced and resolved by five Nordic nations and their autonomous territories within the last 40 years. Perhaps there’s something for Scotland to learn?

The unique combination of personal experience and experts’ insights give this book its hands-on character: pragmatic and thought-provoking, challenging and instructive, full of amazing stories and useful comparisons, enriching the debates about Scotland’s post-Brexit future as a Nordic neighbour.

Scotland’s response to Britain’s divided Brexit vote has been positively Nordic – Scots expect diversity and empowerment to be entirely possible – whilst Westminster’s reaction has been decidedly British. One singer – one song. One deal for everyone – end of. Lesley Riddoch

Of course, the majority of Nordic nations are eu members. But perhaps the eea is a closer fit for Scotland? Perhaps, too, a viable halfway house option would boost support for Scottish independence? Especially since Holyrood may not automatically retrieve powers from Europe post Brexit. Paddy Bort

Preface
The Trading Clubs of Europe, their rules and origins
Glossary
Timeline

Chapter One: Sampling the Smörgåsbord of Nordic Relations with Europe – Lesley Riddoch and Paddy Bort

Chapter Two: Norden – an intertwined history – Mary Hilson

Chapter Three: Lessons from Iceland – Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson

Chapter Four: A Reverse Greenland? – Ulrik Pram Gad

Chapter Five: The Faroe Islands – All about Fish – Bjørt Samuelsen

Chapter Six: Fishing, Forestry and Agriculture: Sustainability and the ‘Norwegian Model’ – Duncan Halley

Chapter Seven: No Signs of Swexit – Sweden and the European Union – Eberhard Bort

Chapter Eight: Finland – Totally in and helping to write the EU rulebook – Tuomas Iso-Markku

Chapter Nine: Options for Scotland – Lesley Riddoch

Appendix

Nordic Country Profiles