b'8. The UK, the EU and the death of distance It is sometimes argued that, because theBritain leaves Europe, Scotland will leave other EU member states are adjacent to theBritain.29 UK, geography alone justifies the UK being in a political union with them. There wasThe facts and experience of history do not an (implicit) example of this in the Financialsupport these views. The following maps Times by Phillip Stevens, a leading apologistshow the possessions of four trading empires for Tony Blair. The articleon Scottishof the past.independencehad the headline When Table 79 Map of AthenianEmpire: circa 550 BC Source: Wikimedia Commons, Atlas of Greece171'