But if the RUK, the EU, and NATO respond vindictively to a Yes vote – whether to teach Scotland a lesson or to deter others (such as Catalonia) – matters could become very ugly and very costly. Suppose that a newly independent Scotland is thrown out of the EU and NATO, and told that it will remain outside for years to come.
但如果剩下的英国、欧盟和北约对“是”的公投结果持敌意态度——不管是为了给苏格兰一个教训还是为了阻止其他分裂运动（如加泰罗尼亚）——情况就会相当糟糕，代价也会相当沉重。假设新独立的苏格兰被逐出欧盟和北约，并被告知未来多年内都没有加入的希望。在这一情形下，金融恐慌可能切实发生，苏格兰和剩下的英国都将遭受经济打击。