SNP is pressing to have Scotland’s demands heard

So the negotiations on Brexit began this week.

Prime Minister Theresa May has made it clear that she expects the 27 other nations of the EU to support her demands for the UK to keep its open and tariff-free access to the other member countries while maintaining total control over movement of people. Talk about having your cake and eating it!

It all echoes Victorian ideals and assumptions, the Raj in India, the concept of ‘Rule Britannia’ and “the nations not so blest as thee, must, in their turn, to tyrants fall. While thou shalt flourish great and free: The dread and envy of them all.”

What planet does the current Westminster government live on?

Does the Prime Minister honestly believe that she somehow has the power to beat all the other EU nations into submission and declare a deal that does nothing but good for the UK?

If you are tempted to think this is all irrelevant and life and work and benefits will continue much as they are under Tory austerity plans then I can only say you’re in for a very nasty and painful surprise.

The EU protects not only your human rights but your rights at work, things like maternity leave and how many hours a week you have to work and how much annual leave you are entitled to. It covers your health and safety and work, your right to be a member of a trade union, your freedom to live, get educated and work in another EU country.

What about the areas where EU rulings have clearly brought advantages to all of us? On June 15, the EU ended mobile phone roaming charges so you won’t get stung for huge bills when you use your phone on holiday in Spain. I fear that may not last in the UK post-brexit. There may be a need for visas to go on holiday and flights are already getting more expensive alongside food.

Whatever way you voted in the EU referendum, you have not yet seen just what devastation any deal is going to bring to your own job, your home and your family’s prospects. Jobs will be lost and international companies that need a European base will look to other EU member countries to make investments without the threat of tariffs.

There has been a lot of smoke and mirrors, ending up with folk totally confused about just what membership costs and what Scotland gets back. In a nutshell, we get back around £20 for every £1 we pay in on membership. That’s a pretty good deal by anyone’s standards. To put it a different way, though we only have 8.2 per cent of the UK population, Scotland earns 17.4 per cent of the EU spending for the whole of the UK.

Yes, we are where we are. The Scottish voice, the First Minister’s compromise suggestions and proposed amendments to Article 50 were all dismissed by Westminster. Though 62 per cent – almost two in three – of Scottish voters wanted to remain, it was the 38 per cent who voted leave who got their wish.

A simple two per cent majority across the entire UK put us on the road to Brexit. Some of you will be pleased, I know, and may perceive great improvements coming in their lives post-2019 and I absolutely respect your decision to vote for Brexit – but I fear you are in for still more bad news from