Brexit plan’s better than ‘half-baked’ postion of May
We are the only ones with any sort of plan for Brexit
I hope you have all had a very merry Christmas, and are enjoying a bit of a break.
There are many people who will have been working over the holidays – our emergency services for instance – and I would like to extend by appreciation to them.
Although I’ve been working over the break, I’ve enjoyed some time off, which has been a welcome opportunity to catch up with friends and family.
The run-up to Christmas was a hectic time for many people, and you could be forgiven if you haven’t yet had the time to read Scotland’s Place in Europe, published just a few days ago by the Scottish Government.
In June the people of Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay within the European Union, with the result across South Lanarkshire reflecting the massive 24-point national lead for remain.
Whilst I make no secret of the fact that I believe the best future for Scotland lies in being a full independent member of the EU, it was important to explore all options to protect Scotland’s interests following the UK-wide vote to leave.
That was precisely what our first minister promised to do some months ago, and the newlypublished paper meets that commitment.
Scotland’s Place in Europe is a first for the UK; we are the only ones with any sort of plan for Brexit.
Meanwhile, prime minister Theresa May continues to serve up only meaningless slogans such as “Brexit means Brexit” and “red, white and blue Brexit”.
It is little wonder the plan has enjoyed a warm reception from across Scottish society.
In its response, the Scottish Trades Union Congress said, “it is positive that the Scottish Government has developed such a position… This is in stark contrast to the half-baked and conflicting positions that are emerging from the UK Government on this issue”.
The Scottish Government’s proposals, in essence, seek to keep Scotland in the European Single Market of 500million people and stop the disaster of a hard Brexit.
Some estimates show that after 10 years, a hard Brexit could mean the loss of 80,000 Scottish jobs and an average cut in wages of £2,000 a year – something we cannot allow to happen.
The paper also seeks a substantial transfer of power from Westminster to Scotland in order to protect our interests, as well as the protection of rights currently enjoyed as EU citizens, as much as possible while we are inside the UK but outside the EU.
The Scottish Government does not claim the proposals will fully protect Scotland but they will mitigate the worst damage of Brexit and are put forward as a compromise in a spirit of seeking consensus.
During the independence referendum we were told time and time again that Scotland is an equal partner in our family of nations.
How Westminster respond now will put beyond doubt whether that is the case.
If you have some spare time over New Year, I would highly recommend reading the paper - www.g ov.scot/ scotland ineurope.
And whatever you are doing for Hogmanay, I wish you all the best for 2017.