Brexit will have an impact on all, not just politicians
With only 44 days left until Scotland possibly exits the European Union against the express will of its citizens, it is understandable that there are mixed emotions.
Parts of the mainstream media are promoting the UK Government line that people just want them to get on with it. I would understand that many people, whichever way they voted in 2016, might hold that view, fed up of constant political bickering and lack of leadership at Westminster.
Just getting on with life is difficult and problematic enough for many people, and the whole Brexit debate can seem remote. Many people will switch off from the Groundhog Day nature of Brexit news on a loop, while the stories in the media about fearful EU citizens here, or worried British pensioners on the Costa del Sol might seem remote too.
However the status of EU citizens in Scotland is currently causing anxiety and uncertainty to hundreds of my constituents.
In recent weeks, the UK Government has been rolling out a “Settled Status” registration process for EU nationals, asking people to register in order to remain in their own homes and maintain the rights they already have.
Previously, the UK Government had planned to force EU citizens to pay a £65 administration fee for their right to continued residence in the UK. Thankfully, following pressure from the Scottish Government and others, the fees were scrapped.
However, while EU citizens no longer require to pay a fee, they still must apply for settled status.
This is something I profoundly disagree with, so I wrote to my EU constituents to let them know that the Scottish Government stood ready to help, where it could. A short survey was included to gauge how people were feeling about the process, and whether they felt there was enough information from the UK Government about it.
I have been both staggered and concerned by the response. In the past two weeks, many EU citizens have returned their surveys, often by calling in person to my office. Many of them have been here a long time, some for decades.
They have grown up here, or are married to Scots and have raised their children here. They have worked and paid taxes here for years, yet they feel they are being singled out by this insidious process as different, as “others.”
They have related their fears and concerns about their futures, their feelings of rejection and their dismay at having to reassess how they feel about the place they have regarded as home.
This brings home that Brexit is not just some remote issue being squabbled about by the Tories and Labour in London. It is having a direct and negative impact on our communities in Rutherglen, Cambuslang and Blantyre.
It is shameful that the UK Government is treating people in this way.
EU citizens should not be asked to apply simply to retain the rights that they already have to live, work and study in Scotland.
They will always remain welcome in my Rutherglen constituency and across Scotland.
They are valued members of all of our communities; our friends, neighbours and colleagues, and my staff and I stand ready to assist them, in whatever way we can, as the Brexit chaos continues to unfold.