SNP wants new powers to hand to Brussels

Sir, - According to the SNP, the latest outrage against Scotland to be threatened by the British Government is a farming and fishing Brexit power grab.

With the repatriation of powers over agricultural and fishing policies from Brussels to the UK, the SNP has demanded they be devolved to Holyrood.

Yet it is hardly credible Holyrood will get to determine subsidies for Scottish farmers when these subsidies are paid for by all UK taxpayers. As with energy subsidies, the SNP thinks its holy quest for self-determination entitles it to spend other people’s money without any accountability to those people.

But the real absurdity in the SNP position is that it wants these powers in order to give them back to Brussels when Scotland wins independence and rejoins the EU.

This highlights the fundamental inconsistency of a nationalist party wanting independence from one union in order to maintain dependence on another union.

The SNP is anxious to stress the importance of the single market to Scotland.

Essential common standards underpin the operation of a single market.

In areas like agriculture, fisheries and the environment, the devolution settlements in effect devolved to the legislatures in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast the power to implement EU directives in these areas, within a common EU framework.

As Brexit returns the power to create these common standards to the UK, Theresa May has guaranteed that no decisions currently taken by the Scottish Parliament will be removed from them and what can be devolved will be devolved, so long as overall UK interests are not harmed.

The setting of certain common standards and subsidies will have to be reserved if the single market is to work optimally for all UK citizens, including people in Scotland. Linda Holt. Dreel House, Pittenweem.

Picture: Jack Ireland. Harvest time at a farm at Liff, Dundee.