2014 will prove to have been a lucky escape for our fishermen

I CONGRATULATE Ian Mclaren (Letters, March 21) on a very fine piece of nationalist cherry-picking of facts over the issue of Westminster and the Scottish fishing industry post-brexit.

He implies that Scotland is “now on the road to vassal state status” and goes on to write, “I’m not sure if our nation has sufficient collective strength or courage to resist. Independence offered us that, but we refused”.

He has decided not to remind us that if the SNP had been successful in gaining independence in 2014 the first thing it would have done would have been to ensure that Scotland was a member state of the EU.

We would now be looking enviously at the fishing fleets of England, Wales and Northern Ireland preparing to invest in new boats and head out to harvest their sovereign seas. We however would still be stuck forever with quotas and other EU fishing restrictions.

With a population comparable with Slovakia we would have been ruled condescendingly by Brussels and really would have been a small vassal state. A narrow escape.

Bill Brown,

46 Breadie Drive, Milngavie.

WHY the current outrage over the “betrayal” of Scottish fishermen? Was it not obvious from the multiple pronouncements of various leading Westminster ministers et al over the last many months, (to which I referred in my letter of January 15)? For example, Michael Gove: “Danish fishermen will still be able to fish in Scottish waters”; or Theresa May: “the deal must not disadvantage EU fishermen”. With so much experience of Westminster lies and broken promises in the past, and having been sold out so often over more than 40 years, why on earth did the fishermen have any faith in the current Tories to deliver what they hoped for?

Does this fiasco not amply indicate the real reasons behind the attempt in the Withdrawal Bill to retain 25 of what should be devolved powers returning from the EU? Even if it is agreed that these will eventually reach Edinburgh and Cardiff, as long as they remain during the implementation period in the control of Westminster, they can be used as bargaining chips, as they have been this week, in efforts to gain preferential deals for “more important” sectors such as London finance.

A similar scenario applies to agriculture too. We know that the EU gave Westminster a pot of extra cash specifically for Scottish hill farmers to bring them up to the level of their continental equals, but Westminster has allocated only 20 per cent of this money as intended and has kept the other 80 per cent. Talk of the need for a Uk-wide policy to protect the internal market is only a smokescreen. That market has operated fine for 40-plus years while Westminster has had no input, so what would change? Obviously, the real purpose in trying to take control, even temporarily, of these devolved powers is to ensure that a single level of support can be decided for all UK farmers. Thus in future, Scottish farmers, however poor their land, will receive only as much support as is thought suitable for the far greater number with far more productive, arable land in England.

Fishermen voted Tory because of the promises and because of the Scottish Government’s declared interest in retaining EU membership. Surely representing ourselves and our own Scottish interests in Europe would achieve a better, long-term result than being voiceless and used as bargaining fodder?

P Davidson,

Gartcows Road, Falkirk.

THE outrage uttered by Scottish Consrvative MPS (“Scots Tories: We’ll oust May if she betrays our fishermen”, The Herald, March 21) are merely idle threats to allow Scottish Conservative MPS the chance to pop up and remind the PM that they have fishermen in their constituencies, fishermen to whom they made promise regarding sovereignty of our waters.

Let’s be serious and see this situation for what it is, the Conservatives at Westminster treating Scotland with contempt, with absolutely no consideration for the 60 per cent of all UK catch coming from Scotland. If this threat from the Scottish Conservatives has any substance, then surely their 13 MPS in Scotland along with their Scottish leader must go on to demand a seat at the Brexit negotiating table for Scotland before any other transitional deals are made that will result in detrimental effects for Scotland. Catriona C Clark,

52 Hawthorn Drive, Banknock.

FULL control of UK fishing grounds means restoring sovereignty over all aspects of the industry to this country, with no third country able to dictate the rules on access, quota, management measures or anything else. That was within our grasp. The Westminster Government has traded huge territorial advantage away for London fat cat considerations.

No other country in its right mind would give up such natural economic advantage and food security as Scotland’s rich fishing grounds. We already see the Scottish Tory MPS trying to justify voting for this agreement..

What did the famous Bard say? “A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation”. That’s a mild description of what they really are.

Ernie Hasler,

1 Church Place, Old Kilpatrick.

● Have your say: The Editor, The Herald, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB; e-mail: letters@theherald.co.uk

I AM convinced that if you gave the Scottish fishermen the choice of putting up with another 21 months of the dreaded EU fisheries policy or opting for the SNP plan of rejoining Europe on poor terms and giving up more of our fishing rights they would have no hesitation in sticking it out.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, 3 Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen.

THE discussion on Scotland within the United Kingdom and Scotland within the European Union seems to ignore the global trend away from national politics and towards the power of unbridled global finance. What political regulation remains over money is fast disappearing – deregulation is the way forward.

The concessions made this week by the UK Government in the Brexit negotiations acknowledge the limitations of national politics. Political sovereignty is not what it was in a world now driven by finance.

Reality is kicking in for a small state apparently attempting to swim against the tide. EU politics are likely to disappear too for the same reason unless it reforms. President Macron realises this, with his tactics to attract business from China and India, and in the shortterm reshape the EU.

Ian Jenkins,

7 Spruce Avenue, Hamilton.