Thursday, December 24, 2020

I saw the Scottish fishing industry being shafted again on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve

36 comments:

  1. As the DUP MP Jim Shannon said of Boris Johnson in 2019 - "He would take your Alsatian dog for a walk, he’d come back an hour later and he’d give you a chihuahua - and he would say it was alright."
    I don't think Johnson's the problem - it's whoever believes him.
    Regardless all the victory speeches - the deal is shit really - for Scotland, but it isn't much better for England either.
    No services at all, no finance at all, creative industries completely shafted - just an FTA on goods with even some agricultural products excluded which favours the EU really with a very theoretical possibility of divergence as the EU hold a baton to punish the UK with. There's almost no change for fishing. So - in the end it was the EU really that cherry-picked and ended up with keeping the cake and eating it.
    The fun starts on January 2nd with the all the non-tariff barriers. The way Johnson spoke today he really thinks access is going to stay the same. He's in for a great surprise.

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  2. James, My first instinct is the SNP should hold a "National Summit" at the time of the WM vote.
    SNP MP's and MSPs together to plot Scotland's re-entry to the EU..
    Voting against IMO would only legitimise the process that took Scotland out of the EU against our will.
    It's better surely to show that Scotland is not helpless at this time and point voters towards a plan for re-entry that only the SNP can deliver with Independence.
    What can voting against achieve anyhow when Labour are backing the deal?

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  3. Paul Sweeney says this is an act of self-harm.
    Can he confirm he would defy Starmer and vote against if still an MP?
    Na, thought not. And that's why he lost his seat to the SNP.
    Labour have been rumbled. Ian Murray needs to break cover. The Whole nation holds its breath. Hmm.

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  4. A merry Xmas to all and that includes the trolls.

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  5. I’m no Brexiteer (I spoiled my ballot) but isn’t this good news for Scottish fishermen? More freedom year on year?

    Merry Christmas to everyone, whether you’re unionists, nationalists or somewhere in-between.

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    1. "but isn’t this good news for Scottish fishermen?"

      Oh come on. 24 hours ago we were supposedly going to be an "independent coastal state" by the end of the month. No, I think we can safely say this is not good news for Scottish fishermen. Very definitely the opposite.

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    2. You obviously know nothing about the Fishing Industry and I suspect you care even less.

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    3. I must be missing something. When I went to Skye I saw banners of ‘Fishermen for Brexit’. I’ll have to read up on the detail.

      Have a great day today whatever you do.

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    4. They wanted Brexit because they thought it meant the UK would become an "independent coastal state".

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    5. Fishermen representatives have already condemned liar Johnson's deal, understandably so since they've been betrayed by Johnson.

      Like wise extreme brexiteers.

      SNP MPs must vote against the deal.

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    6. It's hard to feel sympathy for Scots fisherman that voted for English Tories to sell them down the river for a better deal for England. Particularly as they were warned multiple times that this is what would happen.

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  6. Merry Bah Humbug and Happy New Year to Yes voters. To Yoons, well you can rot in hell. Scots fishers shafted by the Brit Tory and English Tory Nah bags again. Not surprised in the least. The fishers will not the only folks shafted either once the dust settles.

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  7. Looking at the voting figures for the referendum, Scotland might as well have not voted. Same for NI & Wales. It was decided by England's voters. And this is called democracy, a Nation (UK) of equals.

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  8. Looking at the figures for the referendum, Scotland might as well not voted. Same for NI & Wales. This was settled by voters in England. So much for the Nation of equals.

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  9. Merry Christmas to all on SGP, Yesser and Noer alike.

    As far as I'm concerned, a shitty deal is better than No deal as far as independence is concerned. Johnson has neatly shafted his own Tory/Brexit voting Scottish fishermen too. I'm starting to think he really does want English indy.

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  10. A truly bad deal for Scotland. Voting for this gets London off the hook.
    It's not the SNPs role to play ME TOO with the Tories.
    That's Labour's job.
    Stay the hell away from it.

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    1. The SNP should have nothing to do with this crap. They should walk out of Westminster vowing never to come back but of course they won't. Totally useless SNP leadership.

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    2. Sinn Fein do that. It doesn't achieve anything unless you have a >50% mandate for outright independence. That could be through e.g. a new Scottish indyref or Westminster election.

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  11. The Prime Minister is on record as saying Brexit would not mean the end of the Erasmus scheme.
    Also that we could still be in the EU single market. Also Scotland's fishing communities were told they'd be taking back control of fishing grounds and the UK would become an independent coastal state.
    This sell-out appeals only to the most mean and nasty of xenophobics on the far right. Scottish farmers who put up banners in their fields supporting the Tories and Brexit have been shown to be - like the fishermen - expendable.
    Will they still vote Tory? - in the UK "National" interest.
    They're sure as hell gullible enough.

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  12. The S,N.P. have said they will vote against the bill.

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  13. A look at the deal in more detail and it's utterly crap. Big hit to the economy (£9b hit in Scotland) while people are severely restricted from trying to get a job in the EU due to a loss of free movement.

    Some positive news here, which I imagine poppy was going to tell us about.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55439874

    Covid in Scotland: Fall in the number of people with the virus

    The number of people estimated to have Covid in Scotland has fallen over the last week, official figures suggest.

    However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated the new, more virulent strain of the virus was responsible for 38% of the positive cases north of the border.

    The agency found about 37,100 (one in 140) people in Scotland had Covid in the seven days to 18 December.

    That figure has fallen from 52,500 (one in 100) in the week up to 11 December.

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    1. Skier once again using the lying Britnat propaganda broadcaster as a source for his truth.

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  14. But fishermen got their wish! The majority of them voted for Brexit, as did farmers - so sod them; I've no sympathy with them..
    .

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  15. When the DUP are regularly voting with the SNP against London rule, you know the UK hasn't got long left.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55462155

    Brexit: NI MPs to vote against trade deal in Commons

    Northern Ireland's political parties that take their seats at Westminster are set to vote against the UK-EU post-Brexit deal this week.

    The Commons will be recalled on Wednesday to allow MPs to vote on the agreement reached on Christmas Eve.

    The DUP, the Alliance Party and the SDLP have indicated that they will not support the plan.


    I wonder what Ian Murray will do; stand up for his constituents or just do what English nationalist brexit backing Labour tell him to.

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    1. It's really funny - there's a big number of Tory MPs who solemnly swore they could never vote for any Brexit treaty that went against the DUP wishes.
      But - then DUP are something like losers of the century - they voted against May's WA (for reasons I still don't really understand) which made sure that any final deal would treat NI and GB in the same way - and ended up with this now.
      UK single market doesn't exist anymore - in most respects dealing with NI is the same as dealing with the EU.

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    2. Johnson's English nats have broken up the UK, but they understand Britain so poorly, they don't realise it yet. The brits, like Major, Cameron, even May, understand it.

      The DUP - the most British brits in no surrender British Britain (if you ignore how very irish they sound) - hung out to dry by the English nats. The province used to be 70%+ unionist. Now it's saying Yes in polls as the English nat Tories put a border down the Irish sea.

      Meantime, Johnson's shafting Tory voting Scot-Brit fisherman, farming landowners and business types; the last bastions of Scottish unionism.

      In Scotland / NI, the Scots / Irish voted remain while the brits voted leave. In England, the brits voted remain and the English voted leave. That can't be reconciled and is why all but the fringes of Scottish unionism are baulking at what the English nats are up to.

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    3. Skier once again using the lying Britnat propaganda broadcaster the BBC as a source for his truth.

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  16. Quite a few opposition MP's (from all parties) were using the #wedidntvoteforthis hashtag on Twitter. Which shows huge amounts of brass neck because the reason we are were we are is because despite having a Government with no majority and despite twice managing to take control of the parliamentary process they managed to fail to come to any sort of agreement of what to do about Brexit. Any MP that bemoans the fact that there is now going to be more red tape and delays at the border but failed to vote to be a a customs union in the indicative votes is a hypocrite, and MP that bemoans the loss of freedom of movement but did not vote to be in the SM is a hypocrite.

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    1. Folks in the UK are about to get a pretty big shock. Even with the deal there are mountains of red tape, particularly for businesses. Better check if you need a special visa to go on that business trip; each EU member has different rules. And folks shouldn't book a holiday, as a non-EU state, as of 1st Jan Brits are blanket banned from holidaying in the EU until further notice due to not being a member state & covid... And even if they get to go on hols, make sure you declare any gifts you bought that might be subject to import duties. No more blue lane.... You can bet their will be expats that will fall foul of new regs and get sent back to the UK... Pre-booked hols cancelled due to refusal of entry as non-EU...

      For me though, supreme to the economics aspect, it is free movement that I treasure most. I am Scottish-Irish, my wife French, my daughter Scottish-French. To be told that free movement with English people is fine because they are 'like us', but not with the e.g. French as they are somehow 'not like us' to Brits just utterly revolts me.

      If free movement is bad, then why is it ok within the UK, but not with EU countries (and beyond)? That can only be explained by xenophobia and directly against my family / friends.

      I remain pretty convinced that brexit will end the UK, triggering Scottish indy, Irish reunification, Wales seeking indy or more autonomy from England (see WFMs comments the other day) with England eventually re-joining the single market as England.

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  17. Unsurprisingly, England bartered a worse deal for Scots fisherman so it could get a better trade deal for England.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55470776

    Scottish fishing industry 'deeply aggrieved' by Brexit deal

    ...Under the current rules, Scottish boats can:

    - catch quota that has been allocated to the Scottish industry
    - lease quota from other EU producers
    - swap quotas of fish that we have and still need but other countries want more of

    The Scottish government says that, under the new deal, swapping quotas will no longer allowed and leasing will be "prohibitively expensive".

    A scheme called the Hague Preference, which gives Scottish boats extra quota, has also been lost under the Brexit deal, ministers claim...

    ...Mike Park - chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association - said members were "deeply aggrieved at the very challenging situation they now face for 2021".

    "Whereas we have gained modest uplifts in shares for some stocks, the stark reality is that the demersal sector enters 2021 facing significant shortfalls across a range of key species, which is down to the fact that we can no longer enter into direct swaps with colleagues in Europe," he said.

    "In addition, the issue of sovereignty and our future ability to negotiate additional shares after the five-and-a-half-year window would seem clouded by so much complexity that it is difficult at this time to see how the UK government can use its newly recovered sovereignty to improve the situation of my members."


    England has totally shafted Scottish fisherman; they'd have been better off if the UK had remained in the EU.

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    1. Skier once again using the lying British state propaganda broadcaster as a source for his truth - you would almost think he worked for the BBC the amount of times he recommends them on this site.

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  18. In pure westminster and real people terms, what’s the biggest statement the snp mps can make just now?
    Abstention or vote against the brexit ‘deal’?
    I’ve written to my mp (Tommy Sheppard) saying I don’t understand the benefit of a vote against the brexit deal - unless they all intend to walk out and get the next train back to Scotland and never return.

    I really don’t want to take ‘sides’ in the ridiculous internal squabbles going on right now but I am also sick of listening to snp voices saying that they refuse this and then refuse that and then I read all about this and then all about that having happened with no feel that anyone is doing more than shrug?

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    1. Scottish people voted against leaving the EU with or without a deal. We didn't for leaving with a deal, leaving without a deal, or just saying 'we abstain and you English decide'.

      So the SNP represented Scotland by voting against. It takes principle to do that.

      The DUP, SDLP, Alliance, Plaid Cymru, Scottish lib dems all likewise voted against, as did Scottish Labour by refusing legislative consent in Holyrood.

      Only Ian Murry and the English Tories in Scotland backed it.

      The SNP are not standing idly by just attacking Yes supporters all the time with stories from English websites. They are doing what is needed to get Scottish people to back indy or at least making sure they don't do something that might make Scots not move in that direction.

      The SNP, Greens, SSP...ISP cannot deliver independence. It is not within their power. They can only try to gently persuade and show Scots as best they can why Scotland should be independent.

      It is only Scots themselves that can deliver indy; not politicians.

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  19. Scottish Labour vote against English Labour as the latter shaft them and their Holyrood / devolution over brexit.

    Meanwhile the DUP vote with the SNP and SDLP against London rule.

    Polls showing Yes in the upper 50's and folks in NI starting to back reunification...

    Union is crumbling before our eyes.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55474218

    MSPs vote to 'refuse consent' for Brexit deal

    MSPs have voted to reject the post-Brexit trade deal agreed between the UK and the EU, calling instead for a "pause" in the process to reconsider.

    The free trade agreement sealed with EU leaders has already been overwhelmingly backed by MPs at Westminster.

    But the legislation passed without the devolved consent of Holyrood, after MSPs from the SNP, Labour, Greens and Lib Dems all voted to oppose the deal.


    And I thought Sturgeon didn't really want independence and was secretly a unionist?

    She [Ruth Davidson] added: "Throughout, the SNP has asked one question of itself - not what can be practically delivered, but how can Brexit be used to crank up grievance and promote the only thing Nicola Sturgeon has ever cared about: independence.

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    1. Skier - once again using the BBC and Truthless Davidson as his sources. Not something I do as you cannot trust a word they say. Wonder why Skier keeps using Britnat liars as his source of the truth.

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  20. English Labour standing shoulder to shoulder with the English Tories to take Scotland out of the single market, cancel Erasmus etc, and grab back devolved powers from Holyrood for England's benefit.

    How are 'Scottish' Labour going to explain that on the doorstep?

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