IN 1973 the UK joined what was then called the European Economic Community.

This organisation evolved over time, from free trade to a more state-like entity.

The treaty of Maastricht – formally known as the treaty on European Union - brought about an entirely different beast from simple free trade.

This was the beginning of the concept of ever closer union.

After this we had the failed constitution. The EU decided to re-brand it as the treaty of Lisbon, not listening to the peoples of Europe, but pushing ahead with their agenda for a superstate.

UKIP came to prominence when British citizens began to realise that their wages were being compressed by way of open door EU migration as well as housing shortages, and the lengthening of NHS queues and waiting times.

Voters saw through the lies of an establishment who got themselves into a Gordian knot of opposing political, economic and social commitments without the ability to pay for them.

In short, they ran out of other people’s tax money.

Taxpayers also realised Westminster and Holyrood were no longer in control of legislation, that Legislation was being created by an unelected EU bureaucracy presided over by an unelected Commission and an impotent EU Parliament.

All five Holyrood parties, from Ruth Davidson’s Conservatives to Patrick Harvie’s Scottish Greens, supported the European Project and “Remain”.

Only UKIP in Scotland opposed the EU in the Referendum.

The Vote Leave campaign in Scotland was a Tory farce, designed to get the designation and do nothing with it.

At the Vote Leave launch, I was refused permission to enter as Scotland’s only elected BREXIT politician and the meeting was addressed by an English Conservative Cabinet Minister, Theresa Villiers.

Meanwhile UKIP Scotland campaigned in every city over Scotland and we reduced the 80-20 per cent prediction for Remain in Scotland to almost 60-40 per cent.

Thus we assured Great Britain’s departure from the EU.

One million Scots voted for Brexit, more than those who voted SNP in the 2016 Holyrood elections.

Britain has already been offered a free trade deal with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and various other nations all keen to conclude a trade treaty with Britain.

These could never be agreed when we were in the EU, as 27 other nations always had to agree and that never seemed possible to achieve.

Out of the EU, Scotland should regain her 200-mile fishing limit which was given away by the Tories in 1972.

UKIP will do its best to ensure the Tories never betray the Scottish fishing industry ever again.

Farming and fishing will be directed from Holyrood.

More power will be returned to Holyrood from the EU with Brexit and Holyrood, already a powerful devolved administration, will stand taller.

David Coburn was elected a UKIP MEP for Scotland in 2014