Brexit remains a very hot topic indeed in spite of the desperate efforts by those who visited the catastrophe upon us .
It is hardly surprising to see the SNP, Scottish Greens and Scottish Liberal Democrats highlight the damage caused by Brexit in their manifestoes for next month’s Scottish Parliament election.
In spite of the desperate efforts by those who visited the catastrophe upon us to make everyone think it is “done” and we should move on, Brexit remains a very hot topic indeed.
A major survey published on Monday by pollster YouGov showed around 55% of people in the UK would support the country rejoining the European Union, with only 33% opposing such a move, and 12% saying they “don’t know”.
And, among those who voted to leave the European Union in 2016, 22% now support rejoining.
The European Movement UK cross-party organisation, which campaigns on the benefits of close ties between the UK and EU and was established by Sir Winston Churchill in 1949, highlighted the scale of the Brexit damage in the immediate wake of the YouGov poll.
Mike Galsworthy, who chairs European Movement UK, said: "Almost 10 years have passed since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, along with its membership of the customs union and the single market.
“In that time, the consequences for the British people have become increasingly stark. This latest polling not only reinforces that - it shows that more and more people see the benefits of much closer ties with the European Union - having felt the pain of Brexit.”
He added: "We have seen soaring import costs, increased workforce shortages and reams of new red tape. No wonder exports to the EU by our small businesses are down by 30%, and 20,000 small firms across [the] UK have stopped all exports to the EU. Meanwhile, LSE (London School of Economics) research shows a £27bn fall in goods exports to the EU - enough to fill a fiscal black hole or two. Politicians must now face the facts - 10 years since the vote, Brexit is still an ongoing accident, and its damage is far from over."
Given these calamitous effects, and the red lines of Sir Keir Starmer’s administration which rule out the UK rejoining the EU, single market or even the customs union, it is hardly surprising to see the SNP, Scottish Greens and Scottish Liberal Democrats highlight the damage caused by Brexit in their manifestoes for next month’s Scottish Parliament election.
And it is equally unsurprising to observe Scottish Labour somewhat bodyswerving the issue.
Of course, in Scotland, a very significant majority, 62%, voted to remain in the EU in the June 2016 referendum.
The Brexit issue features most prominently in the SNP’s election manifesto.
This manifesto declares: “For much of the last few decades, Scotland has lived under Tory governments who in some cases had only a single MP elected north of the Border - with consequences felt to this day.”
It flags the Tories’ delivery of “Brexit - which has wiped billions off the value of the UK economy, left all of us poorer and continues to impact the amount of money available to fund our NHS”.
This is the cold reality of the situation.
The manifesto goes on: “Scotland is a proud European nation, and we believe that membership of the European Union is vital for the sake of our security and prosperity. An independent Scotland would rejoin the EU swiftly to guarantee free trade with the world’s biggest single market, higher economic growth, greater security and increased exchange opportunities for young Scots.
“Brexit has been a disaster for Scotland, costing jobs, raising prices, and harming our economy. Brexit has been estimated as costing the UK up to £90 billion in tax revenues, funding that could have gone to improving public services. Scotland rejoining the EU would help fix that mess, but we need independence to make that choice. By rejoining we will create more jobs and regain full access to the European single market. The people of Scotland voted decisively to remain within the EU and we firmly believe that membership is the best option for Scotland’s future.”
Obviously, the issue of Scottish independence evokes great emotion on both sides of the constitutional chasm.
However, putting the constitutional issue to one side, it would surely be difficult for anyone to challenge on any rational basis what the SNP says has resulted from Brexit.
Indeed, Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves only last month highlighted estimates that Brexit has reduced UK gross domestic product by as much as 8%.
Scottish Greens co-leaders Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer, in their introduction to their manifesto, declare: “We believe that Scotland’s best future is as an independent nation back in the European Union.”
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And this manifesto states the Scottish Greens would “continue to develop Scotland’s relationship with our European partners, preparing for the day when an independent Scotland can gain full membership”.
Again there is the independence dimension here, alongside the firm belief that EU membership must be restored.
On the other side of the Scottish constitutional divide, however, the Scottish Liberal Democrats also highlight the Brexit damage.
They declare in their manifesto: “The botched Brexit deal - pushed by Nigel Farage and delivered by the Conservatives - is making us all worse off and Labour don’t have a plan.”
The Scottish Liberal Democrats also flag Brexit as a factor in housing woes.
And they highlight a need to “tackle post-Brexit regulations that have made touring unviable for many artists and resulted in lost earnings”.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats also pledge to “work with the UK Government to fix the UK’s broken relationship with the European Union that would open doors for study and work for young people through the return to the Erasmus Plus programme as an associated country and through a new reciprocal youth mobility agreement for under 35s”.
The UK Government last week finalised an agreement with the EU to bring the country back into Erasmus+ from 2027.
Reform UK, for its part, pretty much steers clear of Brexit in its “manifesto for Scotland”.
That might surprise some, given that it was Brexit which propelled party leader Nigel Farage so spectacularly into the limelight.
Then again, given the devastation Brexit has wreaked, the “nothing to see here” approach that Reform UK appears to take to this crucial issue in its manifesto is probably no shock at all.
The manifesto touches on Brexit only in the context of the SNP’s desire for independence, declaring: “John Swinney’s plan for leaving the UK to join Europe is pie-in-the-sky.”
The fact that Brexit’s cheerleaders are so silent on it these days says it all.
However, Brexit is not going to go away as an issue just because the Leavers might want it to, given the utter shambles they have created.
As Mr Galsworthy notes, the damage from Brexit is “far from over”. So why on earth would we not take serious action to prevent further destruction?
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