General News May 2016 Well, everyone, it’s finally here! The EU referendum is going to be our fourth national vote in two years, and we’re sailing high The EU Referendum: Your other vote this year on a sea of optimism because having two campaigns running side-by-side over the past In it, you’ll find facts, stats and infographics about few weeks worked out quite nicely. Huge Scotland’s EU membership, along with our insiders’ congratulations to all my SNP colleagues old guide to how it all works. For example, the EU set a cap and new who were sworn in this month - on bankers’ bonuses to ward off another crash; it gives including Holyrood’s new Deputy Presiding you the right to paid annual leave; and EU immigrants Officers, Christine Grahame and Linda Fabiani. contribute a whopping £55 per second to the UK public purse. Pretty good, eh? During the past few months I was fortunate enough to join some MSP candidates on the campaign trail and talk Of course, many of you will be asking why I want an to a few undecided voters along the way, so I can tell you independent Scotland but am passionately pro-EU. that when we wake up on the 24th June, Scotland will The short answer is that many of the issues faced by be more engaged and informed about the EU. This can Scotland are not because of the EU, but instead due to only benefit us as a nation. MEPs are out there working UK priorities. Poor outcomes are due to who speaks for in Scotland’s name, so understanding how the EU works Scotland in the EU. The SNP is an internationalist party. is the first step towards critiquing whether it’s working in We want independence for Scotland not to withdraw from our interests. the world and shun our neighbours, but to enable us to interact with them as equals. This referendum will be about far more than money, no matter how clear the economic case is. This is about empowering and enriching the Scottish nation by remaining a participant in one of the world’s largest and most progressive economic and social communities. This will come down to a choice about what The Wee BLEU Book - download yours for free! kind of Scotland we want: open, co-operative and successful or narrow and insular. I know what kind of Scotland we deserve. Let’s build it together. With that in mind, Ian Hudghton and I have released our Wee BLEU Book, which you can find at Yours aye, www.scotlandineurope.eu/wee_bleu_book if you haven’t already received the email. If you prefer a printed version, you can print out the pdf on your home computer, buy next month’s edition of iScot magazine, or nab one of the hard copies we’ll be handing out at events and meetings around the country. TTIP negotiations ‘totally blocked’ This month saw French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl state that the ongoing TTIP talks are “totally blocked”. As you’ll know, the deal is being negotiated by the European Commission and cannot come into force unless all 28 member states agree, and the package is approved by a majority of MEPs. So Minister Fekl’s statement is a rather important indicator of how these talks are going. During an interview with French radio, Minister Fekl said that not only are the negotiations “totally blocked” but also that a halt to talks “is the most probable option… in its current state, France cannot sign [TTIP]”. We’ve seen major disagreements fail to be sorted out despite 13 rounds of talks, and Minister Fekl declared that “Europe is giving a lot… but receiving very little in return”. boost the Scottish economy must be looked at on its Some folk have asked why your SNP MEPs are merits. Better to negotiate a deal than to have it foisted engaging with TTIP at all. The answer is that it would upon us by a UK government that has been acting as one be irresponsible to disengage from the process and of TTIP’s biggest cheerleaders. then complain afterwards that the end result isn’t good enough. I am deeply concerned but while I have a The SNP’s red lines are very clear - the NHS and other mandate to get the best deal for Scotland, I will not take public services must be clearly carved out, European the easy approach of walking away. standards must not be compromised and corporations must not be given any special rights to sue governments The reason we’re engaging with the TTIP process is so that pursue policies they disagree with. If the final form of we can maximise our influence over it; it is possible that the TTIP deal does not match our expectations, then we a better TTIP could be negotiated and anything that will will vote against it. Nuclear: a technology of the past I’ve underlined the need for Scotland (and Europe) to Nuclear power is a technology of the past. When it phase out nuclear power and invest in renewable energy comes to huge upfront costs, ability to construct projects sources, following reports that Belgian citizens will be on time, the potential for enormous taxpayer liabilities, issued with iodine pills in case of a nuclear accident. and safety issues, nuclear is simply not competitive. Belgium’s High Council for Health declared that the The SNP Government has a proud record on energy current 20km radius from a nuclear power plant to run on in this election, both in promoting “ready (perimeter for receiving iodine pills) is too small and to go” sources of energy such as wind and solar, and that the radius should be extended to 100km, covering in encouraging research into technologies which will virtually every citizen in Belgium, as well as others in the define the decades to come, like wave and tidal. In Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany. This follows contrast, the UK Government has killed the potential ongoing concerns about safety at Belgian nuclear plants to develop Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK by including the potential for a terrorist attack. arbitrarily and without warning eliminating the funding for demonstration projects, and has put all its energy In contrast, the Scottish Government’s development of eggs into the leaky Hinkley basket - while across Europe new renewable energy technologies like wind and solar countries like Germany are abandoning nuclear, and has meant that over 50% of our electricity now comes countries like Belgium are having to deal with the from renewable sources, carbon emissions are down potentially lethal consequences of failure. since 1990 by almost 40% - and there will be no nuclear build in Scotland. Scotland is leading the way towards an energy future that has no need for new nuclear, and Europe would be well 2 advised to follow. with Donna Heddle in Orkney with Gail Ross in 2016 Campaign Trail Wick with Keith Brown with Richard Lochead in Stirling in Forres with Michael Russell in Oban with volunteers in Elgin with Roseanna Cunningham in Perth with Fiona Hyslop in Bathgate with Linda Fabiani in East Kilbride with Angela Constance in Almond Valley with Christina McKelvie with Ben MacPherson in Hamilton in Leith with Humza Yousaf in Glasgow Pollok with Fiona Hyslop with Jim Eadie with Aileen McLeod in Torphichen in Edinburgh in Dumfries Knockando Woolmill wins EU heritage honour Great news as Knockando Woolmill in Abelour, Moray, beat projects from all over Europe to win the highest honour in the heritage field. Knockando is one of just four UK projects to win the 2016 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award, reserved only for projects deemed to be “outstanding examples of creativity, innovation, sustainable development and social participation”. The jury was absolutely stunned by Knockando, and I can see why! Locals will know that the byre was transformed into a visitor centre, which has done wonders for attracting folk Forres fun with Richard Lochhead, Laura Mitchell and Seth the dug! and teaching them about the Woolmill’s heritage. Thanks to a combination of community involvement, employment The Woolmill is a real example of local revival, having opportunities, and bringing visitors flocking to a fairly produced world-class textiles continuously for 200 years remote region, Knockando is a superb example of rural and now training young people in traditional crafts that revitalisation and how we can use EU funds to do the might otherwise be lost. same throughout Scotland. Knockando Woolmill, which is an outstanding local asset, I was out campaigning with Richard Lochhead on the day is steeped in local history, and the heritage experts we heard the news, and he was equally delighted to see rightly highlighted it as being deserving of European, if Knockando win the award. not global, recognition. Time to tackle fake farm branding supermarkets. So someone in an office has seen this and immediately thought of a way to capitalise on consumers wanting to support local farmers. That kind of cynical behaviour is sneaky, abhorrent and wrong. The EU has done excellent work in protecting consumers from unscrupulous producers through its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) scheme. Arbroath smokies, Shetland wool, Stornoway black pudding and Scotch whisky have all benefited. Now I want to see the Commission continue to protect consumers and farmers alike by taking action to restrict this kind of marketing, which is why I’ve raised the issue directly with them. As Scotland’s sole voice on the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, I’ve long been on the backs of the supermarkets for the way they treat farmers.