JACOB Rees-Mogg – a minister for Brexit opportunities! Let’s look at some of these promised “opportunities”.
1. £350m a week for the NHS – but they forgot to say, only if we paid more National Insurance.
2. Then VAT would come off energy – unless the prices went up and the big companies could make even bigger profits.
3. Those “on the buroo” would get all those jobs the foreigners were stealing – except that the buroo does not have enough unemployed doctors, nurses, carers, fruit-pickers, chefs, lorry-drivers etc on its books.
READ MORE: 'We can't find any': Scots industry chief rubbishes 'Brexit opportunities' claim
4. There would be a “bonfire of red tape” – except that paperwork for a non-EU country has multiplied many times and is more complex.
5. Countries around the world would be queueing up to do new trade deals - (except that between 70 and 100 through the EU were lost, with only 2 or 3 new ones made worth less than 1%, and detrimental to our producers.
6. Exports would increase, - except that costs of £1,000 are now £10,000, paperwork needs extra staff, and causes queues at ports, so that many loads of fresh produce are rotted and unsaleable before they even leave the UK.
7. All the preparations and help for business would be in place before B-Day – except that it still isn’t.
8. Westminster will replace grants lost from the EU – except that the sums are less, spread over longer and controlled by Westminster instead of the devolved governments which used to receive them direct.
Let us now take a look at some of the 2014 Vow.
1. ONLY a “No” vote will guarantee EU membership – it didn’t.
2. Holyrood’s existence and powers will be legally protected in perpetuity – it hasn’t been, and the Internal Market Act allows it to be overruled, powers are now being diluted or taken away.
3. The Sewel Convention will become law – it hasn’t, and Holyrood consent can be ignored and Westminster decisions imposed, because of one word, “normally”, cunningly left in.
4. 13 new frigates will be built on the Clyde, starting in 2015 – it hasn’t happened yet.
5. Cameron would correct the unfairness of Scotland PAYING to put renewables into the Grid, where Wales GETS PAID – still unchanged, we pay £5.50mwh and Wales receives £2.80mwh.
What do these two cases have in common? They illustrate the “Power Grab Prophecy”, in place throughout history. To win their desired result, the powerful will make any number of great promises, but have NEVER been known to fulfil them. How many Brexit supporters and independence “No” voters were conned thus, and when will they recognise it?
READ MORE: Jacob Rees-Mogg certainly knows about personal benefits from Brexit
Do not let us be conned again!
L McGregor
Falkirk
THE First Minister recently announced that she would consider a Yes vote for independence to be a mandate to negotiate membership of the European Union, such that no further referendum would be required. As it happens I support both, but many other Yes supporters do not.
Let us suppose as high as 60% support independence, a tall order, and of these, 60% support re-joining the EU. If the remaining 40% favour say EFTA or non-membership of any European trading bloc and they vote No, then the Yes vote goes down to 36%. If they simply abstain, the Yes vote goes down to 48%. Either way it equals a No.
It is going to be to be tough enough to convince voters of the economic case for independence and to reassure them in rigorous detail on the Scottish pound, pensions, the border, defence and much else without muddying the waters with EU membership, the monarchy or other such issues that would only divide the independence vote and should be the subject of separate referenda post-independence. Conflating these issues would be a big mistake and would result in a No vote.
Roy Pedersen
Inverness
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