Scotland 'Has Much to Offer' on Foreign Affairs and Conflict Resolution

SNP Reach Out to UK Government to Explore New Cross-Nations Approach
The SNP’s Westminster Foreign Affairs spokesperson has written to both the UK’s Foreign Secretary and the Scottish Government’s External Affairs Minister, seeking a meeting to explore ways the UK can better support devolved nations on foreign affairs and conflict resolution.

With concerns growing over the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Yemen, the refugee crisis in Syria and the ongoing challenges on climate justice, the SNP has said that now is the time to explore the role that devolved administrations can play in areas of mutual interest overseas.

In a letter to the UK’s Boris Johnson and Scotland’s Fiona Hyslop, Stephen Gethins MP echoed remarks made by the chief executive of Beyond Borders Scotland, Mark Muller Stuart QC, in a recent speech on ‘Using Culture and Scotland’s Soft Power to Help to Resolve Conflict in the 21st Century,’ commenting that Scotland’s distinct identity and international initiatives offer an opportunity to highlight new relationships and to present a new image internationally.

Mark Muller Stuart QC - a UN diplomat who has appeared before various bodies, including the UN, EU and the Council of Europe - said that the devolved settlement within the UK is an example of “how smaller nations within larger states can transition towards greater democracy in a peaceful and consensual manner,” and that on the international stage other countries will be able to take lessons from the de-centralisation of power – citing the 2012 Edinburgh Agreement as a key example of how governments can work together and create a platform for dialogue.

The SNP Scottish Government has consistently stepped up efforts on global issues, including through welcoming the 2,000th Syrian refugee to Scotland through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme (SVPRP) - three years ahead of schedule.

Stephen Gethins MP, the SNP’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said:

"The UK in the past, and to this day, continues to play an influential role in conflicts and crises around the world - from Syria and Yemen, to humanitarian disasters such as Hurricane Irma, as well as climate justice challenges.

“There is a real opportunity, as was raised by Mark Muller Stuart QC - who holds a wealth of experience on conflict resolution - in his speech to look at how the influence held by nations like Scotland, and where the lessons of devolution can play a relevant role in addressing regional conflicts and crises.

“I echo his remarks that Scotland has ‘undertaken one of the most recent radical constitutional journeys of any modern nation in Europe and has much to offer the international community in terms of conflict resolution’ – the UK government must surely now recognise the greater role that Scotland can play on the international stage.

“That is why, with parliament set to reconvene this week, I have written to both the UK’s Foreign Secretary and the Scottish Government’s Minister for External Affairs seeking a meeting to explore if there are ways that the UK can better support devolved nations working in areas of mutual interest overseas."

Farming Leaders Warn of £250m Cash Shortfall from Tory Brexit Plans

May speech has sown yet more confusion over farming funding
Farming leaders have today warned that Scottish farmers could lose more than £250m a year as a result of Brexit – putting further pressure on the UK Government to end the damaging uncertainty around agricultural support.

Today’s Sunday Times reports that Andrew McCornick, NFUS President, has said that moving to a Barnett share of agricultural support rather than on the existing share of support, “would effectively halve the sum coming to Scotland, and would be catastrophic for our farming and crofting sectors” – estimated at around £250m.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing is due to meet DEFRA Secretary Michael Gove in London tomorrow (Monday), alongside Welsh Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths and officials from the Northern Ireland Executive.

Mr Ewing has already written to Mr Gove seeking more detail on future funding arrangements for the agricultural sector in light of Brexit.

Scottish farmers are currently missing out on £160m in convergence payments – Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) convergence uplift money allocated to the UK by the EU to bring per hectare support up to the European average – which the UK Government has not distributed to Scotland. This equates to an estimated £14,000 per hill farmer over the six-year period.

Tomorrow’s meeting follows the Prime Minister’s speech in Florence, in which she made no mention of the Common Agricultural Policy. Following her speech, contradictory reports have emerged from within the UK Government regards their plans for CAP.

While one source appears to have confirmed to the media that the UK will leave the Common Agricultural Policy after the implementation phase, a separate source insisted that no decision has yet been taken on when the UK leaves CAP.

Commenting, Stephen Gethins MP said:

“This is the latest stark warning from Scotland’s farming leaders that any attempt by the Tories to water down the existing financial support could be potentially catastrophic for producers in Scottish agriculture and our food and drink sectors.

“The Tories have made vague promises about maintaining funding, but have still been unable to answer basic questions about what this will mean in practice.

“There has so far been absolutely no evidence that the UK Government are prepared to take action to deliver Scotland’s fair share of convergence funding – short-changing our hill farmers to the tune of £160m.

“And despite the Prime Minister’s most recent attempt to offer clarity for our farmers, very simple questions still remain.

“Farmers, foresters and businesses need time to properly plan for the years ahead – but that forward planning is being made immeasurably more difficult by a UK Government which is piling uncertainty on top of uncertainty.

“We will not accept any Westminster power grab as part of the Brexit process – nor will we accept any kind of financial grab.”

SNP Welcome "Unprecedented" Poll Ratings After Eight Years in Government

The SNP is today welcoming a TNS poll on Holyrood voting intentions showing support for the SNP at 60 per cent on the constituency vote and 50 per cent on the regional list vote.

With a 41 per cent lead over Labour in the constituency vote and a 31 per cent lead in the regional list, this is an unprecedented rating after more than eight years in government – indicating strong approval of the SNP’s policy delivery.

The poll also highlights the need for a distinctively Scottish voice in the EU referendum debate, setting out the positive case for continued EU membership - it finds that 49 per cent in Scotland would vote to stay in the EU, just 19 per cent would vote to leave, and 26 per cent were undecided.

Since coming to office in 2007, the SNP has frozen council tax, protected free Higher Education, scrapped prescription charges, protected Free Personal Care, maintained the concessionary travel scheme, introduced a Living Wage – now £7.85 per hour – for public sector workers, increased Scotland’s health budget to over £12 billion for the first time, and invested in childcare to increase entitlement to 16 hours per week for all 3, 4 and looked after 2 year olds.

In the face of unprecedented cuts to Scotland’s budget from the Westminster Government, the SNP has also invested to mitigate against Tory welfare cuts – including the Bedroom Tax. And despite a cut of 25 per cent Westminster cut to Scotland’s capital budget, the Scottish Government is also on track to meet its ambitious target to deliver 30,000 affordable homes by the end of this Parliament.

If re-elected in 2016, the SNP will build on this strong record to deliver further improvement.

SNP Westminster spokesperson on Europe, Stephen Gethins MP, said:

“Just a few weeks after the Scottish electorate put their trust in the SNP to elect 56 MPs to Westminster, today’s poll finds backing for the SNP has grown to record levels.

“With the unprecedented democratic mandate the people of Scotland have given the SNP, we will provide a distinctively Scottish voice in the EU referendum debate, setting out the positive case for Scotland’s place within the EU family of nations.

“Our common sense amendment for a double-majority safeguard will ensure Scotland cannot be ripped out of the EU against its will. This – along with votes for EU nationals and 16 and 17 year olds - must be included in Westminster’s EU Referendum Bill. Failure to do so means the Bill clearly fails to meet the gold standard set by Scotland’s independence referendum.”

SNP MSP Stewart Maxwell said:

“This is an excellent poll, highlighting the SNP’s extraordinarily positive ratings after eight years in government.

“Since coming to office in 2007, we have frozen council tax, protected free Higher Education, scrapped introduced prescription charges, protected Free Personal Care, maintained the concessionary travel scheme, introduced a Living Wage – now £7.85 per hour – for public sector workers. We have also increased Scotland’s health budget to record levels, and protected those hardest hit by unfair Tory welfare cuts. All this has been in the face of massive Westminster cuts to our budget.

“But there is more to do. If re-elected in 2016, the SNP will build on our strong record and deliver further improvements. As First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already outlined, by 2020 we will deliver 30 hours of free childcare – almost doubling the current provision of 16 hours - and continue to protect our NHS. We will also continue to use the powers we have to strengthen and grow the Scottish economy - and push the case at Westminster for the powers we need to make more progress."

Notes:

Further information about the TNS poll (sample size 1031, poll conducted May 13 – 30th) is here: http://www.tnsglobal.com/uk/

Constituency vote: SNP 60%, LAB 19%, CON 15%, LD 3%, Other 3% (41% SNP Lead)

Regional list vote: SNP 50%, LAB 19%, CON 14%, GRN 10%, LD 5%, UKIP 2% (31% SNP Lead)