Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 07 February 2017
07 Feb 2017 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Withdrawal from the European Union (Article 50)
Those on the Conservative benches have to speak for themselves, and no doubt we will hear more from them shortly. Clearly, however, there is a need for people to recognise the choices that are in front of us. We will vote today that article 50 should not be triggered until the UK Government’s strategy is clear, and we will do so in terms of our own amendment.
When we debated Brexit on 17 January, we agreed that the Scottish Government should continue to seek ways of mitigating the impact within the UK. That remains our position. However, I have to say that it is less clear how far that remains the SNP’s position. On the same day as that debate, the First Minister once again declared that a second referendum on independence was “very likely”. She was demanding a common United Kingdom position on the one hand and working against the United Kingdom on the other.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-03858, in the name of Michael Russell, on article 50. 14:23
The Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe (Michael Russell)
SNP
As the First Minister has indicated, this debate on article 50 will culminate in “one of the most significant votes in the history of the Scottish Parliamen...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
Only a narrow majority across the UK as a whole voted to leave. Is it not clear that, given that many leave campaigners were explicitly saying that the UK wo...
Michael Russell
SNP
The member is absolutely right. Indeed, the leave campaign was disingenuous on many points, including on the repatriation of powers. I will come to that. On...
John Lamont (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
I am happy to speak in today’s debate on the triggering of article 50 and to move the amendment in my name. But, Presiding Officer, I am somewhat surprised t...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
Was the Scottish Government wrong to publish its compromise views? Can Mr Lamont, for all the meetings that there have been, tell us of a single, however tri...
John Lamont
Con
I might have read a different document to that read by Mr Stevenson but I can see no compromise in the SNP’s position. The SNP is obsessed with stoking up th...
Michael Russell
SNP
It is very important to nail that misapprehension immediately. It is absolutely clear that the proposals in “Scotland’s Place in Europe” do not require Scotl...
John Lamont
Con
Mr Russell clearly does not understand how the internal market works, because any member of the internal market has to accept the free movement of workers. H...
Michael Russell
SNP
Will the member give way?
John Lamont
Con
No. I have heard enough from Mr Russell. That is why I hope that all parties who believe in the UK will support the amendment in my name, which urges the Sc...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
When Theresa May invokes article 50 and gives notice of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, we will have reached a sombre moment in our shared his...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I thank Lewis Macdonald for giving way. Can he tell us how his party at Westminster is getting on with challenging that?
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
I will certainly discuss Westminster in a moment. I am sure that Mr Rennie will want to reflect on how effective his colleagues there are being as well. Aft...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John Swinney)
SNP
I want to follow up on the point that Mr Macdonald has just made. If he can see the advantages and benefits of the United Kingdom Government coming to some f...
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
Those on the Conservative benches have to speak for themselves, and no doubt we will hear more from them shortly. Clearly, however, there is a need for peopl...
Michael Russell
SNP
For the avoidance of doubt, I will repeat what I said in my speech. We continue to negotiate constructively and positively—or to attempt to do so—on the basi...
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
I recognise what Mr Russell says, but the truth is that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP Government are keeping the threat of an independence referendum on the ta...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
As our Conservative colleagues are always keen to remind us, we have debated a number of aspects of Brexit in the Parliament in recent months. Just a few wee...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
The UK Parliament’s definition of a white paper is that it is a policy document that is produced before legislation. Is the document a white paper at all?
Ross Greer
Green
Mr Stevenson is right. What the UK Government has published is nothing approaching the definition of a white paper. It certainly has nothing approaching the ...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Are people away with the fairies when they think that an independent Scotland could be set up in a similar timescale?
Ross Greer
Green
As I am sure Mr Findlay is aware, the Greens were openly sceptical about the timescale that the Scottish Government set out in 2014. We believe in independen...
Neil Findlay
Lab
If the inaccuracy was on the part of his friends in the SNP on the timescale that it would take to set up an independent Scotland, what do the magnificent Gr...
Ross Greer
Green
Unfortunately, we did not have the resources of a Government behind us, and we estimated that the time would be a couple of years. We did not put a hard time...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
Come to a close, please.
Ross Greer
Green
—and we will likely have to choose one future or another. I move amendment S5M-03858.2, to insert at end: “; notes the widespread scepticism that an agreem...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
That ending was a happy coincidence, Mr Greer. 15:06
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
Today’s debate is marked by omission, irony and confusion. Interruption. The SNP motion is significant in what it does not say. In fact, the minister was ver...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
I am sensing that Willie Rennie is about to explain how his party can provide us with clarity. Before he does that, can he tell us how many different ways hi...