Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 17 May 2017
17 May 2017 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Fisheries
They can bang on the desks, but they cannot undo history. They do not have the guts to apologise for something that they must know was wrong—that is the interesting thing.
Let us move forward and provide a little bit of rudimentary education. Under Mrs Thatcher in the 1980s, the UK Government signed us up to the original doomed common fisheries policy. It was the Conservatives’ heroine who took us into the common fisheries policy. [Interruption.] Perhaps she is not their heroine? If she is not, let me know. The Conservatives say that she is—we have that clear, then.
That was the first thing in the history lesson. John Major’s Tories then signed us up to a revised CFP in the 1990s. What did it have at its heart? It scrapped vessels and decimated livelihoods, destroying the economy and wellbeing in many of our coastal communities. Those facts are why feeling about the CFP is so strong. It is not what happened yesterday, last year or the year before—it is what has happened for decades.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-05603, in the name of Peter Chapman, on fisheries. 14:38
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I welcome the opportunity to debate this significant topic and highlight that we in the Conservative Party in this Parliament have a positive, forward-lookin...
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Peter Chapman
Con
Not at this time. The SNP, on the other hand, has nothing to offer other than more of the same. Under its plans, we would remain shackled to the common fish...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
No, no.
Peter Chapman
Con
—which is seen by our fishermen as nothing short of a total disaster. The SNP wants to continue to tie us to a system that has been in force for decades—
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
No.
Peter Chapman
Con
It is a system that has resulted—
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Just a minute, Mr Chapman. Mr Stevenson, you will be speaking later, and you will have every opportunity to make your views known.
Peter Chapman
Con
Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is a system that has resulted in persistent failure and has caused nothing but frustration, resentment and distress for tho...
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity (Fergus Ewing)
SNP
Given that the EU single market has 500 million people in it and is a key export market for our seafood, with seafood exports being worth £601 million, does ...
Peter Chapman
Con
I totally agree. We will have access to it. Our fish is in huge demand in Europe, and the buyers want that to continue. Skippers want out of the EU and the ...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Oh, come on. The Tories are obsessed with independence.
Gillian Martin
SNP
Will the member give way?
Peter Chapman
Con
Not at the moment. SNP members seem to be denying that they want another independence referendum. Thankfully, it looks increasingly unlikely that the SNP wo...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Right—that is enough banging on tables and barracking. I want to hear a debate, not a rammy.
Peter Chapman
Con
Out of touch though the SNP is with fishing communities, even it knows that rejoining the CFP would be hugely unpopular, so what does it do? It spins a line ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I am sorry, Mr Chapman, but Mr Ross and the cabinet secretary are having a private debate while you are trying to speak. That is not appropriate.
Peter Chapman
Con
I totally agree. That was game, set and match to Ms Leadsom, and it left Nicola Sturgeon looking desperate, misleading and downright wrong. The way forward ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I do not like all this banging on desks. Just stop doing it. 14:48
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity (Fergus Ewing)
SNP
When we joined the EU, a Scottish Office paper was written, which remained hidden for 30 years under the UK Official Secrets Act. What the paper said was: “...
Peter Chapman
Con
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Fergus Ewing
SNP
In a moment, after I have made this point. That was the true view of the UK Government when we joined the EU: that the interests of Scotland’s fishermen were...
Peter Chapman
Con
We have heard about something that happened 47 years ago, and it was not even a Government minister who said it. It is far more effective to look at what is ...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
I move on to what happened after that. Let us move forward into the 1980s when, under Margaret Thatcher—Interruption.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I am sorry; please sit down for a minute, cabinet secretary. I had people be quiet for Mr Chapman, and people will be quiet for the cabinet secretary. I do n...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
They can bang on the desks, but they cannot undo history. They do not have the guts to apologise for something that they must know was wrong—that is the inte...
Peter Chapman
Con
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Fergus Ewing
SNP
Was Mrs Thatcher wrong when she took us in, and was John Major wrong when he took us into a revised policy? This is another chance for Mr Chapman to apologis...
Peter Chapman
Con
The cabinet secretary makes the point very well that the Conservatives want to be out of the CFP. It is the SNP that wants to keep us in there. Applause.