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MEP for Scotland: UK Is a Partnership of Equals, Scotland Is Not Just a Region (EXCLUSIVE)

bbc.co.uk

 

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with a Member of the European Parliament for the SNP (Scottish National Party), Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, Alyn Smith. 

 


 

-  What perspectives do you see for Scotland after Brexit? Will a second referendum take place and has Brexit changed the approach of the Scottish people?

-  Brexit has certainly changed the dynamic. Then lots of people voted to remain with the UK and not baseless. We were told that in order to remain within the EU we should vote to remain within the UK.

Now we are considering all options and we reserve the right to have a second referendum, whenever it is necessary. However, we have put forward serious options to the UK in order to find solutions, and we expect the UK government to think seriously about that.

 

What privileges should Scotland receive to remain in the UK?

- We celebrate freedom of movement, we greatly value the rights to live, study, travel, across the whole of the continent to 5 hundred million of people. There is also the issue of the currency – Euro. All of these rights are now under question.

 

How do you see further relations between Scotland and the EU after Brexit?

-  It is difficult to say. It depends on what negotiated settlement is reached, if a negotiated settlement is reached at all. It must be in the interest of all 27 member states. Scotland is not going to be silent in this process, but we also have a dialogue with London, which we need to continue. We need to find solutions to this.

 

-  Scotland has not once expressed its dissatisfaction concerning its level of engagement in the negotiations over Brexit. What are the main reasons of this dissatisfaction?

- In 2014 the people of Scotland had an option to become an independent state. 45 percent voted for independence, which is not a majority. 55 percent wanted to remain within the UK. This was because of a series of promises – that we would remain within the EU, that a strong currency would remain, that we would remain economically prosperous, also that the UK is a partnership of equals. We are not just a region, we are an ancient historic nation and and we view ourselves as an equal partner within the United Kingdom.

So, for us not to be included as an equal partner within the Brexit discussions as an equal partner is clearly unsatisfactory. Thus we expect better. We were promised better and we voted for better. We want to see a clear engagement from the UK government. There is a dialogue, but we want to see it become real and see that England’s proposition properly takes into consideration Scotland’s needs.

 

-  What influence will the processes in Scotland have on other parts of the UK, particularly on Northern Ireland?

-          We are obviously working with our friends and  olleges across the UK and across the EU, with Ireland (North and South who have tense relationship) as well, but our politics is our politics and we reserve our rights to do whatever we need to do to best serve the interests of the people of Scotland. I serve the people of Scotland. Always I want to help people of Northern Ireland and Ireland, the UK, but my primary task is Scotland and I serve the people of Scotland to remain within the EU.

 

What do you think, do Scottish people identify themselves more with the UK or with the EU?

- It depends who you ask and often depends when you ask. We are comfortable with various identities – Scottish, British, European – all of them exist simultaneously. Within Scotland we have a pragmatic approach towards the union with the UK and the union with the rest of the EU. So it is about making a decision who it will work best for our society, for our economy, for our nation. It is much more about pragmatic assessment of what is in our best interests. 


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