Yesterday, the Scottish government presented the first in a series of documents that makes the case for independence ahead of a highly anticipated announcement about the actual referendum, which is expected in the next few weeks.
What would have made frontpage news in normal times received little attention from the media, however, which was instead occupied with two highly aggressive moves by the Johnson administration that are trashing the UK’s international reputation still further: their scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, which was set to take effect yesterday, and their decision to break international law by unilaterally overriding the Northern Ireland Protocol that they themselves negotiated.
Both Johnson’s policies and the developments in Scotland deserve some scrutiny, so this newsletter covers more grounds than usual. Please don’t miss the final section, which includes your invitation to join us and Scottish journalist Lesley Riddoch live online on June 23rd, when we will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Brexit referendum by looking ahead to a brighter future for Scotland and Europe and answer your questions about our plans. You can book your place at this link.
A shameful and illegal immigration policy
The Johnson administration’s new policy attempts to look tough on immigration by deporting asylum seekers from countries like Afghanistan and Syria to Rwanda, an authoritarian country with an appalling track record on human rights and LGBTIQ rights where they are then held while they wait for their appeal to be considered. If successful they can then stay in Rwanda but not in the UK.
The scheme is said to enjoy some popularity among Tory voters but has also prompted enormous outrage. It was privately condemned as “appalling” by Prince Charles, and publicly denounced by the Church of England as something that “should shame us as a nation”.
The outrage was not confined to the UK, with the UN high commissioner for refugees putting on record that the Rwanda deal “violates the fundamental principles of refugees”, whilst implying that the UK government had lied when defending the controversial plan.
Large protests against the first flight to Rwanda took place in both London and Glasgow, and yesterday activists gathered outside of the cells in rural Wiltshire where those asylum seekers that were supposed to be on the flight were held.
Following an intervention by the European Court for Human Rights the scheduled flight to Rwanda was ultimately prevented to depart on Tuesday. The response from the Johnson administration is now a threat to pull the UK from the ECHR, which would align it with Belarus and Russia.
Cartoon by Morten Morland in the Times edition of 13/6/2022
Breaching International Law in Northern Ireland
In addition to targeting refugees in order to win support from racist and xenophobic sections of society, an aggressive stance towards the EU has always proved successful for Boris Johnson. So it comes as no surprise that on Monday evening the unpopular prime minister published yet another bill that tries to override the Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU which relates to the complex relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The UK government first denied then admitted that the new bill breaches international law. Yet with the callous disregard for norms that seems to be his trademark, Boris Johnson dismissed the lawbreaking as “trivial”, a comment reminiscent of the response back in 2020, when the Johnson administration was patting itself on the back for only breaching international law “in a specific and limited way”.
Meanwhile, former Tory minister Rory Stewart described the bill on Twitter as “the most dangerous and disgraceful of all the shameful things Boris Johnson has tried to do in his many attempts to create distractions and cling to power. It will be bad for Northern Ireland + worse for the UK’s international reputation”.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney called Johnson’s move as “a new low” in British-Irish relations, pointing out that Ireland must not be “collateral damage of irresponsible British government politics”. Politicians in Northern Ireland echoed this sentiment. A clear majority of the Northern Ireland assembly favours the Northern Ireland Protocol, which not only protects the Good Friday Agreement but which has also reduced the economic impact of Brexit for Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK thanks to Northern Ireland’s access to the EU’s single market.
Scotland’s desire to be a fairer independent country
The cost of living crisis is hitting the UK very hard, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development assessing the United Kingdom prospects as the worst in the G20, with the only exception of sanctioned Russia. During the weekend of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a meme went viral on social media that alerted to the density of food banks across the UK, a phenomenon that is increasingly wide-spread, with children living in poverty now estimated to be numbering 4 million. Unlike in Scotland, where free school meals are provided, these children have to go to sleep hungry in England, or rely on the help of local charities and food banks.
Our signatory Val McDermid wrote last year that her desire to live in a less unequal society, where the poor aren’t forgotten, was one of the main reasons why she’s in favour of Scottish Independence. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the leader of the Scottish Greens Patrick Harvey echoed this priority when they presented the first paper outlining the case for independence on Tuesday.
The paper examines a range of European countries that are all more prosperous and less unequal than the UK and argues that by following their example as an independent nation Scotland, too, could become a “wealthier, happier and fairer” country. The First Minister announced that subsequent papers, which are going to each focus on specific challenges (such as the climate crisis, European membership and currency) will be published in the coming months. During the press conference, it also became apparent that a further announcement about the route towards an Independence Referendum can be expected.
Crucially for us Europeans, the appeal of the Scottish government was centred on two core points.
First, the approach is to be honest about the challenges linked to independence and to ensure that proper plans are in place, which should allow the Scottish public to make an informed decision once they vote in the referendum.
Second, the Scottish Government will pursue a legal referendum. This not only stands in contrast to illegal referenda that caused problems in other countries but also demonstrates a strong commitment to democracy and the rule of law, which, as the rows over Rwanda and Northern Ireland prove, are two principles the current UK government does clearly not uphold.
This is precisely the reason why our campaign is so important. With the UK government refusing to concede that a referendum should happen, European solidarity with Scotland is the best if not only tool to make sure that the democratic mandate of the Scottish people for a choice about Scotland’s future is respected.
The light is still on
In this spirit, we are proud to announce that on the anniversary of the EU referendum, six years after Scotland chose to remain in the EU, we will be celebrating Scotland’s ties with Europe in a live virtual event with several of our ambassadors from all over Europe.
Lesley Riddoch will ask us YOUR QUESTIONS about our plans for the year ahead and you’ll hear voices from all over Europe expressing their motivation to help Scotland secure a choice about its future and their passion for the European Scotland we all wish to see one day.
If you want to turn a sad anniversary into a day of hope, we look forward to meeting you virtually on June 23rd.
Register today at this link.
We look forward to seeing you!
In European solidarity
EfS team