All we need for Christmas is a Euro-Scotland route
Preparing for Scotland’s Statehood requires clear vision and continuing work to develop Scotland’s place in the world. That demands we develop and build constructive diplomatic relationships across the globe, consider both economic opportunities and challenges and most importantly start developing direct trade routes and the infrastructure necessary to get our world class goods to market.
Whether we opt for EFTA membership or the people of Scotland choose to support full EU membership, direct routes from Scotland to mainland Europe are a vital and essential component of that work. So crucial are they that the time to develop them is now as this will only serve to strengthen the case for independence.
Over the past seven years or so my good friend Douglas Chapman, former SNP MP for Dunfermline and West Fife has worked tirelessly to build relationships and confidence for the reinstatement of the ferry service from Rosyth to mainland Europe and he has also explored expansion of trade connections to the Nordic states. During our time in parliament Kenny MacAskill and I collaborated with Douglas on this imperative for Scotland engaging regularly with UK government ministers to win the case for reinstatement.
I met with the Secretary of State for Scotland and multiple ministers from the Scottish Office and International Trade and Development departments. They were unanimous and uniformly enthusiastic in their support for such a development based on three clear rationals which are as compelling as they are necessary.
Firstly everyone knows the pressure on the port of Dover post-Brexit has been enormous just as it has been with other ports navigating the additional administrative burden of the UK being a third country - they are all at capacity. This has rendered Dover a narrow and vulnerable trade aperture with any port delays exerting a devastating effect on products with a short shelf life such as Scottish seafood and other perishables. Delays can swiftly turn once valuable cargo into worthless waste unfit for use and it’s those Scottish business that bear the cost of the losses both in pounds and reputation. Disappointed European customers have become frustrated forcing them to look elsewhere for their supplies. Once secure business relationships are being put at risk and business lost is hard to recover. This kind of vulnerability drives the case for additional import-export capacity and resilience across these islands whatever our constitutional arrangements, and the UK government absolutely got that.
Secondly, there is an unarguable environmental imperative to reduce motorway congestion and carbon emissions from the never-ending stream of heavy goods vehicles toing and froing from southern ports to Scotland day in day out. The motorway network is crammed full of HGVs trundling up and down the motorway system driving carbon emissions ever higher. These lengthy road trips are a direct challenge to both Scottish and UK climate targets. And I can’t be alone in witnessing the frustration of drivers being stuck behind a mass of HGVs on congested motorways. So there is an environmental and road safety imperative to consider with the movement of goods and more efficient routes to European markets are an obvious solution to both.
Thirdly, and most importantly if you are intent on preparing Scotland for independence establishing direct trade routes to the European market is essential. We have much of the infrastructure in place in and around Rosyth and the modest investment required to kickstart a service would be recouped many times over though the Gross Value Added (GVA) from tourism investment and business activity. With the looming threat of the closure of Scotland only oil refinery at Grangemouth there is an urgent need to stimulate and deliver economic opportunity to the Lothian’s, Fife and beyond. Industry agrees and thanks to the work of Douglas Chapman and the conjoined efforts of ALBA MPs ferry operators stand ready to deliver a route, but the Scottish Government have to date refused to even sit down with interested parties and local authority leaders to consider a deal.
Doing so is not just a no brainer, it's a strategic imperative, and the modest financial backing required is chicken feed compared to the potential economic benefit. Scotland would recoup that investment in short order several times over and the advantages that it would give to new start-ups and businesses in some of the most disadvantaged communities in out nation could be enormous.
And right now there is a easy win sat right in the Scottish Government’s lap. The Australian ferry currently berthed and unused at Leith docks provides an obvious and immediate opportunity to get a Euro link service for Scotland up and running pronto. The Scottish Government could lease the ship, Cal Mac could run the route, and when the lease is up just lease another ship or keep that ship in active service, but in the interim use it we should.
Since Brexit Ireland has expanded its maritime trade routes exponentially, but Scotland has been left standing still. Whether you support resilience across the UK, or seek to develop Scotland’s trade links in preparation for independence, it is imperative the Scottish government grab this opportunity with both hands and deliver much needed economic opportunity to Scotland. Doing nothing is not an option, and failure to act would be a failure indeed. The people are crying our for a vision for and independent Scotland and they want action too. Building the case and capability we desperately need to bring economic activity into the heart of Scotland is in the hands of the Scottish Government and act they must.
The prize of Project Brave would bring much needed economic investment and activity through direct access to European markets. For a Scotland aspiring for independence it is an imperative the Scottish Government can no longer afford to ignore. We must do this as a matter of urgency. All we need for Christmas is a Euro-Scotland route, a present that could bring prosperity to many for years and years to come.
