Tag Archive for Independence

Scottish Secretary Admits UK “Speculating” on Independence Claims

May 16, 2013 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Scottish Secretary Michael Moore exposed the UK Government’s case against independence today as he admitted he was “speculating” on questions of currency and financial regulation.

 

After making claims about Europe’s position on financial regulation in an independent Scotland Michael Moore was challenged during Scottish Affairs Committee by Ian Davidson MP who asked “How do you know that?”  In response Mr Moore was forced to say “Okay- I’m speculating”.

 

The comment destroys the position taken by the UK on currency, financial regulation and the financial sector.

 

SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie MP said:

 

“Michael Moore has given the No campaign’s game away.  He has admitted that the UK Government’s position is nothing more than speculation and assertion.  This admission fundamentally undermines the UK’s case.

 

“And once again UK ministers could not rule out a Sterling area as they know that it is simply common sense.

 

“Instead of speculating and talking down Scotland’s financial sector the UK Government could agree to the Fiscal Commission’s suggestion and engage in some proper discussions.“

 

Commenting on other parts of the Scottish Affair’s session Mr Hosie said:

 

“This was the usual No campaign rhetoric dressed up as a parliamentary inquiry.  UK Ministers offered nothing to the debate today, no positive case for the union and no vision for the future.

 

“The reality is that even Danny Alexander cannot deny that with independence continuing to use sterling and preserving the single UK market for trade and business is in the best interests of people in both Scotland and other parts of the UK.”

Young Scots Garner Support for the ‘Yes’ Independence Declaration

October 6, 2012 Joe FitzPatrick MSP, Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Stewart Hosie MP (Dundee East), Joe FitzPatrick MSP (Dundee City West) and Cllr Gregor Murray (North East) joined Yes Dundee activists in the Murraygate.

Yes Scotland activists were out and about in the Murraygate on Saturday (6th) discussing the benefits of a independent Scotland with members of the public and collecting signatures for the ‘Yes’ Independence Declaration.

The activists were joined by a number of members of the Young Scots for Independence who had travelled from across Scotland to take part.

Hundreds of members of the public affirmed their support and signed the ‘Yes’ Declaration in just two hours.

The Declaration says:

I believe that it is fundamentally better for us all, if decisions about Scotland’s future are taken by the people who care most about Scotland, that is, by the people of Scotland.

Being independent means Scotland’s future will be in Scotland’s hands.

There is no doubt that Scotland has great potential. We are blessed with talent, resources and creativity. We have the opportunity to make our nation a better place to live, for this and future generations. We can build a greener, fairer and more prosperous society that is stronger and more successful than it is today.

I want a Scotland that speaks with her own voice and makes her own unique contribution to the world: a Scotland that stands alongside the other nations on these isles, as an independent nation.

For more information about the benefits of independence or if you would like to sign the Yes Declaration, please visit: YesScotland.net

SNP RESPOND TO BROWN LECTURE – RIGHT ON FIRST PRINCIPLES – WRONG ON FIGURES

August 14, 2012 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Commenting on the Donald Dewar lecture by former Prime Minister Gordon
Brown MP at the Edinburgh Book Festival today, SNP Westminster
Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

“Gordon Brown is right to say that the constitutional debate must
start from first principles, and the very first principle is that it
is fundamentally better for us all if decisions about Scotland’s
future are taken by the people who care most about Scotland, that is
by the people of Scotland.  That is why we want a nation that speaks
with her own voice and makes her own unique contribution to the world
– an independent Scotland that stands alongside the other nations on
these islands in a social union of equals.

“Gordon Brown is wrong, however, with his figures.  Scotland’s GDP per
head is actually 15 per cent higher than the UK’s – which is why an
independent Scotland would be the sixth-richest nation in the
developed world in terms of GDP per head, compared to the UK’s
sixteenth place.

“What Scotland needs is the job-creating powers of an independent
Parliament, so that we can take the key decisions needed to boost
growth and employment in the Scottish economy.

“The question that Gordon Brown and the anti-independence parties need
to answer is why they prefer these key powers over jobs and the
economy being held by a Tory-led government at Westminster – which has
used them to create the double-dip recession – rather than by the
Scottish Parliament which is 100 per cent accountable to the people of
Scotland.

“Mr Brown must have written his speech before this weekend’s Panelbase
poll was published in the Sunday Times – which shows that 12 per cent
of Scots are more likely to support independence in the aftermath of
the Olympics, compared to just 8 per cent who are less likely.  And 58
per cent think Scotland should represent itself at the Olympics,
compared to 29 per cent who disagree.

“The gap between support for an independent Scotland and the Union is
now down to only 9 points – requiring just a 4.5 per cent swing to
bridge.

“Scotland’s interests are best served by becoming an equal and
independent nation so that we have the powers needed to realise the
potential of every single person who lives here – and by maintaining
the social union with our friends and neighbours south of the Border,
including the Queen as our joint head of state.

“That is the winning argument for Scotland, and we are confident of
achieving a successful Yes vote for independence in autumn 2014.”

Humza Yousaf MSP Joins City’s MSPs To Discuss Independence

July 6, 2012 Joe FitzPatrick MSP, Shona Robison MSP No comments

Humza Yousaf MSP addresses the meeting.

A meeting was held in the Community Centre, Guthrie Street today [Friday 6th July] for members of the city’s Muslim community to discuss issues and ask questions around the subject of the forthcoming independence referendum.

The SNP MSP for Glasgow Humza Yousaf and the city’s two constituency MSPs Shona Robison and Joe FitzPatrick were on hand to answer questions on a wide range of issues of concern.

Speaking after the meeting, Shona said: “It was great to meet with so many members of the Muslim community and discuss these issues.

“We are aware that some people have been alarmed by untrue and misleading rumours which parties opposed to independence have been spreading in the community.

“We have been grateful for the opportunity to correct this false information and of course to talk of the benefits which independence would bring to all of Scotland’s communities.

Humza paid tribute to the late Bashir Ahmed MSP who had previously visited Dundee’s mosques and said that the meeting would be the first of many in the run-up to the referendum.

 

Public Sign the ‘Yes’ Declaration in Dundee

June 25, 2012 Uncategorized No comments

Yes Supporters out in Dundee [pic: Tony Waters]

Yes Scotland activists including SNP supporters were out and about in the Murraygate on Saturday [23rd] meeting the public and distributing campaign material.

Over one hundred and fifty members of the public signed the ‘Yes’ Declaration in the space of an hour. The Declaration says:

“I believe that it is fundamentally better for us all, if decisions about Scotland’s future are taken by the people who care most about Scotland, that is, by the people of Scotland.

Being independent means Scotland’s future will be in Scotland’s hands.

There is no doubt that Scotland has great potential. We are blessed with talent, resources and creativity. We have the opportunity to make our nation a better place to live, for this and future generations. We can build a greener, fairer and more prosperous society that is stronger and more successful than it is today.

I want a Scotland that speaks with her own voice and makes her own unique contribution to the world: a Scotland that stands alongside the other nations on these isles, as an independent nation.”

A local spokesman for the Yes Scotland campaign said: “We are holding numerous events across the country to build broad community support for independence in the build-up to the Referendum.

“Next Sunday [1st July] we will have a gazebo at the Broughty Gala and over the summer we will attend many other community events.

“We are already finding great enthusiasm for our basic proposition that decisions about Scotland’s future are best taken in Scotland.

“Further information can be found at: http://www.yesscotland.net

 

 

Independence Will Drive Fairness and Prosperity

June 15, 2012 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Independence Will Drive Fairness and Prosperity

by Stewart Hosie MP

 

When the UK Government coalition was cobbled together in 2010 they inherited £87 billion of tax increase and spending cuts.

 

By the time we get to 2016/17, they will be taking £155 billion out of the economy every year – this, they argue, is to tackle the UK’s unsustainable deficit – others, like me, argue that this is too much, too fast and is destroying any real chance of recovery.

 

Danny Alexander, the UK’s Chief Secretary glossed over the scale of tax rises and cuts on his visit to Dundee last week settling instead to claim the UK Government was ‘making progress’.

 

And while he was right to praise many of the things happening in Dundee, it was more than a little disingenuous to claim credit for the belated assistance to the Computer Games Sector when one of the first actions of his Government was to cancel the original £190 million package of help which was already planned!

 

Of course, he took the opportunity to play politics with our future – claiming, wrongly, that independence would put up ‘barriers’ and suggesting that we are somehow ‘stronger together’.

 

The SNP have been putting a positive case for independence and we will continue to promote our vision of a fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland. But the anti-independence sound-bite that we are somehow “stronger together” cannot go unchallenged.

 

The debate needs to be based on facts, not fiction, and the facts show that Scotland is being undersold by the current set-up.

 

On defence, how can we be stronger together when Scotland has only 4 of 148 major regular army units based in its territory? We have seen a disproportionate decline in Scotland’s defence footprint, with an underspend of over 5.6 billion and the loss of more than more than 11,000 jobs over the last decade.

 

That’s not stronger together – that’s being sold short.

 

On pensions, where is the strength in a union when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander effectively threatened the Scottish Government with budget cuts if it didn’t impose UK reforms on the Scottish public sector, restricting what it can do with its own workforce and budget?

 

That’s not stronger together – that’s being held over a barrel.

 

On energy – how can it be in Scotland’s interests to charge for electricity transmission based on distance from population centres, so a generator in Aberdeenshire is charged £21.49 per KW to connect to the grid, while a London-based generator receives a subsidy of £6.85? This policy is damaging rural Scotland’s vast renewables potential.

 

That’s not stronger together, but being hung out to dry.

 

And on the oil industry, the Treasury’s cash cow, what did Scotland gain from the decision to unilaterally hike up the supplementary charge from 20% to 32%, threatening jobs and investment in a crucial industry for a quick buck?

 

No independent Scottish Government would ever treat the industry in this way. That’s foolish economics, not strength.

 

These and countless other examples provide evidence that the best people to make decisions about Scotland are the people who live here. Scotland will be stronger when policy decisions are made in the Scottish Parliament.

 

After independence, Scotland and the rest of the UK will all benefit from a new partnership of equals on these isles, based on strong social bonds and mutual respect.

HOSIE CHALLENGES ANTI-INDEPENDENCE PARTIES TO COME CLEAN ON “STRONGER TOGETHER” CLAIMS

May 31, 2012 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Speaking ahead of a conference on the Economics of Scottish Independence at the British Banker’s Association in London this evening (Thursday), SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP, who will set out the positive economic case for independence, challenged the anti-independence parties to come clean on their “stronger together” claims.

 

Mr Hosie laid down the gauntlet with examples in key reserved policy areas – defence, pensions, energy and the oil industry – which illustrate how decisions being made at UK level were working against Scotland’s best interests.

 

Mr Hosie said:

 

“The SNP have been putting a positive case for independence and we will continue to promote our vision of a fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland. But the anti-independence soundbite that we are somehow “stronger together” cannot go unchallenged.

 

“The debate needs to be based on facts, not fiction, and the facts show that Scotland is being undersold by the current set-up.

 

“On defence, how can we be stronger together when Scotland has only 4 of 148 major regular army units based in its territory? We have seen a disproportionate decline in Scotland’s defence footprint, with an underspend of over 5.6 bn and the loss of more than more than 11,000 jobs over the last decade. That’s not stronger together – that’s being sold short.

 

“On pensions, where is the strength in a union when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander effectively threatens the Scottish Government with budget cuts if it doesn’t impose UK reforms on the Scottish public sector, restricting what it can do with its own workforce? That’s not stronger together – that’s being held over a barrel.

 

“On energy – how can it be in Scotland’s interests to charge for transmission based on distance from population centres, so a generator in Aberdeenshire is charged £21.49 per kw to connect to the grid, while a London-based generator receives a subsidy of £6.85? This policy is damaging rural Scotland’s vast renewables potential. That’s not stronger together, but being hung out to dry.

 

“And on the oil industry, the Treasury’s cash cow, what did Scotland gain from the decision to unilaterally hike up the supplementary charge from 20% to 32%, threatening a crucial industry for a quick buck? No independent Scottish Government would ever treat the industry in this way. That’s crass economic foolishness, not strength.

 

“These and countless other examples provide evidence that the best people to make decisions about Scotland are the people who live here. Scotland will be stronger when all policy decisions are made in the Scottish Parliament..

 

“After independence Scotland and the rest of the UK will all benefit from a new partnership of equals on these isles, based on strong social bonds and mutual respect.”

 

Dundee Politicians Call for Participation in Referendum Consultations

March 8, 2012 Joe FitzPatrick MSP, Shona Robison MSP No comments

Dundee SNP politicians have issued a public call for voters to respond to both consultations presently underway on the Independence Referendum.

Shona Robison said: “Discussions on the forthcoming independence referendum are heating up, with the Tories and their Liberal Democrat allies in London trying to dictate to Scotland how and when this historic vote should take place and we are keen to encourage voters to respond to the two public consultations presently underway.

“It is important that we get across our views on the process of the referendum and that as many people as possible participate in both consultations. The UK Government’s consultation closes for responses this Friday, 9th March.  To respond and comment on this go to the Scotland Office website (www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk) and follow the links to Scotland’s Constitutional Future. ”

Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick added: “The Scottish Government was first to launch a consultation to enable Scottish voters to have their say on the issue.  To participate in this discussion, go to https://consult.scotland.gov.uk.  The consultation closes on 11 May 2012.

“If you’ve any queries about either consultation or the referendum in general please email: contact@dundeesnp.org, or call 01382 903210 during office hours.”

Independence Would ‘Strengthen Scotland’s Music Industry’ says View Lead Singer

February 29, 2012 Joe FitzPatrick MSP No comments

Joe FitzPatrick, SNP MSP for Dundee City West, has praised the lead singer of The View, Kyle Falconer, for backing Scottish independence and endorsed his belief that independence would strengthen Scotland’s music industry.

Mr Falconer is quoted in today’s Sun newspaper, saying: “I think Scotland should be independent. People here are smart enough and capable enough to run their own country. And I think we could do a better job of it.”

Mr FitzPatrick said:

“Good on Kyle Falconer for joining the growing list of public figures who are going on the record with their support for independence and I am particularly pleased that he recognises the boost that independence would provide for Scotland’s music scene.

“He is quite right to note that having control of broadcasting in Scotland would be of enormous benefit to Scottish bands and artists.

“If we had proper broadcasting powers in Scotland, we can be sure that Scottish artists would not be sidelined in this way – they would get real support from our national broadcasters.

“Art and culture are at the heart of the SNP’s vision for independence, which is why Kyle Falconer and so many other artists recognise that independence would bring major cultural dividends for Scotland.”

New Poll Shows Tax Levels Are Central to Independence Question

December 2, 2010 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Dundee MP Stewart Hosie today welcomed a new poll showing that 45% of Scots would favour an independent Scotland if the taxes were lower than at present, with only 35% against independence.

While this might seem an obvious statement – that voters would vote for lower taxes, it also shows how central the tax issue is to the question of Independence and reveals that relatively few are opposed to Independence on principle.

The most recent Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, which questions Scots about whether their attitudes to Independence would change depending on whether taxes would be higher or lower than at present, also found that if an independent Scotland were to keep household taxes the same 36% would support independence, almost neck and neck with the 38% who opposed it.

Mr Hosie said; “This new survey gets to the heart of the matter. Independence is not just some obscure political theory. It is about jobs and making people’s lives better. It is about the potential for economic growth and improving household incomes – and when that is realised, support for independence is galvanised.  We have known for a long time that many people who oppose Independence do so because they believe it will lead to higher taxes. It is probably the most-often used argument against Independence – and it is based on a myth.

“This survey shows that if taxes in an Independent Scotland were the same as now or lower, nearly half all Scots voters will back Independence.
“It is only with full financial responsibility and independence that Scots households will see the growth and support they need.

“People across Scotland believe the Scottish Parliament should have responsibility for the most important tax and welfare decisions there is clearly real support for the Scottish Parliament to have far more powers than the limited aims of the Scotland Bill which has been tabled by the Tory-led Coalition Government.

“While the Tories have designed it as a tax trap, the people of Scotland are clear they want the real financial powers of independence to boost the economy and help households.

“We know that had the provision of the Scotland Bill been in place since the start of devolution – which would leave 85 per cent of Scottish tax revenues in the hands of the Tory Treasury at Westminster – Scotland would have been £8 billion worse off instead of better, the equivalent of £1,600 for every man, woman and child.

“This new survey demonstrates beyond doubt that the Scottish people want far more than the modest provisions of the Scotland Bill and that with economic growth and responsibility, people across Scotland want the full powers of independence.”

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