Talking-up Scotland

(c) http://reportingthereferendum.blogspot.co.uk

I’ve already suggested that the Tories are more focused on saving the London financial sector and UK car manufacturing exports than any other element in the UK economy. In particular the UK government Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Andrea Leadsom, will offer no guarantee that they will not trade away our Economic Exclusion Zone or EEZ as part of the Brexit negotiations despite repeated requests from the Scottish Government. See this explanation

‘An exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.’

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone

It’s one of the few bargaining chips the UK government has in its weak ‘hand’ and it seems increasingly likely they will give away permanent access to Scottish waters for EU fishing fleets and offshore wind companies. The latter can simply cable the power generated in Scottish waters to other neighbouring countries.

Notably, according to Fishing News:

‘The very first speech the PM made about Brexit this year specifically referred to Spanish fishermen – look at the wording of it, she didn’t mention Scottish fishermen, she didn’t even mention English fishermen.’

Also in the report, Fergus Ewing, pointed out the ambiguity in the Conservative manifesto on this:

‘It’s a matter of incontrovertible certainty that ambiguity in a manifesto is deliberate not accidental, and therefore I think there’s a real risk that those fishermen who strongly wish to see more control over our waters, something we have always shared, are being conned by a government that has no intention of doing what the fishermen believe will happen.’

http://fishingnews.co.uk/news/minister-scots-landings-figures-reflect-industrys-hard-work/