There were a number of huge mistakes made before an arrangement was imposed on Scotland against its will.
The Westminster government made mistake after mistake as the clock ticked on the prospect of a No-Deal Brexit:
1. Ignoring the wishes of Scotland and the other devolved nations The UK voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum by 53.4% to 46.6% but Scotland voted by 62% to 38% to stay. Northern Ireland also voted to stay, by 55.8% to 44.2%. Wales opted to leave by 52.5% to 47.5% and England by 53.4% to 46.6%. Thus England always gets what it votes for in big decisions. Scotland only gets what it votes for if England agrees. The arithmetic makes any other outcome impossible.
But that doesn’t mean Scottish votes have to be completely ignored. If the Westminster government had wanted to fulfil the promises it made to Scotland just before the independence referendum in 2014 it would have paid attention to our votes and made some compromises. The Scottish Government made its position very clear after the EU referendum. It thought the best outcome would have been to remain in the UK but recognised that would be impossible without independence. It was, however, determined to maintain Scotland’s position in the European Single Market.
There were a number of huge mistakes made before Boris Johnson cobbled together an arrangement in the closing days of 2020 which would be imposed on Scotland against its will and which would turn out to be a disaster for key industries such as fishing and the food sector overall.
The Westminster government made mistake after mistake as the clock ticked on the prospect of a No-Deal Brexit:
2. Sticking so rigidly to “getting Brexit done” that it made an acceptable trade deal impossible. An increase in paperwork and red tape has stopped lorries from getting produce to European markets on time. The Scottish fishing industry has been the hardest hit, with produce rotting in lorries taking twice or three times as long to reach their destinations. Losses have been estimated to be as high as £1m a day and some firms have been close to closure. Figures from the Office for National Statistics report a 63% slump in Scottish exports to Europe. Fish and shellfish alone were down by 83%.
3. Underestimating just how big a problem taking Northern Ireland out of the EU would be The EU referendum vote dictated that although it had voted Remain, Northern Ireland would have to leave while neighbouring Republic of Ireland would remain. That caused significant headaches, not least of them the need for a hard border between the two parts of Ireland to recognise the different trading rules.
4. Using Brexit as an attack on devolution and to reduce the powers of the Scottish Parliament Immediately after the EU referendum vote, the Scottish Government argued that in light of the removal of the rights and protections provided by EU law, the powers of the Scottish Parliament should be fundamentally revisited. It wanted existing powers protected and new powers over employment law and immigration, to give just two examples. Instead, Westminster has taken away the Scottish Parliament’s right to spend money that once came from Europe. It has set up the ludicrously titled “levelling up” fund and planed to use it without considering priorities set by our own parliament.
5. Breaking promises to keep Scotland involved and informed in negotiations with the EU Before she became prime minister, Theresa May put forward a vision of the UK “in which Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England continue to flourish side-by-side as equal partners”. Following the Brexit vote, she said that the Brexit progress would not be triggered until there was a UK approach and that Scotland would be “fully engaged” in the process. In fact, Scotland was kept entirely out of the negotiations and at no stage agreed that any aspect of Brexit should proceed.