Hard questions over hard indy.

I've written previously about the mess the SNP are going to get themselves into when it comes to explaining why it's bad to lose trade with the EU but not with the UK, we're only just starting to see the reality of that mess and it came in a car crash interview with SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford on Channel 4 news. 

You can watch the entire car crash here, but I thought it was so enlightening I transcribed the entire interview because it's even more remarkable when written down. 

A few points to note. There are of course lots of "ums and ehs" in a down the line interview but the number of "you knows" here is quite remarkable, perhaps that's a consequence of an SNP MP only speaking to like minded individuals - or maybe it's just a stress coping strategy. 

However the key point is Krishnan Grur Murthy saying "Sounds like you don't have an answer".

They don't have an answer because all the remain EU rhetoric is not coming back to bite the SNP in ways they just don't understand. 

That's the problem with using any excuse to further the cause of nationalism, over time you just end up tying yourself in knots as your own past arguments come back to haunt you.  

BEGINS

KG-M : Nicola Sturgeon says there must be an election before it’s too late. How could it ever be too late?

EW : Em I … I think, you know, if you look back to the proposals that the SG put forward just a few months ago. You know there was a lot of compromise in that and an acceptance that we would leave the EU with the rest of the UK. The key thing is protecting Scotland’s place in the single market, that’s the priority. 

KG-M : Yes I understand that but you are not pretending are you that there won’t be a period that Scotland goes out (of the EU) before it goes back in?

EW : I don’t know. Ehhh, you know, that’s up for negotiation I don’t think that any of have

KG-M : But how would it work?

EW : a crystal ball and predict what would happen

KG-M : Just explain how you think you could avoid leaving?

EW: Well I certainly would like us to be able to …. you know ehh have that negotiation on the basis of a democratic mandate? People in Scotland voted to stay in the EU by quite an overwhelming majority, you know it wasn’t a close vote, like it was in the rest of the UK. 

KG-M : Let’s talk about your trading partners then, is Gordon Brown right to point out today that around 65% of Scotland is with the rest of the United Kingdom?

EW: Yeah I think he is and obviously, you know, we want to continue to work with our neighbours in other parts of the UK. You know, we’ve heard Gordon Brown’s promises before umm

KG-M : if 65% of (glances at camera) Scotland’s trade is with the rest of the United Kingdom, what would be the impact of going to WTO rules and tariffs for all that trade on the Scottish economy. 

EW: I think that the issue here about trade is; it shouldn’t be an either or. The UK government said very clearly to Ireland that they shouldn’t have to choose between their trade with the UK and their trade with the EU. They’re saying that it’s not one or the other. Now if they can say that to Ireland, they can say the same for Scotland and actually this contradictory position just erodes trust on both fronts. 

KG-M : Your proposition though is that Scotland should be part of the European Union. And you are predicting that Theresa May will fail to do a good deal for the United Kingdom with the European Union. That means reverting to WTO rules between the United Kingdom and the European Union. You want to be part of the European Union but I’m asking you what would be the impact on Scotland’s economy of WTO rules between the European Union, which you would be part of, and the rest of the United Kingdom. 

EW: Well, I think it would be very difficult for us to revert to WTO rules

KG-M: (Interrupting) it would be terrible wouldn’t it. 

EW: I think that would be very damaging. 

KG-M: So why are you proposing it?

EW: But, you know, the key thing, the key thing Krishnan is and, you know, and this is the compromise that Nicola Sturgeon has pushed consistently, is, you know, we’ve argued strongly for the whole of the UK to be part of the single market,  as we leave the EU to keep that, keep that relationship with our neighbours, because it’s important for our livelihoods, for our jobs…

KG-M: But you’ve lost that one. Why do you support a relationship that involved 15% of your trade to one that involved 65% of your trade?

EW: But it’s not, it’s not, that’s such a false choice and we need to, you know, just be really clear about this?

 KG-M: Why’s it a false choice?

EW: We’re not choosing between, well because we’ll still have trade between the rest of the UK cause because that’d be in the UK’s interest to maintain that.

KG-M: Yes but under WTO rules, yeah you’d be paying tariffs on it. That’s the point. That would have a terrible impact on the Scottish Economy. 

EW: (Visibly swallows) Well Krishnan we are very keen to ensure that we’re able to continue to trade with our neighbours, whether those are our neighbours south of the border, whether they are our neighbours in the European Union. 

KG-M: Are you pretending that you can be part of Europe and yet have free trade with whats left of the United Kingdom? Irrespective of what the deal is with the United Kingdom. What that Scotland could have some special status within Europe. 

EW: I think it’s really important that we don’t get ahead of ourselves in this debate because we’re not going to

KG-M: Sounds like you don’t have an answer. 

EW: we’re anybody. No, well it’s not that we don’t have an answer. It’s that we, we’ve put forward credible proposals to keep ourselves, to keep the UK and failing that to keep Scotland in the EU and we’ve not even had the courtesy of a response to that. So, you know, people in Scotland rightly want to hold on to some of the privileges that we currently have eh within the single market and, you know, we’re going to continue to negotiate with our neighbours, all of our neighbours to make sure that, that’s possible to protect Scotland’s interests as best we can. 

ENDS