Pro-EU campaigners during a ‘Missing EU Already’ rally outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, January 31, 2020
THE SNP has used the 10th anniversary of the EU referendum to claim the impact of Brexit will “only get worse” if Nigel Farage gets into Downing Street.
It pointed to research published by the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice) showing cumulative GDP growth in Britain had been 5.5 per cent since it left the EU in 2019, compared to the EU figure of 7.3 per cent.
Calling for the formation of a separate Scottish state to rejoin the trading bloc, SNP MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale Calum Kerr said: “A decade on, these latest figures lay bare just how damaging Brexit has been with Britain now constantly languishing behind our EU neighbours.
“Broken, Brexit Britain is stuck in decline with our economy in a permanent doom loop while the cost of living spirals out of control.”
Arguing it “seems only a matter of time” until Reform win power at Westminster, he added: “Make no mistake about it, things will only get worse in a Farage Britain as he isolates us even further from our European neighbours.”
Vince Mills of Radical Options for Scotland and Europe was, however, unconvinced.
Urging a more sober reflection on the EU’s pro-market approach, he told the Star: “The EU’s deficit and debt fiscal rules enforce an annual deficit ratio of 3 per cent of GDP and an overall debt ratio of 60 per cent to GDP and the UK’s are currently running at 4.2 per cent and 94.2 per cent respectively — we would see massive spending cuts if we rejoined.
“The EU only allows state ownership if the state behaves like a private enterprise company, and state aid rules generally forbid subsidy unless it’s on the basis of a return for an investment that a private investor might make.
“The same kind of prescriptions apply to procurement.
“Were we in the EU we could not insist, for example, that publicly owned bus companies had to buy buses from a publicly owned Alexander Dennis.
“And any interventions made to support Alexander Dennis would be illegal if it were considered that a publicly owned enterprise was being given an advantage over other EU bus manufacturers.
“We need democratic control of our economy.
“Would rejoining the EU help us in that? The answer is no.”
