Humza Yousaf’s SNP is disregarding its own “brutal failings” by producing a fresh white paper on how an independent Scotland will reclaim control of British fishing seas, campaigners warn.
The SNP produced a paper aimed at outlining how an independent Scotland’s marine sector would “thrive and grow.”
The 47-page document, the eighth in the series, comes on the heels of a recent EU report.
It claims that Scotland’s maritime industry has “significant further potential, but that potential can only be reached if we have the full powers to give the sector the support it needs and the prioritisation it deserves” .
But Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland in Union, claimed Scottish ministers were “crassly ignoring” the impact quitting the UK would have on Scotland.
She said: “Like all the other papers in this series, the latest document fails to assess the impact on Scotland of leaving Britain.
“We should all be incredibly proud of our exports, but it’s negligent not to acknowledge that by far the most important market is the rest of the UK.
“That is how separation would impact Scotland’s economy most, and yet ministers – by deliberately leaving this out of their assessments – are crassly ignoring it.
“This paper also repeats many of the fantasies set out in the EU paper last week, and doesn’t offer Scots any assurances on how membership would be achieved and at what cost.
“And island communities, described as ‘integral’ in this report, will be disappointed that a paper about the marine sector doesn’t acknowledge the Scottish Government’s brutal failing of the ferries network, or how a separate Scotland would run it any better.
“It must be noted the bill for these papers is being footed by us, the taxpayers.
“Enough is enough. It’s time for the people’s priorities, not the SNP’s.”
The SNP report, Our Marine Sector in an Independent Scotland, was launched on Tuesday by Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon.
She told the Press and Journal: “Scotland is a proud maritime nation and our marine sector is a national asset. But it is only with the full powers of independence that we can unlock its full potential.
“Brexit has significantly impacted Scotland’s marine sector, creating major barriers to trade, reducing access to labour and a loss of fishing opportunities for parts of our fleet.
“As an independent EU member state, Scotland would for the first time be able to negotiate for its own priorities at the heart of Europe.”