Deciding Scotland's Future

[Corky Smeek]

So, it appears a Brexit deal may shortly be announced. This agreement will have a profound effect upon all of us for many years to come.

The deal will, of course, have to be ratified by the parties to it. In an EU context that means that each member state has to agree before the EU as a whole can sign off on the deal. In other words, each member state has a veto that could prevent ratification. In the UK, the Westminster parliament will be asked to provide the ratification. However, unlike the EU the member states of the UK will have no say. The deal will be ratified (and it will) by Westminster irrespective of the clearly expressed views of the people of Scotland.

Scotland was prevented from having any say in the negotiations leading up to this deal and you can bet your bottom dollar that our voice will be ignored when it comes to ratification.

And so, we find ourselves in the situation where Ireland, Finland, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Czechia, Slovakia, Luxembourg and Denmark (all small countries similar, or smaller, in size to Scotland) will have a say in our future but we don't.

We will be in a position where other countries' parliaments have our future in their hands. Politicians in Valetta, Riga, Dublin and Copenhagen have more power over our future than we do.

It is time to take back control and, quite frankly, give ourselves some respect and dignity. Scotland needs to be independent so that Scots have the level of power over their own lives and destiny as everyone else, in the western world at least.

In 2021 we may get the chance to do that. We have to take it.