29 Jan 2017

A Sunday Times poll has found that support for another referendum on independence prior to Brexit has fallen to just 27%.

It represents another drop in enthusiasm for a second vote, from 43% last June to 32% in September.

The poll also showed that a majority (51%) do not want another independence vote held within the next few years.

Writing in the Sunday Times, former senior SNP adviser Kevin Pringle admitted that many people viewed the prospect of another independence referendum ‘with weariness and distaste’, and that it would bring ‘unpleasant attitudes’ to the fore.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said:

“Scotland is now sending a very clear message to Nicola Sturgeon – we don’t want your second referendum.

“As her own former spokesman says today, many people view the prospect of such a vote with ‘weariness’ and ‘distaste’ because of the ‘unpleasant attitudes’ it will bring to the fore.

“He is absolutely right. People desperately want the SNP to focus on the day job, not yet more division and uncertainty.

“Nicola Sturgeon should now act on behalf of all of Scotland, not just the SNP, by ditching her unwanted and unnecessary plans.

“Only by doing so can we pull together as a country and confront the challenges we all face.”

The Sunday Times poll found that enthusiasm for a pre-Brexit independence referendum has fallen away — from 43% last June to 32% in September and only 27% now, and a majority (51%) do not want another independence vote held within the next few years.

In his article in today’s Sunday Times, Kevin Pringle writes:

“Referendums don’t create unpleasant attitudes in society but they do bring them to the fore.”

“I know that many people view the prospect with weariness and distaste.” 

29 Jan 2017

New analysis by the Scottish Conservatives has shown that the SNP’s failure to boost growth has cost the equivalent of £1300 per household.

The data is published today ahead of the stage one budget debate at Holyrood this week – when the Scottish Conservatives will oppose the SNP’s damaging plans to tax families and firms more than elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

The analysis reveals that, had Scottish growth matched UK figures since 2007, our gross domestic product would have been £3.1 billion higher over the last ten years.

It equates to £1,291 per Scottish household.

The Scottish Conservatives will this week call on the SNP to ditch its plans to use new powers to turn Scotland into the highest taxed part of the UK – saying this will only cut growth even more in Scotland, leaving us all worse off.

Scottish Conservative shadow finance secretary Murdo Fraser said:

“This week’s budget should prioritise growth, by setting competitive taxes that help support jobs and the economy.

“Instead we have an SNP Government which is going to cut growth even further, by turning Scotland into the highest taxed part of the UK.

“The consequence of the SNP’s low growth Scotland is laid bare in our figures. If we had matched UK growth over the last ten years, Scotland would have earned an extra £3bn – the equivalent of £1300 per household.

“The SNP now wants make this even worse. By increasing taxes, their plans will act as a ball and chain on growth, leaving us all poorer.

“Unless the SNP signal they are re-thinking their tax plans, we will be voting against this anti-jobs Budget this week.

“If the Budget falls as a result, that will be the Nationalists’ own fault. Instead of using our new powers to set a course, they have been caught in the headlights.

“Time is now running out and they need to make up their mind. Are they for jobs and growth or against them?

“The Scottish Conservatives have a plan to grow Scotland: it is time the SNP listened.”

The SNP Government has been in charge of the Scottish economy for a decade; yet, Scotland continues to lag behind the UK on a range of economic indicators.

The Scottish Conservatives believe in creating a prosperous, growing economy that works for everyone by investing in education, skills, and creating a thriving business environment to attract investment, not just internationally but also by encouraging domestic businesses to grow.

We believe the SNP’s obsession with the constitution has led to the Government taking its eye off the ball and focusing its resources away from the real policy areas that matter. As a result, Scotland has lacked a coherent and ambitious economic strategy for a decade.

This paper sets out the loss to the Scottish economy, in terms of lost GDP, of consistent SNP inaction.

Methodology

The Scottish Government publishes estimates of GDP growth along with comparable figures for the UK. They also publish monetary values for GDP in its quarterly national accounts. We use the latest available data in both cases. For the 2016 figures, we take Scottish annual growth forecasts from the Fraser of Allander Institute and UK annual growth forecasts for the UK (Scottish Government, GDP 2016 Q3, 17 January 2017, link; Scottish Government, Quarterly National Accounts, 2016 Q2, Tab B, link; Fraser of Allander Institute, Economic Commentary, Volume 40, No 3, December 2016, link).

We take the 2007 figure for nominal GDP and apply the real growth rates for both Scotland and the UK to give a comparison of the actual path of GDP and the theoretical path, had Scottish economic performance matched UK economic performance. These two different paths are set out in the table below.

We then calculate the different between the actual level of GDP and the level if the Scottish economy had mirrored the UK, and divide this by the number of households to provide an estimate of the lost GDP per household – i.e. the extent to which each household is poorer as a result of the SNP’s failings on the economy.

Estimates for the number of households in Scotland are taken from the National Records of Scotland (National Records of Scotland, Estimates of Households and Dwellings in Scotland 2015, 8 June 2016, link).

Jeremy
Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party , responding to Theresa May’s press conference in
Turkey, said:

“President
Trump’s executive order against refugees and Muslims should shock and appal us
all. 

“Theresa
May should have stood up for Britain and our values by condemning his actions.
It should sadden our country that she chose not to.

“After
Trump’s hideous actions and May’s weak failure to condemn them, it’s more
important than ever for us to say to refugees seeking a place of safety, that
they will always be welcome in Britain.”

Introduction

Thank you very much. I am pleased to be here in Turkey today and to be able to meet Prime Minister Yildirim and President Erdogan just one day after meeting the new US President Donald Trump in Washington.

The relationship between Turkey and the United Kingdom has always been important, but it is arguably even more vital today.

For Turkey sits on the frontline of some of the most difficult and serious challenges we face.

This relationship is central to our capacity to tackle the terrorist threat to the UK. Turkey already does a huge amount to disrupt the threat posed to our countries by terrorists including foreign fighters leaving Syria.

And today we have agreed to strengthen our cooperation on security through a new strategic security partnership. This will help our 2 governments and security services to work even more closely together in important areas such as intelligence sharing, aviation security and domestic security.

This partnership will help Turkey as it grapples with the threat posed by heightened terrorist attacks in this country. We should never forget that in the last 18 months, over 1,500 Turkish civilians and security personnel have been killed by terrorist attacks.

Crucially it will also help to protect the 1.7 million British tourists who travel to Turkey from the UK every year.

It is therefore a vital new partnership for us both.

Regional security

We have also discussed a number of other important regional security issues today including:

Syria, where we are working together to fight Daesh and create the conditions for peace, the challenge of mass migration, where I pay tribute to Turkey’s generosity in hosting more than 3 million refugees from surrounding countries, and where the United Kingdom is committed to doing all it can to help.

And Cyprus, where we are both committed to playing our full part in an effort to secure an early agreement.

Trade

Finally, I am delighted that we have today been able to mark the signing of a new agreement between TAI and the British business BAE Systems, that will see the companies collaborating on the pre-design phase of Turkey’s new fighter jet, the TFX.

This is more than a trade deal – it is the start of a deep defence partnership that will contribute to our overall security.

At the same time, we are today announcing a new and unique government-to-government agreement between Turkey and the United Kingdom that sets a new framework for cooperation and dialogue between our governments including the defence ministries and air forces.

And we have also agreed to establish a trade working group to explore ways in which we can improve Turkish-UK trade.

These initiatives stand as concrete commitments to a strengthened relationship between us, which will help to ensure the continued security and prosperity of both Turkey and the UK.

Conclusion

This is the first opportunity I have had to visit Turkey since the attempted coup of 15th July last year. On that day, the UK was clear that we supported those who stood up for this important democracy and its institutions. And we continue to hope that the values you stood for on that day will guide you in the months and years ahead.

So I would like to thank Prime Minister Yildirim for giving up his time today so that we might discuss these important issues.

On each one, Turkey is demonstrating its determination to live up to its historic role as a regional power, and its significance as a key member of the NATO Alliance.

I look forward to building on the commitments we have made today in order to strengthen the cooperation between our 2 nations in the years ahead.

Thank you.