Brexit referendum 2, yes. Indy ref 2, no! - Kate Campbell
Ten years on from the EU Referendum, it looks like the Labour party are reversing course on Brexit.
For years, Labour and the Tories were adamant that they could make Brexit work. They told us they would seize the opportunity to create a new relationship with the EU and the rest of the world.
They knew, of course, that we already had the best possible deal with EU membership. It was clear that any post-Brexit agreement would be a massive downgrade. And it was. Brexit has made Scotland over £100 billion worse off. That’s roughly £19,352 per person.
It’s seen key sectors, especially social care and agriculture, struggle to plug the gap left by EU workers. And it’s seen huge cost increases on trade, damaging Scottish businesses that import and export. The hike on the cost of importing materials needed to build houses has turned the housing crisis into a housing emergency.
And this was a referendum in which every single local authority area in Scotland voted to remain in the EU.
At 62 per cent we had the highest remain vote of all the UK nations. By a mile. Here in Edinburgh, our remain vote was 74 per cent. Yet we were dragged out regardless. It was an outrage then, and it’s an outrage still.
Despite the damage done to Scotland, we’ve been told that the British people spoke in 2016 and Brexit meant Brexit. The question was settled; there was a vote a decade ago, so no need for another. That was the line.
That’s why Labour’s recent U-turn on a second EU referendum is very welcome. The sooner we’re back in the EU, the better. Rejoining the Single Market and Customs Union would be transformational for our economy.
But the most revealing part of Burnham’s willingness to re-open the Brexit debate is that it demonstrates a hypocritical double standard. How can he say a second EU referendum is on the table, while in the same breath deny Scotland a second referendum on independence?
Labour politicians in Scotland are already tying themselves in knots trying to justify this hypocrisy. But what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. To greenlight a second EU referendum ten years on, while refusing to give people in Scotland the right to choose our own future after 12, would be utterly undemocratic.
You can’t cherry-pick when it comes to democracy. It’s not a one-off event. It’s an ongoing process. If the UK can change its mind on Brexit, then so can Scotland on independence.