British Nationalists make a big fuss about getting out of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). What we don’t hear from the likes of David Mundell is any detail on what is to replace the EU quota system. We know that there will have to be a quota system. We know that this new quota system will continue to involve negotiation with the EU. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea requires countries sharing maritime borders to jointly manage shared fish stocks. The EU and the UK share more than 100 fish stocks.
We know that existing independent coastal states such as Greenland and Norway continue to be effectively bound by the CFP. The latter negotiates annually a quota swap just as EU member states do under the CFP. The former institutionalises the CFP quota system in exchange for various concessions.
All the evidence, then, suggests that the new UK quota system is unlikely to represent a dramatic departure from the CFP. Which leads one to wonder why Mundell and other British Nationalists attach so much importance to getting out of the CFP. They certainly aren’t explaining their reasoning. We can be certain that it has nothing to do with what might best serve Scotland’s economic interests. Mundell has made it abundantly clear that his overriding priority is the preservation of the Union at whatever cost to Scotland and its people.
This being the British state, and Mundell being a Tory, might we find a clue to their motives in a recent Greenpeace investigation which found, among other things, that –
Five families on the Sunday Times Rich List own or control a third (33%) of all Scottish quota. When taking into account minority stakes, companies wholly or partly owned by these families hold close to half (45%) of all Scottish quota.
Not for the first time, we find something very fishy about Mundell’s attitude. Ask yourself, how easy is it to believe that this man and the regime he represents are looking after Scotland’s interests? Or that they are concerned with the welfare of ‘fishing communities’? How much easier is it to believe that their sole concern is to preserve the structures of power, privilege and patronage which define the British state. How easy is it to believe that, whatever replaces the CFP afer Brexit, it will be part of the corrupt British political and economic system which serves the few at untold cost to the many?
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Peter A Bell 
Aye, the old advice to “follow the money” never seems to lead us far astray.
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Mundell & Co, couldn’t care less about the Fishing industry in this country.
They didn’t care in the past
There is no way Mundell would resign, tho if Theresa May had any gumption, she would reign Mundell herself.
What this is about, is Mundell, trying to sounding more pro London than DUP.
A bit like Boris stomping out Government, but only to look as pro Brexit as David Davis, who miffed the blonde, upstaging him by leaving first.
Mundell said nothing about the Irish backstop deal last year.
Nothing ’til last week, when such a deal was being genuinely thought possible, but that Scotland would have to have the same, and that was not on.
Something good for Scotland??? Mundell couldn’t have that. And again, that was only after DUP blundering into the fray, yet again showing us who is actually running things in UK.
It is not, and never has been EU holding London to ransom over anything, but DUP making the most of it, tying to keep themselves as British as possible.
Mundell and R.Davidson are being led by this lot, and what suits Scotland matters not.
As for Fishing, SNP has always called for a change to the Fishing system, but as that is decided on our behalf by London, and were always ignore outright, insultingly so. To now say,London will be better even now, is downright lies.
For Theresa May to make snide comments against Scottish Government who has no control, is also dishonesty of the worst kind.
Only with Independence, will Scotland would have plenty of say and full control over Fisheries. To pretend it would have less control now, is only for the truly blind pro London believers!
However, being told that the Fishing quotas are controlled in effect by a handful, who have a monopoly over it, makes us wonder who is leading this charge by Scottish Fishermen, (and it’s mostly men), that we must leave EU. The very suggestion that Scotland leaves EU, but stays with London, will protect the industry is suspect.
Sounds like it it those with the monopoly at present want to keep it, rather than them caring for everybody else.
A bit like Mundell.
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As has been pointed out elsewhere Mundell & Davidson wanted to stay in the EU and therefore in the CFP. Maybe they’ll threaten to resign.
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