Optimism over fisheries bill announced by Queen

Shetland Fishermen’s Association executive officer Simon Collins has welcomed the announcement of a fisheries bill outlined in the Queen’s speech on Wednesday morning.

Shetland Fishermen’s Association executive officer Simon Collins.

Mr Collins said that the bill for the UK to control access to its waters and set UK fishing quotas once it has left the EU was a huge step forward and could hardly have been improved on from the industry’s point of view.

He added: “We have got a good idea of what the fisheries bill will contain. The government is keen on delivering on what it has promised and the UK is clearly not going to back down.”

Mr Collins said that although there is little detail so far, the important principles of control over access to national waters and the allocation of fishing rights therein had been established.

“Of course quotas will remain to be based on science. The question then is international haggling over who gets what, and we find ourselves in an extremely strong position to extract access.

“It is a very, very positive statement if you like.”

According to Mr Collins, the European Parliament fisheries committee had also received a wake up call from a Spanish layer who had confirmed for them that the UK would reclaim these rights when it leaves the EU.

The committee had earlier agreed that Britain would have to maintain “relative stability”, or the historic share out of fishing rights, if Britain was to have untaxed access to the huge EU market for fisheries.

Mr Collins said that there was no need for great detail in the legislation at the moment as that could be added at a later date. Once Britain was free of the EU then new or amended legislation could be produced much more quickly than under the ponderous system involving decision making by 27 different countries.

COMMENTS(31)

Add Your Comment
  • Gordon Harmer

    • June 21st, 2017 19:28

    13 Scottish Tory MPs in Westminster and already they have done more than two years of 56 SNP MPs. At last Scotland has seen sense.

    REPLY
    • James Watt

      • June 26th, 2017 16:18

      Since Scotland has ‘seen sense’ can we expect the 13 Scottish Tories to fight for Scotland to receive additional funding in response to the extra £1 billion for Northern Ireland or should we expect them to repeat the party line about the extra funding for NI being exempt from Barnett consequentials?

      REPLY
      • Gordon Harmer

        • June 27th, 2017 18:40

        Scotland is getting at least £700 million in city deals outside of the Barnett Formula plus other funding for projects in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Helensburgh. Scotland also gets £1500 per person more than the rest of the UK through Barnett. It also has been awarded £ billions in warship orders over the next few years. What is wrong with Ireland getting a bit extra to even things out a bit.
        Maybe if Sturgeon and the SNP were not so divisive and discontinued their grievance agenda more money would come to Scotland.

      • Gordon Harmer

        • June 27th, 2017 19:28

        More grief and grievance from the SNP
        Nicola Sturgeon’s administration is to declare a formal dispute with the UK Government over the £1 billion deal with the DUP to prop up Theresa May.
        After a meeting of Ms Sturgeon’s Cabinet, her spokesman said the Scottish Government would invoke a “dispute resolution mechanism” through the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), the body dealing with relations between the UK Government and devolved administrations.
        I does not matter that Scotland gets more than the rest of the UK through Barnett and is having billions invested over and above Barnett. Billions which bring jobs to the Clyde through warship contracts. Yet the SNP administration still manage to under spend and have once again to the tune of £200 million. Want, want, want is all we hear, if its not independence it is more powers or more money. The SNP get more powers and do not use them and they get more money and do not spend it and still the moan. No wonder they lost 21 seats at the general election they have as much get up and go as a flat battery, unless they are causing grief and grievance.

      • Ali Inkster

        • June 28th, 2017 15:11

        Will it matter because none of it will ever reach Shetland.

      • Robert Sim

        • June 28th, 2017 23:38

        @Gordon H – interesting posts, Gordon. So you clearly think the Scottish Government should always spend every penny of its budget. Interestingly enough, when the SNP first formed the Scottish Government in 2007, they followed previous Labour governments which had regularly underspent, sometimes by as much as £718m in a single year. Lo and behold, when the SNP at that time set out a post-crash budget that aimed to fully utilise the money available to it, Labour commented as follows:

        “Government is about responsibility, but for the SNP it’s all about using the trappings of power and taxpayers’ money to bolster their case for separation, with the most vulnerable the victims of the SNP’s pursuit of the narrowest of agendas. This isn’t Government, this is a hostage situation.”

        This tells us what we already know: that if an SNP government spends all its money: SNP BAD. And if an SNP government doesn’t spend all its money: SNP BAD.

      • Ian Tinkler

        • June 29th, 2017 11:40

        Sure, Robert Sim, I love your idea of responsible government! BBC news today. lol.
        “Scotland’s economy is in a “precarious position” with a recession “in the balance”, experts have warned.
        A report from the Fraser of Allander Institute said Scotland seemed to be “stuck in a cycle of weak growth”. I wonder why (good old Nippy does it agaian Indy2 before sane government)?

      • Robert Sim

        • June 29th, 2017 15:36

        Ian Tinkler – you refer to today’s Fraser of Allander Institute report as though it is an indictment of the Scottish Government. (I recall you rubbishing the FoAI a while back and saying that they knew nothing.) You won’t I am sure have read beyond the headlines; but here for your information is what the FoAI actually said at the end of their report:

        “With Brexit undoubtedly adding new risks and new opportunities, ‘policy as usual’ is no longer an option. A renewed focus on how both the Scottish and UK Governments can use the powers at their disposal to support the Scottish economy is urgently needed.”

        Notice the word “both” in there, Ian? The UK government holds most of the economic levers of power. This reminds me of all the promises that were made in 2014 about how Scotland would be better off in the strong arms of the Union. What a joke. Instead, Northern Ireland is given special treatment now as a bribe to one of its parties for propping up a lame and directionless Tory government.

      • Ian Tinkler

        • June 30th, 2017 11:18

        How sad Robert, rUK growth goes well. Scotland teeters on the edge. If Sturgeon and the SNP stopped concentrating on Indyref and started the day job Scotland could prosper. The rUK seems to be doing OK, even with BREXIT. If you can not see it, Robert Sim, it is Indieref that is destroying business confidence in Scotland. The SNP are destroying confidence further with their endless Brexit moaning, why else Would Scotland go into recession whilst the remainder of the UK prosper?

      • Robert Sim

        • June 30th, 2017 13:44

        @Ian T – you say “If Sturgeon and the SNP stopped concentrating on Indyref and started the day job Scotland could prosper.” This is the mindless line that Ruth, Kezia and Willie peddled during the General Election and in doing so managed to scare enough Scottish voters into running away from self-determination – the latter being the normal state of nations throughout the world apart from in Scotland.

        There is not one shred of hard evidence to show that Scotland’s economic performance is attributable to the fact that the Scottish Government voted for an independence referendum in order to adhere to a manifesto pledge. “If you can not see it, Robert Sim, it is Indieref that is destroying business confidence in Scotland. ” Care to post your references, Ian? The FoAI report doesn’t back you up, for a start.

        To repeat myself, the UK government too has a responsibility towards the Scottish economy. If anyone wants to “get on with the day job”, it is Theresa May – but she can’t, because she is too busy worrying about keeping the DUP sweet.

      • ian tinkler

        • July 1st, 2017 13:58

        Enough said Robert Sim. It is all the wicked Tories fault, nothing to do with the SNP. Ten years of SNP and you still blame the Tories for Scotlands lacklustre performance in every devolved matter and Scotlands Economic failure. Extraordinary that the rest of the UK, with far less devolved powers, so outperforms Scotland! Extraordinary the Tories in Scotland are going from strength to strength alongside Labour and the Liberals while the SNP flounders. Pointless to further argue, your perception of fact is as prejudiced as your unending illogical views on the SNPs failings. Fortunately, the majority of Scots do see the SNP for what they are, Nationalists who have failed and done so with little style, just divisive bitterness. As for my references, Robert Sim, have you looked in a mirror recently, or actually tried to see a dentist, doctor, physiotherapist or study an undergraduate science course on Shetland recently?

      • Robert Sim

        • July 1st, 2017 21:56

        Ian, that’s a long-winded way of saying that you can’t produce a single shred of evidence in support of your “argument “.

        As for your oblique references to the NHS and studying undergraduate science in Shetland, I think you will find, first, that the NHS is struggling UK-wide because of the Tory government’s austerity measures. You will find lots of articles by and about the BMA saying that. Scotland is in the same boat as everyone else.

        Second, I have not a clue what you are implying by your reference to science study. Are you saying that there should be a fully-fledged university here?

        I usually find that folk without a coherent argument resort to woolly statements.

      • Robin Stevenson

        • July 2nd, 2017 13:59

        I believe this information is what you’re looking for, Robert?

        The Fraser of Allander institute:
        http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/61143/7/FEC_41_2_2017_RoyG.pdf

        May I draw your attention to this section: Page 11/23

        “Others have argued that the prospects for a 2nd
        independence referendum may be having an
        impact, although there is little robust data to
        formally test this hypothesis (and indicators of
        international investment remain positive)”.

        So you’re absolutely correct, the prospect on an IndyRef#2 has had NO detrimental impact on the Scottish economy whatsoever, similar to 2014 that despite what the scaremongers were saying investment actually went up in Scotland.

        Meanwhile, of course, as the good ship Brexit flies off the edge of a cliff, we have our delusional friends (like Ian here) playing the entire Brexit shambles down, I often wonder if they just deliberately ignore the writing on the wall in order to score some silly political point?

        https://thecommongreen.scot/2017/06/30/the-return-of-the-sick-man/

        Oh! And I see Gordon H is coming out with some claptrap about the DUPs £Billion bung forgetting to mention their £500 million that’s already earmarked for Ulster in their City deal? So that’ll be NI with 1.8ml people receiving = £1.5 Billion & Scotland with 5.4 ml people = £700 ml, Hmm…

      • Robert Sim

        • July 2nd, 2017 19:29

        Thanks, Robin. Couldn’t agree more.

      • Ian Tinkler

        • July 3rd, 2017 11:39

        I ask you Robin and Robert, if not Sturgeon’s endless and futile quest of Indieref2, just what crushed the SNP effort in Shetland? Just what enabled a wicked Torie to humiliate Salmond in Angus so? Why when the Westminster Austerity Torie Government was so unpopular south of the border did the SNP get so hammered and lose a third of its MPs. I do not expect a sane reply here, but to any free thinking person the answer is obvious.

      • Robert Sim

        • July 3rd, 2017 16:57

        You are actually right, Ian: it was indeed the scare stories about a second independence referendum and the performance of the Holyrood administration – the latter of course quite irrelevant to a UK election – that frightened enough voters into forgetting about the damaging effects of austerity and the lack of a plan for brexit and vote for the Tories.

        The bad news is that that has landed us with the worst PM and UK government in living memory just when what is needed is “strong and stable leadership”. The good news is that the SNP is still by far the biggest party in Scotland in terms of UK seats. I am sure that will bring a smile to your face!

      • ian tinkler

        • July 4th, 2017 16:14

        The thing that makes me smile, Robert Sim, is just how small the SNP has become, in o so many ways.

  • James J Paton

    • June 21st, 2017 19:47

    Interesting times. Will the significantly increase in UK catch fuel enhanced domestic consumption?
    Surely the non-EU markets – Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Brazilian and Indian, will make up for the loss of (tariffed?) EU markets in Benelux, France, Spain, Italy & Germany. Significantly increased UK fleet and competition within UK, especially from reinvigorated, closer to market English ports and English based processing and/or industrial fishing and at- sea processing?
    Development of financial/ investment banking sector/global corporate city and/or Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Panamanian and other off-shore (geddit!!) based trading in domestic quotas? Chinese funding?
    Reinvigoration of shipbuilding ( Northern Ireland Unionist yards only – not SNP Rosyth) for more Royal Navy fisheries protection vessels? ( Press ganged crews?) End to sustainable fisheries management and regulation with open global/UK free-market in fishing. Boom times ahead indeed. Cheap labour philippino crews and processors? So many questions.

    REPLY
    • John Tulloch

      • June 22nd, 2017 10:27

      The Green Party view looks somewhat jaundiced, which is both apt and not unusual.

      Apparently, EU citizens will stop eating fish after Brexit? No.

      A more likely outcome is some combination of:

      * EU consumers possibly paying more for their fish due to a combination of tariffs and short supply;

      * Fishermen receiving a lower price for their catches.

      * Processors finding other markets, elsewhere.

      REPLY
  • Brian Smith

    • June 30th, 2017 21:16

    There is so much drivel on this site about Scottish politics that I’d like to recommend an excellent article on the subject: Donny Gluckstein’s ‘Scotland the paradox’: http://isj.org.uk/scotland-the-paradox/

    A peerie warning, though: the article is about 40 times the length of anything in the Daily Express; and there are a few words at the end that will drive some of our contributors to distraction.

    REPLY
  • ian tinkler

    • July 1st, 2017 14:03

    I did not realise you read the Express and studied the length of the articles! Brian Smith? Is that not a bit sacrilegious of you? Is that OK for ex Labour, now SNP yesterday man?

    REPLY
    • Graham Fleming

      • July 2nd, 2017 2:37

      Like a lot of the English gutter press you don’t need to read it to get a flavour of the rancid guff that emanates from it.It is to the eternal shame of the Scottish parliament that proponents of such criminality are allowed to get away with it and form themselves into a so called democratic party anywhere on European soil.

      REPLY
      • Ian Tinkler

        • July 3rd, 2017 13:31

        Grahm Flemming, the voice of true Nationalism!! Criminalise the free press. Well, no surprises there. Criminalise free speech and ban the opposition press. Keep it up Grahm, you tell it like it is instead of the soft nice image so many Nats try to portrait. Brian, Robin and Robert lack your straight honesty but I am sure they agree with you.

      • ROBERT SIM

        • July 4th, 2017 13:51

        “Criminalise free speech and ban the opposition press. Keep it up Grahm, you tell it like it is instead of the soft nice image so many Nats try to portrait. Brian, Robin and Robert lack your straight honesty but I am sure they agree with you.”

        For my part, absolutely not, Ian. So we won’t be seeing that untruth in print from you again.

  • James J Paton

    • July 2nd, 2017 3:15

    Thanks to Brian Smith for sharing Donny Gluckstein’s article. It is indeed excellent and perhaps exposes the mythology of any ‘radicalism’ within the SNP’s rise in popularity, which is not a rise in nationalism nor for independence, but dependent of host of factors, not least class and economic based.

    REPLY
  • Andrew Hepburn

    • July 2nd, 2017 4:40

    Is it not a fact that most fisherman are Tories?

    This being the case I think they should be disenfranchised.

    REPLY
  • ian tinkler

    • July 2nd, 2017 10:43

    Well, there is a good start, it just shows what utter nonsense the SNP and Brexit detractors have been looning on about for so long! Wicked Westminster and the Evil Tories do it again.
    “The government is to end an arrangement that allows other countries to fish in UK waters, it has been announced. The convention allows Irish, Dutch, French, German and Belgian vessels to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of UK coastline.”

    REPLY
    • Robert Sim

      • July 2nd, 2017 19:34

      As has been pointed out today, Ian, this move is simply a gesture – although indeed a welcome one. The really crucial test will be how things are handled in terms of the CFP.

      REPLY
  • James Sinclair

    • July 2nd, 2017 10:53

    For those of you who may be feeling perplexed by the sight of my former progressive friends fleeing into the arms of a nationalist party founded,inconveniently,as a fascist party in the 1930’s (The Plaidshirts anyone?),the explanation is now painfully apparent.

    Like the Labour Party in the late ’70’s/80’s,the SNP now find themselves the subject of entryism,this time under the new slogan of “Socialism through the prism of Nationalism “. They did not foresee the upsurge of leftist politics under Jeremy Corbyn ,with what Sarah Palin amusingly called the “hopey-changey thing “,that so reenergised the Labour Party. However,in missing this ,they missed little of what will be a temporary phenomenon . After all,you do need to be able to provide some pork if you want to run pork barrel politics!

    Yes,interesting times down the rabbit hole when right is left and nothing is what it seems.

    REPLY
  • Ian Tinkler

    • July 3rd, 2017 11:23

    She asked Mr Eustice, Torrie Fisheries Minister pointed out that taking back control was really a big victory for the Government. Mr Eustice said this move was only the beginning – with the next step the wider EU Common Fisheries Policy. That Robert Sim, would never happen under SNP control without Brexit which is exactly what Sturgeon has argued for!.

    REPLY
    • Robert Sim

      • July 4th, 2017 13:46

      Ian

      1. Who on earth is “she”?

      2. “That Robert Sim, would never happen under SNP control…”. Again, what do you mean, Ian? At EU level, member states, in this case the UK, are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy. So the Holyrood Government hasn’t got control of fisheries. But maybe you meant something else? Who knows?

      REPLY

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