> Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the foreign secretary, has vetoed an agreement between Scotland and Ireland to allow Irish fishermen access to the rich fishing grounds around Rockall.
> Ownership of the tiny granite islet 230 miles off the coast of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic is disputed by the UK and the Republic of Ireland 263 miles to the south.
Irish vessels, which traditionally fished the waters around the remote rock for haddock and squid, were barred from a 12-mile territorial zone around it after Brexit when the UK left the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy.
> Irish fishermen affected by the ban since 2020 say the territorial limit around Rockall continues to have a huge impact on the industry.
Patrick Murphy, from the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, told RTÉ News that the area around Rockall made up about 3 per cent of overall fish caught and the ban was costing them millions of euros.
> But although the Irish and Scottish governments — fisheries are a devolved power — spent two years agreeing an access deal it has been torpedoed by the Foreign Office last week after Rishi Sunak called a general election.
The deal involved Irish marine scientists carrying out research in the area that would be passed on to the Scottish fishing fleet in return. The UK government said it vetoed the deal because it could not see the benefits for Scottish fishermen, who have opposed letting Irish boats back in.
However, Sources told The Irish Times however that the reason was entirely political in that the UK government did not want to be seen agreeing a deal with an EU nation, especially with a general election looming.
> The veto is the latest example of Westminster overruling the devolved Scottish government following interventions on the gender recognition bill and the deposit return scheme.
Angus Robertson, the Scottish government’s cabinet secretary for external affairs, said that as Scotland and Ireland had been working closely and constructively on this issue for several years, it was “disappointing” that it was not possible to implement a resolution before the UK election was called.
> “The Scottish government stands ready to reengage with their Irish counterparts with a view to returning to the issue with the UK government after the election,” Robertson added
Reason #10816 for independence.
This literally doesn’t affect Westminster or people in England AT ALL. Why do they get the power to make the decision and not the people who Scotland who are affected by it.
It is 2024, time for some actual democracy.
So Cameron is not even an elected MP – and he has the power to step into a devolved area (as noted in the article) and block legislation.
Why do you want to give your fish away?
Impossible, I’m told Scottish nats are isolationist and want to go it alone. Why would they be *shock* up for working with their neighbours on mutually beneficial terms?!
5 comments
> Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton, the foreign secretary, has vetoed an agreement between Scotland and Ireland to allow Irish fishermen access to the rich fishing grounds around Rockall.
> Ownership of the tiny granite islet 230 miles off the coast of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic is disputed by the UK and the Republic of Ireland 263 miles to the south.
Irish vessels, which traditionally fished the waters around the remote rock for haddock and squid, were barred from a 12-mile territorial zone around it after Brexit when the UK left the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy.
> Irish fishermen affected by the ban since 2020 say the territorial limit around Rockall continues to have a huge impact on the industry.
Patrick Murphy, from the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, told RTÉ News that the area around Rockall made up about 3 per cent of overall fish caught and the ban was costing them millions of euros.
> But although the Irish and Scottish governments — fisheries are a devolved power — spent two years agreeing an access deal it has been torpedoed by the Foreign Office last week after Rishi Sunak called a general election.
The deal involved Irish marine scientists carrying out research in the area that would be passed on to the Scottish fishing fleet in return. The UK government said it vetoed the deal because it could not see the benefits for Scottish fishermen, who have opposed letting Irish boats back in.
However, Sources told The Irish Times however that the reason was entirely political in that the UK government did not want to be seen agreeing a deal with an EU nation, especially with a general election looming.
> The veto is the latest example of Westminster overruling the devolved Scottish government following interventions on the gender recognition bill and the deposit return scheme.
Angus Robertson, the Scottish government’s cabinet secretary for external affairs, said that as Scotland and Ireland had been working closely and constructively on this issue for several years, it was “disappointing” that it was not possible to implement a resolution before the UK election was called.
> “The Scottish government stands ready to reengage with their Irish counterparts with a view to returning to the issue with the UK government after the election,” Robertson added
Reason #10816 for independence.
This literally doesn’t affect Westminster or people in England AT ALL. Why do they get the power to make the decision and not the people who Scotland who are affected by it.
It is 2024, time for some actual democracy.
So Cameron is not even an elected MP – and he has the power to step into a devolved area (as noted in the article) and block legislation.
Why do you want to give your fish away?
Impossible, I’m told Scottish nats are isolationist and want to go it alone. Why would they be *shock* up for working with their neighbours on mutually beneficial terms?!