Local MSP Maree Todd, SNP, has described the Tory record on Fishing as appalling. She made the comments on Thursday 18th of May during a debate in the Scottish Parliament called by the Conservatives on the subject of ‘Fishing’

Maree Todd is a member of the cross party Fishing group. She said that she was astonished by the audacity of the Tories in bringing a debate on fisheries to the chamber.

She said:

“We know that the Tories called the fishing industry “expendable” on our way into Europe. When I worked in psychiatry, we used to say that the best predictor of the future is what has happened in the past.…the Tories are consistent in selling out our fishing communities. “

The debate came following a number of weeks when the Conservatives have sought to promote their Brexit stance to fishing communities, many of which are strongly opposed to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Maree Todd, grew up in the fishing community of Ullapool which like  many  coastal and island communities across Scotland, saw the industry devastated by the CFP.

She said:

“It is plainly obvious—and has been so for a long time—that the common fisheries policy is not fit for purpose; it is not a good deal for our fishing industry. That is why the SNP has consistently argued for it [the Common Fisheries Policy] to be scrapped or fundamentally reformed. That is our party’s record on standing up for fishing and it goes a long way back.”

She pointed out that the content of the Brexit white paper from the Conservatives is evidence that they are about to sell out the Fishing Industry again, just as they did when the UK first joined what was to become the EU.

She said:

“It seems that the much-hated common fisheries policy could be the only EU policy to survive the Tories’ hard Brexit.”