(with a heavy dose of sea faring metaphors)
The UK’s economic weather is currently viewed through the prism of big business – how are the multi nationals responding to Brexit? – ignoring the fact that 60% of private sector employees work in small and medium sized businesses.
Setting Sail
I am a partner in one such business and Brexit means our endeavour has no long term future. We employ ourselves, two part time staff and occasionally others at busy times. We built our business from nothing, with very little capital of our own, a business loan of £10,000 and no grants. Six years on we are successful, we could even be described as thriving. We could probably chug along as we are for a few more years but in order to make our business sustainable in the long term we need to earn more, to earn more we need to expand, to expand we need to borrow a large chunk of money. That money would be spent on securing premises, employing more people, purchasing building materials – in other words we’d be doing stuff! Wheels would be turning, our little cog in the Scottish economy would be engaged. This was our intention, then the Brexit iceberg hove into view and our plan for the future suddenly seems far too risky.
The Doldrums
So we’re waiting and watching, our cog still turns but our plans have shrunk. We’ll stay as we are for now, and improve our business in less costly ways, but should Scotland remain trapped aboard (not so) good ship Brexitannia we’ll very reluctantly start looking for another option. I’m sure that we are not alone as a (very) small business, feeling unable to carry out planned investments, choosing the “wait and see” option. We are the backbone of the UK economy, if we hold our breath what does that mean for our economy? Nissan, Vauxhall, Apple are not the canaries, we are – British small businesses. If we falter, the economy falters.
We have supported Scottish independence for many years now for a boat load of reasons, but from the point of view of our wee business what does self determination offer? Well, quite simply it gives us a fighting chance. The current UK government appear committed to fatal self harm, prioritising a reduction in immigration above all else. The chilling talk of “rebalancing” the economy, WTO rules and a deal with the orange “dude” doesn’t offer even a sliver of hope for Scotland.
Our business derives part of it’s income from the currently booming Scottish tourist industry. An industry which will start to struggle if staff from abroad are harder to recruit and if further austerity undermines our infrastructure. Brexit Britain may develop an image problem – tales of racist abuse on English streets have travelled the globe. As we know, not all news outlets understand that the UK is a union of nations, rather than a collection of English regions!
A New Course
An independent Scotland would quite simply prioritise Scottish needs – we need migration, a constructive relationship in, or with, the EU and to maintain our reputation as a welcoming, tolerant nation. Isn’t that more appealing than being unwilling guinea pigs in an ill conceived, right wing experiment? The defining feature of Brexit is anxiety over immigration, aided and abetted by hysterical, right wing press. This will define UK policy for years, decades to come. I think Scotland deserves better, can do better, can offer more than a future based on such narrow parameters.
Scottish Independence isn’t a rejection of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it’s about embracing something positive, creative and more suitable for Scotland. It’s about being ourselves and making the most of our considerable resources. How many other small nations have our renewables potential, the city of Edinburgh, science and technology, world class universities, a thriving tourist industry, jaw dropping scenery, Rabbie Burns, world famous food, drink and textiles? Oh and there’s that other stuff – the black substance lurking beneath the rocks under the North Sea.
England has set it’s course, for good or ill, it’s time we did the same. There are stormy seas ahead, all the more reason to plot our own course than have it plotted for us. (Am I overdoing the sailing metaphor??? Naaaah, I could be wittering about lions and unicorns….)
If Scotland says Aye to independence then we’ll press ahead with our business expansion, borrow some cash, build and expand. More than that we’d be a tiny cog in a nation building machine, and we’d be proud to be part of that.
Like you I run a very small business, heavily reliant upon tourist trade, so also see a bleak future for it in a “dependant” Scotland. My business is also a food manufacturer, with its main raw materials coming from Europe and already hit hard by the plunge of the pound against the euro; that same euro that the Brexiteers see as inherently inferior to the glorious pound. Tell that to the markets!
Scotland needs to maintain its strong relationships with Europe and the EU in particular; we have always been this way, even before the days of the union. It is more important than ever today.
YES!