Backbench Business — Scotland’s Place in the UK

Part of Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 2:32 pm on 6 February 2014.

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Photo of Gregg McClymont Gregg McClymont Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions) 2:32, 6 February 2014

The debate has been interesting so far, particularly the contributions of Scottish National party representatives. There has been sound, fury and passion about what they see as the great differences between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, but the danger is that the sound, fury and passion will obscure the reality of the SNP’s proposals to change the Union.

There is a rather peculiar notion at the heart of the nationalist case, which is that the economic and social union between the peoples of these islands should continue, but that the political Union should end. I will come back to examine what that peculiar notion means for Scotland, but the fact that the Scottish National party believes that economic and social union should continue—the White Paper is eloquent testimony to that desire—says something about how 300 years of partnership have brought the peoples of these islands closer together. That is not surprising: we have a shared language, notwithstanding Mr MacNeil and others, as well as family ties, a shared currency, free trade and common trade unions across the United Kingdom.