- Title: Scottish nationalists undermined by Brexit in coastal towns
- Date: 30th May 2017
- Summary: NEAR LAMBERTON, BERWICKSHIRE, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) 'WELCOME TO SCOTLAND' SIGN JUST NORTH OF SCOTLAND-ENGLAND BORDER PETERHEAD, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) BOAT AT SEA FISHING BOAT IN HARBOUR FISHERMAN ON BOARD BOAT AS IT ARRIVES AT PETERHEAD'S PORT VARIOUS OF SCOTTISH SKIPPER OF FISHING BOAT "BUDDING ROSE", 56-YEAR-OLD PETER BRUCE, TYING ROPE ON HIS BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH SKIPPER OF FISHING BOAT 'BUDDING ROSE', 56-YEAR-OLD PETER BRUCE, SAYING: "Well I mean, to be quite honest, it is a very hard choice for me, because I've always the SNP in Scotland before, but I'm a fisherman - and I just, I want to leave the EU. The Common Fisheries Policy has been a disaster for the fishing industry. There's no way I can vote for the SNP. So I mean, at the election in June I'm going to be voting for the Conservative Party." FISHING BOATS DOCKING FISHERMEN BRINGING BOXES OF FISH TO LAND VARIOUS FISHERMEN TRANSFERRING BOXES OF FISH FROM THE BOAT TO THE PORT FISH IN BOXES ON HARBOUR-SIDE FISHERMAN ON BOAT CONTROLLING BOXES OF FISH AS THEY ARE TRANSFERRED FROM BOAT TO PORT YOUNG LAD PULLING A CRATE OF BOXES OF CAUGHT FISH INTO THE FISH MARKET SEAGULL PECKING AT FISH THROUGH NET ON FISHING BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH SKIPPER OF FISHING BOAT 'BUDDING ROSE', 56-YEAR-OLD PETER BRUCE, SAYING: "I don't see the point of transferring power from Westminster to Brussels and that's all you would be doing, becoming part of a small country in the EU." VARIOUS OF "LAPWING" FISHING BOAT VARIOUS OF SCOTTISH SKIPPER OF FISHING BOAT 'LAPWING', 55-YEAR-OLD BRIAN BUCHAN, PULLING ROPE ABOARD HIS BOAT SCOTTISH FLAG PAINTED ON BOAT BUCHAN ON BOARD HIS BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH SKIPPER OF FISHING BOAT 'LAPWING', 55-YEAR-OLD BRIAN BUCHAN, SAYING: "There is no way the EU will allow us to enter the EU without accepting the full terms of the Common Fisheries Policy and I'm not willing to vote for that. I just…it would be treachery." VARIOUS OF BUCHAN TYING KNOT ON HIS BOAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH SKIPPER OF FISHING BOAT 'LAPWING', 55-YEAR-OLD BRIAN BUCHAN, SAYING: "It's independence at any cost to join the EU. Why leave a union of 300 years to jump into bed with a union of 40 years? No thanks." TYRIE, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SIGN READING (English): "VOTE SNP SIGN" ON SIDE OF HOUSE BUCKIE, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) COAST SEEN UNDER BRIDGE OVER ROAD ELGIN, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) UNION JACK FLAG / SALTIRE FLAG / FLAG READING (English): "MORAY" INVERNESS, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVE AND UNIONIST SIGN / SNP SIGN ON LAMP POST SNP LOGO ELGIN, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - LATE MAY 2017) (REUTERS) DEPUTY LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (SNP) AND SNP CANDIDATE FOR MORAY CONSTITUENCY, ANGUS ROBERTSON, WALKING DOG WHILST CAMPAIGNING AND DOOR KNOCKING VARIOUS OF ROBERTSON SPEAKING TO VOTER AT THEIR HOME (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (SNP) AND SNP CANDIDATE FOR MORAY CONSTITUENCY, ANGUS ROBERTSON, SAYING: "Well this is a general election for the British parliament, this isn't a referendum, and the good news for me is that I'm supported by people who voted Remain and Leave and I'm supported by people who voted Yes and No in the referendum on Scottish independence." ROBERTSON'S SNP ROSETTE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (SNP) AND SNP CANDIDATE FOR MORAY CONSTITUENCY, ANGUS ROBERTSON, SAYING: "Because the last time I looked, people in Moray didn't vote for the kind of extreme, damaging Hard Brexit that the Tories are pursuing down south. We were told that we could be like Norway, as rich as Norway, we could be in the single European market but outside the European Union. What's happened to that?" ROBERTSON WALKING DOWN STREET WITH DOG, HEARD SAYING (English): "Well, the people will decide in the election won't they?" CONSERVATIVE PARTY CANDIDATE FOR MORAY CONSTITUENCY, DOUGLAS ROSS, WALKING DOWN HIGH STREET WITH COLLEAGUE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CONSERVATIVE PARTY CANDIDATE FOR MORAY CONSTITUENCY, DOUGLAS ROSS, SAYING: "Well it's quite clear, you know, we are in Moray which came closer than any other part of Scotland to vote to leave the European Union, and people are clear that only Theresa May will respect the will of the entire United Kingdom which was to leave the European Union." RAF JET FLYING PAST DUFFUS CASTLE VIEW OF ELGIN PEOPLE WALKING DOWN HIGH STREET FRONT OF "CHUCK MCCALL" HIGHLAND WEAR SHOP KILT THROUGH SHOP WINDOW YOUNG BOY CLIMBING SCOTTISH STATUE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH VOTER IN MORAY, DID NOT WANT TO GIVE NAME, SAYING: "I know it's going to be hard for the next few years, it'll probably affect my grandchildren, but, end of the day, we need to get out." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH VOTER IN MORAY, CAROLINE MEIR, SAYING: "The vote has been cast. Public have spoken. And Nicola Sturgeon is not paying any attention to that view whatsoever." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH VOTER IN MORAY, JENNIE THOW, SAYING: "I really would have preferred to be out of Europe, but it still doesn't change my belief that the SNP is for Scotland and we really need somebody on our side."
- Embargoed: 13th June 2017 18:44
- Keywords: Scottish National Party SNP Brexit election British general election Nicola Sturgeon fishermen Angus Robertson election
- Location: DRUMNADROCHIT, INVERNESS, EDINBURGH; LAMBERTON, PETERHEAD, TYRIE, BUCKIE AND ELGIN, MORAY CONSTITUENCY; SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: DRUMNADROCHIT, INVERNESS, EDINBURGH; LAMBERTON, PETERHEAD, TYRIE, BUCKIE AND ELGIN, MORAY CONSTITUENCY; SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0036J29XL3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The twin questions of nationalism and the European Union are muddying the political waters in Scotland as Britons prepare to vote in a general election on June 8.
What do you do, if like Scottish fishermen Peter Bruce and Brian Buchan, you are a nationalist who wants out of Europe?
Lifelong Scottish National Party (SNP) supporters suddenly find themselves unable to vote for Nicola Sturgeon's party, because they don't like the fact that she wants to keep Scotland in the EU.
Bruce has been a fisherman in Peterhead all his adult life, like generations of his family before him.
But the northeast Scottish harbour is a much quieter place than when he was a teenager and Bruce blames the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy.
Bruce feels betrayed by the SNP's campaign to rejoin the EU and for the first time, he will vote for Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives.
"It is a very hard choice for me because I've always voted for the SNP in Scotland before but I'm a fisherman….I want to leave the EU. The Common Fisheries Policy has been a disaster for the fishing industry. There's no way I can vote for the SNP," he said.
Once a supporter of Scottish independence, he's now moved away from that position because of Sturgeon's drive for an independent Scotland to rejoin the bloc.
"I don't see the point of transferring power from Westminster to Brussels and that's all you would be doing, becoming part of a small country in the EU," Bruce said.
Fellow fisherman Buchan, once an SNP member now says it would be "treachery" to support them in this election.
"Why leave a union of 300 years to jump into bed with a union of 40 years? No thanks," he said.
Over 100 km west of Peterhead is the picturesque constituency of Moray - which had the highest Brexit vote in all of Scotland in the referendum last year.
Moray voted to Remain with a margin of only 122 votes - 50.1 percent in, 49.9 percent out.
Angus Robertson is leader of the SNP in Westminster and is Moray's member of parliament.
Half of his constituents voted for Brexit and his party's persistence on remaining in the EU could cause him problems at the ballot box on June 8.
"People in Moray didn't vote for the kind of extreme, damaging hard Brexit that the Tories (Conservatives) are pursuing down south. We were told that we could be like Norway, as rich as Norway, we could be in the single European market but outside the European Union. What's happened to that?" Robertson said whilst campaigning in Elgin.
Robertson's Conservative rival is Douglas Ross. He argues that the tight vote in the Brexit referendum means the town is ready for a change.
On the cobbled streets of Moray's commercial town of Elgin, Leave voters were torn between feelings of nationalism versus a desire to leave the EU.
"It still doesn't change my belief that the SNP is for Scotland and we really need somebody on our side," said Jennie Thow, who has voted SNP all her life.
"The vote has been cast. Public have spoken. And Nicola Sturgeon is not paying any attention to that view whatsoever," said Caroline Meir.
Polls show the SNP is set to win easily in Scotland in June, though May's Conservatives are expected to take some seats from them as the issue of keeping the United Kingdom together takes centre stage. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
