Brendan O'Hara MP
Member of Parliament for Argyll and Bute
My Week 9th – 15th December
Brendan on Facebook
As fish, seafood and shellfish producers from across the Scotland and the rest of the UK take their protest to Westminster today, I have made a direct appeal to Boris Johnson to step up and provide a multi-million pound package of compensation as a matter of urgency. ![]()
![]()
I have written to the PM calling on him to take urgent action to protect the industry which is unable to export to EU markets because of “excessive” Brexit red tape.![]()
![]()
Businesses including those in Argyll & Bute are on the brink after losing thousands of pounds worth of sales since Scotland was forced out of the EU on January 1.![]()
![]()
Despite claims that trade with our most important partners in the EU would be ‘frictionless’ after Brexit, our producers have been plunged into a crisis not of their own making; they are the collateral damage of a Tory party hell-bent on leaving the EU at any cost.![]()
![]()
In a specially convened meeting of SNP MPs and Logistics UK on Friday) I told them I have been contacted by one local seafood company which showed administration and checks on live exports had more than quadrupled since January 1. ![]()
![]()
For them this is almost unsurvivable, they cannot afford the excessive bureaucracy and checks that are now being imposed. Boats are tied up, people haven’t had an income since before Christmas and all because the new process takes too long, is too complicated and this is driving customers in Europe away. This chaos is decimating an industry which was told leaving the EU would provide a ‘sea of opportunity’. Instead, they have been sold down the river.![]()
![]()
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, the PM agreed businesses would be compensated. Later this week he rolled back on that promise. I have now written to him to demand he takes urgent action to compensate everyone affected by this disaster. At every single turn my SNP colleagues and I warned of the chaos of Brexit, yet the Tories took it to the wire giving those involved in exports no time to prepare. ![]()
![]()
It is thoroughly depressing that we are now in a live test situation where businesses across Scotland are being sacrificed by a shambolic and inept government that disregarded the warning signs. These jobs and livelihoods might not matter to the Tories – but they matter to Scotland and the SNP.![]()
![]()
fb.watch/35i2AGw52a/
Can you help Harvey find his best friend?![]()
![]()
It has been a week since three-year-old black Labrador, Baxter went missing on the Kyles of Bute Golf Course and best friend and uncle Harvey is longing for his return.![]()
![]()
The pair of black Labradors ran off on the golf course, chasing each other and playing as they normally do, however when owners Alex and Alison MacLennan called, unusually only Harvey returned.![]()
Owner, Alex MacLennan said: "It is especially at times like this, when you realise what a massive role dogs play within the family and we all miss him very much. Harvey loves to cuddle up with Baxter and hasn’t spent a night without him for the past three years. We are so thankful for everyone’s support so far and hopefully we will have Baxter back with us soon.”![]()
![]()
If you have any information to support the search to bring Baxter home, please contact pleasehelpfindbaxter@gmail.com or 07927 010362.
Installation of a protective bund next to the Old Military Road at the Rest and Be Thankful is now complete following several weeks of construction.![]()
![]()
The 175m long, 6.6m high bund will act as a protective barrier to provide additional protection to road users of the Old Military Road through Glen Croe. The barrier is formed using a modular system favoured by the military, with individual units stacked together to create a defensive wall across the foot of the vulnerable channel carved by two large landslips in 2020. ![]()
![]()
The bund provides greater confidence in being able to safely keep the Old Military Road open for road users during inclement weather conditions. ![]()
![]()
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: “I’m really pleased to see this protective bund completed, making the local diversion route more reliable and offering welcome reassurance to local road users.![]()
![]()
“This is important progress towards improving the resilience of the Old Military Road and I would like to put on record my thanks to the teams involved for all of their efforts.![]()
![]()
“Alongside these measures, Transport Scotland continues to explore future works for the hillside to bolster the resilience of this key corridor route.”![]()
![]()
Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s North West Representative said:![]()
“We’re pleased to see the temporary bund completed on the Old Military Road, meaning we can have greater confidence that we can safely keep the alternative route open for road users when the weather conditions worsen. ![]()
![]()
“This work, together with the successful installation of the in-channel barrier above the A83 which was completed before Christmas, means we’re continuing to strengthen the landslip resilience in the area following two large landslips in 2020. ![]()
![]()
“We’re continuously monitoring the hillside and weather conditions in the area, and we’ll continue with work to progress with further mitigation work on the A83 at the Rest.![]()
![]()
“As ever we thank the local community and motorists for their continued patience while we do everything we can to address the ongoing issues at the Rest.”![]()
![]()
Real-time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland at www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.
Thanks to the Argyllshire Advertiser for featuring a piece I wrote in conjunction with Hope for the Future and the Time For Change Argyll & Bute group on the impact of climate change on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
The SNP has slammed the Tory government for jeopardising Scotland’s international reputation with its 'disgraceful' decision to leave musicians and performers off the list of workers permitted to enter the EU without a visa – despite the EU’s offer to include it in the Brexit deal.![]()
![]()
After four days of denial from the UK government, who tried to place the blame on EU negotiators, it has finally been revealed that a proposal to grant UK performers visa-free tours in the EU in the Brexit deal was rejected by the UK government because they did not want to extend the same courtesy to EU artists visiting the UK.![]()
![]()
The Brexit deal agreed between the UK and the EU provides exemptions to visa rules for a number of workers travelling to different European countries, but does not include artists and musicians, meaning many will have to apply for separate visas for each individual country they visit whilst touring in Europe. Many have voiced concerns that this will increase the cost of touring.![]()
![]()
SNP Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson John Nicolson MP, said:![]()
![]()
“After almost a week of trying to pin the blame on Brussels, the UK Government now admits it made the decision to stop European Union performers coming here without a visa. That means our performers need visas to visit the EU too. ![]()
![]()
“European performers, artists and creatives have enriched the Scottish cultural scene for decades. Our Edinburgh Festivals, Celtic Connections and thousands of events each year are enriched by our European neighbours and will now be impoverished because of a Tory Brexit deal imposed on Scotland against our will.![]()
![]()
“It’s been an incredibly tough year for Scotland’s cultural community. Festivals and venues are counting down the hours until they can reopen. The last thing they need is more barriers. And all fans want is to see their favourite bands here in Scotland. ![]()
![]()
“The UK government must reconsider this decision and help, not harm, performers and musicians. Needless new work visas must be scrapped. ![]()
![]()
“Scotland wants to keep its arms open to the world. This Tory Brexit is the very antithesis of everything the culture sector stands for.”
The SNP has said independence is the only way to protect workers' rights in Scotland - as the Tory government begins to rip up protections enshrined in EU law.![]()
![]()
Amid reports the Tory Business department (BEIS) is planning a race to the bottom on deregulation, including threatening the 48-hour week, rest breaks, and holiday pay entitlements, Drew Hendry MP said Westminster "cannot be trusted" to protect and advance workers' rights in Scotland.![]()
![]()
The SNP Shadow Business Secretary said the only way to guarantee workers' rights was to become an independent country with full powers over employment law, equality law, and the ability to protect Scotland's place in Europe.![]()
![]()
Commenting, my colleague and SNP Shadow Business Secretary Drew Hendry MP said:![]()
![]()
"It is clear that the only way to properly protect workers' rights in Scotland is to become an independent country - with full powers over employment law, equality law, and the ability to protect Scotland's place in Europe.![]()
![]()
"Scotland has been completely ignored by Westminster throughout the Brexit process. It is a disgrace that we are being forced to pay such a devastating price as the Tories rip up our rights and inflict long-term damage to our economy.![]()
![]()
"Millions of workers' depend on the protections that are enshrined in EU law. Westminster cannot be trusted to protect and advance them - as the Tory assault on workers' rights begins with a race to the bottom on deregulation.![]()
![]()
"Boris Johnson's damaging deal gets worse with every day that goes by. It beggars belief that Labour worked hand-in-hand with the Tories to impose this extreme Brexit and block the devolution of employment law - leaving Scotland powerless.![]()
![]()
"People in Scotland have the right to determine our own future. We can reject Boris Johnson's Brexit and guarantee workers' rights with independence."
This is devastating news for Argyll & Bute's important shellfish and seafood producers. ![]()
The UK Government promised Brexit would be a "sea of opportunity" not a nightmare costing the industry upwards of £1million in lost sales a week and threatening the incomes of families across Scotland and the rest of the UK. ![]()
I have repeatedly asked the UK Government, including Boris Johnson directly, to step up and cut the red tape so our live seafood producers can get to their markets in Europe. ![]()
At PMQs today SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford asked Johnson to intervene and provide crucial compensation for the industry before it's too late.![]()
Michael Gove has already backtracked on his 2016 promise there would be no sudden change that disrupts the economy. He now says “significant additional disruption” is expected at the border in the coming weeks, particularly on the Dover-Calais route. ![]()
This is not good enough. Scotland has been dragged out of the EU against our will and it is our world-renowned industries that are suffering as a result.![]()
If any Scottish Tory, be that David Mundell, Alister Jack or Douglas Ross had a backbone they would stand up for these industries in this time of crisis.
Fresh seafood exports from Scotland to EU halted until 18 January
www.theguardian.com
Export firms point to post-Brexit delays around health certificates, IT systems and missing customs papers
Argyll and Bute Council has launched a new fund aimed at tackling financial insecurity for adults and families across Argyll and Bute. Please share this information so people needing assistance can benefit.Argyll and Bute Council has launched a new fund aimed at tackling financial insecurity for adults and families across Argyll and Bute. ![]()
![]()
The Argyll and Bute Flexible Food Fund (ABFFF) offers financial support and wider confidential professional help to anyone suffering hardship.![]()
![]()
Working in partnership with the Community Food Forum, Bute Advice Centre and ALIenergy, households with low incomes and no access to cash savings can apply for immediate financial support. The Fund will help support daily living expenses. Read more including details on how to apply bit.ly/38zTIlo
100% Renewable Powered Hosting.
Datacentre uses 100% green sourced power as specified by E.ON and as regulated by Ofgem.