News: March 2014

Date posted: 13/03/14

Scottish Referendum Debate

Dear Sir,

Well done to Sir Alan Beith, Guy Opperman and Phil Wilson for managing to finally involve the North East in the Scottish referendum debate at Westminster earlier this week. Sir Alan rightly raised the possibility of border controls severely impacting the lives of those living in north Northumberland, with the possible added complications of currency exchange and the potential for smuggling. The other MPs queried the impact on the overall economy of the region, including the viability of our local airports.

The response from the SNP to these legitimate concerns can be best summed up along the lines of “we don’t know and we don’t care”. For much of the English populace, the issue of Scottish independence can be viewed as a mildly entertaining curio. This is certainly not the case for those of us living and working in the North East, particularly those who regularly conduct business both sides of the border.

I do trust that in the coming months our MPs will continue to press the pro-independence lobby to provide some actual detail on what it intends and thus to reveal what the impact may be for this region. The impact on the North East needs to be fully considered in the debate.

Yours

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