Inside Holyrood: Support for Ukraine will continue but MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston warns 'the ramifications will be with us for a long time. And they will extend well beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia'
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Since my last column, our world has profoundly changed.
It seems unbelievable that, in 2022, a democratic and peaceful European country could be invaded by their neighbour, even one run by someone who we must all now accept is a dictator.
The ramifications will be with us for a long time. And they will extend well beyond the borders of Ukraine and Russia.
The UK has been at the forefront of the response. We were one of the first to recognise the threat posed by Russia, providing military supplies – including anti-tank weapons – many weeks before the invasion.
The programme of sanctions continues to be rolled out, while the UK has pushed for increasing restrictions on Russia’s economy.
And in recent days, the UK government has launched the Homes for Ukraine scheme. In just five hours, more than 40,000 people had signed up. It is now well over 100,000 and, while this figure is remarkable, I am never surprised by the generosity of the people of the United Kingdom.
There will, of course, be more to come. The UK will continue to play a leading role in supporting Ukraine and its people. And, in the coming months, we will all have an opportunity to play a more direct role in supporting those fleeing Putin’s barbaric warmongering.
In the meantime, if you can, please support the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal by clicking here and if you can provide accommodation for someone fleeing Ukraine, you can register here.
Here at home, the Scottish Government has finally released its much-hyped, but long-delayed, 10 year economic strategy. I’m afraid it was worth neither the hype nor the wait.
After 15 years it’s pretty clear the SNP are out of ideas. The document largely focused on identifying previously identified problems – which had either started or got worse under the SNP. It failed to offer solutions.
Scotland’s most eminent economist, Professor Ronald McDonald, a former advisor to the Scottish Government, said “the kind of substantive issues we need to discuss are simply not there” and “on solutions, it is simply a rehash of all the failed scripts we have seen since 2007”.
Scotland needs an economic strategy that will encourage growth, support businesses and deliver jobs. This has never been more important as we strive to recover from the impact of the pandemic and the ongoing repercussions from the war in Ukraine. Sadly, this “strategy” fails on all these counts.
