Green Party leader Patrick Harvie, First Minister John Swinney and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
He asked: “Given that devolved funding decisions are involved, what is the First Minister’s response to the crisis? Will he join the Scottish Greens in calling for de-escalation and for the United Kingdom Government to end its complicity in the war crimes that are being inflicted on Palestinians and others?”
“I reiterate my call for there to be an immediate ceasefire and for all parties of good will to exercise their influence and responsibility to ensure that that is brought about and that there is de-escalation of the conflict in the middle east.
“All of this, of course, goes back to the atrocities that were committed by Hamas in early October 2023. All hostages should be returned, a ceasefire should be applied to resolve the issues, and a two-state solution should be developed to ensure that Palestinians can live in safety in their own sovereign, independent nation.
“Mr Harvie raises with me issues of devolved responsibility. He and I had an exchange about that on 30 May 2024. This morning, I re-read that exchange to satisfy myself that all steps that we can take within our legal responsibility are being taken, to ensure that the concerns that Mr Harvie puts to me are properly pursued.”
“However, the Greens have repeatedly raised the Scottish Government’s track record in giving grants to the companies that are producing those weapons and are profiting from the killings.
“Tens of thousands of people have been killed, yet companies that are arming Israel have received hundreds of thousands of pounds from Scottish Enterprise.
“The First Minister has repeatedly defended that by saying that his Government does not fund the manufacture of munitions, but that is not the point. The Government is funding the companies that profit from those atrocities.
“Will the First Minister finally send a clear signal today by immediately banning those companies from receiving grants and support from the Scottish Government?”
Mr Swinney told him: “I understand why Patrick Harvie put that question to me, and I understand the basis and substance of his point.
“We have to have a legal basis for saying, for matters that are not related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, that we are not providing a grant.
“That is the key legal test that the Government must satisfy. Whatever else is happening in the world, the Government has to act within the law, and, under my leadership, it will do so, because I believe fundamentally in the rule of law in all circumstances—it would help if many other people believed in the rule of law as well with regard to resolving some of these issues.
“I do not in any way dismiss the points that Patrick Harvie put to me, but I simply say that I have to act within the law, and that, as I have assured him, I will explore once again whether there are any actions that we can take that will properly address our legal responsibilities and the moral and ethical issues that he fairly put to me, and I will keep the matter under review.”
Top of page picture: A scene from the war in the Middle East where weapons made in Scotland are used by Israel.
Of course he’s right. But we shouldn’t just stop at giving grants to manufacturers of weapons of death.
But jobs are jobs and more importantly money is money.
If there was money, jig money to be made spooning out baby’s eyeballs then we would be doing it. Wars make money. All those people in Gaza, and now Lebanon were killed and maimed by missiles and bombs made here, or in Germany or the US. And If we stopped supplying Israel with the never ending supply of weapons the genocide would stop. But we don’t. We are quite happy to support Israel terminate their Arab brothers. That geo politics and big business.
Ditto the proxy war in Ukraine. Same story, same driver. Same sentiment.
Ah well as long as its Palestinian, or Lebanese or Ukrainian or Russian lives that are getting quashed and not ours. For the mist part too many of us do not care or buy the propaganda that the Russians, or the Palestinians or the Lebanese or the Iranians, or before them the Iraqi’s, Colonel Ghdafi, the North Koreans are a bad bad lot.
Putting em to the sword please God and puts food on our plates.