Exclusive
By a staff writer

UK companies running their business in Scotland “by remote control” would face Government encouraged competition from Europe under independence.

Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism Jim Mather said “we [should] call to account any company that is trying to run Scotland by remote control from Basingstoke or Slough.

“Independence is absolutely coming, financial powers are absolutely coming,” Mather told Holyrood magazine, “and they don’t want to be left in a bad place, in a poor corporate social responsibility position. If they are running that business by remote control to deliver a particular service in Scotland then I will do my damndest to bring a Dutch company, a German company, a French company, an Irish company or a Scottish start up in here that can deliver that service.”

Mather also said that the current economic crisis did not bolster the argument for maintaining the Union: “The current crisis is breaking on Scottish shores and the Westminster Government is not producing policies that could optimise recovery and growth here in Scotland.

“Independence gives Scotland the powers and the focus to achieve the optimal results that are needed. Scotland is showing resilience, which is clearly helped by the policies and new-found confidence that has come from this current SNP Government.

“There is absolute, categorical evidence of our proposition for independence being right. There is no level playing field in the UK; we have created a wealth sump and people, the decision-making, the wealth, the capital corporate ownership is meant to flow down to the sump. To hell with that, it’s nonsense.”

See page 14 of the magazine for the full interview