SNP prove their irrelevance at Westminster

This morning in the House of Commons MP's were debating "Fuel duty on petrol prices in remote and peripheral areas" in a 90 minute Westminster Hall debate called for by Alistair Carmichael MP.

However, none of the SNP MP's bothered to show to participate.

I would like to add in here that Angus MacNeil MP wasn't in Westminster following the death of his Father.  I would like to pass on my sincere condolences, it is hard losing a parent as I know myself only too well.

The remaining six MP's from the SNP could however have made the effort to attend this debate covering a very important topic to the voters of Scotland.

Alistair Carmichael and the Scottish Liberal Democrats have campaigned tirelessly for fairer island fuel prices since 2001 and believe that the government not only has an opportunity to help in this issue, they have in fact a duty to do so.

It is appalling and shocking that Labour have been reluctant to introduce a duty rebate system or even to trial one.
The fuel price issue has been addressed in other EU countries and recently George Lyon, the Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland asked the European Commission to look into the issue of derogation.

The Liberal Democrats are demonstrating joined up politics unlike Labour and the SNP, who spend more time attacking each other rather than working on issues such as this which are vitally important.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland said:

“Immediately following my parliamentary debate earlier this morning, I was approached by Treasury Minister Sarah McCarthy Fry MP who informed me that she has now instructed her officials to carry out a proper examination of how reduced rates of fuel duty for island communities which are operated in other EU countries are made to work in practice.

“Treasury Ministers in the UK have always claimed that a reduced rate of fuel duty could not be made to work in the UK, this is the first time that they have ever been prepared to look at how other countries manage to do what they seem to find so difficult. We are far from getting what we need and want on this important issue but it is a significant and important piece of progress.”

The fact that six of the SNP MP's could not be bothered to attend just proves their irrelevance in Westminster and once again proves it is the second party in Scotland, the Liberal Democrats who are standing up for a fair deal for the people of Scotland.