Getty ImagesOn the eve of Tartan Day, it just got a whole lot harder to sell Scotland in the US.
(If President Trump is reading this, don’t get carried away Scotland is not actually for sale).
First Minister John Swinney will lead the Tartan Day parade through the streets of New York on Saturday, but today he acknowledged that 10% tariffs on all UK exports to the USA is “deeply damaging”.
And he is warning the UK against rushing into any retaliatory actions which could spiral.
The UK Government has today published a 417-page list of products that the UK imports from America which could be subjected to tariffs, including things as diverse live buffalo, frozen shark fins, wine and bourbon, arsenic, sewage sludge (you might just have said to yourself “sh**e” but no, it is there on page 142 of the UK Government document).
At the same time, the UK and US are in talks about a trade deal.
The First Minister says he is not confident the UK Government will get one, describing it as a “tall order”.
He says “tariffs make it difficult to do business”, and that is really what Tartan Day is about – doing business.
The First Minister is focused on securing investment in offshore energy, digital technology, food and drink and financial services.
But when John Swinney steps out in his kilt in New York to lead the Tartan Day parade he hopes he will have a Trump card in his sporran.
The First Minister told me that when he spoke to President Trump in December he described his great fondness for the country of his mother’s birth.
He said when he spoke to Eric Trump in Edinburgh last month he told him of his love for the country of his granny’s birth.
I get it. The Trumps say they love Scotland. Swinney describes it as a “deep connection and empathy.” He will play on that, but he won’t rely on it.
If there is one thing Swinney should learn from his predecessors, it is that you should never rely on Donald J Trump.
There was a previous Tartan Day when Jack McConnell was first minister – when he wore the pinstripe kilt.
Getty ImagesJack and Donald were pals – until they fell out.
After that came Alex Salmond. Alex and Donald were pals – until they fell out.
After that came Nicola Sturgeon. Nicola and Donald were never pals, in fact she sacked him as a Global Scot Ambassador – they really fell out.
Swinney will be hoping President Trump has forgotten about that, because he is known for bearing a grudge, and you wouldn’t want tariffs of even more than 10%.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
