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www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com PRESIDENT GLASGOW TALKS
GLASGOW TALKS … BREXIT T
he protracted political crisis over Brexit remained a deep concern for Chamber members a week before the due date to leave the European Union. An attentive audience at a Glasgow Talks event,
hosted by Glasgow law firm, MacRoberts, with its spectacular views over the city skyline from its tenth floor of the Capella building, listened to how serious uncertainty had major consequences for the UK and Scottish economies. Katy Wedderburn, a Partner with MacRoberts, and Chair of
Glasgow Chamber’s Brexit Watch policy forum, introduced the two speakers, Professor Anton Muscatelli, the Principal and Vice Chancellor of University of Glasgow, and Tim Wright, a leading management consultant. She explained the leaving date had been set for 29 March but, with this deadline only days away, Theresa May’s attempt to push her negotiated agreement through the House of Commons was still in stalemate. Against this backdrop, the news on the day was that EU negotiators in Brussels had agreed to two new exit dates, 12 April or 22 May, for a so-called ‘flextension’. However, the changing political picture and a massive demonstration several days later placed pressure on the UK Prime Minister to step down and raised the prospect of a so-called People’s Vote. Against this, a straw poll of the attendees showed that not everyone had a Brexit plan in place. Professor Muscatelli, who is also Chair of the Scottish
Government Standing Council on Europe but speaking in a personal capacity, said Brexit had been “badly planned and badly executed” and lamented the fact there was very little time to design an alternative course of action. He said the issue was that Theresa May had set unmovable red lines for
GLASGOW TALKS … GLASGOW AIRPORT
In February, Glasgow Talks welcomed Mark Johnston, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, as guest speaker at 200 SVS in St Vincent Street. He shared his vision for the airport and spoke candidly about Glasgow and Scotland’s connectivity. His plea for a decision on the
future of a direct link between the airport and the city centre was met with some sympathy by Chamber members. He also spoke about the airport’s preparation
Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice Chancellor, University of Glasgow; Katy Wedderburn, Partner, MacRoberts and Chair of Glasgow Chamber’s Brexit Watch Policy Forum and Tim Wright, Director, twintangibles
her exit agreement and she had no room to manoeuvre. He pointed out many of the unresolved issues would lead to substantial extra costs for businesses. Tim Wright, who runs twintangibles, and voted to leave, agreed with much of Prof Muscatelli’s analysis but said he was a “glass half-full” person and believed business always responds to change. While he recognised there would be severe challenges, Scottish businesses, he said, would be able to find opportunities and step up to meet the challenges.
Mark Johnston, Managing Director, Glasgow Airport, and Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, with the Glasgow Talks audience
for the Airbus A380 super jumbo jet which arrived on scheduled Emirates routes in April. He highlighted that the airport, which welcomed 9.7 million passengers in 2018, was the leading long-haul airport in Scotland and handled
16,000 tonnes of cargo and mail in 2018. He also stressed that the airport was
here for the long-term with its annual contribution to GVA at £1.44 billion, with the aim of reaching £2.54 billion by 2040, and handling 17 million passengers, supporting 43,000 jobs.
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