Personal notice, dangerous my stock and trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you got a job for me, George Valentine. Write full details. Standard Oil Company of California, on behalf of independent chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the west, invites you to let George do it. How guilty can you get another adventure of George Valentine? My dear Mr. Valentine, I am one of the richest men in Sandhill Center. As a ring-ladner character might say, I've made my pile, ha-ha. There's nothing that makes a man as nervous and unhappy as a million dollars, ha-ha. Yes, you'll laugh. You won't believe my fears. You won't believe what kind of woman my wife is. You won't even believe she might be carrying on and plotting with another man. Well, you'd better believe that and come to see me immediately. Or Sandhill Center may be without the services of its only millionaire. After all I've given to this town, the one thing I don't want to give them is the pleasure of enjoying my funeral. Yours for a long life, ha-ha, signed Fred Vincent Liggett. Yes. Yes, my husband's at home. Why? Well, I'm George Valentine. This is Miss Claire Brooks, my assistant. Oh, yes, yes. Of course you're Mr. Valentine. Well, may we come in? I don't know. I'm not sure. You see, I'm Mrs. Liggett. Yes, so I gathered. The wife of the millionaire. The wife of the man who made his pile in Sandhill Center. What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? Oh, no, of course not. But if you'd please tell your husband that we're here. Yours for a long life, ha-ha. Oh, yes, come in. Come right in. Join the party. Come in and all about it. All about my husband's mail, you mean, don't you? I just read it. Look, here it is. A carbon copy from his pocket. Oh, well, look, Mrs. Liggett.  Ha-ha. Such a funny man, my husband. So well-liked, so admired, so trusting, so able to see what other people are up to, so willing to believe the best about people. Wait a minute. Please, Mrs. Liggett. I know how it must make you feel to read what he's written about you. Oh, but to go prying, to read his mail. I've been reading all of the things in his pockets. You walk in here the moment I've just been reading them. Mrs. Liggett, please. Because the sheriff wanted me to read everything. He told me to look, too. To look at all the nice things my husband ever wrote about anybody. Stop what I said, please. Sheriff? Huh? Yes, yes, of course. Because I've already done it, don't you see? Well, what else could you see? What else could you think? Go on in there. Go see my husband.  Yeah, well, Miss Brooks will try to calm her down a little, Sheriff. I just want to know what happened. Pour around to the neighbors to try to get help. I only been here myself a few minutes. Medical examiners on his way from the city. Uh-huh. She found him just lying here, huh? Poisoned. I don't know much, but I know that much. Look at his face. Sure, poison. That doesn't mean anybody did it, necessarily. Look at the glass. That's what he took it in. White powder of some kind. He must have tried to get to the phone. Hey, what's that bottle you're waving around? Prescription. Sent her drugstore. Found it in the bathroom. Showed it to her and she fell apart. What do you mean? What do you think I mean? Mrs. Liggett admitted she measured this stuff and gave it to him in a glass of milk. Well, if it's a doctor's prescription... Her name's also on the drugstore receipt for it. She bought it. But if she... He drank a glass of milk. That doesn't mean he knew what was in it, does it? Oh. So you've got a suspicious nature, too, huh? Well, the first thing I seen in his pocket was that letter to you. What would you think? Give me that bottle. Prescription number 537... 53785. What about it? Well, hello, Mr. Manx. None of that mister stuff with me. Deputy brought me right out, Bill. He says you're climbing out on a limb and making... This is Mr. Valentine. Ed Manx owns the center drugstore. Hello? Now, listen here, Bill. Your deputy's going over the books to check that prescription. In 17 years, my place has never been accused of anything. Nobody's accusing you of anything, Andy. Be quiet, will you? The boy makes that. It's his initials. He's brand new this week, but he knows his stuff. He's a trained pharmacist. I've watched him. He don't make mistakes. Nobody said anybody needed... So be it to go popping off accusing people, saying it's poison for my drugstore... I said... No, hold it. Hold it both of you, will you? So far as I can see, Sheriff, you don't even know this is a murder yet. Ha! That's what I said the minute I heard the rumors. Just because nobody liked Liggett, just because he had too much money and too many bad jokes. Excuse me, will you?  No. Yes. Ha! There, you see?  What does the matter with him? Pretty bad case of anemia. Ask his wife. She's picked up medicine for him every week for the past several weeks. Well, her again. His wife did, did she? Well, what have you got against her? Holy smoke, Bill. Who was Liggett's doctor? Who wrote that prescription? Nichols. Everett Nichols. Only one in town. Yes, and my file's got that prescription in Nichols' own handwriting. The same number stamped right on it, five, three, seven, eight, five. Yeah, let me see the bottle. Yeah, look all you want. Huh. Practically full. Doses a teaspoon and a set. Well, what are you trying to say? She gave him an overdose? She couldn't. There's no more than a spoonful taken out of there. All right, all right, Ed. But I don't get it. Poison? Sure, it's poison. Dr. Nichols' prescription will show that. Same as the boy who mixed it. Your deputy's getting him now. All right, all right. Wait a second, Max. All you're doing is confirming whatever the sheriff thinks. So what is it, Buster? What don't we know? Ed, you've seen how the Liggetts were getting along. You mean headed for a divorce? I mean her running around all the time. Well, I can't say as I blame her. Liggett was no charmer. Doc Nichols is. Oh? The ambitious man, Doc Nichols. And seeing as how Liggett mentioned something about a man in that letter to you, Mr. Valentine. Well, maybe she's gone out to the club dancing a few times with Nichols, but that don't mean that she... Ed, I don't like my job either, but I find a man obviously poison. Haven't eaten nothing since breakfast a long time back. Takes milk with a high-powered prescription in it, given to him by his wife. Picked up at the store by his wife. Well, she did do most of the driving in the family. No, I know. Prescribed by a doctor who had an eye on their money. A doctor I should have brought here right now to tell us the things we don't know. Hey, clear that up. Why didn't you get him? Because I can't, Mr. Valentine. He's not at his office. He's got a place in the country. I've phoned. I got the neighbor to check. He's not there either. Why bother with details? The point is the doctor's disappeared, and at a time like this, disappearing don't look good. I know where Doc Nichols is. I don't know anything about him. The sheriff says you've gone out a few times with him. Of course that's what the sheriff says. I don't blame him. The rich man's wife who goes out with other men. It's not nice. No matter what your husband's like, no matter how separated you are, no matter how much of a gentleman the doctor might be. All right, Mrs. Lincoln, all right. I gather your husband wasn't much of a guy to live with. I haven't seen Doc Nichols for days and days. Tell Mr. Valentine what you told me about Mr. Lincoln. He was always suspicious of her, George. Suspicious of everybody. Why should I tell him that? He wouldn't believe me. Her husband told other people that he didn't trust her. That he was afraid someday she might try to get rid of him. Of course, naturally. I'm a murderous as per sheriff. Look, Mrs. Lincoln, I know it's tough. Before we even know the facts, everybody jumps to a conclusion. Why? Well, because I'm here, because your husband wrote to me.  Yes. In a way, it is your fault that I'm in trouble. You mean now it's up to me to get you out of trouble, huh? To prove it wasn't murder? Yes. All right. Don't worry. I was hired on this case. So I'll go on with it. Mr. I only answer Dr. Nichols' telephone. I don't read his mind. It's Miss Boggs who's his nurse. But the sheriff says his nurse was off duty. She always is on Saturday morning. Well, so was I after 10 o'clock. The telephone exchange takes over after then. 10 o'clock. That's when Dr. Nichols left? Exactly. We walked out together. And he didn't tell me he was going anyplace special. That's the last you saw of him, Miss Brum. The last anybody saw of him. Let's see the list of phone calls then. That's the last one. Hemlock number? Yesterday afternoon? That's right. But you said he had patience. He was working this morning. Well, that's just a few regulars, that's all. There was Cy Benson for his bandage and Widow Morris, that's a heart. Pills for the Jefferson baby and, well, of course, Fred Liggett. Fred Liggett this morning? Well, when do you think he got that prescription? Only if you think that there's anything wrong with any prescription that Dr. Nichols... I'm not the sheriff, Miss Brum. Well, it's a pity you're not. And I'll tell you another thing. The doctor, maybe he took Mrs. Liggett out once or twice, but he'd never get mixed up with a woman like that. Oh, you don't think so much of her either, huh? I didn't say that. Hemlock 8339 in the phone book. Just looking up that last number yesterday afternoon, George. It's the Liggett number. Well, I'll write what of it. It was her phone, the doctor. So what? That don't mean anything. Don't talk about the weather. What of it? Well, nothing, except she was so careful not to mention it to us, George. Yeah. And now, what do you think you're doing? Still looking for the doctor. Well, Supper Time. I know him. He'll be back home by Supper Time. That crazy sheriff. Saying he's disappeared just because he can't find him right away. Hello? Oh, hello. Let me talk to Mrs.... Yeah, Valentine. Oh, it's you, Sheriff. He came back to meet the medical examiner. Good. I'll be right back. Now you won't. This thing's mixed up enough as it is. What?  Well, I got a man out there says his desk and everything are all cleaned up, just like a man does when he leaves town, runs away. All right, Sheriff. Tell me later. I know I'm wrong, because he didn't disappear. Huh? Doc Nichols, he's lying across that desk, dead with a bullet in him. We'll return to tonight's adventure of George Valentine in just a moment. Listen to the difference. 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Ask for it at standard stations and independent chevron gas stations where they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. Now back to tonight's adventure of George Valentine. How guilty can you get? Well, the sheriff in Sandhill Center seems to feel that Mrs. Liggett must be very guilty indeed. And why? Because just before his death, her husband wrote you a letter accusing her of all sorts of things. Another man in her life, for instance. The sheriff thinks that might be Dr. Nichols, the same doctor who prescribed poison for Fred Liggett. The only trouble is now Dr. Nichols is dead too. And if your name is George Valentine, you know it's not going to be quite as easy as you once thought to prove this was not a murder case. At you, Valentine? Yeah, right here, Sheriff. Thanks for waiting. You ready to go? It's a good 15 miles out there to the country place. Wait a minute. Who's this? Oh, Dr. Milliken, city police. Oh, hello, Doctor. What was it? Miss Brooks, Mr. Valentine. Oh, you do. You mean the poison? Strickland, I think. The hospital's running some tests for me. Strickland? I'm the prescription, and Ed Manx found me that. And the boy who made it up confirmed it. It's Nichols' handwriting, all right. So a doctor just prescribes poison right in the open, and a wife gives it to her husband in a glass of milk. Couldn't become medicine for him by the farthest stretch of the imagination. It couldn't be called sensible either, until Nichols turned up dead. What do you mean? Well, I suppose Nichols was being used and didn't know it. Or pressured into writing the thing. That's the easiest explanation. I wouldn't guess. And I'm all through guessing too. So come on. This time we're not even going to open our mouths until we know what the facts are. Deputy Audit Nichols hasn't touched the thing. Waiting for us right now. I, uh, I changed my mind. Leave me out. Yeah, you guys go out there. I'll follow you. All right. All right. Come on, Doc. Step on it. Okay. George, why don't you want to go along? I don't know, Angel. Except that I'd rather talk to a woman than a corpse any day. Valentine, I assure you, I've never been mixed up in any way with Dr. Nichols. I'm sorry he's dead. But I don't know anything about it. Any more than I really know anything about my husband's dead. You, uh, telephoned the doctor yesterday afternoon. He didn't tell us about that earlier. Didn't I? No. In fact, you said you hadn't seen him for weeks. Oh, I'm sure I said a great many things today, Miss Brooks. Words, words, words. None of them half as wild as the things I've been feeling.  Oh, but I haven't seen him. That was true. I just called him for Fred, I guess. For Fred? Well, I had the car and I had to do some shopping, so Fred was late and couldn't go to the doctors. You mean he was supposed to have gone yesterday instead of this morning? Yes, I phoned Dr. Nichols to change the appointment. That's all. You? Oh, brother, what's the matter with me? Strickland. Sure, of course. Look, look, what do you know about your husband's illness? About any treatment he's taken or any... Well, I really haven't paid too much attention, I'm afraid. I know it's anemia, but... Well, skip it, never mind. Come on, Angel. I want to get on the phone to that Miss Broom in a hurry. Miss Broom? Yeah, unless I can figure the name myself. It mangs the drugstore, man. He might help. What on earth are you talking about? Morris. Morris. That's it. The widow Morris. A lady with a heart. How do you expect to find? I don't know, Angel. See if she's in first. Well, it's the only Morris in the phone book. But if you'd waited until I called Miss Broom... I don't want to wait for anything, Angel. I don't know much about medicine, but I know nothing. Uh-oh, come on. Her lights aren't on. Mrs. Morris. Mrs. Morris. Oh, here, the switch is on. Paul Aitzen. Sure. The same expression on her face. Just like Fred Liggett. Been dead for several hours, I guess. Yeah, look, here we are. A bottle. White powder. What, George? Look, see, it's a prescription for today. Strickland? The same? No, no, no. Strickland wouldn't have hurt Mrs. Morris here, any would it? Woman being treated for heart trouble? It's a common method of treatment, in fact. George. Yeah, yeah. Now you begin to get it. Suppose Fred Liggett, who didn't have heart trouble, got the wrong medicine. And a widow Morris here. You and the prescriptions were mixed. And he was being treated with something that she got and that killed her. Anemia he had, wasn't it? Oh, but George, no, a doctor couldn't make a mistake like that. It's impossible. That's what I always thought until right now. Why would he himself have been killed? The doctor, I mean. Let's get out there with the sheriff before he buries all the evidence. Because maybe the doctor's death was just as simple, Angel. Maybe we can wind this one up fast. Yes, Mr. Valentine, quite possible. Anemia is sometimes treated with arsenic, and it can be taken orally. Look, she was an old woman, Dr. Millican, had a bad heart anyway. It wouldn't have taken much to... Exactly. I'll get down there as fast as I can. Okay, thanks. Well, Sheriff? Well, Valentine, look for yourself. I told you before I'm all through playing detective. When did Nichols die? I don't know for sure, but a little time after the other two, apparently. Lying across the desk here, arm outstretched. Oh, you're doing fine. You're one jump ahead of me. On the gun and the wastebasket. One shot. Uh-huh. He had plenty of time to learn about Ligget and that Morris woman, in case he didn't already know. Wastebasket right beside the duck. Funny guy, Nichols. Ambitious. Very proud of himself. He's standing in the community. His reputation. His career. Right arm outstretched, huh? Out over the edge, like this. Sure, sure, right-handed. You know, I said earlier, his stuff looked all arranged. Done in a hurry, but sort of like a man who's leaving town suddenly. Or a man who fired a single shot. The gun drops from his hand, into the wastebasket, and then he slumps forward on the desk. Yeah, yeah, you don't have to go through the motions. I already done it. But you said a long time ago it might not be murder. I was guessing. Now you're not. Because if Ligget and Morris were mistakes, the most horrible mistakes I ever heard of. And I guess this proves it, doesn't it? When the doctor whose fault it was commits suicide. That's it. Just look at the evidence. That's what happened. Suicide. So that's how it ends. Poor man. Think how he must have felt when he found out when he realized what he did. Yeah, yeah, the mistake was his, all right. It wasn't the drugstore's fault. You pharmacist on duty. He didn't know the people. He wouldn't have caught it. Just think how Dr. Niko... You were pretty upset by this too, Mrs. Ligget. You were playing for a while. Well, everyone knew how Fred and I were. I can't blame anyone for jumping to conclusions. No, no. And your husband's letter to me and my coming here threw you into a blue panic too, didn't it? Well, I wouldn't exactly say panic. I think I must have been a hysteric over... Why say panic? Why not? It was the first thing that started to upset your plan. My what? Well, isn't that what you'd call it? When you plot your husband's death? When you almost get away with it? Mr. Valentine, I'm sure I... Just to be accurate, I'll say you and the boyfriend. He obviously did most of it. Did most of what, George? For heaven's sake... There'd been gossip about her and the doctor. Her and several other guys, as a matter of fact. But if there was a real boyfriend and they were plotting to get rid of Liggett, you don't think they'd let the gossips in on it, do you? Just whom are you referring to? The only man it could be. To pull off the most involved but simple crime I ever heard of. Ed Manx, the drugist. Who else? Oh, sure, very funny. Go ahead and laugh. But there's a little too much coincidence for my blood. Ed Manx had a new pharmacist filling prescriptions today. Now why? I'm sure I haven't the slightest idea. Manx is a pharmacist himself. For 17 years, he said. Well, why put the new boy on? The same day two people get poisoned prescriptions filled. How on earth do you think Ed could know that? The widow Morris got a prescription filled every week. Who'd know that? Who'd know there was enough strickenin' in it to kill your husband? Who'd know the effect of his medicine on her? George, wait a minute. They'd have nothing against the widow Morris. No reason to want her, Dad. They wouldn't care whether it killed her or not, Angel, just her tough luck that it did. The important thing was setting up the doctor's mistake. So Manx could get him out to that country place and set up that poor tragic suicide. No, that's not true. All right, let's get back to the drugstore. The coincidence of both prescriptions being made out and delivered on the same day. You set that up, Mrs. Liggett. There's a record of all the doctor's phone calls, remember? And you were foolish enough to explain the last call in his book yesterday to explain that you'd delayed your husband by shopping in town. So could he please come in this morning just after the widow Morris?  Stop it. I won't listen to you. The kid's on his way out here now, the pharmacist. Because as I got it, Manx gave him those prescriptions to make up and deliver. No, he didn't. I'm sure he didn't. What did you say? How could you know anything about that? I don't. Of course I don't. How could I? You're trying to mix me up, that's all. And why should that bother you? Ingredients have to be there before they can be mixed, lady. Oh, stop it. Stop it. Sure, go ahead. Get hysterical.  What?  Screaming to the neighbors for help and so on. And the last call to the doctor was yesterday afternoon. George, that's right. Yeah, that's what was really important about that list of his phone calls. Mrs. Liggett's husband was dying and she didn't call the doctor. Yes. Yes, I did. But he wasn't there. The exchange takes all of his calls for him when he's out. It wasn't on the list. I mean, I... I called his country place direct. Oh, oh yeah, I see. And how did you know he'd be there? Well, I... I didn't, but... Your husband was dying and you didn't call the doctor. Stop saying that. One of the... One of the neighbors called for me, I thought. Sure, sure. Every one of them must have offered to do it. But they don't show on his list. So you must have stopped them from calling by saying you'd already tried to reach him. But you didn't. No.  Ed Manx will tell you that. Come on, come on. Now, make up your mind, sister. You didn't want the doctor to reach by anyone because Ed was taking him out to be killed. Isn't that right? He was at the country place by then. He was... Oh. Oh, yeah. Oh. Yeah. Come on, trip yourself up a few more times. Stop it, stop it. People in cold blood. Well, they thought they had to do it, Angel. Small town, her husband's money, and the suspicions he'd advertised. They knew it would take a very slick plan to get rid of Liggett and keep it covered up. But they had their slick plan, all right. Yeah, so slick they fell down on it. But it almost worked, didn't it? I mean, the sheriff believed it, so did I. Well, so did I, until I caught that phone call business. Besides, Angel, it did seem pretty impossible that any doctor could ever mix his prescriptions like that. George, I still don't understand. They were the doctor's prescriptions, and they were made out to the wrong people. Well, Manx switched them, that's all. Take about one word of forgery on each one to keep the new pharmacists from getting them uncrossed. And who could forge a word or two better than the guy who for 17 years has had to decipher that gibberish doctor's right on prescriptions? Ooh, how guilty can you guess? But as much as they were. Now, and now, Fred Liggett's million dollars goes right back to Sandhill, I suppose. Good place for it, I wouldn't want to. Oh, George, now that's no way to speak of a million dollars.  Or you mean you'd be afraid you might be able to afford a wife? Look, if you want to change the subject, you do it like this. But I never really changed the subject. No, no, you don't. It's always the same. That's what I love about you. You're persistent. Good night, Angel. When it's rainy weather, what are the essentials for your safety on the highway? Good tires and good brakes, certainly. But there are two other very important things, your car's headlights and the windshield wiper blades. That's especially true at this time of year. So if there's any doubt at all about the condition of lights and wiper blades on your car, do yourself and your family a favor. Tomorrow, have them inspected at a standard station or at an independent chevron gas station. Here, the men want to make sure you have safety and peace of mind on the highway. With them, it's just plain good business. That's why they check many things on your car, including the lights. That's why they examine the wiper blade to see if it has turned hard and brittle or if it has worn unevenly. When you do need a wiper blade, they can supply you on the spot a quality-made Atlas wiper blade that literally shaves the water from your windshield. See you tomorrow at your independent chevron gas station or your standard station where they say, and mean, we take better care of your car. Tonight's adventure of George Valentine has been brought to you by Standard Oil Company in California on behalf of independent chevron gas stations and standard stations throughout the West. Robert Bailey is starred as George with Virginia Greg as Bruxy. Let George do it is written by David Victor at Jackson Gillis and directed by Don Clark. Lee Patrick was heard as Marion, Ed Begley as Manx, Joe Duvall as the Sheriff, Joe Forte as Liggett and Myra Marsh as Miss Broom. The music was composed and presented by Eddie Dunstetter. The announcer, John Heiston. Listen again next week, same time, same station to Let George do it. Let George do it is heard overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. This is the Mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System.


The Sky Soldiers conduct air assault training exercise in Camisano, Vicentino, Italy. US Army paratroopers assigned to 54th Brigade Engineer Battalion. 173rd Airborne Brigade conduct an air assault training exercise from two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Camisano, Vicentino, Italy, December 5, 2023. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the US Army's Contingency Response Force, in Europe. Providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Forward deployed across Italy and Germany, the brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build partnerships and strengthen the alliance.


dream. The word dream has many meanings. Let me give you some examples. The first one is to sleep and have pictures happening about things that are going on.  And then the teacher says, hey, hey, pay attention. Are you ready to work? And you say, oops, okay, I'm going to pay attention. Or another meaning is something that you want to become in the future. Like work as a teacher at a school for the deaf snooze snooze has many meanings. I'm going to give you some examples.   Thump. Thump has many meanings as well. Let me give you some examples. Suppose there's an elephant walking and with each step he makes a loud noise. Or when somebody flicks you with their finger. Or it could be when a kid falls on someone else. Bump. It has multiple meanings. An example could be one car running into another.  Or when kids are running and they run into one another. Break. It has many meanings.  Oh no. Or for example suppose you have a phone and you're trying to call your parents because it's an emergency and it's not working. Or another example is spring break. When you're in school and you want school to hurry up and finish because you want to leave and go have fun.


Hey everybody, Matt here for Leighton Sports Cards Ripping 2022 Panini XR football hobby. Seven box half case break number six. Pick your team. We have Bass S, Giants, Brandon W, Cardinals Panthers, Brian K Vikings, Charles N Chiefs, Daniel L, Falcons, Donald B, Dolphins, Edward P, Cowboys, Gregory M, Packers Jags and Saints, James G Broncos, James H, Ravens, Jeff N, Eagles Bucks, Jesus T, Chargers, Jonathan Q, Patriots, Justin V, Jets, Casper P, Bears, Kenny W, Texans, Lenny N, Steelers, Martin W, Rams, Michael M, Bengals, Lyons, Colts, Nicholas S, Commanders, Patrick I, Raiders, Randy G, Browns, Russell P, Seahawks, Stephen R, Bills, Tim V, Niners and Will L Titans. All right, here we go. Good luck. What's up, Ben? Looking for Hertz in number nine. Awesome. Good luck. Hope I pull you one. Yeah, XR is always really cool. There's Traylon Burks, Rookie to 149, Impending Greatness, Damian Harris to 249 and Bass X. That's Michael Pittman, Jr., Colts, Casehead, go Indy, John Mechie, there's Tom Brady, Trubisky, that is Niners, one of one, Rookie, Ball Relic Auto, Tyreon Davis Price, Niners, there you go, San Francisco, Tim V, the one of one Rookie Ball Relic Auto, Tua, 75, Cort Louis Sutton to 99, Lewis Sine, Rookie, Henry, Eagles, Rookie Jumbo, Jersey Auto to 99, Carson Strong, and Cowboys, Rookie Patch to 49, Jalen Tulber. Let's get number seven filled up, it is breaking next, two to go, last I checked, still Ravens and Bucks in that one, there's A-Rod to 199, Zach Wilson to 249, Jalen Petry, Rookie, Rashad Penny, Justin Jefferson, this is Bills, Rookie Auto to 199, Jalen Weidermeyer, Bills, Chargers, Rookie Jumbo Patch to 49, Isaiah Spiller, Rookie to 149, Jehan Dotson, Khalil Shakir, Rookie to 49, and Maijai Sanders, Rookie to 99, Tyre Williams, Rookie, Trevor Lawrence and Antonio Gibson, Titans, Rookie, Patch Auto to 35, Malik Willis, nice color match blue RPA, that's awesome, great hit, Tennessee, that is Will L, Grats Will, I think it's a third Willis Auto, it's a second RPA, it's a Donterio Drummond, Rookie to 199, Travis Etn Jr. to 249, and Greg Dolphitch, good, Chubb, Aaron Rodgers, there's Ravens, Jersey Auto to 75, Justin Tucker, you go Ravens, speaking of kickers, did you see the pictures of Vinitiri? Super Jack now, no, really?  Christian Motson, Rookie to 149, Zonovan Knight, Rookie to 75, and Tom Brady to 199, Sam Howell, Rookie, Tana Hill and Maijai Sanders, this is Ravens, Rookie Triple Jersey Auto to 199, Kyle Hamilton, Javonte Williams to 249, Isaiah Likeley, Rookie to 75, and Damian Pierce, Rookie, Dafford and Chase, Titans, Rookie Auto, 5 of 5, Traylon Burks, nice green Rookie Auto, Titans crushing it, congrats Will L, not sure what's up with that Sharpie situation, we'll make that one for you. Packers patched to 25, Charles Woodson, nice one Packers. That man said, I'm just gonna grab the Sharpie right here, instead of the pen that they gave me. This is Traylon Burks Rookie to 149, Maijai Sanders, Rookie to 199, and Malik Willis Rookie to 249, Logan Hall Rookie, Kyle Pitts and Jonathan Taylor, this is Falcons Rookie Jumbo Jersey Auto to 99, Desmond Ritter, what's up Thor, going great here, how are you? Three boxes to go, let's get number seven filled up, still have the Ravens and Bucks in the next break, let's keep it rolling, there's a link, there's Traylon Burks to 49, Isaiah Likeley, Rookie to 99, and Leo Chinnell, Juante Williams and Dak Prescott, this is cool, Patriots, Great Iron Grates Auto, Ty Law, cool hit for the Patriots, I love Ty Law growing up, for him it was the lawyer Maloy, that's on the LSE Baseball Channel, end up, this is Jets Rookie Triple Patch to 10, Ahmad Saus Gardener, nice gold sauce, this is Extreme Rookies to 149, Chris Olavik, Isaiah Pacheco Rookie to 249, I got burned by him quite a bit, Christian Watson Rookie to 75, I had him and Jerick McKinnon on my team, easy E-Rookie, and he was getting all the touches, so I would start him, there's Lansing, Lambjack, and Bills, Rookie Triple Relic Auto to 49, James Cook, nice secondary color match for the Bills, two jerseys and a three color patch, there you go Buffalo, this is Ahmad Saus Gardener Rookie to 199, Nicoby Dean Rookie to 249, Entirely on Davis Price Rookie, Tyler Inamari Cooper, Packers, that's Rookie Auto to 49, Romeo Dobbs, Lions, Rookie Triple Jersey to 75, Aidan Hutchinson, Stelis Jones Jr. Rookie, Extreme Rookies Insert to 99, Justin Jefferson to 49, Chris Godwin to 199, and Christian Harris Rookie, Dalvin Cook, Trayvon Diggs, Packers, Rookie Triple Patch Auto to 49, Romeo Dobbs, nice from Packers, let's get number seven filled up, we have the Ravens and Bucks still to go in our next break, let's finish strong here, Strom Ford to 249, Gery Alexander to 99, and Kavon Tibido Rookie, Kelsey and Diggs, Texans, Rookie Auto to 99, John Meche, and Commanders patch to 49, Robert Griffin the third, Isar G3, Washington, all right last pack of half case number six, that is nice, extra extra to 49, Tom Brady, there you go Bucks, cool insert, was Christian Kirk to 199, Antonio Gibson to 49, Trayvon Walker Rookie, Aaron Donald and Deandre Swift, what's up Rocky, and Bill's Rookie Jumbo Jersey Auto to 99, James Cook, I check evasive listings for it, I really don't know, all right give me just a minute here and we'll do a hit recap, let's tweet it out, yeah so far Casper, we had that field case said earlier, but yeah aside from that bears haven't done too well yet, there's RG3 patch commanders to 49, this is Lions Rookie Triple Jersey to 75, Aidan Hutchinson, Packers, patched 25, Charles Woodson, this is Jets Rookie Triple Patch, Golt 10, a Mod Sauce Gardener, it's a Dolphins, dual Jersey to 49, Tua and Tyreek, Chargers, Rookie Jumbo patched 49, Isaiah Spiller, Cowboys, Rookie patched 49, Jalen Talbert, and Autos, Bill's Rookie to 199, Jalen Weidermeyer, Bill's Rookie Jumbo Jersey Auto to 99, James Cook, that's Texans, Rookie Auto to 99, John Matchy, Packers, Rookie Triple Patch Auto to 49, Romeo Dobbs, Packers, Rookie Auto to 49, Romeo Dobbs, Bill's Rookie Triple, Triple Relic Auto to 49, James Cook, Patriots, Red Iron Grates Auto, Ty Law, Falcons, Rookie Jumbo Jersey Auto to 99, Desmond Ritter, that's Ravens, Jersey Auto to 75, Justin Tucker, Ravens, Rookie Triple Jersey Auto to 199, Kyle Hamilton, Eagles, Rookie Jumbo Jersey Auto to 99, Carson Strong, and Extra Extra to 49, Tom Brady Bucks, that's Titans, Rookie Auto Green to 5, Traylon Birks, Titans, Rookie Patch Auto to 35, Malik Willis, and Niners, one of one, Rookie Football Relic Auto, Tyreeon Davis Price, that will do it for the break. Thank you everybody. We have half case number seven coming up next.


That concludes Topical Questions. The next item of business is a statement by Nicola Sturgeon on EU negotiations on Scotland's future. I urge members, if they wish, to ask a question, to press their request-to-speak button now. The First Minister will take questions at the end of her statement, so there should be no interventions or interruptions until then. I call on the First Minister. Like other countries, Scotland faces big challenges. Some of those challenges, like Brexit, are not of our choosing, but we must always remember that Scotland is one of the richest countries in the world with resources and talent in abundance. Our task is to make the most of our great potential and build the kind of country that we want to be—a fair, prosperous, open and tolerant country. In working towards that goal, my responsibility as First Minister is to build as much unity and consensus as possible. That is why, after the election, which was, of course, won by the SNP in Scotland, I said that I would reflect on the outcome and, in particular, on the issue of an independent referendum. I have done so carefully, taking time to listen to a broad spectrum of voices both within and out with my party. I want to set out today where those reflections have taken me. Before I do so, though, let me underline two enduring points. Firstly, it remains my view and indeed the position of this Government that, at the end of the Brexit process, the people of Scotland should have a choice about our future direction as a country. Indeed, the implications of Brexit are so potentially far-reaching that, as they become clearer, I think that people will increasingly demand that choice. We face a Brexit that we did not vote for and, in a far more extreme than most would have imagined just one year ago. Now the terms of that Brexit are being negotiated by a UK Government with no clear mandate, precious little authority and no real idea even within its own ranks of what it is seeking to achieve. While we must hope for the best, the reality is that, with the UK Government's current approach, even a so-called good deal will be on terms substantially inferior to our current EU membership. Of course, there is now a real risk that the UK will crash out of the EU with no deal or a very bad deal, with deep and long-lasting consequences for jobs, trade, investment, living standards and the opportunities open to future generations. On top of all that, as we saw so clearly in the deal struck with the DUP yesterday, we now have a UK Government that talks about wanting to strengthen the bonds of the UK, but, in reality, it is so desperate to cling on to power at any cost that it is prepared to ride roughshod over the very principles of the entire devolution settlement. So, if Scotland is not simply to be at the mercy of events, but instead in control of our own future, then the ability to choose a different direction must be available to us. Secondly, there is no doubt that the Scottish Government has a mandate to offer the people of Scotland that choice within this term of Parliament. We have now won not one but two elections, with that explicit commitment in our manifesto, and the Scottish Parliament has also endorsed that position. By any normal standard of democracy, that mandate is beyond question. Opposition parties, no matter how strongly they disagree with us on independence, as is their right, should therefore stop trying to turn the basic rules of democracy on their head. The mandate that we have is beyond doubt, but deciding exactly how and when to exercise it is a matter of judgment, and it is a judgment that must be made in the interests of the country as a whole. That is what I have been thinking carefully about. Before, during and since the election campaign, I have had hundreds of conversations with people in every part of Scotland about the issues of Brexit and a second independence referendum. There are, of course, some people who do not want another referendum ever because they oppose independence in all circumstances. I respect that position. It is entirely honourable and just as legitimate as the position of those who support independence in all circumstances and want another referendum tomorrow, but many people, probably the majority, fall into neither of those categories. Indeed, having spoken to many people who voted yes in 2014 and to many others who did not, but who would be open minded in future, what has struck me is the commonality of their views. They worry about the uncertainty of Brexit and the lack of any clarity whatsoever about what it means. Some of them just want a break from the pressure of making big political decisions. They agree that our future should not be imposed on us but feel that it is just too soon right now to make a firm decision about the precise timing of a referendum. They want greater clarity about Brexit to emerge first and they want to be able to measure that up against clarity about the options that Scotland would have for securing a different relationship with Europe. In the meantime, whatever their scepticism about the likely outcome of the negotiations, they want the Scottish Government to focus as hard as we can on securing the best possible outcome for Scotland. Indeed, that view has even more force now that the general election and the weakness of the UK Government has reopened the possibility, however narrow, of averting a hard Brexit and retaining membership of the single market. I have a duty to listen to those views and I intend to do so. The Scottish Government remains committed strongly to the principle of giving Scotland a choice at the end of this process, but I want to reassure people that our proposal is not for a referendum now or before there is sufficient clarity about the options but rather to give them a choice at the end of the Brexit process when that clarity has emerged. I am therefore confirming today that, having listened and reflected, the Scottish Government will reset the plan that I set out on March 13. We will not seek to introduce the legislation for an independence referendum immediately. Instead, we will, in good faith, redouble our efforts and put our shoulder to the wheel in seeking to influence the Brexit talks in a way that protects Scotland's interests. We will seek to build maximum support around the proposals that were set out in the paper that we published in December, Scotland's Place in Europe, to keep us in the single market with substantial new powers for this Parliament. We will do everything that we can to influence the UK in that direction. At the end of this period of negotiation with the EU, it is likely to be around next autumn when the terms of Brexit will be clearer. We will come back to Parliament to set out our judgment on the best way forward at that time, including our view on the precise timescale for offering people a choice over the country's future. Setting out this position today, I am also issuing a challenge to the other parties. The Scottish Government will stand the best chance of positively influencing the Brexit outcome if we are at the table with the full backing of our national Parliament arguing for the sensible option of staying in the single market. Join us now with no equivocation back the demands for the democratically elected Scottish Government to be at the table, able to influence the UK's negotiating strategy and for Scotland and the UK to stay in the European single market. The second conclusion that I have reached is this. Over the past few months, the focus on the when and the how of our referendum has, perhaps inevitably, been at the expense of setting out the many reasons why Scotland should be independent. The fact is that we are only talking of another referendum so soon after the last one because of Brexit. It is certainly the case that independence may well be the only way to protect Scotland from the impact of Brexit, but the case for an independent Scotland is not just about Brexit. It goes far beyond that. Many of us already believe that independence is the right and the best answer to the many complex challenges that we face as a country and also the best way to seize and fully realise our many opportunities. We must persuade the majority in Scotland of that. We have not done that yet, but I have no doubt that we can. The challenge for all of us who believe that Scotland should be independent is to get on with the hard work of making and winning that case on all of its many merits and in a way that is relevant to the changes, challenges, hopes and opportunities that we face now and in the years ahead. That is what we will do. Of course, we will not do it on our own because the independence case is bigger than us too. My party will engage openly and inclusively with and work is part of the wider independence movement. We will seek to support, engage and grow that movement and build the case that having decisions made by us, not for us, offers the best future for our country. We will make and seek to win the case that governing ourselves is the best way to tackle the challenges that we face as a country, from building a better balance than more sustainable economy to growing our population, strengthening our democracy and tackling deep-seated problems of poverty and inequality. My last point today is this. The SNP Government has been in office now for 10 years. I am incredibly proud of our achievements, delivered in the most challenging of circumstances and in the face of unprecedented Westminster cuts. I am also clear about our priorities as we move forward, not just fighting Scotland's corner in the Brexit talks but also growing our economy and making sure that the public services that we all rely on are there when we need them from cradle to grave. That means continuing to work each and every day to improve education, equip our NHS for the challenges of the future, lift people out of poverty and build a social security system with dignity at its heart. Of course, any Government after 10 years needs to take stock and refresh. Over this summer, as we prepare our next programme for government and our budget for the year ahead, that is exactly what we will do. We will set out afresh our vision for the country that we lead together with the creative, imaginative, bold and radical policies that, as far as is possible within the current powers available to us, will help us to realise that bold ambition vision for Scotland. We look forward to getting on with the job in the best interests of all the people of Scotland. We now have about 30 minutes for questions. There is now around 30 minutes for questions. There is a lot of interest. Ruth Davidson, question number one. I think that the glum faces protest too much with the extended applause. Since the 2014 referendum, nobody, not me nor anyone in this chamber has ever called for members of the SNP benches to revoke their belief in independence itself. However, the issue that we have had this last year has been with the First Minister, who has tried to use the UK's decision to leave the European Union to try to impose another referendum on independence on Scotland at the earliest opportunity. No-once-in-a-generation, no-endura agreement of respecting the result, just a single vision drive to the line by Nicola Sturgeon to try and secure her place in history. As our own MSPs have accepted, that decision cost her 21 seats and the support of half a million Scottish voters in the general election. Felly, yes voters and no voters, most people simply don't want this brought back any time soon. None of the questions that are raised by Brexit are answered by ripping Scotland out of our own union of nations, our biggest markets and our closest friends. I am afraid to say today's statement. I am afraid to say that that statement will fail to give any assurance to those people that this First Minister is listening to them. Again, she makes virtually no mention of her domestic responsibilities. Instead, she appears to be in denial about her mistakes over this last year and, as a result, is leaking credibility and confidence in her leadership by the hour. Her response actually hasn't been to reflect, but to simply lash out at the UK Government at every opportunity and to sing the same old songs in the same old tune. Let me ask her this. She claims to be putting the referendum to one side and will not introduce the referendum bill to this Parliament immediately. Why doesn't she give the country some certainty and just take it off the table for the rest of this Parliament? The First Minister. The reason it would be wrong to take to use Ruth Davidson's language a referendum, a choice over our future off the table for the duration of this Parliament is this. The Conservative Government at Westminster is taking this entire country down a path that is potentially the most damaging thing that has happened to us for a generation or more than that. We do not yet know the destination of that journey, but what we do know is that if the Tories get their way, the outcome of that could be devastating for Scottish jobs, for trade, for living standards, for the opportunities of generations to come. I do not think that it is right for Scotland to be left at the mercy of wherever the Tories want to take us, regardless of how damaging that is to our present and to our future. That is why I believe that, at the end of the process, people should have the ability to have that choice. Equally, I recognise that people do not feel ready right now to say when that choice should happen because of the uncertainty that has been created not just by Brexit but by the reckless approach to Brexit that this Government is pursuing. We will take account of that and listen to that. Over the next months, we will do everything in our power with absolute focus to try to get from Brexit an outcome that best protects Scotland's interests. I repeat again my challenge to the other parties. If you also have Scotland's interests at heart, then get behind this Government in seeking to be at the table, influencing those negotiations and getting the best outcome for Scotland. It used to be that Ruth Davidson thought being in the EU was best for Scotland and then she capitulated. It used to be that Ruth Davidson thought being in the single market was best for Scotland and then she capitulated. For once, can Ruth Davidson stand firm and back the Scottish Government in getting the best deal for Scotland? The difference between this Government and the UK Government is that we will continue to make decisions and make judgments that we consider to be in the best interests of the country. That is in stark contrast to the UK Government right now. Having blundered and miscalculated its way into an EU referendum and then into a hard Brexit position and then into a general election, it is now so desperate to cling to power at any cost, regardless of the damage that it is going to do to our economy, to the reputation of the country, to the devolution settlement and even to peace in Northern Ireland. It is a shameful approach to governing. Do you know what is even more shameful that Ruth Davidson is prepared to be a cheerleader for all that? Ruth Davidson continued to be a cheerleader for the Conservatives. I and this Government will continue to take the decisions that we think are in the best interests of Scotland. The First Minister says that she has heard the views of the people, that she has reflected on the result of the general election. Her incredulous conclusion is to double down and continue with her campaign for independence. However, the truth is that the threat of an unwanted second independence referendum is dead. That did not happen because, Nicola Sturgeon wanted it to, the people of Scotland have taken that decision for her. However, the First Minister is digging her heels in, putting her fingers in her ears and pressing on regardless. She is just not listening. First Minister, why do not you understand the people of Scotland sent you a clear message at the general election? Get back to governing. When will you listen and get on with the job that really matters, improving our schools, growing our economy and fixing our NHS? It is clear that Kezia Dugdale scripted that question before she saw or listened to the statement that I have just made. We will not proceed with legislation for an independence referendum immediately. Instead, we will do everything in our power to get the best possible outcome from Brexit. We will do everything in our power to protect Scotland's interests. At the end of that process, we will judge the best way forward to make sure that Scotland is not at the mercy of the outcome of that process regardless of how damaging it is going to be. The difference between my position and Kezia Dugdale's position is quite simple. I want Scotland to be in control of our own future. I do not want as simply to have to accept any decision imposed on us by a Tory Government at Westminster, regardless of the damage that it does. I want us to be in control of our own future as a country. Labour, simply having advised many people in Scotland to vote for the Conservatives, wants to leave the future of our country entirely at the mercy of the Conservatives. That is the difference between us, and that will continue to be the difference between our two parties. Patrick Harvie Thank you, Presiding Officer. Scotland has not consented to being taken out of the European Union against our will. Scotland has not consented to the social and economic wreckage that we know will result if that is what happens. If the First Minister does not introduce a referendum bill until after autumn next year, how long will it be after we have been dragged out of Europe without having consented to it before the people of Scotland are even entitled to make their choice? Why? After a negotiation between a UK Government and EU institutions and decisions made by every other member state in Europe, why should the people of Scotland be the only people without the right to make a decision on that timescale? The First Minister I believe that Scotland should have a choice at the end of this process, but I recognise that the uncertainty around this process—which is not of our making or our doing—is entirely down to the incompetent reckless approach that the UK Government has taken. That uncertainty makes it difficult for those, even those who want to have a choice at the end of this process, to see right now how we can set a firm timescale for that. I recognise that, which is why I have said today that we are resetting the plan that I outlined on March 13. We will not introduce that legislation right now. We will put our shoulder to the wheel of seeking to get the best deal for Scotland, and then we will make a judgment on the right time for a choice when we have that greater clarity. On the timescale that is being followed right now, I would estimate that it would be around the autumn of next year. I think that that is the sensible and responsible way forward, because what it does is two things. First, it recognises the desire of people not to be rushed, not to have to make a choice before they have the clarity and the information to make an informed choice—something that I never wanted people to have to do, but I am making that absolutely clear today. Secondly, it does something else. It makes sure that we have the ability to protect our interests at the end of this process. I appreciate that, for many people, the real implications and impact of Brexit have not started to be felt. I suspect that that is about to start to change and to change very quickly. However, as First Minister, I cannot look anybody across this country in the eye and pretend to them that I do not have profound concerns about the impact of what is about to happen on people in Scotland, not just now, but for many, many years to come. To choose that would be one thing, but to have that imposed upon us firstly through the EU referendum and then having no choice at the end of the process would be deeply and profoundly wrong. What I am doing today is balancing those interests, recognising that people do not want to be rushed, that it is not simply for me to decide the future of this country, but making sure that it is equally not for a Conservative Government at Westminster to decide the future of this country regardless of what anybody across Scotland might want. Willie Rennie. The First Minister has had a long, hard think about it. The First Minister has concluded that the First Minister should call another independence referendum at a time of the First Minister's choosing, so absolutely nothing has changed. If she wants to prove that she has listened, the First Minister should trigger a vote in this chamber that would rule out another independence referendum in this parliamentary term. Will she agree to that? I have to say that, since Willie Rennie did not seem to give any respect to when the Scottish Parliament did vote on this matter, why would we expect him to respect the vote of the Scottish Parliament in the future? It seems that Willie Rennie wants to pick and choose when he respects the will of this Parliament. On the issue of a referendum, Willie Rennie's position—at least, I do not agree with the positions of the Conservatives or Labour—they want to leave this country at the mercy of whatever happens in Brexit regardless of how damaging it is, but at least their positions have a degree of consistency and logic to them. There is no consistency and no logic whatsoever on the position of the Liberal Democrats on this issue. They do not want to give people in Scotland a choice in another referendum, but they want to have a second referendum on the issue of EU membership. Willie Rennie's position is ridiculous, which is why so few people across this country take him or the Liberal Democrats seriously. All the leaders had preambles before their questions. I would appreciate if all members could get straight to the question and will have straight questions and answers. Ben Macpherson is to be followed by Jackson Carlaw. Ben Macpherson. I am obligated to remind the chamber that I am a parliamentary liaison officer to the First Minister. As has just been stated, this Parliament democratically voted to seek a section 30 order from the UK Government to enable a referendum to take place. Therefore, does the First Minister agree with me that the principle clearly remains that Scotland's future should be for the people of Scotland and this Parliament to decide and that the section 30 request should remain on the table? First Minister. I think that this is an important matter of principle that should unite people, whether they support an independence referendum or oppose it, whether they support independence or oppose independence. Surely the decision on if and when there should be an independence referendum should lie with this Parliament. Anybody who says otherwise is subverting an important principle of democracy and the principle of the sovereignty of the Scottish people and the sovereignty of the Scottish Parliament that has long been accepted. On the issue of a section 30 order, clearly I am saying today that we are not immediately introducing an independence bill to this Parliament and therefore the urgency of agreeing that section 30 order is not what it was previously. However, I do think that, as a matter of principle, that power to decide the question of if and when there should be an independence referendum should be transferred from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament and everybody who cares about the rights of this Parliament to take these decisions should back that. Does the First Minister not acknowledge that on June 8, her party lost half a million votes, one-third of its total support, and achieved the lowest share of the vote for a leading party in Scotland since 1955? However, she has announced no change. Is it not now clear that the only refresh Scotland needs, the only way to move beyond constitutional turmoil, is for an outrage Scotland to be done with this, First Minister, and done with this failing Scottish Government? Whatever Jackson Carlaw might say about the election result on June 8, one thing is beyond any doubt, the SNP won that election and handsomly beat the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. However, you know what? We should take no lectures right now from a Conservative Government that is reduced to bribing the DUP to keep its hands on power. That is what the Tories are reduced to. Completely riding roughshod over the principles of the devolution settlement in order to cling on to power in a tawdry shoddy deal with the DUP. That should shame the Conservatives. It is not so long ago—dun 9, in fact—dun 9 that Ruth Davidson's spokesperson was briefing that she was more powerful than the DUP in number 10 Downing Street. How is it then, Presiding Officer, that the DUP came away with £1 billion for Northern Ireland and the Scottish Tories came away with zero for Scotland? That says it all about the Scottish Conservatives. Christina McKelvie, to be followed by Lewis Macdonald. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Yesterday's grubby cash for votes deal between the Tories and that DUP through end-to-sharp relief, the democratic deficit that Scotland faces while our key decisions over our future are at stake. A Government we did not vote for propped up by a party, we have no choice in ever voting for. Does that not underline, Presiding Officer, the case for Scotland? Yes, Scotland to be given a choice over our future at the appropriate time. First Minister. Well, as I have said today, we will not proceed right now with the referendum bill. I think that that is an important change that I am confirming and making clear today. However, people can see what is happening at Westminster and the implications that it has for people across Scotland. Before the election, we knew that we were faced with Brexit. We knew that we were faced with the likelihood of a hard Brexit, taking Scotland out of the single market with the potential loss of 80,000 jobs that are hit to our revenues and our GDP for many years to come. However, now, of course, we are faced with a UK Government that, as we saw yesterday, is completely dependent on staying in power on the DUP, and we have seen the lengths that they are prepared to go to in order to cling on to power at any cost. I really do think that it is of deep and profound concern that we have a Conservative Government at Westminster that has blundered into an EU referendum, blundered into the hard Brexit position, blundered into a general election and has now left the country in hawk to the DUP, and they are so desperate to cling to power that they are prepared to sacrifice almost anything—the economy, the reputation of the UK internationally and even the peace process in Northern Ireland. Now, I think that that is shameful, and I do think that it is underlining the need for this country not to be at the mercy of whatever a Conservative Government decides to do, but to be in control of our own future at the right time. That is the position of this Government, and I believe that it is the right and proper one. Lewis Macdonald is followed by Alex Neil. The First Minister appears still not to understand that confusing the issue of Britain leaving the European Union and Scotland leaving the United Kingdom is a profoundly unwise course to follow. Perhaps she does so because she believes that she won the election a few weeks ago. However, if she really believes that the best chance of positively influencing the Brexit outcome is by the Scottish Government being at the table as part of the UK's negotiating team and she wants other parties to back her case for that, will she now not accept that the way to build a case for joining in a common approach is not to start by saying that the first thing that she will do afterwards is to walk away from that common approach altogether? I am not entirely sure where Lewis Macdonald is coming from in this. I want to build a consensus that says that we stay in the single market. It used to be that other parties in this chamber backed that position. I believe that we have an opportunity now to unite this Parliament and to unite a majority across the country behind that option of staying in the single market, accepting, however reluctantly, that the UK is coming out of the EU but refusing to accept that that has to be at the expense of jobs and trade and investment by taking ourselves out of the single market. I will give people across this chamber the opportunity to decide whether they want to back the Scottish Government in that. We have a period now between now and no doubt next autumn when those negotiations are going to continue and shape the future relationship of this country with the European Union. Are we prepared as a Parliament to put our shoulder to the wheel to try to make sure that Scotland gets the best possible outcome of that? That is what I am going to do. That is what this Government is going to do. It remains to be seen whether the other parties in this chamber have the ability to rise above their hostility to the SNP and, for once, put Scotland's interests centre stage. I welcome the First Minister's statement. The key issue here is the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. Does the First Minister agree with me that the three key demands from Scotland must now be, number one, a successor trade agreement that is right for Scottish jobs and industry, including access to the single market? Number two, the powers and Brussels coming back to the United Kingdom in relation to Scotland come to this Parliament and do not get stuck in London. Number three, the £1.6 billion a year, which is Scotland's share of the EU contribution, comes along with those powers back from Brussels to this Parliament. Does the First Minister agree with me that, if yet again a UK Government does not deliver for Scotland, the case for an independent Scotland will be unanswerable? I think that Alex Neil does outline the three broad areas where, over the next year to 18 months, the UK Government has got a chance to prove that it is able to act in Scotland's best interest. Yes, making sure that our businesses are not ripped out of the single market, I happen to believe strongly that the best trading arrangement for the future of Scotland, when the UK leaves the EU, as long as we are part of the EU, is to be in the single market. That is why we will do everything in our powers to secure that. Secondly, not only should we see powers that are repatriated from Brussels come unequivocally to Scotland where they are within devolved responsibilities and not be centralised in a power grab at Westminster, that is also an opportunity for us to argue for and win new powers for this Parliament. No longer is that acceptable and this is not just Scotland's view for powers such as immigration, for example, to be centralised at Westminster, because the Westminster approach to issues like this are damaging the interests of our economy. Thirdly, yes, we get commitments in terms of the funding to make sure that Brexit is not used as a cover to take funding away from our farmers, fishermen and our economy generally. Those are very much three areas where we have an opportunity now to make sure that we get the best outcome for Scotland. Those who do not want to see Scotland choose independence in future have an opportunity to prove that they can deliver. Let us see over the next few months whether we see Scotland's interests protected by the UK Government and by the other parties represented in this chamber or not, and then people in Scotland can make a choice about what their best future might be. In March, ScotSend reported that support for Scotland taking a different path in the wake of Brexit is much lower than anticipated. Any second attempt to seek independence because of Brexit, they said, is unlikely to prove particularly persuasive. We knew that at the beginning of March, so why has the First Minister taken four months to admit it? The First Minister should get his stories straight with his leaders. He says that I am not changing anything, and he says that I am the complete opposite. You know what? It may be quite hard for the Conservatives to grasp, but looking at their performance just now, I understand that this is very hard for the Conservatives to grasp. I seek to make judgments on what I consider to be in the best interests of the country. I accept that not everybody agrees with those judgments, and I understand that. However, I seek to be guided, as I have been since June last year, the day after the referendum, on what is in the best interests of the country. That is what I continue to seek to do. However, my last point to Adam Tomkins is this, and to the Conservatives, if they are so sure and so certain that people in Scotland do not want independence, why are they so scared of ever putting it to the test? Bruce Crawford, to be followed by Neil Findlay. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In the light of the complete disarray at Westminster, has the UK Government given any indication that it will revisit the timescales as to when the terms of the Brexit deal will be clear, because they should, and have they communicated that to the Governments of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? That is a good question. In reality, it remains the case. I very much hope that that will change. Everybody across the Parliament should hope that that changes, but until now, there has been very little meaningful communication between the UK Government and the Scottish Government about the Brexit process. I hope that that changes, and I hope that it changes in a substantial way. I know that people in other parties in this chamber find it difficult, even when they think that we are right to agree with the SNP. On those matters, it is not just the SNP or the Scottish Government that is making this case. It is Carwyn Jones, the Welsh First Minister, who is making the case that the devolved Administrations have to be much more centrally and meaningfully engaged. I hope that we see a much different approach. If we see a different approach from the UK Government, then this Government will respond constructively to that. On the question of the timescales, we have to work on the basis of what is being said publicly. We know that the UK intends to leave the EU in March 2019. We know that a deal therefore has to be reached in order to go for ratification in other European countries, somewhere around six months before that, which is around the autumn of next year. That is when I would expect that the terms of the future relationship with the EU start to become a lot clearer than they are now. Of course, I am not in control of those timescales. Not even the UK Government is entirely in control of those timescales, but that underlines the importance of having as much dialogue and communication between the different Governments of the UK so that we can influence those issues as much as possible. I will allow another five minutes, but if we can be quick with all the questions. Neil Findlay, to be followed by Marie Todd. The First Minister has taken a position on two referendums and been on the losing side in both. Isn't it a bit rich for her to lecture anyone about democracy, when she routinely ignores the will of this Parliament on fracking, on NHS closures, on council budgets, on Highland and Islands Enterprise and on the Football Act and plows on regardless? We can have a choice after Brexit. It is called a general election where we can elect Jeremy Corbyn to lead a Labour Government and change this country. That day cannot come soon enough for me. First Minister, do you fancy a general election tomorrow, the next day, next week or next year, because I do? If only Neil Findlay could have seen the face of his Scottish party leader at that point, he would have been no doubt be mused. Can I just say to Neil Findlay, firstly a reminder and also maybe just a little bit of explanation of democracy here. I argued for remain in the EU referendum last year. 62 per cent of people in Scotland voted to remain. I call that being on the winning side of the EU referendum in Scotland. The problem that we have in Scotland, which Neil Findlay appears quite happy with inexplicably to me, is that he thinks Scotland's voice should count for nothing in that and we should simply be told what to do by majority opinion across the whole of the UK. In terms of his second point about a future Labour Government, as far as I can tell right now, and again I hope that this is something that changes, just like Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn also wants us to leave the single market, pouring tens of thousands of Scottish jobs on the line. I know that more sensible heads in the Labour Party and my colleagues in the House of Commons will seek to work with them to get to a position where we have as much support as possible for keeping Scotland and the UK in the single market, because that is what makes more sense for jobs and for our economy. Does the First Minister agree with me that when assessing the position that Scotland finds itself in, the balance of power between the Scottish and UK Government is an important factor? Would she also agree that any move to re-reserve powers would further undermine the principles of devolution? I think that it is important in principle, but also important for practical reasons, that there is no power grab on powers that lie within devolved areas. If powers are to be repatriated from Brussels, then if they lie within devolved areas, they must come to this Parliament. Again, that is not just a view that I hold, but a view that is held by the First Minister of Wales. That will be something that we are looking very closely at when we eventually see the terms of the repeal bill, which we have not seen in any detail yet. Of course, it was confirmed yesterday that the repeal bill will require the legislative consent of this Parliament and the other devolved parliaments across the UK. That means that this entire Parliament, not just this Government, has both a responsibility and an opportunity to scrutinise that very closely in deciding whether or not to give its legislative consent to that bill. Murdo Fraser, to be followed by Gail Ross. The First Minister is fond of referring to the 62 per cent of Scots who voted remain in last year's EU referendum as an overwhelming majority. How would she describe the 63 per cent of Scots who voted in this month's general election for parties who stood on a platform opposed to a second independence referendum? It may be a useful opportunity, certainly one that I am going to take of a reminding people that the SNP won the election and also reminding people, as Murdo Fraser has just done, of the unholy alliance between Labour and the Conservatives and indeed the Liberal Democrats in this election. At least one Liberal Democrat is proud of his unholy alliance with the Conservatives, which is always good to see. We have a tradition, not just in Scotland but in the UK, of deciding constitutional matters by referendum. That is the right thing to do. Of course, it was the Conservatives in the last independence referendum that told the people of Scotland, in fact Ruth Davidson said it to them directly, in at least one television appearance, that the only way to protect our place in the European Union was to vote against Scottish independence. I am not sure how that is working out for her. As I have said today, we will continue to act in the best interests of the country as a whole, making sure that we do everything that we can to get the best outcome for Scotland from the Brexit talks, not introducing independence referendum legislation while we are doing that, but also making sure that Scotland is not in a position of having no control over our own future, regardless of the outcome of those talks. That is the right and the responsible position to have, and it would be the right and responsible position for anybody with Scotland's best interests at heart. Finally, Gail Ross. Thank you, Presiding Officer. No doubt the chamber will be delighted to be reminded that I am also a PLO to the First Minister. Isn't it the case that from the moment the Scottish Government set out its plans in terms of legislating for another referendum, it was clear that that was a means to ensure that Scotland's interests were protected through the Brexit process? How much more can the Scottish Government impress upon the UK Government that we cannot and will not sit idly by as jobs, incomes and our economy are willfully damaged by Tory policies? The First Minister. It is a good reminder that, for all the political to-ing and fro-ing that we have in this chamber—which we all partake in—what we are talking about here are jobs and the future of our economy, investment, trade, the ability of our companies to export freely, and also what we are talking about here are the opportunities, not just for this generation but for generations to come to travel freely across Europe. Those are things that really matter, and it is not an exaggeration to say that all of them, to a greater or lesser extent, are on the line right now as these negotiations continue. I think that it is absolutely essential that we do everything that we can to protect all of these things. That is what this Government intends to do, and it is also essential that we make sure that whatever happens, the future of Scotland is always decided by Scotland. Whatever we choose is up to the people of Scotland, but it should be chosen for us, not imposed by us, and that is the principle that will continue to govern the decisions that we take. Thank you very much. That concludes our statement on European negotiations with Scotland's future. We will now move to our statement by Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Health. We will just take a few moments for members to change their seats.