BREXIT is a process, not an event – and much as the UK has left the EU, taking Scotland and Northern Ireland with it, the negotiations will go on forever in one form or another.

Recent disputes with France over fish and Ireland over the Northern Irish border are only the start of a bureaucratic nightmare that’s been delivered by Johnson and Farage. Far from freeing these islands from unelected bureaucrats and red-tape regulations, we now have an unelected, unaccountable Lord driving our EU negotiations over the cliff-edge whilst Scottish businesses face a perfect storm of tariffs, labour shortages and piles of paperwork.

Those following the news over recent weeks will have seen France and the UK thrashing around in a row ostensibly about fishing rights, but actually a convenient distraction from troubles at home. The first salvo was launched when Jersey rejected more than half the fishing licenses applied for by French fishermen earlier this year. France claims (correctly) that this is a breach of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) signed between the UK and EU and subsequently threatened retaliatory measures. The UK snarled back, promising retaliatory measures to the retaliatory measures and threatened to initiate legal proceedings. The situation has grown so farcical that at last weekend’s G20 meeting in Rome, neither the French nor UK governments could agree on what was discussed between the two.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon: Boris Johnson playing to 'domestic gallery' on French fishing row

For a few days, both sides refused to back down, instead playing to the gallery to score political points. As tense as the situation in the English Channel gets though, it is nothing compared to the potential powder-keg in Northern Ireland. As I have frequently pointed out, Lord Frost seems intent on destroying a deal which he previously described as “excellent” and Mr Johnson said was “oven-ready”. If what the former favourite adviser Dominic Cummings said is true, the intention of the UK Government was always to ditch the parts it didn’t like in the Northern Ireland Protocol. Unelected Lord Frost is threatening to torpedo all hopes of peace in Northern Ireland by unilaterally suspending the Protocol.

The UK’s hypocrisy, arrogance or stunning naivete (maybe all three) is clear for all to see. The former Irish taoiseach and current deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar has said that “this is a British government that doesn’t necessarily keep its word, doesn’t necessarily honour the agreements it makes”. The former French ambassador to the US and the UN, Gerard Araud, described the UK Government’s actions perfectly when he said: “A country where a minister announced in Parliament it would break international law has lost any right to lecture others about international law.”

This is how other countries see the UK – an untrustworthy partner, an arrogant ally and a government without honour. Without trust, there can be no agreements.

It is why the delay in setting up the joint EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly is so baffling. As part of the TCA, both the UK and the EU agreed to set up a parliamentary assembly consisting of 35 representatives from each side. The intention of such an assembly was so that parliamentarians from the UK and the EU could oversee, scrutinise and resolve issues caused by the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. If such a forum had been set up earlier, disputes such as the ones with France and Ireland would have remained manageable issues rather than full-blown international crises.

I myself have frequently called for progress to be made in this area. In September I raised the issue in Westminster – the first time it had been mentioned in the House of Commons. I was simply informed by Jacob Rees-Mogg that “the matter … is working its way between the Lords and the Commons, and I am sure that it will be set up at a suitable time”. Nearly two months later, and we remain clueless as to the progress of the assembly on the UK’s side.

​READ MORE: On fishing rights, the impact of Brexit was always unavoidable

Where the UK and Scotland’s interests coincide, I fully expect we will work together in a spirit of co-operation. This parliamentary assembly should have been set up long ago. The disputes we are seeing are only the beginning. Brexit and its impacts are not finished yet and there will be more problems arising. The EU has behaved sensibly – it is all ready to go with the assembly. It is only waiting for the UK to get its act together. Given the clear benefits of setting up the assembly, why is the UK delaying and dithering and stalling? If this government cares about the best interests of the people, it would seek solutions instead of picking childish fights with friends and allies. Yet it continues to delay, and so the only conclusion we can come to is that the UK is dragging its feet to avoid democratic and public scrutiny over its actions. So much for taking back control.

We in Scotland should learn from the UK’s mistakes. Trust takes years to build and can be lost in an instant. Rationality, calm heads and practical solutions will win us credibility with our European friends instead of partisan slogans or naive proposals. It is in our interest that tensions between the UK and the EU are resolved quickly and amicably; with Scotland an independent state in Europe, we will be part of whatever framework is agreed between the EU and the UK.

It is therefore important that we continue engaging with our friends and allies in Europe. Down in Westminster, myself and my colleagues will continue fighting for Scotland’s corner and the right for Scotland’s voice to be heard. The EU-UK Parliamentary Assembly cannot come soon enough.