Will Faslane Be Scotland's Bargaining Tool?

Fifty years ago I doubt if any Scottish independence supporters would have dreamt that their country would be the talk of Washington and Moscow steamies, but it is and the interest of the Russians is said to be causing 'jitters' in senior American circles.

One of Putin's US political counsellors made an appearance at the National Capital Tartan Day Committee's (NCTDC) Tartan Day 2012 Symposium in Washington at the end of last month.  His attendance was unusual because it was the first time a Russian has shown up at one of these events.

But why was he there?  Maybe to admire the tartans (if there were any on show) but his main interest was discussing Trident and the future of Britain's nuclear deterrent should Scotland decide to vote Yes in the 2014 referendum.

A senior Congressional aide stated many US political experts believe that if Scotland does decide to become independent the SNP will be forced to abandon its opposition to basing nuclear missiles on the Clyde as part of the separation agreement. "A favourable outcome would be that the bases would still be available for the Trident fleet and would be leased to the new British government," he added.

All very neat and tidy for the US because some Americans are said to be worried independence would 'weaken the military power of America's staunchest ally'.  I don't agree that there is any 'special relationship' between the US and the UK. The US is well known for looking after its own interests and those of its allies are secondary.

Republican Congressman John J Duncan, who is co-chair of the Friends of Scotland Congressional Caucus, is one of the biggest supporters of Scottish interests in Washington DC.  He can't understand the SNP's opposition to nuclear weapons.

The SNP is currently reviewing its NATO policy and it is expected to decide that an independent Scotland would apply to be a member.

However, the NATO decision, or any others, will not belong solely to the SNP. When Scotland is independent all political parties will be forced to declare their policies and membership of NATO will be just one of them. Scotland could even decide to have a defence force similar to Finland - a non-NATO EU country.

The people should be asked if they want nuclear weapons to reside in their country and the SNP would be sensible if they included a NATO referendum in their independence proposals.

Negotiations between Westminster and Holyrood will be ongoing in the next two years or so, with oil and Faslane being prominent subjects for discussion. I can't see any political party in Scotland bartering North Sea oil, but will Faslane be the bargaining tool?

There's no doubt the Russians and Americans will be keeping a close watch on developments.

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Sold To The Lowest Bidder

It's common knowledge the Ministry of Defence have to save money and now they've dealt with sacking members of the military, changing military personnel terms and conditions and cancelling orders for equipment badly needed, what was left?

How about Britain's nuclear bomb base at Coulport on the Clyde?

The SNP is opposed to a nuclear fleet and I concur with their policy, however I understand Angus Robertson's concern when it was announced the running of Coulport is to be handed over to a consortium of multinational private firms led by the controversial Lockheed Martin.  That's the same US based Lockheed Martin which analysed the data of the recent Census and which was the recent target of a 'significant and tenacious' hack.

Another multinational involved is Jacobs Engineering which purchased the Gloucestershire based Sula Systems last year although the company website states 'Sula is an independent consultancy with no vested interests'. There is no mention on the website that Sula is no longer a British company but owned by a US business.

Also involved in the managing of more than 200 Trident nuclear warheads will be Serco - the British government's favoured destination for outsourcing - which is unable to keep Scottish hospitals clean.

Despite official reports which have highlighted the dangers of outsourcing vital safety posts such as Coulport, the MoD plan to have the contract finalised in August and for the newly formed company ABL to take over in February 2012.

The MoD insists it will remain in overall charge, with Naval Base Commander (Clyde) retaining overall responsibility for nuclear activities, explosive safety policy, security and emergency management planning although it's highly questionable if they will have enough people to carry out this role as up to 200 Coulport workers have been told that they will be seconded to the newly formed private sector consortium.

Angus Robertson, the SNP's defence spokesman in Westminster said:

“Weapons of mass destruction are the most sensitive areas of military technology and should not be put in private hands,”


William Hartung from the Centre for International Policy in New York and author of a book on the Lockheed Martin said:

"A nuclear weapons depot was much too sensitive to be handed over to a private firm. This is particularly true in the case of Lockheed Martin".

Furthermore, Peter Burt from the Nuclear Information Service in Reading urged the Scottish Government to ensure that the new operational and safety arrangements at Coulport are subject to the highest standards of independent scrutiny and regulation.

As Defence is not a devolved issue I fail to see what influence the Scottish Government can have, particularly when Peter Burt remarked:

“As with virtually every aspect of the Trident nuclear weapons programme, this decision has been taken in secret and we have no idea of the costs or risks associated with it.”


Secret decisions?  No surprise there.  The sooner Scotland can rid itself of these weapons the better.

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Nuclear Weapons - Labour and Tories Show Their True Colours

Alistair Carmichael (Libdem) and Angus Robertson (SNP)

On the Politics Show at lunchtime Labour and the Tories were asked why we need nuclear weapons. They couldn't give an answer other than to say the present world is unstable with Iran being a threat. Also they couldn't answer when asked under what circumstances they would be used, although Jim Murphy stated their existence kept many in employment in the Clyde area.

Angus Robertson (SNP) gave a direct answer by saying he wanted rid of them because he didn't want to see hundreds of millions of people killed by these chemical missiles, but the most impressive reply for me was from Alistair Carmichael (Libdem) who said it was time the nuclear issue depended upon the needs of the military and stopped being treated as a job creation scheme.

Well said Mr Carmichael. Of course if Trident was halted there would be job loses in Scotland but maybe we could well see Scotland become a far more innovative and motivated country if those who were made redundant put their skills to good use either on an individual basis or collectively. We've lost the ability to grasping opportunities - this could be a chance for many to start their own businesses.

We don't need Trident in Scotland. We don't even have any control over it as we're only a storage facility. The US is in charge and holds the keys.

Labour and the Tories are so happy to spend our money on weapons they admit are past their time, plus of course give billions to other countries through DFID. How can anyone with a sense of justice vote for them?

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Finally The Truth About Britain's Nuclear Weapons

Finally the Ministry of Defence have admitted what many of us already know, 'our' neutron generators - a vital component of the Trident warheads stationed on the Clyde, are imported from the United States. The Sunday Herald confronted the MoD with undeniable evidence.

In making this admission the Westminster government is now under a barrage of criticism from assorted experts, politicians and campaigners, who now claim that Britain is not in full independent control of its own nuclear deterrent.

“This is another deceit of the British public by Westminster,” declared Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London.

“It’s another smoking gun in the arsenal of evidence that shows that there is no such thing as a British bomb. The weapon will become unusable should the Americans withdraw their support,” he said.

“We can’t use it if they don’t want us to. The Westminster village’s delusions about Britain’s importance in the world prevents them from accommodating this reality.”

Neutron generators are vital because they initiate nuclear explosions by bombarding plutonium or uranium with neutrons at a precise time and they have to be regularly replaced. The neutrons are generated by fusing together two radioactive isotopes of hydrogen, tritium and deuterium.

The SNP's Westminster leader and defence spokesman Angus Robertson, has twice asked ministers to say where the neutron generators for Britain's nuclear weapons are made, first in July 2004 and again in April 2005. On both occasions ministers withheld the information citing 'defence, security and international relations'.

A detailed report just released under FOI law by the US Government's National Nuclear Security Administration has blown away British secrecy. It says that 14 neutron generators made at the Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, were delivered to the UK in three batches in 2008.

More lies, more secrecy, more cover-ups. As MP Jo Swinson of the LibDems says: "This news further undermines the idea of an independent British nuclear deterrent and demonstrates that it is increasingly reliant on the US.

"If Trident does not serve as an independent deterrent then there is little point in spending so much money on replacing it in its current form."

Hear, hear!

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Hutton Says "Don't Scrap Trident"

John Hutton seems to be making a comeback these days, after leaving his position as Defence Secretary for 'family reasons' and announcing he was standing down at the next election. He has started speaking at private dinners for the law firm Eversheds, but turned down a post with EDF Energy, the British arm of the French state-controlled nuclear energy company.

He has warned Gordon Brown that it would be "daft" to scrap the Trident Nuclear weapons system and predicted that his plans to scale it back will not save much money.

Mr Brown has announced his intention to reduce the number of submarines from four to three. Some senior Labour figures are urging him to go further by scrapping plans to modernise what critics describe as a 'Cold War relic', with the savings divided between cutting the national debt and higher spending on equipment for frontline troops.

Mr Hutton is "not convinced" by Mr Brown's proposal to cut the number of submarines, saying that four subs are needed to ensure that one boat always remains at sea. Instead he believes Britain should offer to reduce the number of warheads at global disarmament talks next spring.

Mr Hutton's stance was influenced partly by his being MP for Barrow-in-Furnace, where the new Trident submarines would be built. He said Britain should not relegate itself from the "premier league" in defence engineering, as once skills were lost they would never come back.

It will be interesting to see if Gordon Brown listens, he doesn't listen when the people of Scotland say they don't want nuclear weapons in their country.

Source: The Independent

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The Real David Cameron Speaks to Scots

BBC One Scotland are to broadcast 'The Search for Scotland's Soul' tonight at 10.20pm to mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.

By accounts in today's papers it appears David Cameron is warning Alex Salmond not to interfere in Westminster plans for Britain's Scottish-based nuclear deterrent should he become Prime Minister. He points out that defence is a matter for the UK Government, not Holyrood.

Not exactly a comment which will gain friends and influence people for Mr Cameron and I doubt it will gain many votes in Scotland.

Alex Salmond intends to use environmental powers available to Holyrood to prevent the regular shipment of Trident warheads and components by road north of the border. He said it was "perfectly legitimate for the parliament to try to exert these powers to influence what happens in Scotland".

This could be a interesting programme tonight. After all the friendly talk about how he wants to work closer with the Scottish government, we may now see the real David Cameron. Little difference from those presently in government in Westminster by the sound of it.

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