Going Out With A Bang

Among the choicer difficulties in the business of the Scots being independent there is the matter of the submarines at Faslane and their Trident missiles.

As well as being a delicate question politically, it involves the USA, no doubt Brussels and Lady Ashton will be anxious to offer their expert advice and Russia will have an interest.

A trenchant opinion on this today is from Simon Jenkins in The Guardian, where I find myself in the rare position of agreeing with something in that journal.  In effect he raises the question of whether the UK should continue with Trident in an age of drones and other means of delivery.

There is then the larger question of whether it makes sense for the UK to be armed with very expensive nuclear weapons and all that is involved at the expense of every other arm of the service, in each of which we are no longer a major power.  Given the potential troubles we are in a weak position.

If the Scots vote "Yes" then the remaining UK government should consider immediately leaving Faslane to the Scots for them to negotiate and determine with the USA what the future use of that base might be.

The vessels and hardware would be handed over to the USA on whom we depend for them and UK personnel withdrawn at the earliest opportunity.  The cost savings to the remaining UK would be huge and allow it better choices in defence policy.

So, despite being a hawk by nature, for once I am with the anti-nuclear brigade and the SNP.