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SCOTTISH CND has slammed an MPs’ report on defence spending in the High North for focusing on the “capacity for war.”
The study from the UK parliament’s cross-party Scottish affairs committee (SAC) — which centred on perceived threats from China and Russia — backed “devolved diplomacy from Edinburgh.”
But it also appeared to back nuclear weapons continuing to be based on the Clyde, stating: “While not all members of the committee support this view [of maintaining Trident], we do recognise the serious implications for the UK and Nato should the nuclear fleet ever be removed from Faslane.”
SAC chairman, SNP’s Pete Wishart, said: “During our inquiry we heard widespread agreement that the Arctic is of growing strategic importance.
“Because of its geography Scotland is home to a number of the UK’s strategic military assets and in our report we call on the UK government to look at how the defence presence in Scotland could be scaled up if required to meet future threats.”
Lynn Jamieson, Scottish CND chairwoman, told the Star: “It focuses on capacity for war fighting backed by nuclear threat, not collaboration to build peace, to strengthen international law and to mitigate climate change.
“Scotland is a ‘physical asset’ with military hardware and space for more and bigger bases.
“The nuclear weapons Scottish people did not vote to host are taken for granted.
“Their existential threat to the world and their everyday risks and harms in Scotland are ignored.
“The ‘devolved diplomacy from Edinburgh’ we want works for peace and climate change mitigation rather perpetuating the threat of genocide and ecocide that is the reality of nuclear weapons.”
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: “This report rightly highlights Scotland’s crucial role in bolstering security in the North Atlantic and High North regions, with the UK’s nuclear deterrent based at Faslane.”
