JOHN Jamieson’s letter on GERS (Aug 21) reminded me that the Westminster argument for needing to site the base for Trident-carrying submarines in Faslane is that it is one of the few deep water inlets in the British Isles. Getting rid of Trident is one of the many selling points for the Scottish independence argument, but the Tories are going to make a huge fuss about deep water.

So to save time on arguing, here’s the simple answer, which I’m surprised those MoD boys haven’t thought of before. They’ll be kicking themselves! Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ve sometimes seen the Faslane submarines sailing happily along the surface of the Clyde, where they pose less of a risk of collision with ferries.

Pick a port in England – any port, but preferably very close to the Devonport base, thus avoiding the long dangerous road journey for missiles. Let the subs sail out on the surface until the water is deep enough, then do their business as usual. Cheaper, safer, and everybody happier including the Faslane employees who will be able to do more morally defensible work! All problems solved in a one-er.

Derek Ball
Bearsden