PAT Kane’s dazzling virtuosity is in no way connected to the fact he is a former pupil of mine, but I hope his ethical integrity may not be dissociated from his earlier education (this might excuse the irrational sense of pride I feel reading him). His excellent piece “Our indy Scotland must not emerge shrouded in the ash of a future disaster” (July 18) is a model approach to our nuclear nightmare. It is principled.
Before the indy referendum, my Brit-left comrades used to claim an independent Scotland would do a Guantanamo-style deal with Westminster and Trident would remain indefinitely. I scoffed at this. But now we face the Gerry Hassan phenomenon. Some are indeed toying with the idea of renting Faslane to rUK for an undefined period.
This reminds me of the story of the man who asks a woman if she would sleep with him for a million pounds, She hesitantly says yes. He then asks if she would do it for a fiver. “Certainly not!” she retorts. “What do you think I am?” He answers: “We’ve already established that, we’re just haggling about the price now.”
READ MORE: Pat Kane: Why our independent Scotland must be nuclear-free
The physical complexities of removing and dismantling Trident should not obscure the fact that the ethical and political decision is actually very simple. An independent, anti-nuclear Scotland controls defence from day one of its independence. Trident cannot operate from its territory from that day on. The submarines remain berthed pending negotiations about their removal.
If they are tied up, they cannot be put to sea and they are inoperable. Disarmament has actually started. You might say all the Scottish Government has to do is nothing at all. Just remain true to its principled rejection of nuclear WMD.
The day the SNP adopts the amoral pragmatism of Gerry Hassan and abandons its principled anti-Trident stance is the day I leave the SNP. And I will not be alone.
As so often in life, all that is required is courage.
Brian Quail
Glasgow
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