I WOULD agree wholeheartedly with my civic colleague Councillor Chris McEleny of the Alba Party that while the Greens are making a bold stance by looking at maritime legislation to try and remove Trident from the Clyde, it is only independence and the regaining of Scottish sovereignty which will give us that power (Only with power of independence will Scotland get rid of weapons, April 12).
However, the extent to which post-independence parties in the new Scottish Parliament wish to negotiate that power away will depend on whether we can remove nuclear weapons from Scottish soil in reality or not.
For the sake of clarity on policy – and Scotia Future has repeatedly said this election must be fought on policies not personalities – can Cllr McEleny tell us what the stance of the Alba Party is on the big geo-political decisions? He refers to Scotland getting dragged out of the EU against its will, ignoring the one million Scots who voted Leave, implying the desire for a swift re-entry, and in relation to defence policy is it pro-Nato or not?
These are not academic matters because Nato membership, which the SNP leadership is now passionate about, would seriously hamper our ability to remove Trident. Attempting to be non-nuclear within the Alliance leads to a non-ethical foreign policy where countries like Denmark and Norway have been pressurised by Nato into assuming any Nato-flagged ships or planes travelling through their bases are not carrying atomic weapons. Immense pressure will be placed on a newly independent Scotland from within the Alliance to keep nuclear weapons.
The question of where the Alba Party stands on EU membership is far from unimportant in relation to their stance on Nato membership, because the proposed EU Defence Union is open about the fact they want the EU and Nato to act together against common security threats.
Much has been during these Scottish elections of the need to “Max the YES”, and rightly so because that is fundamental to re-gaining independence. We also need to “Max the Power” the Scottish people have once we get a Yes. That is why Scotia Future prefers the Partnership for Peace organisation over Nato, and favours a tripartite Neutrality Pact with Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.
Cllr Andy Doig
Scotia Future Parliamentary Candidate, Renfrewshire South
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