Pledges on base demand closer scrutiny

Sir, – Through my letterbox yesterday came a leaflet printed and published on behalf of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party telling how our local Tory MP Kirstene Hair had secured the future of RM Condor at Arbroath, among other ripping yarns.

It features a photo of Kirstene Hair beside defence minister Gavin Williamson (known as Private Pike to his chums at Westminster) speaking to a slightly apprehensive-looking Marine. Let’s examine this story a little closer: The future of RM Condor is not secure. The Ministry of Defence has released an area of land including the airstrip at Condor and surrounding woodland and suggested it be used for private housing while the remaining part of the site is retained by the MoD.

It is highly questionable whether the reduced base will be of sufficient size to provide a proper training facility for the Royal Marines.

While the offer to decontaminate the site and offer it free of charge for housing to Angus Council or any other developer sounds generous, it leaves a huge question hanging over the future of the base, whatever Kirstene Hair may believe.

Under the present Conservative Government the following Scottish military bases have been closed or their closure has been announced: RAF Leuchars; Glencorse (Penicuik); Redford Barracks (Edinburgh); Meadowforth (Stirling); Fort George (Inverness); MOD Caledonia (Rosyth); Craigiehall Camp (near Edinburgh); Forthside Barracks (Stirling).

Kirstene Hair might do well to reflect that accepting Gavin Williamson’s assurance that RM Condor is secure is like believing Private Pike would keep us safe from the Third Reich.

It’s hard to believe that RM Condor is secure considering the Scotlandwide closure of army barracks, argues one correspondent.