Robertson cannot just change SNP’s policy on nuclear weapons

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WHAT arrogance. What utter contempt for democracy. If SNP members accept this, they will accept anything. Despite the fact that support for an independent Scotland’s ratification of the United Nations Treaty

On The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was approved overwhelmingly by conference delegates, and almost all SNP MPs and MSPs signed their support for this in the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Parliamentary Pledge, Angus Robertson thinks he can just change policy if it suits his establishmentinfluenced position.

Is this supported by Humza Yousaf? If so, it is a big change on which he needs to be questioned, along with all other elected members. Who was consulted? I know it has come as news to most senior figures in the party.

The TPNW has been the most important disarmament initiative in recent years – not that that is difficult, since there have been so few. It grew out of the frustration of so many countries that no serious work was being done by the nuclear powers to roll back the earth-threatening arms race. On the contrary, we are in the grip of a new spiralling arms race. Despite intense efforts to stop them, countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, South Africa Ireland, Vietnam and New Zealand pushed ahead and negotiated the treaty and got sufficient support for it to become a UN treaty, which entered into force in 2021. To date there have been 93 state signatories and 70 have fully ratified it.

When Scotland decides to remove nuclear weapons, membership of the TPNW will ensure that this is done within the context of and with the support of a UN treaty and its state parties. The fact that this gives us an internationally supported route to nuclear disarmament is exactly what opponents of the treaty dislike. And that includes Angus Robertson. Does anyone seriously think that he would ever stand up to Westminster and US pressure?

If SNP MPs, MSPs and members don’t vote to sack him, what does that say about principles and party democracy?

Isobel Lindsay via email