England can have its own system

IT seems that Trident and its future is the issue of the day, in The Herald, on the Today programme and with Andrew Marr putting in his five penceworth. There is no reason why an independent “Greater England” should not host its own WMD weapons system, and no reason why Scotland should carry on being a “first strike” target.

Scotland has no role in building these weapons, and refitting them was moved from Rosyth to Devonport for political reasons: a veto over their use, by Scotland as host country, would not be contemplated, or feasible.

A10-year leasing arrangement could easily be negotiated, allowing time for the construction of new facilities down south, or they could temporarily be hosted in France or America.

Jackie Baillie talks of “flipflopping on ... our nuclear deterrent”, but it is Scottish Labour whose Trident policy is a shambles. And why on earth is Donald Cameron, the Scottish Conservatives’ constitution spokesman, content for Scotland to be a host to (and target of) nuclear weapons it has no commercial or military interest in? Does he envisage the Naval Base Clyde still being under Scottish legal jurisdiction, or would it be an enclave of England? I think a few serious questions to Mr Cameron would be instructive, because it sounds as if he is making this nonsense up on the hoof.

By the by, I was based at

Faslane twice whilst serving in the Royal Navy, and the use of nukes was as contentious among us “matelots” as among the civilian population – but we were mostly of the generation of the Cuba crisis.

GR Weir, Ochiltree.