Wishful thinking from SNP won’t keep us safe in a dangerous world

THE SNP have a list which is much longer than most people’s arms of important matters about which they pretend everything would be OK for a separate Scotland when that is patently not the case.

There isn’t the space to remind you of them all but here are some of the long standing ones.

“Scotland doesn’t really have a fiscal deficit” – when it clearly does and a rather big one.

“Leaving the UK single market and joining the EU single market would not mean a real border at Gretna” – actually it would mean that and the consequences for Scotland would be devastating.

“We could keep the pound for a bit and then we would create our own currency and we would never join the Euro” – unfortunately, that’s all just fantasy. Scotland outside the UK couldn’t keep the pound, creating a new currency is a bit of a no-no if you have nasty fiscal and trade deficits like we do and if we want to re-join the EU – and we still might after a period of painful adjustment – we have to sign up to the Euro.

“The people want another referendum” – groan, they really, really don’t, they just want a government that does a decent job.

To this list of silliness we can now add defence. Market research shows that Scots who think being in NATO is important out-number those who think it isn’t by 9 to 1. That’s slightly more enthusiasm than you find in Finland nowadays which is saying something. Even the SNP realised some years ago that being anti-nato was an electoral lemon so they unenthusiastically said they would join up.

But, and it is a very big but, the SNP demand those nasty nuclear missile submarines must leave Faslane forever with that base becoming a home for a couple of tug-boats and some sort of paramilitary police force.

This policy might strike you – as it does me – as rather stupid now that Russia has attacked Ukraine which gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from, would-you-believe-it, Russia.

Most Scots have clearly got the message.

Those polled about NATO also said by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 that the nuclear deterrent should be kept. How very sensible of them.

What did that overworked anonymous SNP spokesman have to say about this expression of common sense by the

Sottish people? Well, he had three things to say.

First up, the phrase which must be trotted out at every opportunity even when it is utterly irrelevant: “A Tory Government dragged us out of the EU against our will”. Londoners could say the same thing – it’s just how democracy works – we don’t always get what we want.

The next nonsense from our anonymous hero was relevant but false: “Under Westminster, Scotland’s influence in the world is growing smaller by the day”.

Hmm, tell that to the Swedes or the Finns. When they feel the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a worrying development is it Denmark or Norway or France or Germany they turn to first ? It is not, the European nation they turned to first to sign a treaty giving them explicit military back-up if they are invaded was the UK. The United Kingdom is Europe’s pre-eminent military power. The UK is the leading European player in the fight to keep Ukraine free and contain the rogue state that is Russia. The UK matters a great deal in the world right now and as an integral part of the UK Scotland matters too.

Finally, some obvious twaddle: “An independent Scotland’s security and safety is best guaranteed as a non-nuclear member of NATO, just like Denmark and Norway and almost every other member”. Not only is this nonsense, it is dangerous.

The most obvious thing Scotland can do to maintain effective security is to remain part of the UK. The dangerous part is to think it is OK for nearly every NATO member not to have a nuclear deterrent. Just leave it to the good old Americans; we can shelter – or rather cower – under their nuclear umbrella. If every European NATO member gives up its nuclear deterrent and won’t let nuclear armed forces use its bases why should America bother to protect us?

The Eastern European nations who endured Soviet rule know the score – they allow the United States to base nuclear weapons on their territory. The UK and France go further and actually show the commitment to nuclear deterrence which makes NATO not just the United States plus a bunch of lightweights. For our longterm security in Scotland this matters: we need to put our shoulders fully to the cause of deterrence and not throw away the position we have now.

Would President Zelensky call President Sturgeon? I think not.