Monday 5 March 2012

The Arc of Gullibility


In a letter to the Herald, Brian Quail, stalwart of Scottish CND, expresses his believe that Only full independence can rid us of the menace that is the Trident system”. Perhaps Mr Quail missed the report in the Guardian of the previous day that the SNP is considering joining Nato (if they win the referendum which they will not, but that's a different matter). The report also reveals a 2008 survey showing that 53% of SNP supporters agree that staying with Nato is in Scotland’s interests. Even if an "independent" Scotland did not join Nato, there is a strong possibility that the UK Government would pay a generous amount to lease the Faslane facilities and an impoverished new country would gratefullly take the dosh. So, even if the UK is broken up, Trident is likely to stay where it is for the foreseeable future.

It's not surprising that CND and others were intitially taken in by Nationalist promises but I am surprised that they are still clinging to the belief that the SNP will deliver. In its desire to farm votes from any source the SNP has made promises to every protest group and sectional interest imaginable including anti-nuclear weapons, pacifists, (while keeping army and RAF bases) anti-nuclear power, environmentalists, anti-environmentalists, anti-abortion groups, pro-choice Christians, republicans, monarchists, students, teachers (while building no new schools), nurses, pro-business, progressives, homophobes, anti-tax Tories, pro-public service campaigners and a host of local pro and anti-development groups. 

So much contradiction is bound to lead to disappointment, particularly when “independence” is redefined on a daily basis by the whim of the First Minister. 

 Patent NatMed. Cures what ails you. Honest!

I’m no great fan of Trident renewal either: it seems like a lot of dough for very little bread, (especially when we are building aircraft carriers with no planes to put on them!), but I'm very much afraid that Brian Quail and CND must now join the republicans and public sector workers and pro-choice and students, teachers and parents and all the other people who voted SNP in response to promises that their particular brand of snake-oil would cure all ills, and accept that a pro-Nato SNP would never get rid of Trident, any more than it abolished student debt, or abolished the Council Tax or built schools “brick-for-brick” or any other of a string of empty Nationalist promises.

6 comments:

  1. NATO members. 3 out of 28 members are WMD promoters so your point is that an 'impoverished' Scotland would sell its morals for money and power like the Labour party. Get real we don't tell blatant lies like Lamont and Baillie over steel or blankets procurement.

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  2. My point is that the SNP is considering joining Nato, a nuclear weapons based organisation, which will make it difficult for them to then demand removal of Trident from the Clyde.

    "Please sir can we join your club. We'll take the benefits but ignore the rules. Is that all right?"

    And that's not their first diversion from the path they promised, now they've got your votes.

    How many more betrayals can you guys take before you wake up to the Nationalists' power grab using your votes, but with no intention of delivering?

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  3. "How many more betrayals can you guys take before you wake up to the Nationalists' power grab using your votes, but with no intention of delivering?"


    now that is defo pot calling kettle black.

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  4. You ought to find a more useful occupation. There is NO contradiction in considering Nato membership but rejecting WMD. And given the sad aspirations of the British state to retain WMD I for one would use this as a short term bargaining tool.

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  5. Anon

    The Nats have been all things to all men and women.

    Students, we'll abolish studend debt!

    Teachers and pupils, we'll build schools "brick for brick" with Labour.

    What? Sack 4000 teachers? No fear not us!!!

    CNDers,our policy is not to join Nato. We'll remove Trident. We're pacifists....

    Meanwhile we'll campaign to keep air bases and army bases and naval bases.... and blame Westminster if they close...

    Republicans, count on us to ditch the Monarchy.

    Monarchists look! We're keeping the Queen!

    Gay community, we'll have gay marriage.

    Archbishop, we'll do what you want as well. And that goes for you too, Mr Souter.

    We'll be environmentally friendly at a national level while opposing wind farms and clean coal power stations locally. Clever eh?

    And we'll oppose nuclear power except in Ayrshire and the Lothians (They've got nuclear power stations, see).

    Progressives, that's us, even 'though our one taxation policy is to reduce corporation tax.


    I'm sure there's more...

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