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Old 10th Jul 2013, 13:38
  #3440 (permalink)  
glojo
 
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I think your link is basically corroborating what my spanner is trying to say.

I totally, fully accept I am cherry picking from a document but rather than just pick sentences I will highlight paragraphs:


25. The result, if the weapons were forced to leave Scotland too quickly, would affect the UK's ability to operate its nuclear deterrent: In the particular circumstances of Trident bases in Scotland there is no way in which the UK Government could rapidly rebase these forces in England. [...] Arguably, it would be politically impossible for them to do so, so for Scotland in those circumstances to insist on them leaving would be to force the UK to make a decision effectively to de-nuclearise
26. John Ainslie was asked what would happen to the nuclear weapons if his timetable was implemented, and he confirmed:

You are forced into a position of disarming. You cannot move them to England or Wales. You cannot move them to the United States, because that was previously ruled out, and Ile Longue in France—what you are talking about in France is a new site.

Furthermore, he confirmed CND Scotland would campaign for the weapons to be removed from Scotland within two years knowing that the result could mean disarmament for the UK, and they would not wish to allow the UK extra time to develop a new base:

For Scottish CND to say, "Let us move them in 20 years' time to England," is not something we would have any time for at all. If what you are saying is that in 20 years' time, we will build another facility at Falmouth, which is the more viable of the options, we could not say, "Oh, yes, we will go along with that."
This view appeared to be shared by the First Minister in an interview after the SNP October 2012 Conference, where he was quoted as saying that if Scotland won independence then "far better it was curtains for Trident", and that given the options the UK could decide on "a much better policy, which would be to decommission the weapons system
This link you supplied is dated October 2012 but it is still in line with the latest select committee meetings but they have dismissed Falmouth as an option.

I believe having the new Royal Marine Base in Plymouth is a very good idea plus we are seeing 45 cdo coming back into the warmer climate of the south-West of England away from their base up in Arbroath.

Portsmouth shipbuilding or Clyde. One is f8cked - irrespective of Scottish independence.
If Scotland went independent then I am certain the future for Portsmouth Naval Base is secure (strong wording but where else could we build those new frigates) and who would care about the future of Clyde shipbuilding?
Again many apologies for my very poorly and misleading first post, my bad, my error, my wording.
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