Row over military shipbuilding in Scotland rumbles on, the reality is that in 50 years, Britain hasn't built a warship outside UK

Dear All

I am pro independence, I always will be, Scotland should be an independent country; we are well capable if the right people enter government.

My view at present is Scotland isn’t ready for independence.

As an aside to illustrate the point about not being ready, I see on Twitter, the social network site that SNP MSP Joan McAlpine is the subject of a ditto by David Clegg:

“David Clegg ‏@courierclegg

On dear. A major dressing down for @JoanMcAlpine from the PO for the "discourtesy" to parly of not turning up to ask her planned question”.

Followed by:

“David Clegg ‏@courierclegg

PO: "It is not the first time nor the second time this has happened. I will expect a full explanation and apology by the end of the day."

We aren’t ready for independence especially in the SNP, Joan McAlpine was a member of the Maryhill & Springburn branch, the gormless halfwit and publicly unelected Bob Doris did a post on his election website about her visiting his campaign rooms during the Holyrood election as some kind of endorsement.

She lives round the corner!

And was a member of the branch, she didn’t attend branch meetings and didn’t attended SNP workdays but was still passed as a candidate which shows how the SNP Candidate selection system works, its all about if your face fits.

If Scotland wins the indy vote in 2014, there will be changes, the SNP won’t win but let us assume for talking sake they do, Scotland will lose military shipbuilding contracts from the UK Ministry of Defence.

No British warship had been built in a foreign yard for more than 50 years and will never be, jobs will be kept in England.

Independence will bring good things and bad things.

SNP Ministers at Holyrood say Scotland's skills base would help ensure a healthy order book in the future, but not from military contracts from the UK.

It is disingenuous to try and sell the lie that military shipbuilding contracts from the Ministry of Defence will continue, there is no evidence to support this.

Duncan McPhee, a senior shop steward with Unite, based at BAE Systems in Scotstoun, Glasgow, told MPs on Wednesday that, without UK defence contracts, the shipbuilding industry in Scotland "would be greatly reduced, or in fact - finished".

That is the reality, get used to it. Scotland cannot sustain military shipbuilding from its own order books.

A Downing Street spokesman, said:

"The reality is that in 50 years, Britain hasn't built a warship outside the UK. That is a fact. Distinction has to be made between contracts already in the pipeline and those further down the line. Separation is not just for a five-year term."

An MoD spokeswoman added:

"The shipbuilding unions met with the defence minister Peter Luff yesterday. We talked about the fact that we hadn't had a British warship built in a foreign country for the last 50 years, so we wouldn't necessarily start that in the future should Scotland become independent."

So, what is plan McB from Alex Salmond?

Nothing!

Does this look like a government preparing a country for independence?

The reply to what is reality from the Scottish government, was to accused UK ministers of "scaremongering" over the future of Scottish shipbuilding.

Everyday until the independence referendum in 2014 is a day wasted while the SNP Government refuses to work properly.

Military shipbuilding will be gone, thousands will lose their jobs and the entire industry smashed because there is no strategic planning for the future of the industry.

How do we know that?

The permanent record of SNP MSPs politicians in Holyrood and the Scottish Government at present!

But hey, Alex Salmond is going to order up balloons and flags to give to kids, that will make all the difference to the vote!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University