Scottish independence: Alex Salmond condemns lack of Royal Navy ships in Scotland as 'absurd', Scotland houses the nuclear fleet which guarantees our safety, Salmond hints we are 'protected' by fisheries protection vessel, honestly, what an utter buffoon!

Dear All

When it comes to defence, the Scottish National Party are absolutely clueless, the latest piece of grudge, grievance and malcontent to come out of Alex Salmond is that there is no major Royal Navy warship is based at a Scottish port.

Scotland as part of the UK is defended as part of a UK network of bases all over the country.

Scotland has what must be the most important naval base in the UK; Faslane, it houses the Nuclear Submarine fleet.

This fleet guarantees Scotland’s security, previously I have blogged on the need that the SNP adopt NATO and promise that if independent, a deal should be made to keep the nuclear fleet in Scottish water.

Sadly petty SNP politics rejected the nuclear option, this is due to the fact that the SNP isn’t really a political party but rather a number of grudge and grievance groups cobbled together.

Salmond says independence would allow Scotland to develop "appropriate capabilities" for its defence needs.

What are the "appropriate capabilities"?

Again like so much of what Alex Salmond says he clearly has no idea, there is no plan, and some time ago, the SNP made a ridiculous pledge that Scottish Soldiers would have a job for life!

Scottish Soldiers would have a job for life, this is totally unworkable.

In his visit to Lerwick to try and re-launch his failed independence campaign he said:

"Our current naval capability is based on prestige, not performance. The navy does not have a single major surface vessel based in Scotland. The largest protection vessels stationed in Scottish waters are those of the fisheries protection vessels run by the Scottish government. It is absurd for a nation with a coastline longer than India's to have no major surface vessels. And it's obscene for a nation of five million people to host weapons of mass destruction."

There is so much there to pick apart so let’s get started, all naval capability is based on performance, the Royal Navy is one of the most professional in the World. As to Salmond hinting that Scotland is left to be protected by fisheries protection vessels run by the Scottish government, that is just a joke, and presumably for the gullible.

Modern naval warfare as far back as I can remember is a matter of both naval and air power, you can research this by going as far back to WW2 and the events like the Battle of Midway.

Available on DVD if Alex Salmond wishes to become a naval tactician and ‘First Lord of the Scottish Admiralty’!

Maybe my American friend Dr. Phillips O’Brien, Director of the Scottish Centre for War Studies at the University of Glasgow could educate the deeply ignorant SNP; however, he made find their company unacceptable as I do.

And to hark back to the 1970’s, Salmond repeated the SNP's proposal for an independent Scotland to become a nuclear-free member of NATO.

Loser!!!!!!!!!

Scotland is in a key strategic position because of its location, nuclear free isn’t an option, some people in the SNP joined the party because the CND supporters, they aren’t Nationalists and never where. Another bunch of malcontents in the SNP are the Sein Fein lite who have a hatred of the British because of its history with Ireland; they aren’t Nationalists either in my opinion. The SNP is made up of little groups who have as their main focus and anti British agenda, all held together with promises to keep them working for the leadership clique.

In a proposed Scottish Defence Force, it would primarily be tasked with guarding Scotland and its closest neighbours, this means it would be about a decade before they got any operational experience. During that time Scotland wouldn’t be properly defended, we would still have to rely on the Royal Navy. Previously Salmond said that any Scottish Army could contribute to international peacekeeping and humanitarian missions "over time".

So, on land we would have Dad’s Army, on the water, we would have Captain Pugwash and associates sailing round Oil rigs!!!!!!

And to show his barmy credentials, Salmond restated his plan for the constitution of an independent Scotland to rule out military action not sanctioned by the UN.

Given Russia and China have a veto; it would mean Scotland would standby when innocents are being slaughter such as in Kosovo.

And Salmond got that episode wrong.

A Scotland Office spokesman said:

"Yet again the Scottish Government have passed up an opportunity to share a coherent, positive and substantive plan with the people of Scotland on how they propose to maintain Scotland's defence and security, and sustain thousands of jobs in Scotland's defence industry."

In an independent Scotland, Alex Salmond couldn’t defend a hut in a paintball game; the only plan that would probably exist would be the plan to fly him and his cronies to London to set up a ‘government in exile’ in the event of invasion.

As to wanting a major Royal Navy warship, he isn’t getting one, he will just have to use a fisheries protection vessel if he wants his clique to have ‘boat drinks’ and a party!

Salmond is right on one thing, someone is 'absurd', he sees him every morning when he looks in the mirror to brush his hair forward.

Grudge, grievance and malcontent yet again, the broken record is becoming very wearing on the ear!

Maybe he should play ‘battleships’ to get the hang of naval warfare!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University