Scottish independence: Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland “could” still build British Navy warships, Sturgeon uses the same ‘con trick’ to try and dupe Scottish voters on MOD warship and auxiliary vessel contracts placement

Dear All

Have you ever been conned?

It is really annoying, so check out Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s really intelligence insulting rubbish.

Ms. Sturgeon says that new naval warships could still be built in Scotland even if it leaves the UK.

So what power does she have to make that statement?

Only the power of speech!

That’s right; her statement is completely vacuous, devoid of fact and based on pure speculation and assumption.

In trying to get her ‘flagship’ campaign off the rocks Nicola Sturgeon rejects suggestions that a vote for independence means shipyards on the Clyde in Glasgow would lose out on work to build Type 26 warships.

Britain hasn’t built a military warship outside the UK in 50 years; it isn’t just the issue of national security but the reality of politics at the Westminster Village.

Yesterday, BAE announced 1,775 jobs are to go across the UK, it isn’t what people wanted to hear but the good news is that Govan and Scotstoun are to be saved but with a reduced work force.

The UK Government has ended shipbuilding at Portsmouth, however, in the event of a Yes Vote; Portsmouth would be brought back online and fairly quickly.

The yards at Govan and Scotstoun will both work on the new Type 26 thus ensuring the continuation of the yards, the type 26 orders are vital.

The rub is that UK Government ministers have hinted this work could go elsewhere if Scots vote Yes. What they are doing is more than dropping hints, they are laying on the line, and for those interested in protecting jobs they should be aware that Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon can save a single job.

So far Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon have made in the region of £32 billion in spending pledges as they attempt to buy Scottish votes.

Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael who is less subtle than Michael Moore said the UK would not want the work to go to Scotland if Scotland became independent and Portsmouth could be "well placed" for the contract.

Shipbuilding is ending at Portsmouth but they are still keeping key personnel on, that isn’t out of fondness for them, it is a strategic move both from a defence and politic stand point.

Mr Carmichael said:

''If Scotland is no longer part of the country, then it's difficult to see how this work will go to Scotland.''

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: '

'The UK has never outside of the two world wars built complex warships outside the UK."

He added:

"I see no reason to expect that the UK would want to change from the position that we will build complex warships in the UK for reasons of maintaining sovereign capability in the future.''

So, there you have it, why should the rest of the UK place orders in what would be a foreign country?

It just won’t happen.

Sturgeon insists the Clyde is the "best place" for the new ships to be built; then she goes off and says the Ministry of Defence had placed for military vessels to be built in Korea.

This is a point that she has used before to attempt to deceive voters, these vessels aren’t warships, Labour MP Anas Sarwar pulled her up for attempt to mislead people on the BBC Big Debate Independence special hosted by Isobel Fraser.

Sturgeon told the BBC:

"The Type 26, assuming MoD does decide to go ahead, these ships will be built on the Clyde because - as BAE said yesterday and the Defence Secretary said yesterday - it is the best place to build them, because of the investment we've seen in these yards, because of the skill mix and because of the value for money."

If Scotland is independent then the best place to build them will be Portsmouth,that is the bottom line.

Sturgeon added:

"We are talking about a UK Government that has put a military contract in Korea. It really does underline how preposterous it is that a UK Government having an arrangement with Scotland would be a perfectly credible and sensible thing to do."

This statement shows how incredibly ignorant Ms. Sturgeon is, she was caught on trying to deceive people before and patently she hasn’t learnt, she is treating Scottish people with utter contempt.

She added:

"The practical point is Philip Hammond and BAE said very clearly yesterday that the Clyde was the value for money option."

The placing of these orders is as much a political decision as a financial and she clearly thinks when she speaks that she is speaking to an uninformed audience.

Gerald Vernon-Jackson, leader of Portsmouth City Council condemned the decision to shut down the last remaining shipyard in England.

You can understand his point of view, this is a major blow for the Portsmouth area and nearly a 1,000 people who stand to lose their jobs.

Portsmouth Conservative councillor Alistair Thompson said:

''Many of those who I represent as a councillor are hugely concerned that this decision has been taken for political reasons because of the referendum in Scotland next year.''

I think he will find many on both sides of the border who would agree with him, the UK Government have committed an act of faith in making their decision to ensure that Scotland remains in the UK. In the unlikely event of a Yes vote; Portsmouth would taken out of mothballs and returned to shipbuilding.

No British warship has been built outside the UK for 50 years and that policy will continue.

As to Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon using the con trick that she has already been caught out using citing MOD having vessels built in Korea, these aren’t warships, they are auxiliary vessels.

And in an independent Scotland, there isn’t a guarantee that Scotland would win these contracts either.

The reality is that shipbuilding in Scotland relies very heavily on the British Ministry of Defence, if independent, Scotland would lose both Govan and Scotstoun.

As to the Sturgeon statement, “new naval warships could still be built in Scotland even if it leaves the UK”, that isn’t a guarantee, that isn’t a commitment, she doesn’t speak for the British Government.

It’s time to end the con!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University