Insight
duction line, and they exported Torna- “I think the Scottish are less beguiled is, I think, a very important step forward
dos to Saudi Arabia, the Al Yamamah by notions of nuclear weapons having to Scotland taking responsibility for the
deal, which really retained quite a sub- status or value in keeping this empire role that Scotland plays in holding up
stantial part of BAE’s military aircraft concept of Britain at some mystical top the nuclear ‘business as usual’ mentality.
capability. table. They can see them for what they “Any decision to get out of the
Malcolm says that SBAC in the UK are.” nuclear business will take time, she said,
is “certainly keen to see an open defence While Malcolm argues that there and highlights that the debate crystal-
procurement market across Europe”. are “probably thousands of jobs in an lises some of the great unknowns about
He adds: “A close market becomes area [Faslane] that probably wouldn’t an independent Scotland’s defence
stagnant to innovation and so on, and otherwise be able to sustain that level of industry: “There are various scenarios,
we need to see an open market as the employment”, and while Johnson says and I think they all need to be thought
best way to ensure efficiency of defence that while “the issue of jobs is very very through. If we take the nuclear out, but
contracts, and the UK industry has important, it shouldn’t be confused with retain the military bases and the naval
nothing to fear from that, it’s very suc- the issue of what Scotland needs for its bases, the current skills level amongst
cessful and a very innovative market security”. those working there is the Royal Navy,
and companies,” and SBAC highlights “It’s the responsible thing for the and the employees are employees of the
examples of companies that are making Scottish Government to plan how you Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence,
inroads into the international market – would regenerate the area around Hel- so it would remain to be seen how many
BAE Systems at Scotstoun who have sold ensburgh, where there are currently local of those are Scottish and would chose to
frigates to Malaysia, and Selex, mak- jobs supporting the base, but a lot of the transfer their skills to a Scottish navy. I
ing inroads into the American defence jobs are not local, they are bought in.” suspect there would be a significant pro-
industry. She highlights the possibility of the site portion of them, but you couldn’t assume
Malcolm adds: “I think it’s hard to being developed as a sports and leisure if the Royal Navy left Faslane, they were
say [orders] would be more or less, but industry, or the development of engineer- leaving a lot of people who could deal
we should be confident about it, rather ing excellence in renewable energy. She with submarines.”
than nervous or scared about it.” also suggests an example: “At Greenham Back in Quebec, it is, ironically, two
Perhaps the greatest policy shift that Common since the American base left Canadian military missions overseas that
an independent Scotland would see is there, there’s a whole business park, in are helping breathe life back into a sepa-
the removal of nuclear submarines from the area where the Americans had their ratist movement that grew bitter and
Faslane, and the Scottish Government’s huts and their hangers and their offices, ineffective after the 1995 loss. Canada’s
Scotland Without Nuclear Weapons that was all fairly easily and quickly con- decision to recognise an independent
Working Group has had three meet- verted as a new business park, which Kosovo, something only made possible
ings – the latest last week – to plan for brought jobs in and the local jobs in ser- by NATO action, has led to the sepa-
such an eventuality, even within the cur- vices can carry on.” ratists asking how their situation differs
rent devolution settlement, chaired by However, she highlights the need to from that and Serbia. And as Canadian
the Minister for Parliamentary Business, plan for such an eventuality. soldiers, many from Quebec, continue
Bruce Crawford. “For the Scottish Government to have to die in Afghanistan, Quebeckers, who
Dr Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Insti- a working group to look at the implica- overwhelmingly oppose the mission, are
tute for Disarmament Diplomacy, and tions for Scotland, both of nuclear policy beginning to ask whether remaining part
a member of the working group, said: and of being without nuclear weapons of Canada is worth it after all. HM
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