Scottish CND To Do Battle Over SNP’s Pro-NATO U-Turn
The Scotsman
August 14, 2012
Scottish independence: Nationalists’ CND group prepares to do battle over party’s Nato U-turn
By Andrew Whitaker
THE SNP leadership is under growing pressure to abandon plans to drop the party’s long-standing opposition to Nato membership.
SNP CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) has said it will devote its entire conference to plan how to oppose an attempt by SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson to change policy to a pro-Nato stance.
The group, which has about 1,000 members, had planned to use the conference on 25 August to discuss general issues surrounding nuclear weapons and defence policy.
However, amid widespread opposition to the proposed shift, the group has now billed the event on its website as a conference for SNP members to plan how they can “retain the current SNP anti-Nato policy” in a clear sign of the growing unrest within the party.
The move comes after seven other SNP MSPs and a dozen groups within the party lodged a formal bid to oppose the policy reversal, a shift backed by First Minister Alex Salmond. SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn has lodged a formal amendment to vote down a resolution to the conference from Mr Robertson, which states that an independent Scotland would “maintain Nato membership subject to an agreement that Scotland will not host nuclear weapons”.
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Daily Record
August 14, 2012
Anti-nuclear weapons protesters to stage demonstration at SNP headquarters
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Today is the 67th anniversary of the US nuclear strike on the Japanese city of Nagasaki which killed about 70,000 people.
A Trident Ploughshares spokeswoman suggested that if the SNP kept Scotland in Nato they would be accepting that other members of alliance are ready to use nuclear weapons “to commit mass murder on your behalf”.
“The amendment suggests that there should be a referendum on that position and the the SNP’s position in that referendum should be that we maintain our opposition to Nato as it is a nuclear first-strike force.”
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Protesters are set to stage a demonstration outside SNP headquarters today over the party leadership’s proposal to ditch their opposition to Nato.
Trident Ploughshares said the planned U-turn, which would see an independent Scotland remain within the nuclear-armed military alliance, is incompatible with the party’s anti-nuclear stance.
SNP defence spokesman Angus Robertson will ask delegates at the party conference in October to back the new pro-Nato stance with the support of First Minister Alex Salmond.
They face opposition from a group led by SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn, who has tabled an amendment urging the conference to maintain the policy “that Scotland should not remain a member of Nato” as it “continues to be a nuclear weapons-based alliance”.
Trident Ploughshares fears the proposed u-turn signals “a slowly buckling resolve to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons”, which will keep them on the Clyde for decades more.
Today is the 67th anniversary of the US nuclear strike on the Japanese city of Nagasaki which killed about 70,000 people.
A Trident Ploughshares spokeswoman suggested that if the SNP kept Scotland in Nato they would be accepting that other members of alliance are ready to use nuclear weapons “to commit mass murder on your behalf”.
The deadline for amendments to Mr Robertson’s pro-Nato resolution is tomorrow.
Mr Hepburn said: “I can confirm that I have submitted an amendment with a number of colleagues and organisations within the party, and I look forward to the SNP standing orders and agenda committee considering that amendment.
“Once it is on the final agenda, I look forward to the debate at the conference.”
An SNP spokesman said if the amendment is accepted it will be published on the conference agenda around September 14.
SNP MSP John Finnie confirmed that he will be supporting Mr Hepburn’s amendment.
He said: “The reality of the situation is that, as with the EU (European Union), the day after independence Scotland will remain a member of Nato.
“The amendment suggests that there should be a referendum on that position and the the SNP’s position in that referendum should be that we maintain our opposition to Nato as it is a nuclear first-strike force.”
SNP MSPs Sandra White, Marco Biagi, Dave Thompson, Jean Urquhart and Gordon MacDonald are also understood to be backing the amendment.
An SNP spokesman said: “The SNP has a cast-iron commitment to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons.
“Given the continued presence of Trident nuclear weapons in Scotland – against the wishes of her Parliament and people – independence is the only constitutional option which makes this possible.
“SNP members have the democratic opportunity to make their views on Nato membership clear at the annual conference in October, where we expect to have an excellent debate on defence policy, including reaffirming the party’s strong anti-nuclear stance.”
