Peter Russell has rather missed the point (Letters, April 8).
No-one is disputing there is cross-party support for Trident at Westminster, although the Liberal Democrats have serious doubts about proceeding with the Trident renewal programme. But that is not the case in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament has just voted against having nuclear weapons in Scotland. The SNP and the Greens are pledged to disarm Trident quickly with the power that would come with independence and a number of Labour MSPs are also opposed to Trident although not the Labour leadership. A majority of Scottish MPs voted against the decision of the Blair-Brown Government to initiate the new Trident development.
As in so many other issues, the centre of gravity in Scottish politics is different here. Peter Russell says he opposes nuclear weapons and looks forward to the day when there can be agreement to dispose of them.
A Yes vote in the referendum would give him a real opportunity to achieve this. It would not only remove them from Scotland but since there is nowhere else for them to go in the rest of the UK, unless they spend well over a decade building a new base, it would make a significant contribution to international disarmament and Scotland would be well-placed to position itself as a leading international campaigner for a global nuclear disarmament treaty.
Isobel Lindsay,
9 Knocklea Place,
Biggar.
Peter Russell writes: "If others have nuclear weapons, the UK should have them as well", which is an amazing piece of anti-logic. The logical position is that if the UK has the right to defend its interests with nuclear weapons, then so does every other state in the world.
Our deployment of Trident is a licence for all other countries to do the same. "Don't do as I do, do as I say" is purest hypocrisy.
The only way to escape this logic is to act on the quasi-racist assumption that we are entitled to do what others may not. But then I've always said, scratch a pro-nuclear apologist, and you'll find a racist.
The churches and the leaders of all faith groups have condemned Trident, as have the Scottish trade unions, and the spokespersons for all civic society. In fact, this abomination has no support in Scotland.
The Unionist parties continue to justify this criminal and illegal WMD because it is the ultimate British totem, the sacrosanct symbol of British imperial status.
Since there is no other place it can operate from in the UK other than the Coulport/Faslane complex, its removal from Scotland means a nuclear-free UK.
We have it in our power to take this huge step towards global nuclear disarmament. What a splendid gift from Scotland to the world this would be.
Brian M Quail,
2 Hyndland Avenue,
Glasgow.
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