Yes Vote in the Scottish Referendum Could Take us a Step Closer to Nuclear Disarmament

A Yes Scotland Campaign Poster

Being an Englishman there’s always an element of feeling in some way hurt by the whispers of a Scottish departure from the UK.

As if I personally am being judged and dismissed by the Scottish people. Of course this is pure idiocy but I can’t deny my gut reaction to it was to feel opposed.

However on my New Zealand (a proud anti-Nuclear weapons country and current British dominion) tour I managed to spend a good while talking to a few different Scottish folks about the impending decision facing the people of Scotland and I found some compelling arguments for the yes vote.

It seems Scotland’s stance on Nuclear weapons falls in favour of disarmament and (inconveniently enough for Westminster) for 44 years, the U.K. has stored its nuclear weapons in western Scotland. It now could be faced with finding the Trident missiles in a foreign country should Scottish nationalists win their bid for independence.

With a vote for full sovereignty in the referendum set for Sept. 18, 2014. This could be a rare if not single opportunity to force the hand of the UK into either:

Removal & Relocation

Leasing the land from Scotland to keep the weaponry in place

Or full or partial disarmament.

There is also the  submarine base at Faslane – Scotland which was picked during the Cold War for its deep water and secure location. This would in theory be much easier to move but still hugely impractical for the UK Government.

In the end the Scottish people will have to decide how important this would be within their decision making process. But from having witnessed first hand the impact of nuclear power gone wrong in Japan with Fukushima during my 2011 tour of the country and having seen the holocaust like shock of Nuclear weaponry in full force when I visited the A-bomb museum in Hiroshima back in 2009 (A catalyst for me penning the following poem).

I can only be hopeful of this potential referendum shifting a repetition of these events on British or foreign soil further away from a reality.

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Some links to articles relating:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/yes-vote-in-the-referendum-would-take-us-a-step-closer-to-nuclear-disarmament.20750875

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-03-21/nuclear-weapons-hide-in-pandora-s-box-as-scots-seek-to-quit-u-dot-k-dot

 

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