The London media village, Westminster-obsessed, has abruptly discovered Scotland.
Alex Salmond tells Jon Sopel patiently how many beans make five.
Scotland watches proudly - and affectionately - as their First Minister courteously answers questions drawn from The Ladybird Book of Politics, which is as far as most UK media interviewers have got so far.
NUCLEAR BASES – TRIDENT
The First Minister says clearly that an independent Scotland would have the ultimate decision on when to go to war, i.e sacrifice the lives of Scottish servicemen and women – and would not, for example, have supported the invasion of Iraq.
He also says there could be some sensible sharing of military bases. But if that were to extend, for example, to leasing the Trident nuclear bases to UK Minus (The United Kingdom of England, Wales and Northern Ireland) after Scotland has achieved independence, then the Scottish Government would have to have a veto on when nuclear weapons were used from its waters, or from a submarine in international waters that was based in Scottish waters.
Since Scotland does not support the use of nuclear weapons or WMDs in any circumstances, UK Minus (effectively the US) would be leasing bases and owning weapons of mass destruction, e.g. Trident submarines that could never be used.
This would be untenable, therefore Scotland can never lease the nuclear bases to UK Minus.
Or that’s my logic. It’s also the deal breaker that I’ll go the barricades on, if needs must. And I’ll have company …
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