Scottish Affairs Committee – Fiscal challenges and opportunities in Independent Scotland

Ian Davidson: “You can take your jacket off – it’ll not be stolen – this isn’t Edinburgh”

Nuclear power - inherently unsafe. Scotland doesn’t have to be part of this global lunacy

Another Three Mile Island threatens in Japan, and as ever with the nuclear industry, the lies emanate as insidiously as the radiation, poisoning the political debate.

Greenpeace observed yesterday that the first instinct of the managers, politicians and apologists for the nuclear industry is to lie.

Scotland doesn’t have to be part of the nuclear lunacy - an industry joined at the hip to its twin, the nuclear ‘deterrent’.

And in Scotland, the UK’s nuclear playground, the MOD secretly bans nuclear subs from berthing in Loch Ewe, near Ullapool, because of fears that the public would be at risk from radiation leaks.

The Scottish police demonstrated an admirable instinct for self-preservation by refusing to join naval commanders in the Aultlea co-ordination centre for fear of radiation contamination and prudently set up a control centre well away from the hazard area.

THE SUNDAY HERALD

There appears to be be an astonishing sea change in the Sunday Herald’s view of Scottish life today, who knows, perhaps a recognition of what we are in danger of losing on May 5th - the only non-nuclear party in Scotland - and the UK - apart from the Greens and tiny Socialist parties, wholly committed to the interests and future of the Scottish people, and bluntly, the only competent party in the UK at this time.

How else to explain these paragraphs in the Sunday Herald’s editorial -

The first Nationalist government has proven itself sure-footed, competent and more innovative than its predecessor. It has removed bridge tolls, ended prescription charges, frozen council tax, recruited an extra 1000 police officers and restarted council house building.

Its support for the construction industry has helped secure jobs through the downturn.

As the First Minister acknowledged yesterday, some things could have been done better.

But taken as a whole, it seems to us that Scotland has benefited from a change of administration and Salmond’s enthusiastic leadership.