Faslane Base Facility Closure

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If the Scots Nats, headed by Alex Salmond, become the largest party in the Scottish Assembly and form a working coalition with the LibDems, the question of the nuclear deterrent base at Faslane and Glen Douglas will certainly arise.

Where would those facilities relocate to - Portsmouth or Devonport?

Would the spare nukes be stored and serviced in the old copper and tin mines further up the Tamar? What about the tunnels in the chalk downs behind Portsmouth?

Is this a troll - or a serious question that needs to be thought through?

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Why?

This may only arise if, after a successful referendum in 2010, and the SNP manage to wangle Independence would the closure of Faslane be on the cards.

Rosyth would become the base for the Scottish fleet (apparently the size of Norways!) and all who are currently employed at Faslane and Rosyth would be kept in a job..........

Troll.

Donald
 
Another tricky devolution question yet to be answered, along with the change to the European time zone, adopting the euro & of course Scotland still retaining the Barnett funding (not entirely refuted by Golden Brown yesterday) as well as gaining the North sea oil revenues.
Is there still a peace nik camp at Faslane, I suppose they could always go (back) to Menwith Hill ......
 
Why don't we give them the navy to go with it- after all, it's not much bigger than Norway's now anyway, and after the humiliation at the hands of the Iranians, no bloody use to us. Read Charles More in last week's Spectator "something very bad has happened to the Navy"
 
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Why don't we give them the navy to go with it- after all, it's not much bigger than Norway's now anyway.......

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"Them"? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

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Objective - refers to people (or things) other than the speaker or people addressed.
Source OED.

HTH
 
Its a serious issue.

If the loony Salmond gets his independant Scotland we will have to close all the military bases in Scotland.

That would be a problem for all the serivces I guess.

Of course it would be a bigger problem for the Scots - coping with the unemployment that would follow such a withdrawal.

I'm sure we could find storage space for all those spare nuclear weapons (have trouble with the notion of a "spare" nuke). There are several empty warehouses around Trafford Park that would do.
 
>If the loony Salmond gets his independant Scotland we will have to close all the military bases in Scotland.<

Leaving aside the question of whether he's loony, if he closes all the military bases, where's he gonna park the Scottish regiments and fishery and oil protection fleet? In any case I guess he'd be happy to lease a base or two to ra sassenachs, at MDL prices, of course.
 
I suspect, as did the Daily Telegraph last week, that if a referendum on Scottish independence were held in England, a higher proportion of voters would vote for it than would be the case in Scotland. wait a vear, and Gordy will ensure that such a referendum result would turn into a landslide. Many of us in England are fed up with subsidising whinging Scots and with Scottish MPs being able to vote on matters that affect English voters which are the preserve of the devolved legislation in Scotland. It is very hard to think of real reasons why the English sould want to maintain the Union. Without English subsidy, Scotland's ecconomy would collapse into a welfare-dependant black hole, and they would be happy to rent us millitary bases for whatever they could get.
 
What Scottish regiments?

They are part of the British Army ie the army of the united Kingdom.

If the loony (and he IS a loony) chooses to leave the UK then he leaves behind that which belongs to the UK.

If he chooses to have a Scottish army then the Scottish soliders would be able to leave the UK army and move to the Scottish one- if they can afford one.

The navy including the fishery and oil field protection vessels and aircraft and the RAF would remain in the United Kingdom and would have to be housed within whats left of the UK.

He may wish to lease a base or two to the UK but he may be told to stick his bases, we don't need them. Lots of room for the few naval ships that remain. Let them come to the Humber or Tyne or Mersey - together with the jobs they they create.
 
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Would the spare nukes be stored and serviced in the old copper and tin mines further up the Tamar?

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I think you will find that there are already such facilities at Ernesettle just north of Devonport. If you are crossing the Tamar Bridge and begin to drive up what is laughingly called the Devon Expressway (A38) you might notice sets of rail lines disappearing into the hillside on your left.
I wonder if Salmond and his gang have really thought through what they will have to provide for the newly independent Scotland? So many services which the UK now provides will no doubt be withdrawn and others we provide (e.g. the Met Office, The Hydrographic Office, Defence, Search & Rescue, Coastguards, etc, etc). I guess the RNLI will still operate there as they do in Ireland.
It seems that although the SNP is likely to get the biggest share of the votes when they have their referendum in 2010 it will be a different story. The SNP is relying on anti Labour votes, not pro independence votes.
 
The loony Salmond (aka the Cheeky Chappie) has the naive belief that a combination of North Sea oil and EU grants will subsidise the Scottish Economy in the way that EU money alone subsidised(es) Ireland.

He has failed to notice that the EU now has to finance the economic disaster area known as Eastern Europe. As there are only some 5 million Scots (at least Scots in Scotland) and countless millions Lats, Liths Poles etc etc etc. it would not appear to be too difficult a question to decide where all the money is going to go.

And the oil is running out as well.

Also perhaps worth a mention that since the size of the UK would shrink considerably our contribution to the EU money pit would have to shrink a bit too. Interestingly it could perhaps be argued that since Scotland (according to theSNP) make a great contribution to the UK, that on independance they should take on a significant part of the UK contribution to the EU, to match that contribution that Scotland will no longer be making to the UK.

Of course financially England and Wales would be significantly better off. Having said that I still believe it would be a bad thing.

For many reasons, perhaps more important than simple finance for Scotland to break away from the union would be a loss to both countries. More specifically, to the people of both countries. The only winners would be a few SNP politicians who would have a share in running an economy rather smaller than most metropolitan Councils. No doubt they would overpay themselves and wallow in the status of Head of State but won't mean much really - except to their egos - which is what all this nonsense is really about.
 
You just know it will all be a ghastly mess. One that we, the English idiot taxpayer will have to foot the bill for in the end.

Luckily I think for all I suspect the Scottish diaspora (what a loverly word) will have enough nous to vote it down as & when a referendum comes along. At least I hope so. Now, let me see, just how many cabinet ministers are scottish today .....
 
If the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland economies are dependent upon the UK (and I say only "if"), then, we the English, should be the ones to seek devolution! We can then take "our ball" (the UK economy) and go an play somewhere else - on our own!

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When we get our independence we will hoever allow you to keep that jewel in the crown , yes you can have Gordon Brown! I am sure we will manage without him but it will be hard I know. Who are we to deprive you of this brilliant
 
hi you english guys. keep reading the telegraph, swallowing the unionist line and talking sh*t amongst your selves. it really gives a lot of us up here a good laugh /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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