Losing sleep at night

The future of Faslane may well hang in the balance should the Yes camp triumph in the independence referendum. The nationalist vision of Scotland, rid of weapons of mass destruction, would seemingly spell the end for nuclear submarines in the Gare Loch. However, it has been muted that the controversial facility may constitute the grand bargaining chip that could enable retention of the pound. A fledgling nation state with a Guantanamo-esque millstone around the neck would presumably quash the pacifist enthusiasm of those who view the nuclear question as pivotal to which way they will side in September.

Are nuclear weapons for the UK a good idea? A cynic (or realist) may opine that the red button does little more than buy a seat at the top table of geopolitics. Desirous of a more venerable justification, establishment mantra expounds an ‘ultimate insurance’ pretence. I do find this reasoning rather odd. The asymmetric and intractable nature of emerging threats renders nuclear annihilation a damp squib. Could we really ‘nuke’ Tora Bora? Mutually assured destruction may have kept the peace between the ideological superpowers of the cold war but it is a redundant doctrine for a country stripped of real global power.

Notwithstanding the so-called ‘axis of evil’ and other pariah regimes, it seems wholly implausible to think that the knowledge of David Cameron’s authority to unleash Armageddon protects us against rouge dictators. If the ‘ultimate insurance’ argument is so compelling then it puzzles me as to why every other European country except France manages to do without. Maybe they are reckless risk takers, but I think that leaving nuclear politics to the superpowers is perfectly reasonable. It is certainly cheaper. We spend more than £2 billion every year on our flagship deterrent. I for one think that there are far more positive uses for such vast sums of money.

Alex Salmond has given a ‘cast iron guarantee’ that an independent Scotland would be free of nuclear weapons. One suspects that Faslane has been at or near the top of any pre-emptive strike strategy against the UK for many years. As a Glaswegian, it would be a great relief if our city and local area ceases to be potential collateral damage in the highest stakes game of all. Nick Clegg hammered another nail into the coffin of politician’s trust and credibility with his tuition fees volte-face; the First Minister would perhaps hammer in the final one should he renege on his pledge.

As an optimist, I hope that the nuclear weapons argument can be won within a UK or Scottish political framework. However, I know that many people have little faith in the Westminster elite changing their tune anytime soon, which amounts to a powerful reason for them to vote yes. Either way, I won’t lose any sleep about being uninsured