Salmond wants to trade UK MoD off against US DoD!

[Phill]

Just what is Mr Salmond playing at now? He wants shut of UK Military in Scotland but is inviting US in instead!

"Salmond is in the United States to promote the independence cause and to drum up investment to bolster the economy of the 5.2 million strong Scottish nation. He will seek to promote a distinct foreign policy view when he visits Washington next week and meets with U.S. lawmakers.Salmond said neither he nor Washington had broached the subject of a U.S. military base in Scotland, but the SNP had had discussions with U.S. representatives about NATO membership."

http://www.indiaeveryday.in/fullnews-scotlands-salmond-would-consider-non-nuclear-nato-bases-1014-5286708.htm

[John Little]

Well he might want non- nuclear US involvement in a Scottish base, and it's easy to see why. Lots of moolah in the economy and jobs.

But I wonder if the US would accept such restrictions on the military hardware they were able to put in a NATO base? It seems to me that you might be a non nuclear country, but to want to be in a nuclear alliance and tell the leaders of that alliance that you don't want their dirty nukes on your soil is a bit rich.

After all, if you wish the shelter of a nuclear umbrella, should you not help to hold the Brolly up?

And if the US had a major Scottish base, its purpose would be strategic. Is there any benefit to a strategic base without the ability to base nukes unless you asked Hollyrood?

Cake and eat it?

[Phill]

The US already has a strategic Scottish base, Faslane!

[golach]

The US Navy left the Holy Loch in 1992, I cannot see them coming back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyQeiKIDOlY

[John Little]

I thought Faslane was a British base where the US can use the facilities when they visit.

[Phill]

Oh, I also noticed a distinct change in the rhetoric on nuclear, Mr Salmond is paving the way for SNP backtracking.

[John Little]

What? Again? His principles must be made by Dunlop!

[Oddquine]

The US already has a strategic Scottish base, Faslane!

Now, now.....that is the base for the independent UK nuclear weaponry which costs us big bucks annually and will cost us even bigger bucks to upgrade in order that we can continue to threaten to bomb the crap out of the growing number of "not allowed defence" countries who have acquired/want to acquire nuclear weapons to stop us bombing the crap out of them (on the MAD principle we always use to justify us having WMD). The only MAD people in this scenario are the big five.....who seem to think of nuclear capability as a penis substitute which makes them more macho than the eunuchs in the rest of the world.