Latest Press Releases
| SNP COMMENT ON RAF AND ARMY REDUNDANCIES |
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| Thursday, 01 September 2011 00:00 |
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SNP COMMENT ON RAF AND ARMY REDUNDANCIES
CONVENTIONAL JOBS CUT AS MoD FIND BILLIONS FOR TRIDENT
Commenting on confirmation that 930 RAF and 920 Army personnel will be
made redundant – including 750 compulsory redundancies - the SNP said
the cuts were shameful at a time when personnel were supporting
operations in Libya and Afghanistan and while the UK Government
continued to find billions for the renewal of Trident.
Mr Robertson said:
“These redundancies are shameful at a time when personnel are
supporting operations in Libya and Afghanistan. These further cuts to
our forces come on top of the 10,500 defence job losses and
£5.6billion underspend Scotland has been hit with over the last decade
from Westminster.
“The UK government has its priorities all wrong when our conventional,
front-line forces face compulsory redundancy, while the Trident
nuclear weapons system is treated like some sacred cow.
"People in Scotland will be appalled that whilst the Westminster
government is forging ahead with cuts to basing and personnel they can
find the money for a nuclear weapons system that offers little defence
in the 21st century.
“Majority Scottish opinion, our churches, the Scottish Trade Union
Congress and Civic Society, all oppose Trident, yet the UK Government
wants to use Scottish tax-payers money to pay for these weapons of
mass destruction while cutting conventional defence.
“Any way you look at it - on moral, financial, or defence grounds -
renewal of Trident is completely untenable in the face of these
redundancies. A normal country with the power to decide its own
defence and security policy would never be pushed into this crazy
situation. Scotland must have independence to determine its own
priorities, rather than have somebody else's imposed on it.”
CONVENTIONAL JOBS CUT AS MoD FIND BILLIONS FOR TRIDENT
Commenting on confirmation that 930 RAF and 920 Army personnel will be made redundant – including 750 compulsory redundancies - the SNP said the cuts were shameful at a time when personnel were supporting operations in Libya and Afghanistan and while the UK Government continued to find billions for the renewal of Trident.
Mr Robertson said:
“ These redundancies are shameful at a time when personnel are supporting operations in Libya and Afghanistan. These further cuts to our forces come on top of the 10,500 defence job losses and £5.6billion underspend Scotland has been hit with over the last decade from Westminster.
“ The UK government has its priorities all wrong when our conventional, front-line forces face compulsory redundancy, while the Trident nuclear weapons system is treated like some sacred cow.
" People in Scotland will be appalled that whilst the Westminster government is forging ahead with cuts to basing and personnel they can find the money for a nuclear weapons system that offers little defence in the 21st century.
“ Majority Scottish opinion, our churches, the Scottish Trade Union Congress and Civic Society, all oppose Trident, yet the UK Government wants to use Scottish tax-payers money to pay for these weapons of mass destruction while cutting conventional defence.
“ Any way you look at it - on moral, financial, or defence grounds - renewal of Trident is completely untenable in the face of these redundancies. A normal country with the power to decide its own defence and security policy would never be pushed into this crazy situation. Scotland must have independence to determine its own priorities, rather than have somebody else's imposed on it.”
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