Defending policy

Published on 09/10/2012 00:00

Your editorial claim, that “until now the SNP has had a long-standing total opposition to membership of Nato in any form” (8 October), is a gross over-simplification of reality.

When I joined the party as long ago as 1970 its defence policy was predicated on a dual commitment to remove nuclear weapons from Scottish soil, while retaining Nato 
membership, and this was a policy which, as an SNP Westminster parliamentary candidate at both the October 1974, and May 
1979 general elections, I personally was perfectly happy to 
defend.

It is a matter of historical record that the party did not adopt its present anti-Nato as well as anti-nuclear policy until the 1981 Aberdeen conference when the influence of its left-wing, self-styled “socialist and republican” 79 Group was at its peak.

If the party was now to change its policy to a pro-Nato stance in line with the current leadership’s preference it would simply be reverting to its earlier – and in my view more sensible – compromise policy, which would have the added advantage of being closer to the current views of the majority of the Scottish electorate, thereby enhancing the prospects of a Yes vote in the referendum.

Of course, no-one can predict the defence policy of an independent Scotland – or, for that matter, of the UK itself – in 10, 20 or 30 years’ time.

IAN O BAYNE

Clarence Drive

Glasgow