Leader: Attack on SNP army plans adds to unanswered questions

MAKING provision for the defence of the realm is the primary responsibility of any government, which is why the questions posed to Alex Salmond by the former chief of the general staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, in the run-up to an independence referendum are highly significant.

Sir Richard said the First Minister must be “honest and transparent” and warned that establishing a separate Scottish armed force would be “difficult, verging on completely impossible”. The make up of that force would also depend on whether the First Minister wanted a “ceremonial”, “passive” or “interventionist” force, he added.

To his credit, Sir Richard has drawn attention to Mr Salmond’s apparent commitment to look only in detail at the form a Scottish armed service would take after independence, not before it, something which most reasonable people – whether in favour of Scotland leaving the UK or not – will find puzzling.

Responding to Sir Richard, a spokesman for the First Minister claimed matters of defence policy were set out “in detail” in the Your Scotland Your Voice White Paper published in November 2009. Nonsense. The seven-and-a-half pages devoted to defence contain a vague list of options and go nowhere near answering the general’s pertinent questions.

If Scots are to make an informed choice in a vote on independence they must have precise details of what an independent Scotland will look like, on everything from the armed services to the currency. It is time for Mr Salmond to start answering some questions.