Salmond two-faced over defence policy

Withdrawal from Nato had been an SNP policy for many years. Sniffing that such a move might not go down well with the referendum electorate he bludgeoned his party into a complete U-turn on the issue.

The supposed justification was that a more worthy approach would be to stay in and try to exert influence to abandon nuclear weapons from the inside. (One wonders incidentally why such an approach wouldn’t work in general terms within the UK?) On his current taxpayer funded junket to America he reveals that secret talks are sounding out the possibilities of hosting US military bases – providing they are non-nuclear – within an independent Scotland. How does this sit with the alleged reason for the volte face on withdrawal from Nato?

Is he seriously suggesting that by such cosying up to the Americans he might persuade them to abandon their nuclear capability? Surely not even Mr Salmond is capable of such self delusion.

This announcement is a thinly disguised ploy to try to suggest to the Scottish people that any jobs lost as a result of the proposed removal of Trident would be compensated for by spin-offs from the installation of US military bases.

As usual Alex Salmond wants to have his cake and eat it – railing against the principle of nuclear weapons whilst simultaneously seeking to promote and strengthen an alliance with a nation which is totally and irrevocably committed to them.

Colin Hamilton

Braid Hills Avenue

Edinburgh

Is ALEX Salmond serious? Does he really think even the most gullible of his followers, let alone the people of this country, will be taken in by the “US bases welcome as long as the SNP can decide what weapons they use” rhetoric (your report, 6 April)?

Does he think the US will immediately drop all its weaponry that does not suit Mr Salmond’s party and come begging for a base in a separated Scotland?

That any former ally would be interested in establishing anything but minimum contact, let alone a base, in a country run by a party in hock to its wildest, far-left, knee-jerk anti-nuclear elements is  preposterous.

And the words of a man who pilloried US and UK actions in trying to prevent genocide by Serbian nationalists in the Balkans as being “unpardonable folly” will  be regarded as less than  compelling.

I think I can safely predict where Mr Salmond will be told to locate any offer of bases.

Alexander McKay

New Cut Rigg

Edinburgh