I'd always assumed it was a couple of generations. Certainly more than 9 months
The UK Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said...
"We know for a fact independence would close the Scottish shipyards. The rest of UK would become a foreign country to Scotland and the UK Royal Navy has not built a warship in a foreign land in living memory. The Royal Navy order book keeps Scottish yards afloat but independence would see orders dry up. Thousands of jobs are put at risk by Nationalists' plans."
This was in response to the threatened closure of a shipyard in the UK and whether it would be the Scottish yard that would close due to the 'threat' of independence for Scotland.
I was doubtful about his statement. I know our fleet of submarines wouldn't operate without assistance from our allies in the USA.
And then I found this at the Daily Mail from 9 months ago...
" Defence Minister Peter Luff announced yesterday that a £452million contract for the support tankers had been awarded to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering. Critics said the decision was a blow to Britain’s declining shipbuilding industry and to the proud naval tradition of what was once the world’s greatest seafaring nation."
" The tankers that are being bought ‘off-the-shelf’ from South Korea will maintain the Navy’s ability to refuel warships at sea and will provide support for amphibious and land forces close to shore."
Labour defence spokesman Jim Murphy said: ‘This is more bad news for British industry. "First we lose out to France over fast jets and now we lose out to South Korea over Royal Navy tankers. The country wants the Government to do more to support British industry. I’d like to see more of our defence industry with a “Made in Britain” stamp on it."
If Scotland got independence then we would be in a better position to tender for orders from the Navy. We could bid as part of the British Isles as Labour's Jim Murphy prefers or we could bid as a 'foreign land' as the Tories seem to prefer.
Of course if UKIP win at Westminster then we're stuffed. They back whoever is part of the UK. End of.
Well researched Monty.
ReplyDeleteMurphy is a cheap, thick opportunist. I have no idea what Miliband was doing promoting him to an important role. It surely must have something to do with party factions and keeping them happy.
When he was SoS for Scotland (a role he didn't want and hated [allegedly]), I heard him on two occasions on radio phone ins being completely mangled by members of the public.
One of these was on radio Scotland, a BBC channel. He got so flustered in the end that he suggested that there had been an SNP campaign to phone in...
As far as I know there wasn't, but if even one unionist Labour supporter had phoned in with something positive to say about him and his government you can bet that the BBC would have had him on the line for as long as possible.
Secondly, he should have been able to cope with the kind of questions he was being asked, and by ordinary people... no university types here, at least by the sound of their accents and grammar.
But they beat the hell out of him.
He is intellectually wanting!
The other occasion was a Scotsman podcast. Again the phoners beat him.
Normally I love a West Coast accent...Glasgow area. They sound so warm and friendly. But he just whines.
This kind of basic mistake will in the end undermine any REAL and cogent argument for the union. (If indeed there is one.)
Hi tris..yes he's been a very disappointing Shadow Defence Secretary. He's had massive open goals to shoot at with the amazing blunders by the Con/Lib govt but has failed miserably.
ReplyDeleteI was going to look into his claim that "we lose out to France over fast jets" but can't be bothered as I know it will be nonsense.
It's not just the BBC that pander to them. Do you ever listen to 'Ally Bally' and his Tay Talk in on Sunday at 11am ?
Anyone phoning in talking up the Yes campaign is given short shrift. Last Sunday was 'funny'. Callers were getting on twice as there was no one phoning in. Then a guy questioned why Dundee was expanding it's food bank ( 2 paid workers compared to one volunteer) when we were supposedly 'better together' in the Union. A prosperous country with people starving doesn't sound better etc......errrrr we've got callers trying to get through....have to cut you off....then went to some adverts. lol
Oh and the First Minister is regularly rubbished for a laugh.