Scottish CND has reacted strongly to renewed suggestions that “Devo Max” is the way forward for Scotland.
In recent days Kenny MacAskill and Iain McWhirter, among others, have touted the idea that Scotland should go for a quasi-home-rule option that would mean the devolution of all powers except for defence and foreign policy.
Scottish CND Chair Lynn Jamieson said:
“The simple fact is that such a route can effect none of the transformation that we need for a wholesome and peace-loving nation.
“Put in the negative, Devo Max would mean that we would continue to be both a launch pad and a target for hideous weapons of mass destruction, would be dragged into the UK’s military adventures, would continue to be the prime site for the UK’s military installations, and would be bound into the UK’s increasingly aggressive approach to international relations.
“It is also naive to think that any real economic freedom can exist alongside these critical reservations.
“It is sad when commentators of the stature of Kenny MacAskill and Iain McWhirter don’t appear to grasp that the nuclear weapon question is a bell-weather when it comes to the vision of a new land – an utter rejection of that ultimate and genocidal violence is a fundamental requirement for human security and well-being.
“Independence, as well as giving us the option of exiting that disastrous mix, gives us the chance to make something of our place in the wider world untrammelled by the old chauvinistic frameworks, and this at a time when there is a growing understanding of our interdependence and the need to face the real challenges in a spirit of co-operation.
“Devo Max means abandoning that vision.”
