Recent revelations have shown that the Ministry of Defence knew Continue reading
Tag Archives: Angus Robertson
Angus Robertson & Jim Mather’s response to MoD Chinook revelations
SNP Westminster Leader and Defence Spokesperson, Continue reading
Norway’s Oil Fund, Scotland’s oil and Scotland’s banks
Norway’s attitude to its oil wealth, from the outset, Continue reading
Mather calls for reassessment of defence spending priorities as Trident hits trouble
Angus Robertson MP, the SNP’s Defence Spokesman at Westminster, has put together figures on the projected maintenance costs of retaining Trident nuclear submarines over the next ten years at their Faslane base in Argyll.
Coinciding with this, a group of distinguished retired military officers has just released a statement describing the Trident weapons system as ‘irrelevant’ and ‘completely useless’ in contemporary warfare.
Angus Robertson’s figures, set alongside this statement, underlines a significant part of the policy basis of the Scottish Government’s stance on refusing to host the next Trident generation in Scotland.
In outlining and welcoming the information drawn up by his Westminster colleague, Argyll’s MSP Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, says:
‘Careful questioning of Quentin Davies, Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support, by Angus Robertson MP has revealed that maintenance costs for the Trident weapons system, based at Faslane on the Clyde, will soar to £1.5 billion over the next ten years.
‘This is in spite of the fact that only last week in a letter to The Times, Field Marshall Lord Bramall and Generals Lord Ramsbotham and Sir Hugh Beach condemned Trident as “irrelevant” and “completely useless” and challenged the wisdom of even considering the longer term renewal of the deterrent system that would cost in the region of £25 billion.
‘As Angus Robertson observed, “This intervention has exposed the stark truth about the UK’s weapons of mass destruction and even senior defence chiefs now concede that they are a useless waste of money.” The SNP has consistently opposed the presence and projected use of these weapons and to contemplate spending even more and more badly needed financial resources at a time when we face a period of recession is to compound an existing folly.
‘We have heard on a regular basis over many years that the MOD is unable adequately to supply our troops serving in combat situations overseas and more recently that the long standing link with the faithful Ghurkhas from Nepal is likely to be severed because we lack the finance to meet our obligations to them.
‘This would seem to be a suitable time to reassess priorities and show the world a lead by giving up the pretence and the madness of the UK’s so-called independent nuclear deterrent’.
MP calls for Lossiemouth to be first Virgin Galactic commercial spaceport – could it be Campbeltown’s Machrihanish?
SNP leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson, MP for Moray, had given his support to Virgin Galactic Continue reading
And a handbrake turn on the largest single tax hike on whisky in forty years hidden in budget small print
The U-turn (Wednesday 26th November): The whisky industry has rightly flexed its considerable muscle. Suddenly this was all an awful mistake, The Chancellor (and HMV) had ‘not intended’ to do anything their than keep the price of whisky at the same level, exchanging the drop in price through the 2.5% VAT cut for a tax hike they thought would simply put that cost back. The Treasury ‘forgot’ that duty on alcohol is calculated not by percentage of price but alcohol by volume. This naturally made the additonal burden on spirits higher than intended.
Believe this or not, at best it is the sort of basic mathematical error a Higher Maths student would be hammered for making. Coming from the Treasury, it does not instill confidence.
In any case, the Chancellor has ordered a review of the measure announced and it is anticipated that procedures will be taken to reduce the hike on whisky to maintain both the tax take and the retail price at current levels.
The original story (small hours of Tuesday 25th November): When UK Chancellor Alistair Darling introduced his Pre-Budget report a few hours ago on Monday 24th November 2008 – effectively a mini-budget, what he did NOT announce was another sharp hike in the tax on whisky. This was hidden away in the small print of the full written report, released later yesterday.
The Scotch Whisky Association says that, even when allowing for the 2.5% cut VAT – limited to a thirteen month duration, the announcement will put an extra 29p on an average 70cl bottle – and more than that when VAT goes back up to 17.5% after 1st January 2010.
The move has provoked a storm of protest in and for Scotland and its major export.
Angus Robertson, MP for Moray, the largest concentration of whisky distilling in the country, has gone on the attack as has his Holyrood colleague, Argyll & Bute MSP, Jim Mather, with responsibility for many of Scotland’s legendary single malts distilled in Argyll. With additional responsibilities for the whisky industry as Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, Mr Mather says: ‘I see that Angus Robertson has written to Alastair Darling protesting at this latest rise in Whisky taxation.
‘Not only is the rise substantial but the timing is unfortunate, falling due, as it does, in the period when a large percentage of sales in the home market, in the run up to Christmas and the New Year festivities, takes place. More than 40% of sales of Malt Whisky and 30% of Blended Whiskies takes place at this time of year and it is a vital time for the health of the domestic whisky trade.
‘As well as taking risks with the future viability of the distilling industry at home, the Chancellor sends out entirely the wrong message to other governments where we export whisky and who are often ready and willing to follow his example. After all, if the UK chancellor is prepared to use the prestigious Scotch whisky trade as a cash cow why would others hesitate to do likewise?
‘It is clear that this damaging and reckless decision can have only a negative effect on one of Scotland’s most important industries’.
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SNP’s Westminster Leader warns MOD on sending Scots troops back into action prematurely
Angus Robertson, SNP MP and leader of the party’s Westminster team, yesterday warned the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that their practice of sending Scots troops back into action in Afghanistan without the recommended respite period is ‘wholly unsustainable’. As we reported yesterday, following the breaking of the story by The Herald, the Royal Scots Borderers (the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland), are to be sent back to Afghanistan next April for a six month tour. This gives them only half of the recommended respite period since their last deployment there. As we noted at the time and mentioned again in yesterday’s piece, in the recent past The Argylls have been returned to duty in Helmand Province after only eight months, one third of the 24 month recommended respite between tours.
The problem for the MOD is shortage of troops. The reason for the shortage of troops is largely the impact on recruitment and on retention of existing troops of the war in Iraq. This is still widely held to be illegal and the Brtish troops sent there have, on evidence, been very ill supplied with the most basic essentials of survival, often with fatal consequences. Their medical treatment and compensation if they are returned injured has also been, again on evidence, heavily criticised for inadequacy and lack of respect at a level to breach the so-called Military Covenant.
Mr Robertson is MP for Moray, the area with Scotland’s largest number of serving military personnel. He notes that the ‘harmony guidelines’ (the left-field name given by the MOD to its own recommendations on due respite periods between duty tours) require 24 months between tours. He says: ‘The harmony guidelines exist to preserve family life and ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our brave servicemen and women. They should not be breached because failings on the part of the MOD have left the armed forces wholly overstretched. Sending soldiers back into action without benefit of the recommended gap is unsustainable and a matter of great concern. It is little wonder that recruitment and retention is adversely affected’.
He has now contacted Des Browne, who combines the offices of Defence Secretary and Secretary for Scotland, for confirmation that the news of the plan to deploy the Royal Scots Borderers again so soon is indeed the case. The MOD has previously refused to confirm or deny the report until their plans are officially presented to Parliament after the long summer recess.