SNP told to ‘grow up’ after Faslane closure call

Oct 10 2008 by Tina Kemp, Lennox Herald (main ed)

CALLS for the closure of Faslane base following a dramatic rise in nuclear safety lapses have been blasted as immature.

Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said she was reassured everything is being done to maximise safety at the base and surrounding communities.

Ms Baillie was speaking after the MoD revealed a total of 100 nuclear errors between June 2006 and May 2007 – a 40 per cent rise on the previous 12 months.

SNP MSP Bill Kidd has called for the base to close and plans to replace the ageing Trident weapons system to be abandoned.

But Ms Baillie – a long time supporter of the base which employs 8000 naval and civilian personnel – accused the nationalists of getting things out of perspective.

She said: “I am reassured by the MoD comments that the rise in incidents is down to a new and more sensitive reporting system. But we cannot afford to be complacent – we need to make sure that monitoring continues and that lapses are picked up.

“This is about the safety of staff employed there and of the local communities. It is not a reason for the SNP to use this to repeat a political demand to close down the base.

“The SNP should behave with a bit more maturity. They need to get a sense of perspective.”

Former base Commodore Eric Thompson, described the SNP’s demand for the withdrawal of the base as a “political stunt”.

He said: “The safety record of the base over the last 40 years has been excellent. The contents of the report have nothing to do with the argument for replacing Trident. The linkage of the two is purely a political stunt.

“If the government of the day decides to replace Trident that is a political decision. If the management of nuclear related work is unsatisfactory then it must be brought up to standard now, and into the future, whether or not Trident is replaced.”