ON Monday afternoon a Ministry of Defence nuclear weapons convoy snaked its way across Scotland, through East Lothian and the Borders along the A1. If fact, unbeknown to many of us, this has been a regular occurrence for around 30 years.
Much has been written about the huge risk involved in road transportation of weapons of mass destruction, especially near our urban centres. Indeed, the MoD itself confirms this in emergency planning instructions to local authorities and emergency services.
Specifically, in relation to nuclear weapon road convoys, it prescribes measures relating to “threat to life” further to the release of “radioactive material”, including an “evacuation zone” of 600 metres and downwind shelter zone” of five kilometres.
With the wind in central Scotland and on the A1 you can imagine the area might be far larger in reality!
All local authorities have a legal health and safety duty to assess any risks to the public and inform us about them. As part of that, they are legally bound tell us what to do in an emergency. Nukewatch.org.uk has recently written a report about the risks from the nuke road convoys and the “alarming lack of any risk assessments” by Scottish councils. A nuclear warhead is plutonium and high explosive together.
My own council, East Lothian, has a statement on its website relating to “emergency planning” and “man-made … major disaster” such as “travel-related, toxic hazards or as a result of terrorism”. It simply notes: “… if the worst happens, it is essential that local authority services are maintained, that those affected are properly cared for, and that the community is provided with the best possible support to re-establish normality.”
It helpfully provides us, in addition, with the emergency services telephone number 999! If there were a serious accident (and we are talking A1 here), are we confident that we would be warned in time to ensure our families and children were inside so that they did not breathe in plutonium particles?
As noted, the MoD indicates that it could happen. Would we be evacuated, provided with iodine tablets to counter radiation, and access to appropriate medical support at home etc? Other local authorities are likewise reticent in their public statements.
In relation to East Lothian, maybe the council has undertaken in-depth risk assessment and has a detailed, emergency plan (one exists in relation to Torness). However, it is not of much use if no-one knows about it. My concern is that, more broadly, our councils do not appear to be meeting their minimum legal obligations to protect and inform us in relation to these regular nuclear convoys and the grave risk that they entail. For the sake of our families and communities, I say it is time for all our councils to come clean on nuclear convoy risk assessment and emergency planning!
George Wilson
Dunbar
MICHAEL Fry (Flat tax promotes growth, enterprise and with it equality, The National, November 21) suggests that all the spare cash sloshing about in (rich) people’s pockets following the introduction of a flat tax would lead to “holders of surplus money” increasing investment in industry, therefore creating benefits all round. Current evidence suggests that the only “investment” the rich do with their surplus money is hide it in offshore tax avoidance schemes. Flat tax: another neo-liberal theory destroyed by hard evidence.
Cliff Uney
Address supplied
IN my response to Michael Fry’s first article on flat tax, I pointed out that he was not telling us anything like the full story. In his second article on the subject yesterday, he still wasn’t. His defence of the tax this time is that it leads to investment by the rich in things which will help us all.
Where has he been during all these years of quantitative easing? Most of the evidence shows that nearly all of it has been siphoned off to create more wealth for the very wealthy and that only the tiniest trickle has gone into the sort of investment which benefits society as a whole.
He castigates the Scottish Government for not having economic knowledge, yet he himself only seems to know about what is called neoliberalism and is totally blinkered as to how it has failed the great majority of us.
Andrew M Fraser
Inverness
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel