HOW we would defend an independent Scotland was one of the questions many people felt was not sufficiently addressed ahead of the 2014 referendum, but now a group of former service personnel is aiming to make sure that mistake is not repeated.
Veterans for Scottish Independence have organised an online conference called In Defence of Scotland next month to ensure the questions surrounding defence in a post-indy Scotland are answered.
Its organisers see it as the main focus for a co-ordinated campaign to encourage more veterans to vote for indy and to encourage open discussion and debate about the role of the armed services in an indy Scotland.
The gathering will discuss what the realities would be of the armed services in Scotland after independence, as well as encouraging debate about the treatment of veterans and persuading more of them to vote Yes.
It also aims to work with others in the Yes movement to create a co-ordinated campaign that encourages an increased pro-indy vote.
The online event is scheduled for the afternoon of April 17, in conjunction with Totally Gallus Events and Independence Live and preparations are under way to invite as many speakers as possible on the day.
With its geographic position and as home to Trident missiles – mounted on Vanguard-class submarines at Faslane on the Clyde – Scotland occupies an important strategic position within Nato.
It is hoped the conference will be able to identify how an independent Scotland will fulfil its international role and what part the armed services will play within it.
The event will aim to dispel some of the myths surrounding voting patterns and the loyalties of armed services personnel. It will examine the realities of the armed services in an independent Scotland, discuss how veterans are treated across the UK and consider the removal of Trident.
The In Defence of Scotland Virtual Conference will, for the first time, bring together all of the major stakeholders to discuss the armed services in an independent Scotland. As well as looking at the role of the armed services the event will have a major focus on the treatment of veterans.
Cliff Purvis, a British Army veteran administrator for Veterans for Scottish Independence 2.0, told The National: “It is vital that we wrest control of the defence argument from the Unionists, as a Scottish defence force by whatever name needs to be robust and mission capable to work both independently and alongside our allies.
“It cannot and should not be a scaled-down version of what we have now as the defence mission statement for the UK will not be that of an independent Scotland.
“Our veterans will still be our veterans and work is required to have the needs and requirements of service personnel and their families catered for along with those veterans already living in Scotland. It is no shame to be a veteran and support independence, nor should we allow the Unionist narrative to say it is.”
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