Dear All
The Scottish National Party is going about the place saying
that when they create a new Scotland, it will have ‘world class’ services.
Given they have made a pig’s ear of the three major briefs
at Holyrood, Health, Education and law, how much weight can their opinion be
given on what is ‘world class’?
We are told that Scotland would have a ‘world class’
security service, however, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has a
different opinion.
They say that the SNP should abandon proposals to emulate
the UK's security and intelligence services.
The Royal United Services Institute is highly regarded, when
they talk governments pay attention.
SNP plan to replace MI5, MI6 and GCHQ with a new security
agency, but the RUSI say the plans are unaffordable and unrealistic.
Instead they say that independent Scotland should follow
Denmark's example and effectively do James Bond on the cheap using the police
in charge of a limited intelligence-gathering operation.
Think CI5, the professionals, fast cars driven by ‘shoot to
kill’ types!
They concluded:
"An independent Scotland is unlikely to face the
severity of threats faced by the UK. Given this more benign threat picture, the
creation of a Scottish Security and Intelligence Agency seems unnecessary, with
more promising avenues including developing and expanding an intelligence
division within Police Scotland."
Scotland won’t be a global power, it wouldn’t be a force in
the same way as the UK on the world stage; it will be a backwater like Isle of
Man. You won’t see Alex Salmond at meetings with Presidents of Russia or
America solving world issues.
The ‘Skintland’ assessment of ‘cheap and cheerful’ has provoked
angry clashes in the referendum battle.
Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson claimed RUSI's report proved
Scotland was safer within the UK.
Ex cop, Allan Burnett, a former senior police officer and
Yes Scotland spokesman insists a new intelligence service would be a trusted
ally of the UK and other countries.
Exactly how does he expect to accomplish that miracle?
Using the old boy network?
That door will be shut via the Official Secrets Act; any
information if it was to come from the UK would certainly need Ministerial
approval before being handed over to Scotland.
Burnett is an ex cop who now appears to be listed as a
director of SecuriGroup, they do door security and football games stewarding,
among other static security events for various organisations. He is listed as an
operations director; fancy titles may impress some people but not me.
The report by Charlie Edwards who is RUSI's director of
national security studies should be read cover to cover, it seems that the SNP
seem to think that they can just make a mini British setup and jog on.
But the feasibility of the SNP's plans is said to be "problematic"
and "raises serious concerns for Scottish national security". The ‘white
paper’ launched last November was a rather underwhelming affair, sparse on
details and substance lite.
Edwards makes a valid point by saying that the estimated
£206 million annual running costs based on the country's share of UK
intelligence spending is "entirely meaningless." This is because it
is unrelated to an independent Scotland's security needs which like most things
the SNP do haven’t been assessed properly, if at all.
Will Scotland have a GCHQ listening centre?
To listen to whom and for what purpose, will the bulk of
their work be about spying on fellow Scots?
One thing is certain, one day one, if independent; they
would still be carrying in the office furniture and getting the phones in.
It takes years to develop quality intelligence, and it takes
years to develop assets.
As to the supposed co-operation that the Scottish Government
thinks will be forthcoming, they should "not assume co-operation"
from the UK at all.
Intelligence organisations operate in a bubble, like squirrels
they hoard and guard their secrets jealously.
The idea that the UK intelligence will simply allow Salmond’s
lot to get ‘access to the vault’ is risible and laughable.
One of the arrangements for sharing intel is the "Five
Eyes Agreement" which is a long-established security pact comprising the
UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It could be assumed by the Nationalists
like other assumptions that they would just walk straight in and plant their
arses down on the seats.
In 2012, I said that the SNP needed to adopt NATO, I got
abuse for that statement, because I was publicly speaking on the BBC, also I
said that Faslane needed to remain a base for nuclear submarines.
Salmond and Sturgeon adopted NATO not out of conviction but
out of necessity, Faslane, they didn’t think they could win over at the conference
so dropped the ball.
The bottom line and notice the use of the word ‘could’, the report
said an independent Scotland "could have a first-class security
service", but concluded that "economic, diplomatic and technical
realities" would dictate a different course.
So, the Denmark model of a police-run security service with
about 700 to 800 people in it is flagged up, in stage two of Police Scotland
reform, I said that that customs and border security needed to be folded into
Police Scotland as a separate division. That would make sense, however the issuing
of visas would be done by a Scottish Immigration Service in a Home Office set
up.
I suppose it is entirely possible that the SNP will opt for
a Borgen style security service, purely on the basis of an episode in any
possible future series of the hit TV show.
Ruth Davidson said:
"The experts at RUSI have confirmed what we already
know: that Scotland is safer as part of the UK. Each of the four home nations
would be less secure if there was to be an independent Scotland. The safety and
security of a nation is the first responsibility of a government, but Alex
Salmond is willing to risk that security for his obsession with
independence."
Has Ms. Davidson done any security work?
I know she done some kickboxing, but that hardly qualifies.
Yes Scotland trotted out Allan Burnett, he said:
"An excellent Scottish intelligence organisation could
be developed in an independent country. Based upon my experience, I simply do
not accept these criticisms of Scotland's abilities to have effective security
arrangements. Our friends, including those south of the Border, will want
Scotland as allies as much as we want them. Our Scottish intelligence service
will be welcomed as a professional, trusted ally."
That is riddled with so many assumptions that any person
could have a field day just on what he said there. Given nothing exists, how
does he come to the conclusion it will be excellent?
Anyone who is interested in being a Scottish James Bond
should get an application is as soon as possible listing experiences of
delivering SNP leaflets, in this instance, people with experience of working at
Poundland will be advantageous, as well as anyone with exploding bazooka boots.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
No comments:
Post a Comment