The Scottish Government must end its 'stupid' opposition to nuclear power
Former Energy Minister Brian Wilson says the Scottish Government must drop their 'stupid' anti-nuclear stance if they want to usher in a golden age for Scottish technology.
It’s remarkable how policies that were touted as immutable, supported by lofty claims of high moral ground, come to be seen as scams which never had much basis in either principle or rationality.
It’s a political variation of emperor’s clothes syndrome.
Scotland has seen a few of these. For decades, lesser mortals who were obliged to acknowledge the uncertainties and dangers of the world as it is, rather than as we might wish it to be, were patronised by those whose comfort zone was never going to be troubled by responsibilities.
Membership of NATO? An outrage, supported only by cold warriors and warmongers. Then, hey presto, in 2012 and with a referendum in the offing, Alex Salmond took a hard look at the polling and decided NATO wasn’t so bad after all.
Alex Salmond's position on NATO changed ahead of the Indy Ref.(Image: )
The only high principle at stake was not to cling to a vote-loser.
Defence itself has been looked down on from a lofty height; an undesirable imposition when all we need is fishery cruisers, is it not?
The compromise was to turn a blind eye to building frigates but put the hex on training welders. I doubt if we’ll hear much more of that ethical contortion.
Amidst this flight to reality, one shibboleth remains standing. To their great satisfaction, the Scottish Government has the power to actually ban something, via its planning powers.
Never, they swear on the Declaration of Arbroath, will the word “nuclear”, however civil in purpose, intrude upon Scotland again.
It is another stupid policy in urgent need of being binned and was never as absolute as it was meant........
© Herald Scotland
