Yes offers bright future for rocket range

Yes vote offers “bright future” for rocket range 30/7/14

A “bright future” awaits the South Uist rocket range under an independent Scotland, maintains isles’ MP Angus MacNeil.

The MP slammed claims by Labour politician Jim Murphy had the missile testing base would close if Scotland voted Yes in the independence referendum.

The rocket range came under threat by Labour in 2009 - when Mr Murphy was Scottish Secretary - with plans to run it down risking nearly 200 island jobs.

A community campaign resulted in an U-turn by Westminster. It faced another closure threat under a review by the Lib-Con coalition but won a reprieve until a review in 2016.

Scottish National Party MP Angus MacNeil, said: “Jim Murphy has some cheek preaching to defence workers in the Western Isles.”

Mr MacNeil added: “When Labour was in power almost 10,000 defence jobs disappeared in Scotland.

“If it hadn't been for the fight put up by our community at the time, the Hebrides Range would have become another statistic.”

Mr Macneil claimed the No campaign was engaged in “yet more scaremongering.”

He added: “A Yes vote offers a bright future for defence jobs in Scotland - including the Uist rocket range, which is far more important to the defence of Scotland, the Nato alliance and the future of Europe than, say, weapons of mass destruction on the Clyde.”

The Isles MP continued: “With independence, we can have a defence policy that meets the needs of Scotland rather than the skewed Westminster priorities which include closing bases, cutting service personnel numbers to the bone and sending P45s out in the post.”