Non-nuclear weapon message

Sir,

Our MSP Alasdair Allan is to be commended for his CND principles but sadly I can not equally commend his utter naïve understanding of the threat posed by countries that unlike ours do not share a commitment to world peace. Too many of these totalitarian states will only respect others if they are prepared to stand up too them and overtly demonstrate that strength - our continued retention of nuclear weapons is a point.

The threat to world peace will never be achieved by simply removing nuclear weapons - mankind had devised so many other weapon systems of mass destruction - conventional weapons, chemical weapons and even electronic warfare to achieve just the same destruction.

Letter: The non-nuclear weapon message

13 August 2015

Mr Allan should reflect on history. The day before the first nuclear bomb was dropped over a 1000 Allied bombers undertook a fire bomb raid on Tokyo (a nightly event) causing a similar number of casualties. Earlier in 1945 Allied bombers took out two of the few remaining German cities in raids over two nights that caused a similar number of casualties.

Fact: The alternative to dropping those two bombs (Japan could have conceded after the first) would have been the invasion of the Japanese islands. It is calculated that a minimum of over a further million Allied soldiers would have died in that undertaking. As the growing British presence in the Pacific represented 30% of that force that means 300,000 British deaths and given the high Scottish presence in the British Forces that is probably 50,000 Scottish deaths. That probably means some 200,000 Scots born after the war and their continued linage now living would quite simply not be here.

It is easy at a time when a nuclear deterrent has contributed to 70 years free of global conflict to condemn again some 70 years on, the actions of the governments of the time. Were my fathers generation tired of nearly six years of conflict to be thrown against Japan in a manner their fathers had been thrown into the mincer of trench warfare? His generation had no love or respect for Japan, a country that had invaded and caused the mass death of millions civilians alone in China, devastated the Far East countries and a country that had worked and starved British POWs to the point that only 20% of them would survive the war, a country prepared to fight to the death and prolong the war. That bomb, evil that it was, saved their lives and they cared not then or now that it was used.

I like any other sane person longs for the day the world is free of the threat of nuclear war - but one sided disarmament is not the solution. The solution is overall world peace and the eradication of all weapons - some time away me thinks and until them the status quo suits.

Remember Mr Allan, more people have died from bee stings since 1945 than from the effects of nuclear weapons.

Paul Blake

16A Lemreway

Pairc

Isle of Lewis