Tri-Service

SNP Call For Statutory Armed Forces Staff Organisations

Nicola Sturgeon said it herself, the big question for this SNP conference is whether the party will try to get a second independence referendum. The answer she gave, in not quite so few words, was no... at least not at the moment.

What she has done is put the issue on the back burner, rather than take it off the agenda altogether. Neither this party nor its leader has given up on independence, but they know they can't justify calling another vote on the question until the circumstances have significantly changed.

By circumstances they largely mean opinion polls, but they also point to possible events either in the polls or were Britain to vote to leave the EU.

So the ongoing Strategic Defence and Security Review doesn't need to worry too much about the chance of Scotland going it alone in the next five years. But defence remains a key part of the independence question.

It's one of the few areas where Holyrood has no power whatsoever, and it's clear from this conference that defence powers are ones the SNP would like Scotland to have for itself.

As Nicola Sturgeon turned her fire on the main Westminster parties she demonstrated that the SNP sees defence as something that sets it apart, telling the conference “Whether on the economy, or Trident, or even the question of whether UK forces should take part in air strikes on Syria, Labour is a party divided and in disarray.”

“Over the next few years, as the Tories impose even deeper cuts, press ahead with Trident renewal and fail to honour in full the vow of more powers for our parliament, I think support for independence will continue to rise.”

For now her attention is on the Scottish Parliament elections in May, she's hoping her party will pick up another landslide as it did at the general election. So she's focussing on 'bread-and-butter' policies that can appeal to all, whether or not they want Scotland to stay in the UK.

There was a policy announcement on house-building, lots of talk about health and education. It was no surprise to see this conference unanimously reassert SNP opposition to Britain having nuclear weapons, but they know its a very hard battle for them to win.

But there is a repeated message from this conference that the SNP is making a difference, and can keep doing so. That's why it's announced plans to put forward an ammendment to the Armed Forces Bill currently going through Westminster.

It would allow for the creation of 'official' groups to represent ordinary servicemen and women in defence decision making, a bit like the Police Federation.

But despite their immense support in Scotland the SNP have only around 10% of the seats in the Commons, they can't make change like that on their own they know they have to win with their powers of persuasion.