WHAT ARE THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF INDEPENDENCE?

AFTER SECURING THE CRUCIAL contract to build two new super-carriers, the people of Govan were able to rest assured one of their most enduring industries would continue to operate well into the 21st Century.  Since the 18th Century, Glasgow based shipyards have been stocking the words seas with ocean going vessels.  Although the industry suffered a steep decline in the 1960s, BAE systems decision to commission the Govan shipyards to help build the new carriers has breathed new life into the area.

     The Defence sector alone employees 40,000 skilled tradesmen throughout Scotland, contributing a massive £5.2 billion pounds to our economy.  Over 840 individually owned private firms are direct beneficiaries from this industry, making this sector one of our most lucrative assets.

     How the new carrier will compare to Falkland's veteran HMS Invincible (Right)

The carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales will be the largest military vessels every constructed in the UK - each weighing over 65,000 tones.  Intended to be launched at Scotland's Rosyth naval  base in 2018 and 2020, these two juggernauts will remain the mainstay of the British fleet well into the 21st Century.

     By securing this naval contract - which was gained through collaboration between all main Hollyrood political parties - Scottish jobs and prosperity in this sector appear to be assured.  However, the ongoing debate regarding Independence may impact upon this.  As the Scottish Government plans to push ahead with Independence, Ministers have glossed over the economic impact this may bring.  Since the recession the SNP are no longer promoting Ireland as a beacon of success, instead offering voters vague promises that our global trade will benefit from separation.  Almost overnight the SNP have discarded the impact of the recession, and are now reliant on emotive rhetoric to persuade the masses of the righteousness of their cause.  However, the economic nature of separation has yet to be fully appraised.

     Should Scotland decide to secede can the SNP guarantee this defence contract - and subsequent contracts like this in the future - will be given to Scottish businesses?  And if no such guarantees are forthcoming, what will be the result in hard fiscal terms?

     Also, what will happen to the many thousands of Scots who are currently serving within the ranks of the British Army?  Will they be hired out to England, effectively as mercenaries to participate in Britain's international conflicts, or will they simply be retired, making way for an influx of unemployed Englishmen?

     When William Wallace and Robert De Bruce strove to expel England's armies from Scotland in the Middle-Ages they did so because our nation was being oppressed.  However, times have changed.  The first King of Britain - James VI of Scotland and I of England - was Scottish, and our current Monarch is one of his descendants.

     The Union of 1707 brought great financial benefits to both Scotland and England and, in more recent times, our admittance to the European Economic Community was secured on favourable terms due to the strength both Scotland and England possessed as a United enterprise.

     When the Independence Referendum becomes a reality in 2014 Scots must not be blinded into making an emotive decision, the consequences of which will be irrevocable.  The decision to either secede or remain part of the United Kingdom must be governed by reason and balance whereby primary economic considerations must be addressed before we as a people determine our future.