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Seems there’s been something of an (intentional?) misunderstanding of what I thought was a clearly stated @theSNP position on #nuclearweapons & #armscontrol in the @SNP_SITW team’s submission to the #IntegratedReview, so I thought I’d do a wee thread 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="☢️" title="Symbol für Gefahr durch Radioaktivität" aria-label="Emoji: Symbol für Gefahr durch Radioaktivität">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏴" title="Flagge von Schottland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Schottland">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇺🇳" title="Flag of United Nations" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of United Nations"> https://twitter.com/iainmacwhirter/status/1330822905203216384">https://twitter.com/iainmacwh...
Firstly, the easy part: our submission states @theSNP position clearly and unequivocally. It looks pretty unilateral to me https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧐" title="Gesicht mit Monokel" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Monokel"> https://twitter.com/stewartmcdonald/status/1330827264959918083?s=21">https://twitter.com/stewartmc...
Section Mr McWhirter seems to be getting his nuclear knickers in a twist over is this: in calling on UKG to uphold the international rules-based system after the disaster of Brexit, we ask them to ‘commit wholeheartedly to multilateral nuclear disarmament’ https://twitter.com/messages/media/1330867497843781637">https://twitter.com/messages/...
International treaties prohibiting nuclear weapons seems like a guid idea to me, & certainly a logical strengthening of our own clearly stated position. A group of countries *unilaterally* signing a treaty kinda does make it *multilateral*, right?
Though New START talks are the most prominent example of global arms control efforts, there are other multilateral agreements which are up for renewal in the coming year, such as the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) https://www.un.org/en/conferences/npt2020">https://www.un.org/en/confer...
The UK is a signatory to the NPT, and I’m sure an independent Scotland would be too. You can read the treaty here, and it’s worth reminding ourselves — while the UK talks the talk on nuclear disarmament, it is important we make them walk the walk http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/npt/text">https://disarmament.un.org/treaties/...
It’s something that SNP MPs do: whether it be my work on @CommonsDefence or on the floor of the House - here’s our Defence spokesperson @StewartMcDonald calling out the UK Government for breaching Article VI of the NPT earlier this year https://www.thenational.scot/news/18255695.leaked-plan-renew-trident-sets-uk-course-break-nuclear-treaty/">https://www.thenational.scot/news/1825...
In fact, it’s not just @theSNP who do this: here is @CNDuk General Secretary @kate4peace2020 calling out the UK Government for their non-compliance with a multilateral arms control treaty. Does that mean CND have ditched unilateral disarmament? https://cnduk.org/time-to-end-the-special-nuclear-relationship/">https://cnduk.org/time-to-e...
So you’ll forgive me for being a bit sceptical at the motivations of those who seek to claim this is some sort of dilution of our policy. Unilateral disarmament is in our DNA: but does anyone seriously believe we shouldn’t seek to build on that by engaging with other states?
As the MP for West Dunbartonshire, I want to make sure that nuclear weapons are removed from my part of the world as quickly and as safely as possible — but remember the line, ‘Stop the World - Scotland wants to get on’. We want to solve problems, not run away from them. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🌍" title="Europa-Afrika auf dem Globus" aria-label="Emoji: Europa-Afrika auf dem Globus">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🏴" title="Flagge von Schottland" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Schottland">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇺🇳" title="Flag of United Nations" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of United Nations">
Tl;dr — You can be a Unilateralist and still want Scotland (and the UK) to take part in multilateral arms control. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is at it!
