>Russia is trying to “magnify division” by interfering in the Scottish independence debate, the UK defence secretary has warned.
Ben Wallace said President Putin’s regime “exploits vulnerabilities in smaller countries” and suggested an independent Scotland that rid the country of the Trident nuclear deterrent would leave itself at increased risk of attack.
He also claimed that leaving the UK would weaken Scotland’s ability to counter terrorism by losing access to shared intelligence services.
Wallace told the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists Association that the lack of reach provided by the Foreign Office would mean an independent Scotland “would be lesser and [less] able therefore to share intelligence” than it would have been as part of the Five Eyes alliance.
“Without intelligence, you are definitely more vulnerable,” he added.
Last year, Westminster’s intelligence and security committee concluded Russian interference in UK politics was the new normal and that there was “credible open-source commentary that Russia undertook to influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014”.
Asked if there was any evidence of interference online, Wallace said: “I think what we’ve seen is Russia and other nations take an interest to magnify division in nationalist debates around Europe, including Scotland.
“I can’t talk about the here and now but I could say there is an interest, and more than that.”
He highlighted Russia’s role in “corrupting political systems or indeed trying to weaken countries” including Baltic states and said Putin “doesn’t have any track record of leaving alone countries without nuclear weapons . . . sometimes it’s quite the opposite” in reference to the SNP’s policy of scrapping Trident within three years of Scotland becoming independent.
Stewart McDonald, the SNP’s defence spokesman, said he has been consistently clear about Russia’s threat to democratic societies and accused the UK government of failing in its duty to combat that risk.
He cited the fact that none of the recommendations in the committee report have been implemented as evidence of a UK strategy that “remains disjointed, lacking in focus or robust political direction”.
He added: “An independent Scotland, as a Nato alliance and EU member, will take its responsibilities as a security actor seriously.”
Wallace attempted to dismiss reports that up to 1,700 troops could be lost in Scotland as part of cost cutting as “bollocks”, “bullshit” and “total nonsense”.
The Sunday Times reported last week that Fort George near Inverness, home to the Black Watch, and the Glencorse and Redford barracks in Edinburgh were scheduled to close by 2032 but army chiefs want to speed up the plans. A regiment of Royal Engineers at Kinloss may relocate to England.
When asked about the latter plan, Wallace said: “Kinloss and Lossiemouth as you know are almost side by side. I am actually moving extra jobs up there, not away from there. So when the E7 early warning radar is based up there that was going to be based in Cambridgeshire, I think, is going to be based up in Lossiemouth, wherever the V8 is, and with that will come hundreds of extra jobs . . . And that’s the other way around, that’s not coming out of Scotland, it’s coming in.”
He added that Redford “is not a fit for purpose barracks”. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.
I can believe it but I bet he doesn’t say the same about Brexit.
I mean I could well believe it, encouraging infighting among the west is a good tactic which is why I was disappointed when we seemed to play right into their hand in 2016.
Russia attacking Scotland is ridiculous!
It’s coming home, it’s coming home, divide and conquer is coming home…..
Scotland leaving the UK is a strategic win for Russia. The Scots may very well be able to achieve something even we couldn’t, that is to see the break up of the United Kingdom.
Almost the plot of the recent Viaplay tv show “Red Election”.
If something was done to address the already pretty large divide that’s there and was most definitely not *created* by Russia maybe, just maybe, they’d have a less easy time magnifying it.
No doubt they are I flaming it but there is no smoke without fire
Absolutely ANYTHING to shift the blame away from Westminster. Just blame it all on Russia.
Trump? Russia did that. Brexit? Russia! The UK getting more divided? Russia, obviously.
Is Russia trying to pull some shit? Obviously, *it’s Russia*. Enough research and reports have come out that show they are meddling all over the Western world.
But if I had a euro for every politician that tried to avoid taking responsibility by blaming it all on Russia, I would be richer than corrupt little Putin himself.
There wouldn’t be a ‘Scottish independence debate’ if Westminster wasn’t acting like such cocks 24/7. Don’t want Russia to magnify the divide? *Fix the divide.*
10 comments
>Russia is trying to “magnify division” by interfering in the Scottish independence debate, the UK defence secretary has warned.
Ben Wallace said President Putin’s regime “exploits vulnerabilities in smaller countries” and suggested an independent Scotland that rid the country of the Trident nuclear deterrent would leave itself at increased risk of attack.
He also claimed that leaving the UK would weaken Scotland’s ability to counter terrorism by losing access to shared intelligence services.
Wallace told the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists Association that the lack of reach provided by the Foreign Office would mean an independent Scotland “would be lesser and [less] able therefore to share intelligence” than it would have been as part of the Five Eyes alliance.
“Without intelligence, you are definitely more vulnerable,” he added.
Last year, Westminster’s intelligence and security committee concluded Russian interference in UK politics was the new normal and that there was “credible open-source commentary that Russia undertook to influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014”.
Asked if there was any evidence of interference online, Wallace said: “I think what we’ve seen is Russia and other nations take an interest to magnify division in nationalist debates around Europe, including Scotland.
“I can’t talk about the here and now but I could say there is an interest, and more than that.”
He highlighted Russia’s role in “corrupting political systems or indeed trying to weaken countries” including Baltic states and said Putin “doesn’t have any track record of leaving alone countries without nuclear weapons . . . sometimes it’s quite the opposite” in reference to the SNP’s policy of scrapping Trident within three years of Scotland becoming independent.
Stewart McDonald, the SNP’s defence spokesman, said he has been consistently clear about Russia’s threat to democratic societies and accused the UK government of failing in its duty to combat that risk.
He cited the fact that none of the recommendations in the committee report have been implemented as evidence of a UK strategy that “remains disjointed, lacking in focus or robust political direction”.
He added: “An independent Scotland, as a Nato alliance and EU member, will take its responsibilities as a security actor seriously.”
Wallace attempted to dismiss reports that up to 1,700 troops could be lost in Scotland as part of cost cutting as “bollocks”, “bullshit” and “total nonsense”.
The Sunday Times reported last week that Fort George near Inverness, home to the Black Watch, and the Glencorse and Redford barracks in Edinburgh were scheduled to close by 2032 but army chiefs want to speed up the plans. A regiment of Royal Engineers at Kinloss may relocate to England.
When asked about the latter plan, Wallace said: “Kinloss and Lossiemouth as you know are almost side by side. I am actually moving extra jobs up there, not away from there. So when the E7 early warning radar is based up there that was going to be based in Cambridgeshire, I think, is going to be based up in Lossiemouth, wherever the V8 is, and with that will come hundreds of extra jobs . . . And that’s the other way around, that’s not coming out of Scotland, it’s coming in.”
He added that Redford “is not a fit for purpose barracks”. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.
I can believe it but I bet he doesn’t say the same about Brexit.
I mean I could well believe it, encouraging infighting among the west is a good tactic which is why I was disappointed when we seemed to play right into their hand in 2016.
Russia attacking Scotland is ridiculous!
It’s coming home, it’s coming home, divide and conquer is coming home…..
Scotland leaving the UK is a strategic win for Russia. The Scots may very well be able to achieve something even we couldn’t, that is to see the break up of the United Kingdom.
Almost the plot of the recent Viaplay tv show “Red Election”.
If something was done to address the already pretty large divide that’s there and was most definitely not *created* by Russia maybe, just maybe, they’d have a less easy time magnifying it.
No doubt they are I flaming it but there is no smoke without fire
Absolutely ANYTHING to shift the blame away from Westminster. Just blame it all on Russia.
Trump? Russia did that. Brexit? Russia! The UK getting more divided? Russia, obviously.
Is Russia trying to pull some shit? Obviously, *it’s Russia*. Enough research and reports have come out that show they are meddling all over the Western world.
But if I had a euro for every politician that tried to avoid taking responsibility by blaming it all on Russia, I would be richer than corrupt little Putin himself.
There wouldn’t be a ‘Scottish independence debate’ if Westminster wasn’t acting like such cocks 24/7. Don’t want Russia to magnify the divide? *Fix the divide.*