SNP MSP Sandra White has challenged Labour's Scottish Parliament leader Wendy Alexander to declare what position her Parliamentary Group takes on renewing the Trident nuclear weapon system as the year long Faslane 365 prot6est draws to a close.

In votes earlier this year a majority of Scottish MPs voted against the system and in June the Scottish parliament voted against the system for the first time ever. Mrs White has noted that Ms Alexander has two prominent anti-Trident MSPs in her shadow cabinet and believes it is time for the Labour Group in the Scottish Parliament to come off the fence.
 

Commenting Mrs White said: "Today marks the end of a year long protest against the immorality and waste that is the Trident system and its replacement.

"We can no longer afford both morally and financially to have these weapons of mass destruction on our shores.

"A majority of the Scottish people are against them, a majority of MPs and just recently, with the election of an SNP Government, a majority of MSPs have voted against them.

"It's now time for the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament to come off the fence and declare their position in Trident. Two of Wendy Alexander's Shadow Ministers – Sarah Boyack and Malcolm Chisholm – have declared their opposition.

"So why not Ms Alexander on behalf of her group?

"Trident is dangerous, unnecessary and expensive, and today's demonstration confirms what the majority of Scots believe - that it is wrong to site these weapons in Scotland when a clear majority of Scottish Parliamentarians are against it."

Notes:

1. The recent Scottish Parliamentary vote on 14 June was:71 for the Green motion as amended 16 against (All Conservative) 39 abstentions (All Labour)
   There were five Labour rebels:
   Bill Butler Malcolm Chisholm Marlyn Glen Cathy Peattie Elaine Smith
   
   
2. Sarah Boyack declared her opposition to Trident in March 2007:
   http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/politics.cfm?id=432802007
   
   
3. Sarah Boyack is Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, the Environment and Climate Change.
   Malcolm Chisholm is Shadow Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture.
   
   
4. On 14th March a majority of MPs voted against a replacement to Trident with 33 against and only 22 for.
   
   
5. YouGov Survey for SNP (Fieldwork: March 12-15, 2007 - Sample Size: 1144)Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? 'If a majority of Scottish MPs vote in parliament against the replacement of Britain's Trident nuclear missiles, that replacement nuclear missile system should not be sited in Scotland'
   Agree 65, Disagree 23,  Don't know 12
   The latest estimate for the life-time cost of a replacement for the Trident nuclear missile system is between £76 billion and £100 billion pounds. Do you think this is a good or bad use of public money?
   Good use 15, Bad use 72, Don't know 13