London using Scotland as nuclear graveyard: Analyst

A large part of the Scottish population believes that London is using their territory as a nuclear graveyard, an investigative journalist tells Press TV.

In a Monday interview, Tony Gosling pointed to the presence of Faslane Royal Naval Base in Scotland, which houses Britain’s nuclear submarines, and the troubled Dounreay Nuclear Power Station in Scotland, as key factors in shaping the Scottish public opinion in the run-up to the planned referendum in September.

“A lot of Scots see the London government as a sort of ‘taking the mickey’ really, using them as a bit of a nuclear scrapyard,” he added.

Recent polls have revealed that support for Scottish independence is gaining ground among voters five months before the September 18 referendum that could lead to Scotland’s secession from the United Kingdom.

An ICM poll for today’s Scotland newspaper on Sunday showed support for independence stands at 39 percent, while opposition has dropped four points to 42 percent. Apart from people who had no idea, the results are 52-48 in favor of keeping Scotland in the UK.

Scotland’s constitutional future will be decided in a vote brought about by the Scottish National Party-led government in Edinburgh.

The referendum will determine whether the country should create a new sovereign state and run its own affairs or stick with the status quo.

The main political parties in London reject Scottish independence. They united in February to oppose sharing the pound should the country choose to leave the United Kingdom