Today we announce our Scottish Election National Hustings, in coordination with a wide coalition of Scottish civic organisations listed below:
Campaign Against the Arms Trade Scotland, CommonWeal, Don’t’ Bank on the Bomb Scotland, Edinburgh Climate Coalition, Gareloch Horties, Medact Scotland, Pax Christi Scotland, Peace and Justice, Poverty Alliance, Quakers for Peace, Scottish Peace Network, Scottish Trade Union Peace Network, SCRAM Scottish Campaign Against the Atomic Menace, Secure Scotland, Stop the War Scotland, Trident Ploughshares, UN House Scotland, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Scotland
In an election with high stakes, during a time at which international instability is increasingly impacting Scotland, this is an opportunity to hear directly from Scotland’s major parties on their prospectus for the country.
The agenda for the upcoming election will be diverse. Foremost in the minds of much of the electorate will be how Holyrood can use its powers to improve living standards in Scotland, giving ongoing crises of local authority funding, lack of affordable housing, high cost of living and increasing economic inequality.
Scotland’s response to important international events will also be on the minds of many. Last year we saw the Scottish government act to prevent public funding of companies providing arms to Israel, while lifting an existing ban on investment in munitions. What powers can be used to prevent Scotland’s infrastructure and industry being implicated in ongoing violations of international law is also something that the parties for government must be made to consider.
This week we saw another illegal attack by the US and Israel in Iran, which has already expanded considerably beyond the scope of the last bombing campaign in 2025. Just as in last year’s 12-day war, the attack came during US-Iran nuclear deal negotiations, which was reliably reported to be progressing in a positive direction.
The UK military is now embroiled in operations in the Middle-East. But Keir Starmer’s initial assertion that the UK was not involved in the initial attacks on Iran is dubious.
Lakenheath Alliance for Peace have been tracking US Air Force activity at the RAF bases in Suffolk, and report that over 100 US fighter jets have left the base towards the Middle East since the beginning of 2026. Far from being un-involved, then, it seems the use of UK bases was integral in preparing for the US attack on Iran last weekend.
Whether Scotland’s Prestwick airport has also been used as a stop-over for US air forces on their way to the Middle-East is not yet confirmed, but seems plausible given the over 550 US military landings conducted there since April 2025.
Faslane too is part of the US global infrastructure of military dominance, given its periodic use by the US Navy to access the North Atlantic.
As we enter an increasingly unstable world order, we in Scotland must not overlook our positioning in a new cold war alignment. A strong civil movement committed to international law and striving for peace is needed now more than ever.