The following statement was made by the council of Scottish Councils after their meeting held in Edinburgh today

"The Council of Scottish Colonels met today at Headquarters 2nd Division in Edinburgh, to discuss the implications of the announcement of the cuts to the Scottish Infantry. The Council considered the results of the consultation process, launched following the announcements in July. Contrary to some speculation in the media, the consultation has been considered worthwhile and much appreciated by the large numbers who responded. A range of views was expressed, which the Council considered carefully"

"Although there is more work to be done before the the Council is ready to make its recommendation, the discussion was taken forward in a positive and co-operative spirit."

Lieutenant Colonel Niall McGregor-Smith,
Scottish Division Lieutenant Colonel.

end

Save the Scottish Regiments Campaign Comment:

"It's no surprise that the colonels failed to agree on nominating which Regiment is to be axed and I very much doubt that the discussions were as amicable and cooperative as their statement claims.

I am sure Lord Robertson, who must surely now be brushing up on current events in Scotland will think long and hard before rushing to a conclusion – every week that passes by takes us closer to the General Election and there are a lot of angry ex-Labour voters just waiting to give their votes away!”.

The Government and MOD I am sure did not expect this level of resistance amongst serving soldiers, veterans, MP's and the general public.  What they had hoped for was a summer break which would have taken the sting out of the tail of any campaign response - the reverse is true and now the campaign is stronger than ever.  Sources close to the Army Board have told us that in some Regiments upwards of 75% of serving soldiers have not chosen to mark one of the two options of a Highland/Lowland Regiment or one Super Regiment.  This must surely carry some weight as the original intention of today's meeting was to discuss the results of the so-called 'consultation' paper - sent to every serving soldier and ex-soldier of the 6 Scottish Regiments - the paper results have not been mentioned - I hazard a guess that they tell a story that the colonels would rather not discuss publicly.

A message to Lord Robertson - recommended an immediate stop to the planned cuts as announced by Geoff Hoon in July and if you are serious about reform give everyone a proper voice in a proper consultation process - only then will everyone accept this Government's proposals as fair and for the good of the soldiers, regiment, veterans and the country itself.  Meanwhile our campaign will redouble it's efforts to bring about this change.