WITH the Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day services taking place last month, albeit under different circumstances, I’ve used this column to praise the contribution of our Armed Forces, both past and present.

They continue to safeguard our freedoms and liberty both at home and abroad, and as we head towards the Christmas period, my thoughts are with those who won’t be at home for the festive celebrations.

I believe that we need to look at ways in which we can do more to commemorate their sacrifice and look at the many different war memorials and dedications across the city as a physical manifestation of our respect and appreciation for their service.

This week I will be proposing a motion to a full council meeting that will give us all an opportunity to pay tribute to that service, including the work done by the armed forces during this pandemic, as well as noting the importance of the recently announced increases in defence spending in securing the safety of the British people in this uncertain world.

For all that divides us, I was pleased to see the UK and Scottish governments work together on a joint “Strategy for our Veterans” which identified six key themes related to veterans issues and was welcomed by stakeholder organisations including Veterans Scotland.

However, despite this shared working, it remains the case that the views openly expressed by some nationalist representatives in Scotland reveal a lack of support to do more to back the brave men and women who serve in the British armed forces.

I was appalled by the response from local SNP and Green Party representatives to the campaign by Friends of Dennistoun War Memorial who organised a petition calling on the SNP Government to introduce legislation which recognises the desecration or vandalism of war memorials as a specific criminal offence. We now know that this petition has been rejected by the SNP at Holyrood.

Put to one side the insult to the men and women who have put their lives on the line fighting for this country for attacks on memorial sites to be covered by the same legislation as vandalising a phone box, I am frankly disgusted by what Friends of Dennistoun War Memorial have revealed about the total lack of engagement from SNP and Green councillors when they tried to reach out on a cross-party basis asking for support.

In their own words, the campaign group claims that SNP Dennistoun councillor Allan Casey completely ignored their invitation to attend the Dennistoun War Memorial unveiling and Dennistoun Green councillor Kim Long did not respond when asked if she could support the petition.

The fallen whose memories are stored in these sites deserve so much better than elected representatives who spurn their contribution in fighting to preserve our liberty.

This Thursday, representatives from the SNP, Green and Labour parties will be able to make their views known. Perhaps councillors Casey and Long can use Thursday’s meeting to explain their total lack of engagement with this campaign. They can’t have failed to notice the impressive lobbying from those involved.

My motion states categorically that Glasgow rejects any

move that would reduce the capacity of the British armed forces to defend the people of Scotland.

Do they support this principle and show solidarity with the contribution of our armed forces throughout the ages? Or do they side with those who would wish to see our defensive capabilities decimated and our memorial sites left unprotected against vandals who seek to desecrate their legacy? The choice is stark and the people of Glasgow will be watching.