Former soldiers made their point outside the new Scottish Parliament

The protest came as MSPs debated the future of Scotland's regiments, under review by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Plans would see one infantry battalion axed and the remaining five merged into one or two "super-regiments".

The MoD said consultation was continuing and a decision was not expected before the end of the year.

Critics claim the merger of regiments would destroy long-standing local links which have helped drive recruitment and form bonds of loyalty over many years.

The UK Government appears to be treating Scotland as a region of England Mike Rumbles Lib Dem MSP

Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser, whose region includes the Perth base of the Black Watch, urged MSPs to apply pressure on the UK Government to retain Scotland's six regiments.

He said: "The Black Watch is serving in Iraq right now, fighting to give others the freedoms we enjoy ourselves.

"It is a shame that Labour politicians cannot behave with the same dignity as the troops themselves, who are making our country proud."

North Tayside MSP John Swinney claimed it was "a complete travesty" that Scots regiments were being threatened with cuts.

He said: "This is outrageous, and the Scottish Parliament needs to make its voice heard in total condemnation of London Labour's plans."

Identity pledge

Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles, a former major who in the early 1980s was responsible for recruiting and training of the infantry in Edinburgh, said he was "appalled" by the MoD's plans.

The West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MSP said: "The UK Government appears to be treating Scotland as a region of England.

"Scotland is a nation in its own right and within that it has its own regions which recruit to its infantry regiments.

"If we lose that we will lose the esprit de corps, the added value in fighting spirit that our unique regimental system has created. It's simply madness to get rid of that."