[jambutty]

With apologies to William Shakespeare!

It has been reported that Gordon Brown intends to spend £25bn (some pundits quote £20bn) to replace our nuclear deterrent. The decision has to be made soon - he claims, because it will take until 2020 to have the replacement ready for when our current nuclear subs and missiles reach the end of their life.

Since our four Trident carrying submarines were commissioned and brought into active service who has actually threatened the UK with a nuclear strike? Well there was …… and there was …… not forgetting …….! In fact no one. Even if someone had, does anyone think that we would have retaliated? We couldn’t because the nuclear weapons are under the control of Bush and Co and we would have to seek their permission before being able to launch even one. I doubt if that permission would be given unless the USA was also threatened.

When presenting an argument about nuclear weapons the experts and the pro nuclear lobby plus the manufacturers who make the darned things always refer to MAD- that is Mutually Assured Destruction. If one country has nukes the only way to prevent them from launching them at you is to have enough nukes to bring about MAD. Thus it was stalemate!

In the days of the ‘Cold War’ it made some sort of sense because we (the US really) didn’t know the Russians and were suspicious of them and likewise they didn’t know us (the US) and didn’t trust us. But now we are all pals together – well sort of – and neither side is likely to try a pre-emptive strike on the other even if the other side didn’t have any nukes.

In any case the capitalist world is too entrenched in its way of life that only a madman would even think about chucking a nuke at someone.

I doubt very much whether Gordon Brown or any of his minions will read this thread and report back to him but nonetheless I have a message for him.

Don’t waste OUR money on something that we do not need. We – Great Britain that is – are no longer a world power and haven’t been since 1945 in spite of President Blair’s attempts to look like a world leader. If you must spend some money on UK defence then give our current forces the RIGHT equipment to fight with – ALL OF IT. None of this, “here lads share this flack jacket between you”. Then spend the rest on improving our hospitals and schools.