Dear All
The Trident debate will and does provoke strong emotions in
people; you are either pro or anti-nuclear weapons.
War isn’t a game, people die, and some people die in the,
most horrible fashion, what keeps us safe is being strong, building alliances
and having have the conviction to see things through to the end.
Everyone doesn’t want nuclear weapons to be used in the
world, but they exist, some time ago, I commented how the US and others should
abandon the use of depleted uranium shells.
I see their use as contrary to what we are and what we
should stand for; it isn’t just the firing of the weapon which creates a
problem but also the aftermath which can result in medical problems which can
last generations.
We cannot uninvent nuclear weapons, it would be great if we
could, but we cannot, so like it or not, we are stuck with them. One of the
things which are critical to a country is of course, defence of the realm. To
do that we need people who are willing to stand up and join our armed forces,
we expect a lot from them, but they rightly expect a lot from us, people and
politicians.
People in the armed forces expect that we will not put them
in harm’s way without good reason, we supply them with what they need to
protect them on the battle field and that they have our total support.
Lots of people in politics put a lot of weight on expert
opinions, General Sir Nicholas Houghton is the Chief of Defence Staff; his
business is warfare. Most politicians know nothing about the military, but in a
democracy you don’t need to, there are experts like the General to assist in
giving tactical advice on deployment of the armed forces.
General Sir Nicholas Houghton has spoken out as the head of
the armed forces and warned that Jeremy Corbyn’s policy on Trident would
undermine the credibility of Britain’s nuclear deterrent. Normally, servicemen
and women don’t comment publicly on political decisions such as this but such
is the strength of feeling that the issue of Trident provokes.
I believe strongly that Trident should be renewed, it costs
a huge amount of money and the results of its use speak for themselves,
authorising the use of nuclear weapons is a last resort, and if it comes down
to it, a leader of a country may be required to sanction such use.
When General Sir Nicholas Houghton spoke out, this has urged
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to write to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, he
regards what the comments as an unacceptable breach of the principle that the
military do not interfere in politics. Corbyn is right, it is unacceptable;
this is a discussion that needs to happen internally. And it is a discussion
that Jeremy Corbyn needs to listen to if he wishes to be the next Labour Prime
Minister.
Trident isn’t going away, and it can’t be a yo-yo policy
that Britain has a nuclear deterrent only if there is a Conservative Government
in power. So, like it or not, Jeremy Corbyn is stuck with Trident, the issue as
I keep saying is more than just the actual weapon. It is a symbol of the status
that Britain holds in the World and in international bodies, we are a nuclear
power.
Downing Street has responded to the row by saying that head
of the armed forces will not face disciplinary action.
David Cameron’s spokeswoman said:
“The chief of the armed forces... made a point about the
credibility of the deterrent. He made clear he wasn’t talking about a personal
thing. He was asked about the deterrent. He made a point about the credibility
of the deterrent. And as the principle military adviser to the Government, it’s
reasonable for the Chief of Defence Staff to talk about how we maintain the
credibility of one of the most important tools in our armoury.”
I seriously wouldn’t expect anything to happen to Sir
Nicholas Houghton.
In a BBC interview, the General expressed concern that Mr
Corbyn had declared there were no circumstances in which he would press the
nuclear button should he become prime minister.
Jeremy Corbyn has a chance to change the Labour Party and Britain
for the better; he could shift the Labour Party back towards the founding
principles that many who voted Labour in the past hoped for, but he needs the
public, and the public want Trident replaced. Even within Labour there are deep
divisions on this issue of Trident, and electoral success isn’t handed to
leaders who are seen as weak.
It is always country before party, and party before personal
ambitions or desires, sometimes a leader needs to step back and listen to outside
advice, on this issue, Jeremy Corbyn needs adopt a different world view.
When it comes to supporting our troops, no politician can
win on a platform that puts their safety in danger, especially when applying
for the job as Prime Minister of Great Britain. If he wants to ban British use
of depleted Uranium weapon systems, he will have my total support, this type of weapon use should never have been allowed to be used..
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
3 comments:
Here's an old one George.
Zero deaths from nuclear weapons since WW2.
Tens of millions from conventional weapons.
But according to those who think they know best, that's OK.
Unfortunately George i think that Mr Corbyn thinks he is right and everyone else is wrong. This position make labour unelectable and if he can't see that he is no use as leader.
you are right Georgieboy with regard to all your comments and in particular DU
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