Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey is calling on the government to start building a “fully independent British nuclear deterrent” to end the UK’s reliance on the US.
The UK has operational control of its nuclear arsenal, including British-built warheads, but it depends on the US to supply and maintain the Trident missiles that would deliver them.
In a speech to his party’s spring conference in York on Sunday, Sir Ed will argue the UK’s continued reliance on US support is an unacceptable risk to national security.
While true, I weep for an environment that will have to endure another decade of nuclear bomb tests
This is about the missiles not the warheads. Britain already manufactures those and doesn’t conduct testing.
So that means Russia is justified if they bomb the UK? Same reason we go after Iran.
To be clear, the UK already has a massive nuclear arsenal. This is just about building them domestically (and only the delivery system, they already build warheads) instead of importing. So, while you’re not wrong per se, the argument you’re trying to have kind of came and went a while ago.
fuck no. no more nuclear escalation please
This belies a complete and total ignorance of the entire topic of strategic nuclear deterrence, and an extremely naive geopolitical worldview.
For case studies of why nuclear deterrence is important, and why a lack thereof can be catastrophic to the state in question, see:
- Ukraine
- Iran
- North Korea (is effectively un-invadeable because of their nuclear weapons)
Moreover, this is not an escalation. It’s moving towards strategic independence from a (former) ally that has become deeply unreliable.
UK can cooperate with other EU countries. Pretty sure Poland gonna be very interested. Germany, Italy.
Lets not proliferate. Perhaps France.
Why not?
Britain and Poland would have to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The only state to do so to date is North Korea and it would be a highly troubling precedent.
I also believe that a nuclear arms race would have catastrophic consequences for the world, but unfortunately, Russia, Israel, and the US are making it all too clear that international treaties are, sadly, worthless.
Right now, it would be important to find diplomatic solutions and return to a peaceful, international dialogue, but I fear that this is simply not possible with the unscrupulous despots at the helm of these powerful countries. They believe that international law does not apply to them and want to establish the law of the jungle as the sole premise of world politics - they commit the most horrific war crimes and apparently believe they have the right to terrorize the world simply because they can. As long as their heinous crimes go unpunished and these monsters remain at the helm of their countries, I fear that the world must arm itself to avoid becoming their next victim.
Nuclear proliferation would probably lead to a safer world. Look at North Korea, they are left alone by imperialists because they have the big red button. We could distribute nukes to everyone so there is universal MAD.
May also end the world, but we’re already on the way there.
If only there was a nearby group of nations we could share this financial burden with.
