UK Trident vote today

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Let's not pretend there's any suspense involved, because we already know that most MPs are desperate to spend many, many billions of pounds to continue hosting part of the US nuclear arsenal.

[kentonio]

But genius Corbyn feels this is the perfect time to split the party further trying to convince Labour MPs that in the face of an increasingly belligerent Russia we should unilaterally disarm. ****ing idiot of a man, this is exactly why I can't vote for him, even if he is anti-austerity.

[BeBMan]

Instead of Trident you could go back to make project Blue Peacock work again, which tried to develop a nuclear mine.

It's probaly impractical from a military POV, but has a lot of entertainment value:

One technical problem was that during winter buried objects can get very cold, and it was possible the mine's electronics would get too cold to work after some days underground. Various methods to get around this were studied, such as wrapping the bombs in insulating blankets. One particularly remarkable proposal suggested that live chickens be included in the mechanism. The chickens would be sealed inside the casing, with a supply of food and water; they would remain alive for a week or so. Their body heat would, it seems, have been sufficient to keep the mine's components at a working temperature. This proposal was sufficiently outlandish that it was taken as an April Fool's Day joke when the Blue Peacock file was declassified on 1 April 2004. Tom O'Leary, head of education and interpretation at the National Archives, replied to the media that, "It does seem like an April Fool but it most certainly is not. The Civil Service does not do jokes."

[KrazyHorse]

How much of the opposition to Trident in the UK is based on the specifics of the Trident program vs just being opposition to the operation of a credible nuclear deterrent?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Probably very little, because I think the general assumption is that UK Trident is an independent nuclear strike capability. I've never believed that, personally.

Then again, I'd oppose a genuinely independent nuclear strike capability too.

[C0ckney]

trident is utterly pointless, rather like this vote that appears to decide absolutely nothing.

* looks at the second post — though i see it has had its desired effect on a certain section of the electorate...

[Dinner]

I like Trident and believe it serves a genuinely useful purpose while unilateral disarmorment serves no purpose.

Besides we already have a big enough problem with Eurotwat deadbeats not pulling their own weight.

[C0ckney]

a weapon that will never be used has a useful purpose, whereas scrapping that weapon to save billions of pounds that could be spent enhancing human happiness or creating wealth serves no purpose? always. wrong.

[Drizzy Drake]

Weapons that never have to be used are the best kind. If you're really so desperate to save £31bn, why don't you start by cutting the parts of the British military that are used to attack Muslim countries and keep Gibraltar and the Malvinas from their rightful owners?

[The Mad Monk]

4 out of five dentists recommend Trident for their patients who chew gum.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Oh, what a shock. It got renewed.

Now who's looking forward to spending mega-billions on a system that will probably become obsolete in five years time, and was probably never independent either?

[kentonio]

trident is utterly pointless, rather like this vote that appears to decide absolutely nothing.

* looks at the second post — though i see it has had its desired effect on a certain section of the electorate...

a weapon that will never be used has a useful purpose, whereas scrapping that weapon to save billions of pounds that could be spent enhancing human happiness or creating wealth serves no purpose? always. wrong.

Don't be naive, nuclear weapons were the only thing that kept us from a devastating third world war between the west and Russia. What is so utterly idiotic is the idea that in the space of a single lifetime, people have supposedly magically evolved to never accept another world scale conflict. Or is it just that you want to hide under America's nuclear umbrella?

[C0ckney]

the cold war is over. indeed, since then, the west that has been far more aggressive than russia. perhaps the world would look a good deal less threatening if we stopped filling it with our bombs, guns and bullets.

as for nuclear weapons as a national phallic symbol, that's not an argument likely to convince me.

[Lorizael]

Your whole country is voting on a chewing gum brand? Ridiculous. Anyway, I prefer Juicy Fruit.

Edit:

4 out of five dentists recommend Trident for their patients who chew gum.

Oops. I guess I should have read the thread.

[kentonio]

the cold war is over. indeed, since then, the west that has been far more aggressive than russia. perhaps the world would look a good deal less threatening if we stopped filling it with our bombs, guns and bullets.

Oh good advice hippy, let's tell Putin we want to melt down all our weapons and have an acoustic rock festival where we renew our vows of international brotherhood instead.

as for nuclear weapons as a national phallic symbol, that's not an argument likely to convince me.

How is that a 'national phallic symbol'? Either you think both us AND the US (and French) should unilaterally disarm and hope Putin doesn't decide to invade Eastern Europe, or else you're a bum who still wants the US protection but just doesn't want to pay for it. Which one is it?