TRIDENT POLICY - THE BIG BUCK PASS
Cabinet dispute shock! Policy on UK’s Trident nuclear missile system in state of flux! Is replacement on the cards? If so, is it to be paid for by the Ministry of Defence, as urged by the Treasury? Or is the cost to be borne by the Treasury, as defence ministers have argued, on the grounds that it’s a matter of national security? The annual defence budget is less than £40 billion. The MoD is said to be ‘braced’ for cuts of 10 to 20%. If it funds Trident replacement, its other responsibilities would be ‘very difficult’ to maintain, says Defence Secretary Liam Fox. 10 Downing Street’s 18 July assurance that Trident will be replaced looks less than solid. And the Tories and LibDems are well known to have opposite policies on Trident.
An unnamed ‘source’ quoted in Guardian of 19 July, said ‘It may be these new leaders are more open to shelving Trident when faced with its cost.’ As well as inside the Treasury, there is widespread skepticism within the MoD and Army over the relevance of replacing the existing Trident ballistic missiles.
Then there’s the little matter of the strategic defence review. Lib Dem Sir Menzies Campbell said ‘Maybe it’s the shape of the missiles but every time Trident is mentioned there is an outbreak of priapism on the Tory backbenches. It makes no sense whatsoever to exclude Trident, the strategic deterrent, from a proper strategic review.’
Nick Harvey MP said in April ‘Omitting the single largest procurement project from the review makes a complete mockery of the whole exercise.’ Mr Harvey, a LibDem, is now Armed Forces Minister. We live in interesting times.
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Day Commemorative Social Evening
A social evening to include a session from the Dave Mann and friends playing jazz/swing followed by readings, poetry and singing from Pauline and Yvonne, and Bronwyn Westacott and friends. The evening will finish with classical music played by Dale on his guitar. Please do try your best to come down. If you feel you would like to participate in the event with a reading, poem or a song, let us know. The bar will be open for drinks etc. We also thought it would be nice if people bring food along to share but this is not essential.