[Closed] Why should the UK have nuclear weapons?

Toys for the boys, pipe down at the back there!

It's so we can go to other peoples counties and mess up the place....And then steal their delicious oil...Well the Americans do that but we get to to ride shotgun as long as we buy lots of nice new shiny missiles and point them where the Americans say we ought.

We're their bitch.

Cost too much to get rid of them.

Keeping up with the Jones's - nice house, big car, latest TV, better bomb capability etc ...

Cost too much to cancel the order we shouldn't have placed.

it's not as though our nation is under any threat from invasion by a hostile force now is it?

Yes, the World is a totally predictable place. Nothing unexpected ever happens.

Just like in the 1930's when we didn't see the need to spend on defence, there was never going to be another war after the huge mess that was made by the last one. Who would of been mad enough?

Legally speaking we shouldnt have them. They were found to be illegally held wmd 3/4 yrs ago during a case in Greenock. Be interesting to see if the SNP keep their pledge not to renew trident. What else did they have to say about nuclear weapons?

There's bugger all here worth having, tbh.

There still a load of quality slate in them Welsh valleys.

Not my opinion Elf but it basically boils down to the time old statement:

Because it's 'us' not 'them'

How every British PM really sees themselves

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This Greece and Italy thing has started talk about Europe splitting along traditional divides and possible scurmishes/wars. The world is the least stable it's been for a long time and you want to get rid of the big baseball bat you keep under the bed? Truth is we don't even have enough non nuclear forces and capability to defend ourselves anymore so the nuclear stuff is Plan A B C and D when it comes to keeping the nasties at bay.

I agree with Elfin. Get shut. It's a bugger to get rid of though, that weapons-grade plutonium. I suggest we dump it somewhere that will have the least effect on the local environment and its inhabitants. Or at least where its effect will be least noticeable. Somewhere like.... Tower Hamlets. Yes, that's it. Tower Hamlets.

Thats not strictly true is it Devs. In about ten years, everything going to plan,(fingers crossed) we'll have a couple of aircraft carriers.

When someone designs and builds them (shouldn't take long - these things always go without a hitch) we'll have some planes to go on them too. Erm.... Possibly..... Maybe...... No, we will.... definitely. What could possibly go wrong? We've accounted for everything, haven't we?

Incase Iran decide to nuke us.

beacuse people like devs think that we are in imminent danger [ I believe you are meant to say Islamists here not suggest Greece will invade us ]. It is a fair point after all it not quite a millenia since we were last invaded and be honest you can never be too carefull

So what conditions can the UK launch a nuclear attack under? Presumably as a response to one.

Somebody's not thought this through.

Isn't it the case that we can't fire them without US approval? In which case, we don't have an independent arsenal, so there's no point having it.

Sell them to Iran.

If we're so matey with the USA, surely there's can protect us? Surely instead on individual stock, NATO should just have a stock spread across member states (I'm generally against WMD's but I understand that MP's think they are "wickedawesomeinnit" so I appreciate we wont be getting rid anytime soon!).

binners - Member
Thats not strictly true is it Devs. In about ten years, everything going to plan,(fingers crossed) we'll have a couple of aircraft carriers.

Sure I heard on the news that one of the sections of these new aircraft carriers has already gone up in flames!! Admittedly, it's wasn't destroyed, but it doesn't seem full of luck, does it?!

http://www.defencemanagement.com/news_story.asp?id=17907

It's all about jobs and the economy though, isn't it?

Who wants to be heading up the government that says 'lets cancel the Trident replacement, plenty of jobs going at the new Tesco home delivery warehouse'.

we need them to defend the empire and keep our colonies in check- in case any of them get big ideas about independence
as well as scare the bejesebus out of the natives in case they get restless
as a global superpower we have a certain status to maintain

hurrah and god bless the queen!

It's all about jobs and the economy though, isn't it?

Who wants to be leading up the government that says 'lets cancel the Trident replacement, plenty of jobs going at the new Tesco home delivery warehouse'.

Well said

vinnyeh - Member

It's all about jobs and the economy though, isn't it?

Its a very expensive way to create jobs - put the same money into the NHS and the universities would create far more jobs and much more usefully.

Or you could put the money into alternative energy which would give us something to export

In military terms so long as we are allied with either France or The USA our nuclear weapons are an expensive irrelevance . We should scrap them not go through with any of the contracts. In which case we could afford the carriers, working fighters, helicopters and infantry we actually need and use.

At the moment our armed forces are in conflict and short of resources while are defence budget for lame political reasons is being blown on a massive penis extension for the PM.

a millennia? that's really not quite right is it?

i agree with elf tho. bin them.

I'm not seeing how buying Trident from Lockheed makes jobs for the UK? or maybe it does are they building them here or something? Actually scratch that we build the subs and warheads and they do the missiles.