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greater scepticism. Just exactly what has been deterred? And why have non-nuclear weapons states such as
Germany, Spain and Japan been just as successful in deterring it?
-the immensely destructive power of nuclear weapons had changed the purpose of military strategy from
winning conflicts to deterring them
manufacturing cost of the four Successor submarines to £31bn, contingency estimate of another £10bn,
Successor would cost £167bn
If the cost was insignificant, wouldn’t matter. However, cost is very large. Why does it exist?
The British response to Trident is a microcosm of the British identity at large: a nation that is
divided and unsure of itself, ultimately clinging to the past in the hopes of reclaiming faded
glory.
Division
pushing the button – Jeremy corbyn would not
what ifs
argument split on whether should ever be used, divide among Labour party
questions of whether it would ever be used, only a deterrent
appeal to “everyman in the pub”
Brexit example -
-continuation of Britain’s identity on the world stage as insular island nation, whose power went beyond
confines of island, naval nation, dockyards,
“We’ve got to have this thing [the atom bomb] over here whatever it costs [and] we’ve got to have the
bloody Union Jack on top of it,” were the words of the Labour foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, in 1946
after he returned from an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Washington to share its nuclear
expertise.
Brexit an example of hoping to regain soveringty.
“take” control
top table of nations, punching above weight, hope of going back
Trident was about keeping Britain as a permanent member of the UN security council
Brexit voting: 18-24: 75%, 25-49: 56%, 50- 64: 44%, 65+: 39%
References
Elgot, J. et al., 2018. 'We're not morons': Brexit divisions harden across Britain. The Guardian