Trident ...
I'd say investment in the (currently be underinvested) armed forces would be better towards making us safer against threats to our security. Proliferation would surely mean other countries would want to follow suit.
The more states that have them, the more certain it is they will be used. Britain can set an example by unilateral nuclear disarmament.
It takes a disproportionate share of the nation's defence budget.
We are more likely to be engaged in low-level warfare in which nuclear weapons are irrelevant. To meet the challenge of asymmetric warfare, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, we should spend more on conventional forces and properly equip them.
Possession of nuclear weapons is an outmoded virility symbol. Countries like Spain, Canada and Australia do without them and have as much global influence as Britain.

Edited by nickgusset (19 Jan 2016 5.45pm)

Your solar plan was to save the jobs of the defunct Trident workers should this country go to the dogs (elect Corbyn that is). How is investing in Spanish solar farms going to keep people from the Clyde in employment?

Thing to remember going into future generations is that Nuclear nations will increase, not decrease, and the countries that are likely looking at nuclear capability are looking for an edge to up their states capacity for negotiation and regional / global influence.

Iran and Saudi will likely be the main candidates for becoming nuclear, irrespective of efforts to contain them, and they will use that to establish greater influence on a regional and global basis (possibly even to levy a place on the security council).

Whilst I don't see Trident as a solution to the proliferation or as a deterant this kind of capacity represents a significant political leverage for a nation (even if the weapons are never used). In particular a second nuclear power in the middle east would represent a very big power shift, and one that Israel would be very concerned about.

The problem of nuclear disarmnement is that you have to have nuclear capacity to engage and influence that - Countries will only disarm when it represents a significant benefit to those nations. I doubt Iran or Saudi would use nuclear weapons, without a threat to their existence, but they would benefit enourmously from the political power that comes from being part of the nuclear club.

139 pages on a minor politician, yes I know he is leader of the opposition but he won't be for long as whilst he may appeal to some he does not have the wider appeal to win an election.

There are times this forum amazes me!

Exactly.

He does it until he gets found wanting in his argument or point of view and then he brings up another load of his old, or some new, threads to shunt them back down the boards.

Another stalker who would say black was white if I said different.

Edited by nickgusset (22 Jan 2016 2.20pm)