One of the headline grabbing arguments between the leaders of the three main political parties in this election has been the subject of our nuclear deterrent.
While the Liberal Democrats have been very vocal in saying it should be scrapped, both Labour and the Conservatives accuse Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, of being naive.
Sadly, though, they are all right.
We are about to invest billions of pounds into the renewal of a weapons system, which will hopefully never be used, when that money could be filling a large part of the financial hole, from which, we are trying to escape.
A nuclear weapons industry should never have been conceived. It is a technology that could have been harnessed for the good of all and not the destruction of a select few. It has split the world into those countries that ‘have’ and those that ‘have not’. Sadly though, it was not only conceived; it was used.
Of course, those that ‘have’ justify their position by arguing it is a deterrent and we must maintain it because we are living in an age of terrorism and growing radicalism throughout the world.
The likes of Nick Clegg, they argue, are being naive in thinking otherwise. Unfortunately, I think they are probably right, although before they become too smug, it is worth pointing out the irony in their argument using a domestic parallel example.
The increase in knife crime in the UK has been rising steadily over the last few years with many teenagers losing their lives as a result. One of the arguments they use for being ‘tooled up’ with knives is that they carry them as a deterrent, in case of attack.
Have you spotted the irony?
Our authorities argue forcibly against such logic and say you are more likely to suffer as a result of carrying a knife.
So, how is it our politicians cannot see the same logic applies to having a nuclear deterrent?
It seems there will be no clear winners in this debate and the cost could, ultimately, be far more than we are prepared to pay!
