Free Republic

Voters want Britain to scrap nuclear weapons altogether rather than replace Trident, according to a new Guardian/ICM poll today. The result marks a sharp turnaround in public opinion amid growing debate about the cost of a new generation of nuclear weapons and the impact of conventional defence cutbacks on the war in Afghanistan. For decades nuclear disarmament has been seen as a minority issue, with most voters assumed to favour continued investment in an independent British nuclear weapons system. But today's poll shows that 54% of all voters would prefer to abandon nuclear weapons rather than put money into a...

THE British government was warned more than two years ago that Iran had illegally acquired a missile system capable of carrying nuclear warheads. It has emerged that a foreign government delivered the warning to Britain in early 2004. Separately, it has been disclosed that the system was sold to Iran by a former senior member of the Ukrainian security service. The deal was brokered by an organised crime boss and, it is feared, contributed to the Iranian nuclear programme that is now the subject of an international confrontation. Iran had also been using large cash payments to lure technical and...

Do UK nukes make military sense? By Rob Watson Defence and security correspondent, BBC News There is no doubt Chancellor Gordon Brown has set off a major ideological debate within his own, once avowedly, anti-nuclear Labour Party. But what are the military arguments for and against Britain retaining an independent nuclear deterrent? Nuclear submarines are based at Faslane on the Clyde Perhaps the first question to consider is why this is an issue now. At the moment Britain has 16 Trident missiles, based on four nuclear submarines, providing a total of 200 warheads. The problem is that the missiles will...

Is Britain conducting nuclear tests? Ian Sample Saturday February 25, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Yes and no. On Thursday, Britain took part in a "subcritical" test of nuclear material 1,000ft beneath the Nevada desert. But the explosion was too small to produce a nuclear blast. Known as the Krakatau test, the detonation was conducted, according to the Ministry of Defence, for the purposes of "stockpile stewardship", meaning it served to ensure that the country's nuclear bombs have not deteriorated while in storage and will still go off should they ever be launched. At the heart of the test is the...