I am not one to get involved in the internal politics of another nation so I will not do so now. The people of Britain through their freely elected representatives will do that. That being said, I have a take on nuclear weapons.
Following the US use of atomic weapons on Japan, ending WWII, and the development of thermo-nuclear packages, there has been a debate as to their further development and usefulness as a weapon. Strictly speaking, as a tactical weapon nuclear bombs are of little or no value. The destruction, loss of human life and denial of territory make their logical use in tactical warfare nonexistent.
Strategic, also known as existential warfare, is another story entirely. During the so called ‘Cold War’ each side knew that the use of nuclear arms would lead to the destruction of the other, also known as ‘Mutually Assured Destruction” (MAD). During the ‘Cold War’ both sides endeavored to reduce the threat of total destruction through treaties and rhetoric. Although many fought to minimize the threat to both sides through propaganda (Doomsday Clock) and proxy wars (Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and others on the African Continent), nuclear weapons did not cease to exist. The acceptance of nuclear weapons must exist because nuclear weapons exist and the technology to make them will not be forgotten……….one cannot put the genie back in the bottle.
As nuclear weapons exist today, as they did during the ‘Cold War’, are existential in nature. That is, if the existence of a nation as a people, culture, and civilization is in jeopardy, that nations nuclear weapons can and ultimately will ensure its survival.
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