More Nukes.

[LogicChristian]

The fact is i neither like conventional weapons. I mean weather its nuke or conventional I still wouldn’t want to be hurt by either. These so called countries that want to harm us, I haven’t actually seem them attack us, I’ve only seen US threaten them and invade THIER countries. And please don’t quote me on terrorists, they are a invisible foe. I really don’t care weather the 25 billion is today or over 20 years, it is still 25 billion. When we talk about national defence and keeping freedom, I just don’t see us doing any defending but attacking, its sad and these nukes will serve an evil purpose, no good can come from this.

I wasn't going to bring up terrorists, nuclear weapons are not in use to defend against terrorists. I'm not too big of a fan of Iraq either.

The reason the UK feels it needs nuclear weapons is to avoid blackmail by other nuclear states. Also, if a nation ever did want to invade the UK (the possibility seems remote now, but it did in 1930 as well) the UK has a cheap last line of defense.

The good that comes from nations having nuclear weapons is that they don't have to worry as much about invasion from another nation. It's easy to see why the United States wouldn't want another Pearl Harbor, why Russia wouldn't want another Leningrad or Stalingrad, why China wouldn't want another Nanjing, why France wouldn't want another Verdun, and why the UK wouldn't want another Battle of Britain. In the end, $50 billion over 20 years is a low price to pay to make sure your nation is not invaded.

All this nonsense about defence, the USA and UK are not defending anything but offending other countries. That’s the strangest defence I’ve ever seen. I don’t believe our governments have that much of a problem using these weapons, conventional or not.

If governments didn't have a problem using nuclear weapons, than why has Britain taken all US nuclear weapons out of the country, and dismantled the vast majority of its own nuclear arsenal? Why also has no nation used them since the end of the worst war in mankind's history?

 

[RichardE]

You make a fair point but this prevention can only go so far. It takes one idiot to fire a nuke and thats it, all over.

They have such a problem with it because they know if one goes up they all go up. It is a ticking time bomb.

I know they are dismantling nukes but still they are replenishing them. Like i have said, if say country X fired one, then the reciver would fire one, more countires would get involved and it would be a nightmare.

 

[azmurath]

Stockpile or not its still discusting. They say they cannot keep up with the costs of the National HEalth Service but are willing to spend money on things that have no purpose but to cause widespread suffering, it upsets me greatly to see this happen.

The prupose is to keep other countries from using nuclear weapons on them, and if they do, your country will nuke the hell out of them. Nobody wants that. If you dont have nukes, what is going to stop them from nuking you?

 

[RichardE]

I dont want anyone nuking anyone thanks.

 

[LogicChristian]

I dont want anyone nuking anyone thanks.

Nobody does, and that's why they exist. If you know you can't get rid of the expertise to build the bombs, you have to deter people from using them. That's why the UK, like most nuclear powers, has made drastic cuts in its arsenal, but still keeps enough warheads around to make sure that nobody can stage a massive attack against the UK without suffering retaliation.

 

[RichardE]

Still sad though. Eh i just dont like all this war talk and nukes.

 

[JamesD]

Still sad though. Eh i just dont like all this war talk and nukes.

Ignoring war and nuclear weapons doesn't make them any less pertinent to your life.

I also agree with the previous posters who say that nuclear weapons are basically strategically defensive. Nukes are sought mostly for prestige purposes and to prevent other nations from using nukes against you, not for actual use in war. In the end, nukes sit in their silos staring at other nukes so that they will stay in their silos as well. Truly aggresive weapons are more mundane power projection weapons like inflight refueling aircraft and other such things.