The Ministry of Defence are spending £4.2 BILLION replacing Trident before Parliament gives the go ahead in 2016. There are a few things I want to know. I can’t ask MPs. Apparently they ignore correspondence from non-constituents and some of them get ‘quite uppity’.
The word ‘deterrent’ is waved about but what lies behind it? Here’s what I’d like to ask MPs before the election.
- Under what circumstances do you think it is acceptable to kill 45 million men, women and children, flatten schools and hospitals and poison the land for generations?
- Who makes the decision in the UK (PM? AAagh!) and do they need permission from the US president before they inflict a nuclear warhead on some part of the planet?
- How do nuclear submarines deter terrorists or cyberthreats? (the greatest threat to security nowadays)
- If we never fire a missile, how many submarines will eventually need decommissioning? Where will we store their nuclear waste and how much will it all cost?
On a more personal note…
- How would your constituency be affected if we used a missile and some other country sent one back? i.e. Have you even thought about it?
The questions are short because in August 2014 I asked my local MP some fairly complex questions and he did not answer all the points raised. He indicated that he was waiting for information from the relevant department. I assume he’s still waiting.
Do you think I should contact regional newspapers and see if they will put the questions to MPs (especially the last one)?