Democracy strengthened

S2B Fat Yung Foo or whatever he calls himself is a total, egocentric, megalomaniac, without a logical thought in his single brain cell. People like that don't think they act on impulse.

And I agree on a lesser role

Whilst I agree with you soontobe that we are not "at war" (as in WW2) but we do live with the global threat of terrorism hanging over us.

It is the existence of the NATO alliance that has kept Europe safe since the Second World War. It was a deterrent to the Eastern bloc during the Cold War, and now that the Cold War is ended, I still believe the existence of NATO gives the Russians pause for thought. With regard to our taking a lesser role, as has been suggested, it may be forced on us. If the Germans and Mr Junckers have their way, there will be a "European Army" in which we will no doubt have a much diminished role, rather than a NATO alliance, in which we play a major role. Anyone that thinks that is a good idea wants their head testing!

Rosearered's definition of being at peace seems to be that we are as long as the fighting takes place elsewhere Could we please send everyone who thinks like that to a war-zone that we have had a hand in.

Do soon and rosesarered both believe people will always behave how you expect them to as that is what nuclear as a deterrent requires. I would have thought recent events would have shown us people most certainly don't behave as we expect - what good a "deterrent" then especially if we did use it those who are at war would think the dead to be martyrs and their cause to be even more worth fighting.

Soon
"The threat that we now face is terrorism and Trident has no role to play in that.

That is shortsighted.

I am wholeheartedly in favour of scrapping Trident - it does not have the potential to make us safe

It is making us safer right now, and has done for many years."

How do you know it is keeping us safer right now - what is the evidence?
What role might Trident play in preventing terrorism?

My definition of being at peace ( and possibly a lot of other peoples definition too) is that no other country is attacking Britain, and none of our sons/ grandsons are conscripted into battle to fight back.
Islamist terrorists are not the only threat that we may face, or, since we all may not be around for a long time, our children and grandchildren will have to face.Nobody expected Hitler, or what that war entailed.We have to be prepared for anything that comes along in the future, accept a lesser role on the world stage, and as sunseeker says' put your trust in God, and carry a big stick.' Now, if you are a pacifist, you will not use any means to fight, if you accept conventional arms but not nuclear then you will no doubt want unilateral disarmament ( hoping for multilateral is pie in the sky) but there are also a lot of us who wish to keep Trident ( or updated similar).
It's our own point of view, and fortunately the view of all the main political parties to keep Trident.

As someone pointed out yesterday - maybe even JC himself - the USA's huge nuclear arsenal couldn't protect them from the atrocity of 9/11. Scrapping Trident could give us the wherewithall to provide first class health care, social care and an altogether more caring society.

I assume that we will get a chance to vote on this in the LP.

Nuclear weapons can never protect against terrorism, that's not what they're for! You can't drop a bomb on yourself! Or on a country that is harbouring (you think) would be terrorists. Nuclear weapons for us in the West are for defence, the clue is in the name 'deterrent', never for attack always to deter, which, on balance, I think they do.

Your definition of peace is mine rosesarered, and I agree wholeheartedly with your very thoughtful, factual post.

Nellie, if as you claim having trident has kept us safe from attack how do you explain why all the countries without nuclear warfare have not been bombed off the earth ?

For me we need to crap trident and build up our armed forces not keep cutting them , same with the police forces

Is anyone else worried about what might happen next week at the Tory conference?
Cameron has said he has killed British IS on Syrian soil.
What use will Trident be if IS decide to get their own back?

Every time I read about what is happening in the Middle East it makes me think of 1984, waging war on foreign soil and telling the ordinary people how well they are doing, how many of the enemy they have killed, but not telling the truth.

act.stopwar.org.uk/lobby/stopbombingsyria

To write to your MP to stop the bombing in Syria.

Excellent, Anniebach. I do not think that's the word you meant, but I agree with you.

You reckon that Russia would take any notice?!!!!!!! which of course is now a good proportion of the problem. Russia knows it can do exactly as it pleases, the West is weak, ineffectual, dithering and what's worse divided, leaving a clear field for Russian interference. I read that Putin is conscripting a hundred and fifty thousand new troops! (I wonder what they're for?) and there is not a darn thing the West can do about it. Heaven only knows where this is all going, but it doesn't look good.

Just heard the Russian spokesperson at the UN say if it looks like a terrorist, walks like a terrorist, talks like a terrorist....then it's a terrorist, right.

What does a terrorist look like and walk like?

Why "it"?

Iran sending hundreds of its revolutionary guard into Syria now.

When I was taking her to school this morning my eight year old granddaughter asked if there was going to be World War Three. Out of nowhere. She's obviously been watching and listening. I find that quite disturbing.

WW1 started because no-one had a handle on events. It is beginning to look awfully like the same.

I do apologise for my misspelling of Scrap, thank you Jen

I prefer the first word to describe Trident

Well said whitewave and the seeds of WW2 were in the way we treated Germany after WW1. Perhaps we should have dropped the bomb on Germany - oh no that might have affected our allies and us. Such simplistic thinking going on with some. I despair at some of it but I am so glad that talking about this is no longer taboo - thank you JC.

Talking about it has never been taboo.

www.cnduk.org/cnd-media/item/2140-former-conservative-defence-secretary-slams-trident-replacement

Look who agrees with Corbyn.