Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Not quite a failure ...

I have been trying to post something rational and detailed regarding the "replacing Trident" debate, as I promised, and have been failing miserably. However, I spotted Timmy's post regarding one of the earlier (and, it must be said, more honourable) attempts of the Catholic Church to interfere in UK politics (Ed notes: I must say, it must be a terrible disappointment for the good Bishop to be just one petty vowel away from the perfect surname for a vicar!) and read this in the Scotsman.

A lot of honest moral and economic objection but I really loved this particular quote:

Osama Saeed: Scottish spokesman of the Muslim Association of Britain
"I do not trust the Prime Minister. He says Trident will be outdated in 17 years, but expert physicists say it should last 100 years. He says we need to take a decision now to develop a new system by 2024, but we're led to believe Iran could build one that would imperil us imminently."
Now, I don't trust the Prime Minister but if Osama and his "expert physicists" would like to go to sea (for a 3 month patrol) in a 100-year old submarine - I will pay for his trip down to the RN Submarine Museum and he can go out in Holland One. Okay, it is a 105 years old but the closest I could find.

In addition, he can take with him (though I'll be nowhere near it) 50 tons (1 Trident D5 worth) of 100 year old solid rocket fuel and he can pay to maintain 100 year old (built, so probably 110 year old designed computers.) Of course, this has been so cheap and easy, and that is only 64 years old. And I am sure that, although this doesn't necessarily require a new system, 100-year-old thermonuclear bombs will work just fine too (1/2 life of tritium = 12 years + the unpredictability of all of that explosive which must work timed to "shakes".)

Never mind the petty confusion between "imminent" - to project, threaten - and "immediate". Why didn't he just say that he believes the only reason for having Trident was to kill Muslims and stop inventing things?

S-E

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