Project Green Light As Arts & Universities Pay Price
“I am absolutely clear that a minimum nuclear deterrent based on the Trident missile delivery system and continuous at sea deterrent is right for the UK and should be maintained” – Liam Fox – The total expected cost for replacing Trident is £20bn
Here’s one that seems to have been buried by the MOD press office.The Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox has approved the first stage to replace and upgrade the Trident submarine program at a cost to the taxpayer of £3bn. The Arts on the other hand have been cut by a total of 30% and tuition to art colleges and universities are set to rise to the full £9,000 in September.
Fox was quoted as saying, “Trident was the ultimate guarantee of national security” but we know this is just a ploy to flush more taxpayers money down the sewer, feathering the bank accounts of the military industrial complex of shady British arms manufacturers. Dr Fox said the government’s decision to give the green light to the “initial gate” phase would enable ministers to make a final decision after that time. This first phase will see the purchase of steel to build the carcass of the submarines and fund the propulsions systems at a cost of £3bn. I would be curious to see who will get the contracts and if the money is allocated to British firms not just dubious British middlemen with the big money going outside the UK..
The issue of Vanguard (Trident with a new name) has been the subject of tension within the government and it is a bone of contention with the coalition who have delayed the final decision until after the next election in 2015, amid concerns over its cost.
Dr Fox has also said, “The Ministry of Defence would commission a study into alternative nuclear options to see whether they were “feasible and credible”. This will be overseen by Lib Dem Armed Forces minister Nick Harvey another one who obviously sees little disagreement within the Lib-Con alliance. If you think Labour is any better, Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy backed the decision, saying Trident had been a “cornerstone” of the UK’s peace and security for more than 50 years. There is no chance of a positive outcome with this issue, no matter how you cast your vote. It is all down to palm greasing and profligate fat cat politicians who have no scruples when it comes to spending your money on obsolete technology.
As successive governments have told us for years, the money has to come from somewhere and it is obvious that outdated cold war defense technology is more important to the government than the Arts and education of the British population.