It’s a shame a Libdem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence


by Guest    
8:55 pm - September 5th 2012

Tweet       Share on Tumblr

contribution by Kate Hudson

As the cabinet lurches – or should it be shuffles? – to the right, it’s a shame to say good-bye to Nick Harvey MP, now former Minister for the Armed Forces.

One of the casualties of what is widely interpreted as an attempt to please grass-roots Tories, Nick Harvey was a breath of fresh air in the MoD. He was open to discussion with campaigners and then the only LibDem minister within those hallowed portals.

Don’t get me wrong. Nick Harvey wasn’t advocating nuclear disarmament. And he was far from the Scrap Trident position of large numbers of his party colleagues, both in and out of Parliament.

But he did at least stick by the half-way house position of the Lib Dem leadership – that there should be no like-for-like Trident replacement. When other manifesto commitments seemed to fall by the wayside, he continued to pursue a coalition agreement pledge to review alternatives to Trident.

The fact that these alternatives did not include getting rid of nukes altogether may make some wonder why I’m bothered.

But the fact is that the Lib Dems did challenge the ruling party consensus: that Britain has to continue unquestioningly with a phenomenally expensive cold war system – one that its main apologists claim we have to have in order never to use.

Sadly that is the position of Nick Harvey’s replacement, Andrew Robathan. There will be no new thinking there and that is presumably what this part of the reshuffle is about: restoring a sense of security to those concerned about key Tory totems.

The Lib Dems may make diplomatic comments about trading ministerial posts, but that is far from convincing. In reality, their relative open-mindedness and persistence on the nuclear issue has made their MoD presence a victim of the right-ward swing.

By the same token, Labour also needs to re-address this issue. Ed Miliband indicated he was open to a review of Trident, so when will this happen? The economic logic and the opportunity cost of spending on Trident must surely propel Labour to reconsider and give up its historic anxiety about looking weak on defence.

Why not instead take a tough line on investment for sustainable growth rather than the dead end of nukes?

As for the Lib Dems in this new situation, it’s time to keep the pressure up on the MoD from outside and make them deliver on the Trident Alternatives Review. Scrap Trident!

—-
Kate Hudson is chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

   Tweet   Share on Tumblr   submit to reddit  


About the author
This is a guest post.
· Other posts by


Story Filed Under: Blog ,Libdems ,Our democracy ,Westminster


Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


Reader comments


1. Charlieman

My recollection of Nick Harvey, from 25 years ago, is of a grumpy so-and-so who asked questions. Those are the qualities that got him elected as an MP, somebody who delivers interesting words.

But hey, he’ll be interesting on the back benches.

2. Sally

No lie dems at defence or at the Foreign Office. It’s almost as if the tories want to start a war. Bombing of Iran will maybe about to start, as soon as US election is over.

3. Bob B

Sally: “Bombing of Iran will maybe about to start, as soon as US election is over.”

The worry is that Israel could choose to start the bombing of Iran before the US Presidential election in order to force the hand of the Obama administration at a vulnerable time.

“While an Israeli air strike could cause a temporary setback to Iran’s nuclear program, it would take the US Air Force to finish the job, retired Air Force General and former CIA Director Michael Hayden said in an interview published September 4 in the Israeli daily Haaretz.

“‘I do not underestimate the Israeli talent, but geometry and physics tell us that Iran’s nuclear program would pose a difficult challenge to any military,’ said Hayden, who was CIA director from 2006 to 2009. ‘Israel’s resources are more limited than those of the US,’ he added.”
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/12717-ex-cia-chief-says-only-us-can-ko-iran-nuke-sites

If Obama is re-elected in November, he could conclude then that he is politically strong enough to hold back from supporting the Netanyahu coalition government which is reportedly committed to bombing Iran regardless of eartlier internal Israeli warnings from previous chiefs of Mossad and Shin Bet.

4. Sally

Interesting that Cameron has removed any Lib Dem from foreign policy issues. Seems a bit suspicious to me.

Tories believe they were born to rule.

5. Bob B

Sally: “Interesting that Cameron has removed any Lib Dem from foreign policy issues. Seems a bit suspicious to me.”

I agree completely. It looks more than suspicious as though LibDems in the MOD and the Foreign Office are regarded as potentially subversive and security risks because they could object to underwriting British government support for Israeli aggression. After all, the LibDems from the very beginning consistently opposed the invasion of Iraq on Blair’s claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. I suspect Hague in the FO and Hammond in the MOD wouldn’t want a repeat of anything like that to happen again.

6. tory

“expensive cold war system – one that its main apologists”

Nice read until the word ‘apologist’,

It is you who are an ‘apologist’ for Iran building the bomb.

It is you who spent the 80′s an ‘apologist’ for the weapons of the Soviet Union.

7. Sally

6 and it’s silly tory trolls like you who spent the 80s selling super guns and propping up Saddam in Iraq.

8. TONE

The MAD nuclear arms race with the former Soviet Union was bizarre and very dangerous, though unilateral nuclear disarmament by the UK would not have helped to have reduced the danger. Today, a nuclear deterrent seems to me to be much more necessary – in order to deter nuclear or other attacks by rogue states – and the case for unilateral nuclear disarmament even less cogent.

9. ex-Labour voter

If you want to help stop Trident replacement, then please ask your MP to sign EDM 96: Trident.

It currently has 92 signatures and is widely supported by Labour and Liberal Democrat MP’s. Opinion in the Labour Party does seem to be shifting against wasting billions of pounds on this utter rubbish.

All you have to do is click on the link below and have your postcode handy.

http://act.cnduk.org/lobby/63

Many thanks.

10. Bob B

8 “Today, a nuclear deterrent seems to me to be much more necessary – in order to deter nuclear or other attacks by rogue states – and the case for unilateral nuclear disarmament even less cogent.”

C’mon. Mutual Assured Destruction had a credible logic in deterring a Soviet blitzkrieg attack across the north German plain when Warsaw Pact countries had overwhelming superiority over NATO in armour (tanks and the like) but possession of nuclear weapons didn’t prevent 9/11 or the London bombings on 7/7. In asymmetric or fourth generation wars, nuclear weapons are not a credible deterrent while delivery systems for nuclear weapons by missiles aboard submarines are hugely costly.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Daniel Blaney

    CND's Kate Hudson writes for Liberal Conspiracy on the Lib Dems being reshuffled out of the MOD http://t.co/IOUHDq4w

  2. Jason Brickley

    It’s a shame a Libdem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence http://t.co/xCH93Mbn

  3. leftlinks

    Liberal Conspiracy – It’s a shame a Libdem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence http://t.co/TFvuMpqu

  4. BevR

    It’s a shame a Libdem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/Ea63N5RA via @libcon

  5. CND

    It's a shame a Lib Dem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence – Kate Hudson writes for @libcon http://t.co/02Eo7m8C #CutTrident

  6. CND

    #Reshuffle at the MoD is about restoring a sense of security to those concerned about key Tory totems http://t.co/02Eo7m8C #CutTrident

  7. CND

    Lib Dem open-mindedness 'has made their MoD presence a victim of the right-ward swing' #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5

  8. Sam hussain

    Lib Dem open-mindedness 'has made their MoD presence a victim of the right-ward swing' #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5

  9. CND

    Kate Hudson challenges Labour and the Lib Dems to take on Trident as Tories take over MoD in #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5 via @libcon

  10. Ben Folley

    Kate Hudson challenges Labour and the Lib Dems to take on Trident as Tories take over MoD in #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5 via @libcon

  11. Romayne Phoenix

    Kate Hudson challenges Labour and the Lib Dems to take on Trident as Tories take over MoD in #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5 via @libcon

  12. kevin white

    RT @libcon: It's a shame a Libdem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence http://t.co/IIEX2g61

  13. Labour CND

    'The economic logic and the opportunity cost of spending on #Trident must surely propel Labour to reconsider' @libcon http://t.co/J8LHw5Yl

  14. Daniel Blaney

    'The economic logic and the opportunity cost of spending on #Trident must surely propel Labour to reconsider' @libcon http://t.co/J8LHw5Yl

  15. Plymouth Action

    It's a shame a Lib Dem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence – Kate Hudson writes for @libcon http://t.co/02Eo7m8C #CutTrident

  16. charles gate

    Kate Hudson challenges Labour and the Lib Dems to take on Trident as Tories take over MoD in #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5 via @libcon

  17. Rakshita Patel

    It's a shame a Lib Dem was shuffled out of the Ministry of Defence – Kate Hudson writes for @libcon http://t.co/02Eo7m8C #CutTrident

  18. Rakshita Patel

    #Reshuffle at the MoD is about restoring a sense of security to those concerned about key Tory totems http://t.co/02Eo7m8C #CutTrident

  19. Rakshita Patel

    Kate Hudson challenges Labour and the Lib Dems to take on Trident as Tories take over MoD in #reshuffle http://t.co/POyZzuO5 via @libcon





Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.