Labour’s stance on Trident is clear, again
—Last month (October), new shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith recommitted Labour to maintaining its long-standing policy in favour of maintaining Trident, our national nuclear deterrent. With it, she restated Labour’s support for the building of the new Vanguard submarines upon which the deterrent will depend.
In these grim times, it is important to remember just how it is that Labour ended up agreeing with itself after 12 months of disagreeing with its unelectable fringe.
The doubt over Trident policy was caused deliberately and pointedly by Jeremy Corbyn and his team. Whether as a result of the curious political judgement of Seumas Milne, a genuine desire to weaken or even collapse Nato, the ultimately foolish principle of unilateralism or at the behest of Stop the War (unless the war in question is one being waged by Russia on Syrian civilians), such a policy was always going to inflict brutal damage upon Labour.
I understand and respect the motivations behind unilateralism. But as a policy unilateralism is strategically, intellectually and morally wrong. In addition, it is electoral poison.
Under the now new shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, Labour’s ‘defence policy review’ struggled for credibility due to its inherent intellectual corruption. It was always doomed to fail, and it remains a tragedy that this was allowed to create such division for so long. Sadly, this was its intended purpose.
Griffith is principled, diligent and possesses a keen sense of duty. As Labour’s fourth shadow defence secretary in 12 months, she will need to call upon all her quiet strength.
But it was the reluctant ‘awkward squad’ among the parliamentary Labour party that secured Labour’s standing as a multilateralist party. John Woodcock deserves immense credit as the PLP’s defence policy committee chair. Alongside former defence minister Kevan Jones, defence experts forensically assessed the unilateralist arguments and dispatched them patiently. The Labour party owes both a debt of gratitude, as will Labour voters at the next election. Without doubt, the people of Barrow and Furness could not be better served by their member of parliament.
I will immodestly take my share of the credit too. I cited Corbyn’s approach towards Trident as a primary reason for resigning from the Labour frontbench 47 seconds into his (first) leadership victory. Over the last 12 months I have been a high-profile advocate for Trident renewal in parliament and in the media.
The consequences of supporting the legacy of Clement Attlee and Ernest Bevin have naturally been brutal for those of us prepared to stand up for Labour voters and defend Labour achievements. But the carefully targeted hostility and threats of deselection have all been worth it and now we must let the country know where Labour stands on our nuclear deterrent.
If not, after a year of avoidable and deliberate division, it will be with a whimper, not a bang, that the Labour party ended up where it began.
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Jamie Reed is member of parliament for Copeland
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Tory-lite Jamie – a noted Blair cultist – supports the UK’s international nuclear willy-waggling. He also approves of lots of Tory social security cuts. Local CLP members, take note!
So we should keep our weapons of mass destruction and be ready to destroy the world to keep Jamie and John Woodcock MPs. We will spend £200 billion for this at a time when our NHS and schools are facing a crisis.
The Attlee legacy was an attempt to maintain the UK as an imperial power that could punch above its weight. Building our first WMD distorted our recovery from War by diverting vital resources away from modernising and developing our industries. Renewing Trident will continue this process.
Articles like this really undermine progress as a forward thinking 21st century pressure group. It fails to make a case for WMD and instead rants and displays hatred for the leadership of the party. It is clear that Jamie, like Woodcock, has learned nothing but wants to fit things into a familiar Cold War politics.
John Woodcock should be facing discipline for his comments and actions which have brought the party into disrepute and we can be sure they will be used by the Tories in any election campaign. It seems his main concern to ensure he stays an MP even if better MPs than him. If only Jamie and Woodcock were a ‘reluctant awkward squad’. I fear they glory in it and would rather destroy the party than work for unity. They have made a cynical bargain with the right wing media and seem addicted to publicity.
Profoundly depressing, Jamie. It is a rotten policy and accompanied by wild abuse for anyone who disagrees with it. Shame on you.