Month: April 2013

Off

Afghanistan’s future after Nato troops leave uncertain, admits Hammond

By Sharon Black

Afghans will determine their own fate, says defence secretary, as MPs warns country could descend into civil war within years The defence secretary has admitted that no one can predict what will happen to Afghanistan after British, US and other Nato troops end their frontline role there at the end of 2014, and stressed that only the Afghan people can find a lasting solution to the country’s violence, corruption and lawlessness. Philip Hammond’s remarks came as the Commons cross-party defence committee warned that Afghanistan could descend into civil war within a few years and suggests that the British government’s attitude towards the country is one of simply hoping for the best. Hammond told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the UK had intervened in Afghanistan to protect its national security and had never intended to stay for a protracted period

Off

MPs fear Afghan civil war after troops leave

By Sharon Black

Commons committee criticises British government’s attitude towards Afghanistan as simply ‘hoping for the best’ Afghanistan could descend into civil war within a few years of British, US and other Nato troops ending their frontline role there at the end of 2014, the Commons cross-party defence committee warned on Wednesday. The committee suggested that the British government’s attitude towards Afghanistan was one of simply hoping for the best, since it would have little influence over the country’s future

Off

Margaret Thatcher made the north of Ireland a more bitterly divided place | Gerry Adams

By Sharon Black

Her government’s policies handed draconian military powers over to the securocrats, and subverted basic human rights Margaret Thatcher was a hugely divisive figure in British politics. And for the people of Ireland, and especially the north, the Thatcher years were among some of the worst of the conflict. Her policy decisions entrenched sectarian divisions, handed draconian military powers over to the securocrats, and subverted basic human rights

Off

Britain has ‘moral obligation’ to offer Afghan interpreters asylum

By Sharon Black

In open letter, senior figures including Mike Jackson and Lord Ashdown, critical of ‘shameful’ UK stance Britain has a “moral obligation” to help Afghan interpreters who are in danger of being abandoned and hunted down by the Taliban, senior political and military figures have said. In an open letter, the high-profile names, including former chief of the general staff, Sir Mike Jackson, and Lord Ashdown, said it is shameful that Britain is the only Nato country yet to provide Afghan interpreters with asylum.

Off

War surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe and his ‘Guinea Pigs’ honoured

By Sharon Black

Second world war physician invent new surgical techniques to rebuild faces left unrecognisable by burns from combat The design for a unique memorial honouring the pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe, the hundreds of second world war air crew whom he rescued from despair, and the town of East Grinstead that was a crucial part of their rehabilitation, will be unveiled in the town on Friday. The project has been acutely personal for its sculptor, Martin Jennings.

Off

North Korea missile reach shows need for Trident nuclear deterrent – PM

By Sharon Black

David Cameron renews call for Trident replacement by saying a deterrent system is ‘best insurance against nuclear blackmail’ David Cameron said on Thursday that Britain would be foolish to abandon an independent nuclear deterrent on the scale of Trident, pointing to the threat posed by North Korea, and other unstable regimes. Cameron made his remarks (video)after visiting submarine HMS Victorious, one of the vessels that carry the Trident missile, as it returned from its 100th patrol – though his warning that North Korea posed a direct threat to Britain was later challenged by senior defence figures. The prime minister’s renewed backing for a like-for-like replacement for Trident appeared to be aimed at the Lib Dems and the Scottish nationalists.

Off

Where’s the real threat here – Kim Jong-un or Trident? | Simon Jenkins

By Sharon Black

What we should be scared of is not the North Korean’s belicosity but how it’s being used to subvert domestic politics in the west The enemy is coming. Declare war, dive for Cobra , hide the silver, lock up your daughters. A grateful nation cheers on its leader and saviour, Kim Jong-Cam, as he races north to prepare his war machines for battle.

Off

North Korea threat means we need Trident nuclear deterrent, says PM

By Sharon Black

David Cameron says scrapping nuclear deterrent would be foolish in face of ‘evolving threats’ from North Korea and Iran The prime minister has stressed the need for the UK to retain its Trident nuclear deterrent, saying it would be “foolish to leave Britain defenceless” in the face of the growing threat posed by North Korea and Iran. David Cameron’s insistence on the need for an independent nuclear deterrent came as the US said it was moving an advanced missile system to the Pacific island of Guam as Pyongyang continued to ratchet up the rhetoric against South Korea and its American ally. Writing in Thursday’s Daily Telegraph , the prime minister said such “evolving threats” underlined the need for the UK to maintain the ultimate deterrent.

Off

David Cameron warns Trident needed as deterrent to North Korea

By Sharon Black

UK should not be left defenceless against “highly unpredictable and aggressive” regime that threatens UK, says prime minister David Cameron has warned against abandoning Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine programme, claiming it would be foolish to do so due to the threats posed by North Korea. The prime minister said the country should not be left defenceless when the “highly unpredictable and aggressive” regime in North Korea was developing ballistic missiles that he claimed could threaten Europe. Writing in the Daily Telegraph,, Cameron said the UK needed to maintain the ultimate deterrent as much today as during the cold war

Off

Trident: the nuclear jobcentre | Richard Norton-Taylor

By Sharon Black

Treating Trident as an employment scheme will leave Britain ill equipped for the real threat: terrorism Fifty years ago this week Britain signed an agreement whereby its ability to fire nuclear weapons became entirely dependent on the US. Under the Polaris Sales Agreement , heralded as a pillar of the “special relationship”, the US agreed to supply Britain with nuclear ballistic missiles, their launch tubes, and their fire control system. Britain would build the submarines at Barrow and, with US help, the nuclear warheads at Aldermaston.

Off

Can an army private become a general?

By Sharon Black

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts Is it possible to join an army as a private and rise to the rank of general? Has this ever happened in the British Army? Rishi Dastidar, London SE11 • Post questions and answers below or email them to nq@guardian.co.uk

Off

Letters: The case for keeping Trident dwindles by the day

By Sharon Black

Ed Miliband is right to include defence in the current Labour party policy review, and Angela Smith and John Woodcock are out of order to suggest that the policy is settled ( Our deterrent is good value , 1 April). It’s about time the country had a defence policy based on the highest risks that we face