Tony Blair: From CND to WMD

In 1983 a young Labour politician stood as a candidate in the UK general election.  Unilateral nuclear disarmament by the UK was one of his campaign pledges, for the young politico was a member of CND. The candidate was the future British PM, Tony Blair, who, despite a massive rebellion in his party, has just made a new fleet of nukes one of his final legacies.

According to Blair the UK will remain in the nuclear club, there is no going back.  The nuclear subs, it would seem, are not for turning. But hasn't anyone told the PM that the Cold War has ended and that no-one now talks about mutually assured destruction! This is the PM who invaded another country to root out Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the leader who is trying to persuade Iran that it has no need for nuclear weapons! Indeed.

Tony Blair has made an extraordinary journey from CND to Trident. It is a perfect illustration of how grand ideals and noble principles are turned to dust in the harsh and pitiless mill of realpolitik.

Ciarán Mac Aonghusa, Dublin 14