A hard position to defend

The government can be assured of a comfortable majority in next week's vote on the acquisition of a new generation of submarines to maintain Britain's independent nuclear deterrent after 2022. Though perhaps 50 Labour back benchers could rebel on the issue, the Prime Minister can count on the support of the Conservatives. That, and Tony Blair's anxiety to leave his mark on history, are both poor reasons for rushing such an important decision. As today's report from the Commons Defence Select Committee demonstrates, more is at stake than simply whether or not the Trident system is upgraded. First, there is a lack of clarity about the weapons' use, not in some hypothetical doomsday scenario, but as part of a limited nuclear strike against an aggressive rogue state. Secondly, there is the question of whether the government is being disingenuous in its promise to cut Britain's nuclear stockpile by 20%.