Corbyn would not use Trident under any circumstances

[langleybaston]

Interesting that this piece of news has not been discussed in these hallowed portals.

I recall that much heat and some light was generated on the Scottish Indie ballot, whereas no comment here.

May I deduce that his stance [as potential PM] is assessed as ludicrous, and his chances of becoming PM are zilch?

I do hope so. I do indeed.

[goudie]

It's a given, that party leaders state that they would 'press the button' but they would say that to become elected, wouldn't they. If the unspeakable ever happened, would they actually do it? I'm no fan of Corbyn but at least he's being honest, regarding this matter.

[Ken Scott]

Should there be a need to press the button then Trident would have failed in its sole purpose which is deterrence so ironically there would then be no need to do it, unless there was a desire to take as many of 'them' with us.

However, stating that you would never use it in advance rather negates any deterrent value....

[Roadster280]

However, stating that you would never use it in advance rather negates any deterrent value....

Correctmundo!

Given the strategy fail of announcing such a posture to nuclear potential enemies, the further strategy fail in revealing his posture to the electorate is not really surprising.

All well and good, the more barriers the clown puts up to being elected, the better. Long may he remain at the helm of Labour.

[barnstormer1968]

Let's all just be glad Corbyn can see into the future and pre-know his response to something no one else in the world knows about today.

Of course, he has to say he wouldn't press the red button if needed because he knows the unions support a trident replacement as it will create/support thousands of jobs, so he can no longer say no to the replacement.

Sadly for our new man of principle his views on trident replacement have changed in the last two weeks, as has his view on wearing a tie, singing the national anthem, being in NATO etc etc............it must be great to have principles that deeply entrenched.

[Cows getting bigger]

More worryingly, what would he say when a duty wg cdr called him and suggested he may want to shoot down a hijacked aircraft?

[Rosevidney1]

Those are my principles - but if you don't like them I have others!

[Pontius Navigator]

When Lord Henessey questioned past prime ministers and Min Def, Callaghan said he would have given the order but with a heavy heart or some such. Healey said he would not.

Apparently Blair went white when on election night he was indoctrinated and given the codes.

[BEagle]

It's frankly amazing that so many gullible idiots are fawning over the utterances of Comrade Corbychev........

[smujsmith]

I wonder if somehow he sees this as a refreshing new political attempt at reverse psychology ? If the trident boats remain, and, are still deployed on patrol, whatever political opinion is espoused by the encumbent PM has to be subject to every other statement the buggers make, disbelief and total derision in most instances. Don't tell me that Comrade Corbyn, having been elected as Liebore party leader, is suddenly a breath of fresh air that is somehow more believable than the rest of the lying bar stewards ? Believe what you will gentlemen ! Yes, believe what you will.

Smudge:ok:

[NutLoose]

But if the Labour Party members are for the deterrent, then surely as the leader it is his job to guide and steer the party from the helm to ensure those values are carried through and not to override those values and veto them for his own agendas or his electorate.

He keeps wittering on about having a mandate by taking 59% of the vote, my opinion is 50% of that vote were probably none labour voters simply registering too and voting (as they and the rest of us saw it) to destroy labours chances of ever getting back into power.
He makes Michael Foot look credible.

[Courtney Mil]

I do take your point in post #1, Langley, about there not being much discussion about the steaming commie and his views. I suspect there's an element of folk still trying to work out what he really means - especially as it hasn't stopped changing yet - and they don't really see him as a future PM, which makes him a bit pointless.

[Wander00]

I wonder how many of the 100,000 or so "£3" associates were Unite members or their relatives encouraged by the union so as to achieve a left wing "victory", pyrrhic though it will no doubt end up

[Danny42C]

"Useful idiots" was Lenin's description.

[ZFT]

Why useful? Idiots is enought

[teeteringhead]

He keeps wittering on about having a mandate by taking 59% of the vote Even so, Nutty, I understand only about 420 000 voted.

So - er - about 250 000 voted for him. And 4 MILLION voted UKIP (OK, I'm not quite comparing like with like).

More to the point (after a little research), the Labour popular vote in May was about 9.3 million. So Corbyn's leadership was voted for by less than 3% of Labour voters!!

Not reeeeely a mandate methinks!

[sitigeltfel]

Why beat yourself up about this? He is never going to be in a position where he would have to take that decision.....ever!

[Lima Juliet]

Suggestion: Fit the Prime Minister with a 'button' - if they won't release the launch codes then 1sr Sea Lord can press the button and then start looking for a new Prime Minister.

Not a problem then...simples! :E

[AnglianAV8R]

How many conservative voters took part in the process to elect Cameron as party leader ? What's good for the goose....

[Wensleydale]

Corbyn is not the only one... when questioned on a past week's Question Time about praising the IRA's bullets and bombs approach in a speech to the Republican Movement, the Shadow Chancellor said that he did not agree with what he had said but had used the speech as an opportunity to gain the trust of the Republicans and to bring them on side for the peace process. I would imagine that he is still using the same method - after all he has already admitted on QT that he tells the audience what they want to hear and not what he really thinks and is going to do. The bottom line is that he has admitted to manipulating his audience and you can't trust what he says!!! Sounds like a case of immediate resignation to me if he really is the man of principle that he is making himself out to be.

[barnstormer1968]

BEagle

I agree with your comment, but what really concerns me is that a large amount of the population have no memory of old labour, and many young people know nothing if the IRA or Falklands war. Many of these people want a change and would happily vote for Corbyn.

Two further things Are apparent:
Many of those wanting change want it for changes sake IMHO and have no idea what they would actually like changed.
Voters wanting change above anything else will vote for anything if it's labelled as change. I suspect that in the recent Scottish referendum an out of date rusty tin of Heinz soup would have been voted in if it got a labour MP out.

[NutLoose]

Quote:
He keeps wittering on about having a mandate by taking 59% of the vote
Even so, Nutty, I understand only about 420 000 voted.

So - er - about 250 000 voted for him. And 4 MILLION voted UKIP (OK, I'm not quite comparing like with like).

More to the point (after a little research), the Labour popular vote in May was about 9.3 million. So Corbyn's leadership was voted for by less than 3% of Labour voters!!

Not reeeeely a mandate methinks!
30th Sep 2015 20:17


Agreed, it's like the SNP and their leader, Flounder , skate, or whatever fish she is named after, wittering on as if they are a major political entity which dissolves when you look at the amount of votes they received.
They got 56 seats for a third of the votes UKIP received.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/results

.

[Penny Washers]

I'm willing to give JC credit for meaning what he says, and that he would not press the button.

Nothing to stop him resigning at that point, though, so that someone else with different beliefs can do it.

[smujsmith]

Nutty #22,

Spot on mate, it actually makes, or should do, all of us wonder at democracy as currently practiced in Britain. I'm damn sure that PR would have elicited a very different situation, but the LIbLabCon alliance would certainly find a PR system, biased in their favour. Perhaps the simplest answer would be a national vote, with the party split by percentage of total votes cast. Each party then choosing their quota of representatives in the debating chamber. I doubt it would improve the verbiage, but could at least claim to be representative of the electorate, who chose to vote.

Smudge :ok: