michael adams wrote
dennis@home wrote

Russia was never likely to start a nuclear war.
However the growing number of militant lead states might use a nuke if
they can get one.

The USA have 14 Ohio Class ballistic nuclear missile equipped nuclear
submarines.

France currently has 4 Triomphe Class ballistic nuclear missile equipped
nuclear submarines.

**** all of which are ever in any position to be used.

In what circumstances do you forsee the US allowing either the UK or
France to initiate a nuclear war ?

The US gets no say on that.

They are hardly likely to nuke #10 if the current
PM doesn’t get them to sign off on that first.

Rather than getting full "value for money" for their own 14 subs ? See [1]
below.

See just above.

They will think twice about it if they have a few mervs pointing at them.

If you're talking about Moslem fundamentalists then they sincerely believe
that all Moslems including millions of innocent civialans wasted by nukes
are all destined for heaven as martyrs. Even if the virgins bit is a
mistranslation. In their case "deterrence" rather
than being a deterrent, is actually a positive encouragement.

You do realise that the money mostly goes in wages

Oh really ? And where do most of any wages go? If you care to look it up
you'll find that the UK's nuclear missiles are only "leased" from the USA.

quote

The UK does not own its Trident missiles—they are leased from
the USA. UK Trident submarines must regularly visit the US base
at King's Bay, Georgia to return their missiles to the US
stockpile for maintenance and replace them with others.

/quote

http://www.publications.parliament.u...86/986we13.htm

So much for the "value for money" of our "independent deterrent"

Basically the only possible "value for money" is if, after having most of
Great Britain turned into a nuclear wasteland so as to sustain our
"special relationship" with the USA,

That isnt going to happen if some moslem extremist
gets hold of a nuke from say Pakistan and fires it.

And they won't be letting it off in Britain anyway given
how completely irrelevant Britain is politically now.

some surviving politician deep in some bunker somewhere will at least be
able to say "when it came down to it at least the people of this great
country of ours, Great Britain did their bit. Even if they're all now
dead"

Just another of your pathetic little drug crazed fantasys.