Parliament

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Making Sense of the Trident Debate Requires an Open Mind – In Defence of Emily Thornberry

It has always astounded me how little attention people have paid to risk and future developments when debating Trident. It's a debate that heats the passions up more than most, because it deals with such visceral things as security and morality, and acts as a proxy for political identity. All too often people revert to established positions, comfortable that they are right, even if they lose.

Newsnight special on Trident

BASIC's Paul Ingram was interviewed in the BBC Newsnight special on Trident that aired on 4 February 2016. The special includes a diversity of perspectives from analysts and parliamentarians. Watch the Newsnight special here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06zlm8q/newsnight-04022016 NB: This content is only available in the UK, and only until 29 February 2016.

Trident: A Done Deal?

Trident is in the news again, and will continue to generate heat in the run up to a parliamentary debate promised later this year on the programme and patrolling posture. But the outcome is clear, pre-determined in the minds of the political elite and to some extent in contractual and diplomatic commitments. For now. Could the equation change in the next parliament? The momentum behind the project appears unstoppable, but beware unexpected shocks before coming to a firm conclusion.