Newsnight seemed a bit doom laden just then. Up until now I’ve taken it all as hot air.

I read it as the whole thing is just a smokescreen to get some new UK military policy through..

Did we not pay kim jong un all of our redundant stocks of printed jazz mags to say a load of stuff that makes Korea look scary, thus preparing our hearts and minds for some sort of ongoing arms trade with the US that will net CMD’s bosses billions of tax free moola..?

Or was that me reading between the bits between the lines..?
Either that or we could be facing the prospect of this cold snap ending rather abruptly and dramatically, with searing winds from the far east.. and err.. west

It’s all like a massive chess game.

Korea moves big rocket to East coast, US moves big rocket to Guam. etc.

If you need to ask on here then are you really interested in knowing?

Korea moves big rocket to East coast, US moves big rocket to Guam. etc.

Interestingly both sides announce very publicly what they are about to do. Which you have to admit is quite considerate – it at least gives the other side a chance to work out what to do next.

Newsnight’s *always* doom-laden. It’s like the front page of the Independent, but with people arguing about it.

That’ll be Trident safe then.

So Kim Jong-un says North Korea is at war with the west.He brainwashes,starves and brutalises his own people. They have tested nuclear devices and have intercontinental ballistic missiles to fire them across the world. They also have chemical and biological weapons and a mahoosive army.
Tony Blair where are you?

What I want to know is – who is selling them all this shit?

Im sure no one has the minerals to start a nuke off

Hope so Roger. It may be unpopular on here but I’m all in favour of keeping/replacing it (maybe with fewer warheads, but more submarines) I for one do not want to live in a world where NK have bomb, and are working on missiles, and Iran are trying to get, if we don’t.
I know neither pose a direct threat to us now, but in 20yrs time? Who knows.
We could meet our obligations under the NPT by replacing it with a system with fewer warheads, we don’t need enough to destroy the planet six times over, just a few would suffice.
As for cost, £25bn. The national debt is well passed £1tn, £25bn would be a drop in the ocean.
.

I was hoping so, what with no world cup or euros, no olympics July/August looks fairly quiet.

It all looks like posturing and the like but then again nobody quite knows how much of a nutter he really is (or those below him) In the end it would be good if they launched everything and it just fell over on take off.

Tony Blair where are you?

Blair may have cited all that kind of stuff as justification for the War on Iraq..

But it is obvious to all that he was really only interested in that belligerent moustache..
Kim Jong Un’s baby soft skin poses no threat to UK masculinity

10 quid says it goes hot completely unintentionally

http://www.policymic.com/mobile/articles/32263/north-korea-news-is-all-hype

I for one do not want to live in a world where NK have bomb

Funnily enough that is exactly the same argument that the North Koreans use, ie, the Americans won’t attack us as long as we have nuclear weapons.

Perhaps a few more countries can be won over by that compelling argument ?

an interesting documentary about the bomb…
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXY3kuDvSU[/video]

That’s the problem Ernie. Once one counrty have it, everyone else wants it.
Can we say no to them from a position on the moral high ground? No.
Should we deny them the right to have it in our own self-interest? Yes.
.
if we can’t uninvent it we can at least attempt to contain it to those who already have it. If we gave ours up would NK and Iran stop trying to make one? Unlikely, so we should keep ours. It’s a practical arguement, not a moral one.

As a signatory to the non proliferation treaty the UK has an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control. (Article VI)

ernie_lynch – Member

As a signatory to the non proliferation treaty the UK has an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control. (Article VI)

Except international control gets ignored by tin pot dictators.
But then I agree with scrapping Trident because it’s only ever going to come down to the big players anyway.

Except international control gets ignored by tin pot dictators.

Not just tin pot dictators. The US and UK have also ignored international treaty obligations

I don’t have the time to argue with you Ernie, but yes to a point, but I think you’ll find that ‘that point’ was being made by the USA & us (us = a term loosely used by those in the UK).

Let’s face it practically every country ignores treaties and conventions when the national interest and/or national security are at stake or perceived to be.

Not just tin pot dictators. The US and UK have also ignored international treaty obligations

You’re right – we can’t afford a tin pot.

There are echoes of the build up to World War One here though; America and North Korea playing the roles of Britain and Germany in the build up. This ‘game of chess’ mirrors what was going on back then

South Korea cares about its people, the North doesn’t.

So if anything was to happen it’d be the North firmly starting it.

The South would definitely win but the biggest loser would be the South.

It will happen. Really really **** sad this. The North has no capacity at all to topple or top off their own leader. Madness.

There are echoes of the build up to World War One here though; America and North Korea playing the roles of Britain and Germany in the build up. This ‘game of chess’ mirrors what was going on back then

that’s stretching it a bit, a conflict between Austrian-Hungarian Empire and Serbia set in motion a series of events which lead into WWI due to pre established treaties…. Russia mobilized to protect Serbia, Germany counters to side with Austria, France has a treaty with Russia… Britain declares war because Germany invades neutral Belgium.

I don’t think it will kick off they’re pretty isolated, neither China nor Russia will back them this go round, it’s just the boy wanting to appear tough in front of all the old guard military.

indeed klunk – but rewind from that a bit and you have Germany and Britain playing chess, building up bigger and bigger navies, moving stuff about and generally just spoiling for a fight. Franz Ferdinand being shot was simply the fuse being lit.

Britain was never spoiling for a fight in WWI.

In the Korean war the North was backed (and included alot of) Chinese soldiers.

This time round there wont be any. True- China doesn’t want a heap of shit on its own borders. It also NEEDS the west for business/prosperity this time round too.

Britain not spoiling for a fight? We were in an arms race with Germany trying to retain our role as an Imperial super-power. WWI proved we weren’t.

Yunki +1

I have ‘Nukeproof’ components on my bike, I’ll be fine.

The Fat Boy is acting like a spoiled brat. I guess he’s grown up within the elite: sheltered, pampered and ignorant of reality. He’s probably surrounded by minders and sycophants, and kept ignorant of the starvation etc that is the lot of the common people. As happened in Romania, realty may take over in a short and brutal purge, especially if the Chinese get worried.

We live in interesting times again.

I’m sure that there are ‘reformist’ tendencies in the DPRK. If KJU goes too far I’d imagine they’d act rather than see themsleves brought down.

Good point. I wonder how much teeth they really do have. Seeing the pics of the heavily decorated senior officers running alongside him they look a cross between decripid/old or really subservient.

Or could they be actors dressed up?

It will be interesting to see if they fire off a rocket at random i.e. a test missile into the sea, just to see what transpires.
I speak from behind the supposed safety of the PLA…….

No doubt there will be a DPRK rocket test. There will be the usual condemnations, and after a while KJU will claim to have ‘deterred’ the US.

Well last year tey killed something like 50 South Koreans in sinking a boat and shelling an island so they have form, it does seem a bit more serious this time.