21 April 2012

Fucked up priorities, part 4,112,534,714



Two days ago India successfully test-launched its first ICBM. Named Agni V, the missile has a range of at least 5,000km (3,100 miles).

While the US, Russia, Britain France and China are in no position to complain about India joining the ICBM club, it is further proof, to me anyway, that India clearly does not need another penny of developmental aid from our  or any other government.

Heaven forfend that India spends a little more money on  providing adequate food and sanitation to the hundreds of millions of its citizens that need it. As for the UK, it is time we gave up on our own pointless nuclear deterrent.





6 comments:

Sean Jeating said...

Spot on!

Syncopated Eyeball said...

Spot on, indeed, Sean and Shaun.

This kind of thing gives me weltschmerz.

susan said...

I'm not sure what will happen first - whether unstable men in charge of nuclear armed missiles will annihilate each other and many of us or if the power plants will go the way of Fukushima. It's pretty much a tossup.

jams o donnell said...

Sean Syncy Thanks

It is a grim prospect Susan. A proportion of nuclear plants will have or will be built in places where a tsunami or earthquake will strike. Even if strongly built I daresay we will see worse than Fukushima in the future

Unknown said...

Ditto to what Susan said.

There used to be a viable anti-nuclear weapons movement in the U.S., of which I was a part in my college days in the 80's but little good it did when smaller countries are now testing their own weapons. Seems more dangerous than ever.

Located up-river from where I live is one of the oldest nuclear power plants in the nation, located in Vermont. The vast majority of people in the community wants it shut down, including the state government of Vermont, want the thing shut down but the corporation that owns it is fighting the state. If it were up to a popular vote, it would be shut down yet the people most affected by a catastrophe there can't do anything about it.

jams o donnell said...

The dynamic is different these days. While I don't expect the 80s scenario of war in Europe escalating quickly to global nuclear warfare, I shudder to yhink what will happen if India and Pakistan go to war or if North Korea loses the vestiges of its sanity.. or a war where Israel is overwhelmed.