We had our own nuclear capability AND significant atomic weapons research and manufacturing establishments on our door step, so to think the UK, let alone Newbury, would have been unharmed in a 'nuclear exchange' is in my view naive.

Sorry Adrian Hollister. We were a hostile force to Stalin.

There are websites that may not exist anymore that describe overflights
of USSR regions in specially adapted Spitfires with English Pilots, (maybe American funding.)Late 1945s .

The USAF bought the Canberra because it had a darn good camera facility.
A poster on another forum (now shut) sent me a snap taken whilst over the Isle of Wight
of the morning rush hour over Westminster bridge.
You could read the newspapers clasped under the arm not holding the brolly.

I think we were still a problem for the Kremlin.

I met up with Mrs NM for lunch the day after " Protect and Survive" was published.
We never got the leaflet about taking doors off hinges,making bunkers with mattresses.
I still live within walking distance of Westminster. I guess the leaflets never came our way.
You are seriously stuffed. After a couple of pints in Victoria we carried on with life.

1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement

Quote: CIA proliferation assessment noted that "In many cases [Britain's sensitive technology in nuclear and missile fields] is based on technology received from the U.S. and could not legitimately be passed on without U.S. permission."

We were just an enslaved puppy to the US, supplying valuable plutonium from our Magnox reactors. They needed us as a control point for Europe and a first line of defence against USSR aggression.

And Wikipedia is clearly the gospel according to Adrian Hollister.

Well if we were the first line of defence against the evil empire, clearly that was a valid choice as one side collapsed and the other was victorious. We held the line.

No country is perfect, but I know which side of the Berlin wall I wanted to be on.

People used to travel to surrounding areas to eat and shop, and to be honest there is nothing spectacular about the choices here. It's like someone took another market town and plonked it where Newbury used to be. The market itself is nowhere like it used to be

So are you saying when the USAF were up at Greenham there was better shopping & places to eat in Newbury & that was thanks to them?
I know we got a McDomald's early because of the Base, but that is about it......

But this is exactly my point. You said having the bombs at Greenham made Newbury vulnerable to a nuclear attack. I'm saying that we were vulnerable regardless of Greenham due to our close proximity to Aldermaston, Burghfield and Harwell.

Whilst the green parties take on the defence of the realm goes, "we intend to safeguard the United Kingdom by planting a big prickly hedge around the coast, and in time of war we intend to stop pruning it"

and how old exactly were you when the wall came down, Jonathan?

No, there would be no war at all with the Greens.

And hunger would be non existent and all the cars would run on magic moonbeams.

You believe in magic?

More than I believe in the greens.

So given a choice between the Greens & the Magic Circle, you'd be voting for the Great Soprendo.


Odd given that they have been quite successful in Germany for several years.

Look, I just think they are an irrelevance. However this is not the thread to go into this in depth. We risk having the forum police sending us to the naughty thread.

Probably needs another thread and I'll probably be hung for even saying the following - which by the way does NOT imply any disrespect to members past or present of the armed forces. However, do we really need such a large armed force? What would be wrong with handing defence wholly to the EU and contributing on a per capita basis with the other members? Strikes me that we simply rush in, whenever another World power wants to intervene. The British Empire is no more.

Easily recognisable reference point and doesn't require you to buy books on the subject.

The Tory/Labour policy seems to be grovel to the US and beg for help. Not sure selling out to the US is the best defence strategy when they go about frivolously invading for their desperate greed for oil. Best to have an honestly independent force of our own.

I agree. We have far too much reliance upon the USA and have too little focus on making our own force an independent deterrant. I have no confidence in the Labour party after getting involved in Iraq and torture. I have even less confidence in the Conservatives who seem to be buying more and more american stuff and less from the UK or EU.

As we did in the last two world wars, hmm, worked really well then didn't it.

There is a difference between imperialistic intentions and peaceful ones. No matter how much the Tories would like to believe it, we are not a superpower any more. We were economically conquered. Get over it.