The UK is moving towards ‘war fighting readiness’, according to Keir Starmer, with £15 billion earmarked for more nuclear weapons, among other purchases. In an attempt to sound all Churchillian, he spoke of the country’s ‘need’ to be a “battle-ready, armour-clad nation”.
If only this Labour government were prepared to move the UK towards ‘poverty fighting readiness’ and made the country ‘ill health ready’ by investing in the NHS, and made the country a ‘council house-clad nation’. Forget armour, we’re currently clad in thousands of food banks. When asked at a press conference, “What is your priority – reversing the winter fuel cut, getting rid of the two-child benefit cap, or getting defence spending up to 3% of GDP?” Starmer only talked about Nato.
It’s also laughable that this will achieve ‘growth’, as Labour claims. Starmer spoke of “the workers building the next generation of subs in Barrow”, “the brilliant workers and apprentices in Govan”, “our tech experts, our scientists, our engineers”. Imagine what they could be doing to improve society if put to work developing much-needed infrastructure and technologies instead of weapons of death. And imagine what all that money being spent on nuclear weapons could be used for instead. Spending such sums on submarines at the same time as cutting benefits for disabled people is indefensible and leaves a sinking feeling.
It’s true the world is volatile, but it’s capitalist politicians and their system that is making it so. The way to peace is linked to the need for the building of independent mass socialist alternatives here and around the world, uniting working-class people across all national and ethnic lines against war, poverty, exploitation and capitalism.
