Merchants of Death Reap a Golden Harvest

Fifteen years after the end of the second of the wars to end all wars, Britain's arms expenditure will reach £1,630 million a year.

In the last decade Britain's arms drive has cost over £15,000,000,000. During 1959 the Government put in hand a £600,000,000 programme to develop the Blue Streak rocket. According to this week's official White Paper that decision is now under review. Dependent on fixed bases, the Blue Streak is already out-dated before it is even operational. Now further billions will be required to purchase mobile rockets like the American Polaris which is launched by submarine.

The increased expenditure is not to go solely on nuclear weapons. More cash is to be spent on 'conventional' weapons required, according to Defence Minister, Watkinson, 'for local emergencies'. Presumably Mr. Watkinson means for crushing colonial revolts.

These latest Government defence figures presented the Labour Party with a first-class opportunity to attack and expose the Tories and their policies. But the chance wasn't taken.

Labour's Shadow Defence Minister, George Brown, squealed pitifully about the government's alleged secret plan to pull her forces out of Western Europe. Quoting Eden's promise to keep four divisions in Germany, Brown said: 'The Labour Party supported this.' Brown claimed that the Tory government has reduced forces by a division.

Even Labour's back-benchers only criticised the estimates because of the new 6 per cent. increase of £115 millions.

Labour's acceptance of NATO and the need for a bipartizan foreign policy prevents it making any real fight against the government's arms programme. In 1958 five aircraft companies grossed total profits of £81.6 million. The new defence lists mean they can expect to do even better in 1960-61.

Labour should declare immediately for a withdrawal from NATO and all other military alliances. It should also demand the nationalization of the armaments industry.