Our special relationship with the US

Lynn Jamieson and Samuel Rafanell-Williams: The special relationship has meant that UK leaders typically fall in lockstep with US superpower logic, most catastrophically in Iraq, no matter how devastating the consequences. An important and easily overlooked reason why Westminster is so willing to do Washington’s bidding is the reliance of our supposedly “independent” nuclear weapons capability on US military infrastructure and technology. The nuclear weapons based on the west coast of Scotland, are arguably more of a US technology than British. The submarines, whilst built in Barrow-in-Furness in England, are assembled according to US blueprints and with US components. The Trident missiles fired by the submarines are built, supplied and maintained in the US.