New PM Andy Burnham’s left-wing credentials have lasted about as long as left-out milk. Less than a fortnight into his reign, the gimmicky Scouser was spotted bowing to The Holy Nukes in a visit to BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness death factory.
BAE won’t fix what’s broken
Burnham told reporters:
Keeping this country safe is the first responsibility of any government – but security is not only about what we build; it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it.
Nukes, naturally, are well known for bestowing safety. In a press release ahead of the visit on 30 July, the government insisted:
A major £8.4bn investment in the UK’s nuclear deterrent, delivering jobs and opportunity for young people for years to come, is set to be announced by the Prime Minister today.
Tens of thousands of jobs will be supported – from Barrow to Bristol – and hundreds of businesses bolstered by the major tranche of defence investment.
Little mention was made of the fact that military spending is one of worst routes by which to achieve economic growth. Quite the opposite, according to the Transition Security Project, who have warned:
that cuts used to fund the £15 billion in additional military spending in the Defence Investment Plan will lead to around 10,000 net jobs lost in the UK.
Great work, Andy. We’re sure you can obscure all this with a DJ set or something…
Military Keynesianism is a fantasy
And, as the Canary has reported, Labour’s current policy of recruiting the whole of society to so-called military Keynesianism – an economy built around war – is a canard.
But it isn’t the only option. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has proposed an alternative defence policy rooted in:
…human security and common security—prioritising diplomacy, global cooperation, conflict prevention, and investment in health, education, climate resilience, social care, and the creation of well-paid, secure, unionised and socially useful jobs.
Professor Karen Bell, editor of the proposal, said:
This report offers a credible, democratic alternative to militarism: a sustainable economy grounded in social justice, global solidarity, and the urgent need to build peace—not war—for the 21st century.
Military Keynesianism is an economic ideology Keir Starmer tried to popularise. Burnham has made clear he will continue it. And the winners won’t be workers. Rest assured, arms firms are the ones rubbing their palms together at the sight of massive handouts in public money so that they can fill the armouries to order.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
