Time to rethink N-ban

Your editorial “Hawkish AUKUS not for us” makes some very valid points.

We should not join wars that are aimed at plundering other countries’ resources, or lashing out in anger over the consequences of intelligence failures. We once had favoured-nation status which allowed us to be minimally involved with allied military actions.

David Lange forfeited this when he pandered to the cabal of Helen Clark, Richard Northey, Jim Anderton, Fran Wilde, Trevor Mallard, and Mark Burton in ditching the distinction between nuclear propulsion and nuclear weaponry. It is time for the Government to follow the science and allow visits by nuclear powered vessels and to build a nuclear power station.

The Australian Government rightly cancelled the deal to buy French diesel powered submarines.

Nuclear propulsion enables submarines to stay submerged for long periods of time and avoid frequent refuelling.

It also provides other necessities such as drinking water. Diesel subs must surface to recharge their batteries, snort fresh air, and to refuel.

This exposes them and their refuellers to detection. It is ironic that the green politicians would opt for propulsion systems that burn fossil fuels. To avoid accidents there must be strict sciencebased governmental controls on all nuclear activities.

Fukushima should not have been sited alongside a tsunami prone sea.

There will always be wrestling between nations over winning lucrative contracts for military hardware.

Typically, prices blow out and delivery dates fall years behind. So, if they underquote on systems yet to be developed, they can expect cancellations.

Back in the 1960s, Britain had the TSR2 supersonic bomber on flight testing when a weak government buckled under pressure of unfulfillable American promises about the F111 fighter-bomber. Part of the economic equation was an Australian commitment to purchase the TSR2.

They cancelled and bought the F111 at ten times the original quoted price. It fell far short of the TSR2 performance.

Hugh Webb, Hamilton