Tagged: Ministry of Defence

Breaking the Nuclear Taboo

Britain’s Trident nuclear submarines are back in the headlines. After a mass march in central London on January 24th, following the Commons debate on scrapping Trident when David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and a shocking 250 other MPs caused a scandal after not even turning up to vote, this long-dormant issue has grabbed the country’s attention. Nukes are now the hot topic of conversation in kitchens, offices and factories across the land, and will surely be a key factor in how...

When Heroes Become Villains

by paulabowles For criminologists and sociologists, prison has for many decades provided a fertile environment for research. In recent decades, the focus has been on overcrowding, together with attempts to identify the composition of the prison population. As at 25 September 2009, Her Majesty’s Prisons contain some 84,382 incarcerated men and women. On the same date the BBC reported that as many as 8,500 of these prisoners are former veterans of the British army, navy and air force. Moreover, this...

‘The Sailor’s Lament:’ Royal Navy’s ‘Binge Drink’ Culture

by paulabowles Binge drinking has long been identified as a social problem. Vast amounts of column inches, as well as government and independent agency policy documents have been produced, in an effort to tackle the problem. Until recently the spotlight has been firmly focused on civilian life, but recent research findings may change that view. Research carried out by King’s Centre for Military Health Research has concluded that binge drinking is “significantly more prevalent” in the Royal Navy, than within...