most nuclear launchers in the world are expected not to take off;
most warheads are expected not to detonate;
the Russians would aim five at London in the hope that two would arrive there and then detonate;
our area, the North West of England, is no longer a major target;
our shipyard turns out very few subs, our nuclear power station is due for closure and our population is dispersed;
a nuclear explosion will cause rain which will dilute/dispose of (?) a lot of the radiation (I am just quoting here; is this correct?);
we, in NW England, will survive an attack but, of course, will then have problems about food supplies, power, marauding gangs etc;
still not a welcome future but not what I had expected either.
Andrea's insights (if such they are) usually impact topics discussed blog-wise.
Maybe another post this evening but we are coping with house guests.
7 comments:
There are substantial differences in the reliability of nuclear weapons between varioius countries.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: It's not good at all that nuclear power plant you mentioned is going to be shut down! All that will happened is make energy less abundant and more costly. PM Burnham's Labour gov't should be doing everything possible to encourage and increase the number of nuclear power plants.
Your comments about how Lancaster might fare after not being directly struck by nukes after the UK was attacked by nukes reminded me of Pat Frank's ALAS, BABYLON. The author focused on the struggles and travails of a small town in Florida as the US and USSR fought a nuclear war circa 1960. I thought it very well done and plausible, using 1960 tech.
And that led to me wishing Anderson had revised and updated his THERMONUCLEAR WARFARE to a 1990s level, this book being pub. in 1963. Even tho it has to be long since technologically outdated I think it still deserves to be reread. Anderson being what he was, both wise and learned, he still has much to say that will be valuable.
Two books I first read (shudders) nearly sixty years age was William Stearns Davis' THE BEAUTY OF THE PURPLE (1924) and Manning Coles' GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST (1943).. "Manning Coles" was actually a collaboration: Adelaide Frances Oke Manning and Cyril Henry Coles (died 1965). I was glad to finally find the authors of GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST and l looked them up. I was interested to find out Coles had worked in British Intelligence (MI5). What I read about his adventures/achievements had me wondering if Stirling partly modeled Luz O'Malley and James Cheine on Coles for his BLACK CHAMBER books (I'm currently rereading THEATER OF SPIES).
Mr. Stirling: My comments immediately above eventually led me to reading about that miserable wretch, Alfred Redl, formerly chief of Austro-Hungarian counter-intelligence. At first he greatly reformed/modernized the Austro-Hungarian intelligence services, but sometime before 1907 he became a traitor, working for Russian military intelligence. He sold to Russia virtually all Austria-Hungary's military plans, order of battle, defensive and fortress plans, etc. He was finally unmasked in 1913 when his successor as chief of counter-intelligence, Maximilian Ronge (d. 1953) tracked him down. The Chief of the Austro-Hungarian General Staff ordered that Redl be given a pistol and left alone in his room--where the traitor shot himself.
Both Emperor Francis Joseph and Col. Ronge disapproved of how Redl's case was handled. The Kaiser, a devout Catholic, wad appalled Redl committed suicide and Ronge wanted to thoroughly interrogate the "arch traitor," to find out the full extent of his treason. I agree with them both.
The Redl case reminded me of that other miserable wretch, Kim Philby, in the book THE PHILBY CONSPIRACY. He was a UK intelligence officer who rose very high and betrayed his country to the USSR. The book described what a catastrophe Philby's treason was for both the UK and US. Unfortunately, the traitor escaped to Russia, where he lived till 1989.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I think that our local power station is reaching the end of its natural lifespan.
Paul.
Several nuclear power plants in Ontario have been shut down temporarily and refurbished then restarted.
I'm not sure that can be done as readily with non-CANDU nuclear reactors.
Kaor, Paul and Jim!
Paul: That makes me change my mind, because the power plant is apparently nearing the end of its useful lifespan.
Jim: Good, Canada is being pro-active about nuclear power.
Ad astra! Sean
Basically, Russia is slipshod.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
If we can go by the Redl case the late Tsarist intelligence agencies, both military and the Okhrana, were not slipshod. And, given a few more years of peace the political and economic reforms seen after 1905 would have made Russia vastly more efficient, to use a favorite word of many characters in your BLACK CHAMBER books. I also recall you commenting Germany would have given up hope of beating Russia in a war after 1916, due to it simply becoming too strong by then.
The Soviet regime the monstrous Lenin founded was a catastrophe for Russia, making it vastly more slipshod. And its kleptocratic post-Soviet successor is no better, as the war with Ukraine shows.
Ad astra! Sean
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