Wild Geese

Last week a former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko died of radiation poisoning in London. I've been shocked by the incident, maybe i've been naive, but i didn't expect such a terrible murder to take place in the UK. I would hope with our security measures that radioactive material couldn't be brought into the country, or that controls on the movement of radioactive materials within the UK could have let this material slip through. It really does make you wonder just how safe we are from radioactive materials.

The other evening Ray and were watching a DVD called "Threads". It's written by Barry Hines and caused panic and anxiety when it was first aired by the BBC in 1984. The drama is set in Sheffield and tells the story of Ruth and her fiance as they set up home and prepare for the birth of their baby. However, tensions between Russia and the USA over the Middle East  escalates and the first nuclear bomb lands on Sheffield, with a further bombs equating to 200megatons devastates the UK. It's important to remember that in the early 1980s our government still gave out booklets providing advice of what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. I can recall the air raid siren being set off every few months to test it. I hated the sound, and always feared that the next time i heard it it would be for real. I would have been 13 when Threads was aired, and i have no recollection of the programme or the debate around it. Mind you it was broadcast at 10.40pm, and i would have been well tucked up in bed. As a child growing up in the Cold War i feared a nuclear attack, and have always been haunted by the horrific pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The drama shows the initial effects of the attack - shock, grief, and radiation sickness. In one seen you see a Ruth's future inlaws following the governments advice and making a shelter in their front room using doors and a matress - depite there being a large window in the room, which would shatter in the initial blast. Thus illustrating how useless the information really is. If a nuclear bomb is dropped, there is very little you can do to save yourself - or the planet. The second part shows the affect the radiation has on water, food, and animals. Society as we know it had ended.

It is a brilliantly written programme, one that should be watched by every young adult. It should also be mandatory viewing for all politicians in all countries, on a regular basis to remind them of the folly of nuclear weapons and power.

PM Blair has promised a MPs a debate on the replacement of Trident, i really hope he listens to those opposing the replacement.