Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Is the right hon. Gentleman likely to bring up the question of dual control, because many of us who are satisfied with the present arrangements know that many people wish nuclear weapons to be retained, but are genuinely concerned that they could be used without our consent? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that we are in danger of losing the argument when we have the best case going?
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: I am sorry that the Secretary of State is not present. I want to say a few words of tribute to him. We shall be sorry to lose him from the Front Bench, and we shall be sorrier to lose him from the House, as I understand is likely. I have not always seen eye to eye with the right hon. Gentleman, as many other hon. Members have not. In a debate about three weeks before the Falklands crisis...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: There is no difference. The principle is the same. I am talking about multilateral disarmament, which I hope everyone wants to see. When the official Opposition want to attack the Government they say that the Government should have made it clear that they would get a bloody nose if they went into the Falklands. However, the same people, with the greatest respect to them, are dedicated not...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Does the Secretary of State agree that everything is possible in the Middle East, provided that the PLO is prepared to acknowledge the existence of Israel and its right to exist as an independent State?
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Although everyone must be concerned about any added danger to our forces and the Secretary of State is right to say that the French assisted us greatly during the Falklands campaign, should we not ask ourselves whether in a similar position we should not be doing the same thing, because we would? Although one appreciates that it takes two to make a bargain, and without denying any of our...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the construction of the runway at Port Stanley by the Armed Forces is a remarkable achievement by any standards? Is he satisfied that the situation at that airfield is sufficient to carry out the military purposes of the task force? Has he any other place in mind for a second airfield?
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Has any thought been given to the provision on a temporary basis of inflatable buildings, which are easily transportable and which have proved effective under similar circumstances?
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: I do not wish to enter into this argument, but would the hon. Lady fight for the retention of industries in her own constituency?
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: I beg to move to leave out from 'House' to the end of the Question and to add instead thereof: 'fully supports the United Kingdom's continued membership of NATO; recognises that this involves both a commitment to detente through negotiations for multilateral arms control and disarmament and to deterrence through conventional and nuclear forces; declines to approve Her Majesty's Government's...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: On behalf of my party, I express our sympathy to the relatives of the casualties. I am sure that every hon. Member knows that, whether casualties are large or small, even one casualty is a tragic loss to a family. Can we not take comfort from the fact that until now in the operation losses have been much less than could have been conceived when the operation was started? At such a time, when...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Is not one of the assessments that should be drawn from this instance the fact that it does not matter how sophisticated are one's weapons if one's adversary has weapons that are more sophisticated? Does this not show the illogicality of the argument of those who say that we have atomic missiles that can destroy the world 10 times over, since it means nothing if one is not capable of getting...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Will the Home Secretary comment on reports affecting the Merseyside police which would seem to indicate that, owing to a shortage of funds, it may be necessary to remove many administrative staff, whose places will have to be filled by taking police of the beat? If so, is that not contrary to the right hon. Gentleman's assurance to the House, after the Scarman report, that we would have more...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Does the Secretary of State agree that our Reserve Forces provide the best value for money of all our Services? Will he also bear in mind that, during the past 20 years, we have blown hot and cold in calling for volunteers and then axeing units shortly afterwards? That is the reason for the wastage of Territorial soldiers. Will the right hon. Gentleman try to maintain some continuity at least...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Is Dr. Luns, the Secretary-General of NATO, in full agreement with what we are doing?
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: There is a difference between saying that we are having nothing to do with Trident and saying, as I say, that I am not convinced that there is not a reasonable alternative.
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: The House will be grateful to the hon. Member for Gillingham (Sir F. Burden) for giving us yet another opportunity to debate defence matters. As time is short, I shall be brief so that others may contribute to the debate. Today is the fortieth anniversary of the fall of Singapore—the greatest defeat in this country's history. People lay the blame in every direction except where it should...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: I shall not follow the hon. Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Mrs. Knight) at this stage, because later I want to take up one or two of the issues that she mentioned. One part of the Scarman report says that British society as a whole is no better than any other when it comes to prejudice. We have not yet come to terms with ethnic diversity. I am sad when I hear some of the speeches in the...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: That is the discrimination to which I refer. There should be equal treatment for all—black, white or yellow—if we are to have a happy community. Anybody who says that education is equal for all in our society has not been into a downtown school to see how those children are educated. I welcome the fact that the Home Secretary accepts what is said in the Scarman report, but we have not...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: It should control it and I believe that it does. The Home Secretary is held in great respect inside the House and outside. When he leaves the House this evening, I ask him to ask himself how many of the measures that have been agreed at the Dispatch Box can be implemented. Pressures will be brought to bear from vested interests that will not want to see reforms introduced. If there are...
Lieut-Colonel Dick Crawshaw: Is the Minister satisfied that the funds are adequate to train personnel with the new equipment that will be coming forward? Is he aware that one thing that exercises the minds of the Forces now is the cutting down of the available training facilities? Is there not a case for considering whether some decrease in the numbers and extra training of those remaining might be better than having the...