997
Defence
13 MAY 1974
that the Secretary of State has announced for the Armed Services in Ulster. I am not being churlish, however, in saying that we must not consider the Armed Forces entirely in the light of cash, increases in the military salary, benefits or welfare. The men and women who enter the Armed Forces do so not to make a fortune but because that is the type of life they have chosen. I suspect that in each genreation some men and women may be deterred if wages are low and conditions are poor, and others may be encouraged because wages are good and conditions are excellent. One makes a grave error, though, if one thinks that the criterion must be cash alone. Men and women in the Armed Forces must have a sense of purpose and a sense that their services are recognised by the Government and this House. It is possible that a defence review may arouse more apprehension in the breasts of Service people than the eventual results justify.
Several viewpoints have been put for- ward in the debate. I shall not cross swords with the hon. Member for Coventry, South-West (Mrs. Wise). She and I live in different worlds. In my world soft targets are lorries.
More seriously, the Secretary of State told us that he is embarking on a review. We all realise that we have to cut our coat according to our cloth. One could
Defence
998
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. George Thomas): The hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Younger) said that he would not rise to speak until 9.10 p.m. To call him earlier would have the effect of cut- ting short the debate. I call Mr. Dalyell who will remember that fact.
9.7 p.m.
Mr. Tam Dalyell (West Lothian): In the three minutes at my disposal I should like to raise three issues. I hope that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence will raise these matters with Mr. Schlesinger when he meets him.
The first matter which I should like him to raise is the subject of Diego Garcia. I would ask whether it is in the best interests of ourselves and of the United States to go ahead with something that is far more than a mere issue of the militarisation of a coral atoll. That is the minor argument. the minor argument. The major argu- ment is whether we and the Americans should introduce nuclear policy and all that goes with it into the Indian Ocean.
I believe that there is a British obliga- tion not to repeat the mistakes--mistakes that have been admitted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in his memoirs
of our policy east of Suez. This is a very important issue and I am told that a decision has not yet been made. There-
overspend and be in danger from the fore, I hope that the report by the diplo-
forces outside which threaten us and are against us. One can have economic as well as military disasters, but when the Secretary of State has completed his review I hope that if he finds it impos-
sible, for example, in defence interests to cut the MRCĂ. to cancel the through- deck command cruisers or not to con- tinue with the maritime Harrier-if indeed, having looked at the compara- tively small bases we possess around the world, he takes the view that in Britain's interest he cannot recommend that they should all be abandoned he will have the courage to come back to this House and say so. I hope that he will not yield to some of the voices which have come from behind him today suggesting that he should make his cuts, if cuts there have to be, not in the interests of this country but in the interest of party doctrine.
Mr. Younger rose-
8 21
matic correspondent of the Sunday Tele- graph has no foundation in fact and that we shall follow the critical line of the Senate Armed Services Committee in not being party to pursuing a nuclear
policy in the Indian Ocean.
The second matter which I hope will be raised with Mr. Schlesinger is the subject of Hong Kong. It has been
assumed in this debate that somehow or other we have an obligation to maintain military forces in Hong Kong. Frankly, I would say to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence that I should like to see savings in that base. I do not understand what operational requirement we have and what can lead us to expect that the Chinese intend to attack this small garrison. I regard that as extremely unlikely and I make that remark as one who has had the good fortune to go to China. I believe that the prime society which is Maos's China will not risk absorbing libertarian Hong