Cameron gets a steer on Trident from Rahm Emanuel

By Paul Goodman
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There are two core arguments in the Prime Minister's Daily Telegraph article today about Trident, which coincides with his trip north of the border and his visit to Trident-carrying HMS Victorious.

• Trident provides Scottish jobs, which independence would risk: "I want to thank all those who provide our deterrent. The submariners, away from their families for months on end, who show the highest degree of dedication in training for a duty they hope never to carry out. The families who support them, and who endure such long periods without contact. And the 20,000 people who work onshore – including the engineers and mechanics at Faslane and Devonport; the teams at Rolls-Royce and the Atomic Weapons Establishment; and the architects and construction workers in places like Barrow who design and build our submarines." Beware, all of you: Salmond's risking your livelihoods!

• The world is as risky as ever - just look at North Korea: "There is a real risk of new nuclear-armed states emerging. Iran continues to defy the will of the international community in its attempts to develop its nuclear capabilities, while the highly unpredictable and aggressive regime in North Korea recently conducted its third nuclear test and could already have enough fissile material to produce more than a dozen nuclear weapons. Last year North Korea unveiled a long-range ballistic missile which it claims can reach the whole of the United States. If this became a reality it would also affect the whole of Europe, including the UK." Take heed, everyone: nuclear proliferation is a risk!

Cameron is right.  North Korea has a record on proliferation as long as your arm - or the forced queue for one of its death camps.

His point would of course be less topical were the present stand-off between its regime and the Obama administration not taking place.

Perhaps Cameron was thinking of the words of Obama's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, when he had the Telegraph article drafted: "Never let a serious crisis go to waste!"