ABSTRACT
Callaghan continued to pursue the limited and defensive approach to the presentation of nuclear issues. The public profile was raised by discussion of several emerging nuclear policy issues, putting pressure on Labour’s efforts to keep nuclear issues out of the public eye. The Enhanced Radiation Warhead (ERW) or “neutron bomb” highlighted the manner in which nuclear issues could seize the public imagination. The Callaghan government proceeded with work on Chevaline without disclosing it to the public. It was also the first government to consider the Polaris successor issue behind closed doors. Interested and informed parties outside government continued to speculate. Ian Smart’s work at Chatham House on the future of the deterrent showcased the government’s reluctance to talk about the successor issue and raised the bar in terms of public discussion. Further press stories also highlighted the tension in Labour’s public and private positions. Callaghan’s tenure concluded with significant pressure having built up on the government’s silence. The improvement of Polaris was – by this point – essentially an “open secret” to informed elements of the public. By the 1979 general election, the defensive approach was no longer tenable. With Margaret Thatcher’s entry into office in May 1979, it would no longer be necessary.
