I remember exactly this happening over 30 years ago....

The tories banging on about the importance of owning nukes and how weak labour would be defending us from the russkies...

All the time exploiting the issues as a cynical strategic distraction from more essential domestic social problems that they were failing to address rationally... 😣

Still.. it worked.. got 'em back in power for one more go..


I also remember the sheer underlying culture of terror and depression, as a mass phenomena, for any of us under 25;
trying to start out in life fully aware we could be incinerated or radiated at any time the crazies in power pressed the self destruct button...

Like many others at that time, I vowed to not bring kids into that unstable world of not knowing if there would be a tomorrow...
or what kind of post apocalyptic nightmare would be inflicted on any survivors.

These were real crippling fears at that time, not just fanciful paranoid adolescent hysteria.