PLAID Cymru held a debate in the Senedd (March 25) on the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system at a cost of £100bn over 40 years. Imagine what alternative areas of spending that enormous amount could go on – the NHS, schools, public transport, the list goes on.

In the debate I questioned the strategic value in nuclear weapons. In 2015, the world has moved on. The only point left to make in favour is a flawed argument that Trident allows the UK to keep eating at the top table of world affairs, despite it being a second rate power in the world.

At the end of the Second World War the UK had to accept the loss of Empire. The sooner we accept and involve ourselves in the multi-polar world we live in, in a spirit of co-operation and mutual respect, the better. Getting rid of Trident would be an excellent first step.

Of the current threats which the world faces, nuclear weapons do not make any difference to their outcome. ISIS is not threatened by nuclear weapons. Small terror networks are not threatened by nuclear weapons, that much is obvious after the past 15 years. The argument of deterrence no longer washes.

Lindsay Whittle, Plaid Cymru AM