# Does UK statehood depend on BBC radio 4 ?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 30, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054 "2015-09-30T16:39:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/1 "2015-09-30T16:39:26Z")
> [@](#):
>
> "Corbyn has suggested he would decline to authorise the use of Trident in the two circumstances envisaged under the arrangements in place since the cold war.
>
> The second instance is based on the assumption that the UK is no longer a functioning state. In such circumstances, signalled when BBC Radio 4 can no longer be heard, the commander of the submarine on patrol would take out sealed letter from a safe, written by the prime minister, instructing them on what to do. "
So that’s it, if the soothing middle class tones of radio 4 cannot be heard any more, Britain has ceased to be a functioning state ?
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### Author:  [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/2 "2015-09-30T16:44:01Z")
You might be grateful for his forbearance were the contents to say: “_Take out Washington while you’re at it_.”.
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### Author:  [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/3 "2015-09-30T16:59:12Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#):
>
> You might be grateful for his forbearance were the contents to say: “_Take out Washington while you’re at it_.”.
Oooooo… you’ll go on a list saying things like that.
He didn’t mean it folks, Washington is lovely.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/4 "2015-09-30T16:59:45Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#):
>
> So that’s it, if the soothing middle class tones of radio 4 cannot be heard any more, Britain has ceased to be a functioning state ?
Good God, it doesn’t even bear thinking about. Apparently the subs [went on alert in 2004](http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/radio-silence-puts-subs-on-nuclear-1157478) when a power cut knocked Radio 4 off the air, rumour has it that it has to be off the air for a few days before the Letter of Last Resort is opened.
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### Author:  [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/5 "2015-09-30T17:02:13Z")
This is the sound of civilization, brought to the world by Great Britain, the greatest civilizing force in history.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnQ2Lk20n3U)
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### Author:  [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/6 "2015-09-30T17:05:05Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#):
>
> Good God, it doesn’t even bear thinking about. Apparently the subs [went on alert in 2004](http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/radio-silence-puts-subs-on-nuclear-1157478) when a power cut knocked Radio 4 off the air, rumour has it that it has to be off the air for a few days before the Letter of Last Resort is opened.
“THE captains of Britain’s nuclear submarines had a wake up call today - when the BBC mysteriously went off air for 15 minutes. Secret orders to captains say orders to launch a strike are to be opened and acted upon only if the submarine cannot tune in to Radio 4’s Today programme for a given number of days.”
Speechless.
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### Author:  [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/7 "2015-09-30T17:06:52Z")
So all the enemy would have to do is broadcast some old editions of Today, and they could get away with a first strike… ?
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/8 "2015-09-30T17:32:58Z")
Since it’s not really clear what the OP is asking, let’s move this to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/9 "2015-10-01T09:18:13Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#):
>
> So all the enemy would have to do is broadcast some old editions of Today, and they could get away with a first strike… ?
Surely nobody is that sadistic!
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### Author:  [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/10 "2015-10-01T12:46:46Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#):
>
> So all the enemy would have to do is broadcast some old editions of Today, and they could get away with a first strike… ?
Presumably, there are hidden codes or something in Today broadcasts, so subs would be clued in if they were being fed old or false broadcasts.
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### Author:  [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/11 "2015-10-01T13:38:13Z")
[QUOTE=MrQwertyasd]
So that’s it, if the soothing middle class tones of radio 4 cannot be heard any more, Britain has ceased to be a functioning state ?
[/QUOTE]
Sounds about right to me. Certainly not a country worth living in.
A few years ago there was a journalists’ strike, I turned on the radio in the morning and instead of _Today_ heard an old _Just a Minute_ 😕:eek: I guess the subs will only open their orders if R4 is just dead air.
If there are any secret codes they’re probably embedded in the Archers. I bet you could hide all sorts of crap in plain sight there.
Don’t mention the Archers! I did… a bit… but I think I got away with it…
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### Author:  [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/12 "2015-10-01T13:46:51Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#):
>
> So all the enemy would have to do is broadcast some old editions of Today, and they could get away with a first strike… ?
“I say, old chap, when did the BBC hire all these announcers with Russian accents?”
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/13 "2015-10-01T15:53:58Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#):
>
> Presumably, there are hidden codes or something in Today broadcasts, so subs would be clued in if they were being fed old or false broadcasts.
I swear I heard…somewhere…that there was a code phrase that would be uttered by the Today show host to indicate that they were being held captive and broadcasting under coercion.
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### Author:  [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-uk-statehood-depend-on-bbc-radio-4/733054/14 "2015-10-01T16:18:18Z")
_“Oh, buggery, fuck, fuck, fuck: I dropped me script. — Hang on there, me old darlin’s”"_