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To spend or not to spend: arguments about how to deal with Government debt come down to trust. Do the politicians dare to tell the truth? What price security? Can Britain afford to replace its nuclear deterrent? The days of Empire are long gone, so why do the Iranians think Britain is interfering? And, ten years on, why Scottish Nationalists may not be so happy about the success of devolution. All that on Politics UK.

Britain's national debt is huge, the largest annual deficit of any developed country. Perhaps we should follow the example of the German government, which is seeking to introduce a new law making it a legal requirement for governments to balance the nation's books. Thomas Kielinger, London correspondent of the German newspaper, Die Welt, explains how this new law would work.

There is much disagreement between the political parties in Britain about the level of debt. The Prime Minister maintains it is necessary to get Britain through the recession, while the Conservative leader, David Cameron, says that huge cuts in public spending must be made, or future generations will be burdened with paying it off. John McFall, the Labour chairman of the Commons Treasury Select Committee, addresses the argument over whether it's possible to avoid steep spending cuts.

One of the biggest spending tickets facing the Government is the replacement of Britain's ageing Trident nuclear submarine fleet at around 拢20bn. Can Britain afford it? This week the former Defence Secretary and head of NATO, George, now Lord, Robertson, entered the fray, in a report which called for a public debate about whether to continue with Trident.

Whatever happens to Britain's nuclear deterrent, there is one country which still regards us as a major player on the world stage - Iran. Indeed, the Iranian authorities currently seem to be more antagonistic towards the UK than their usual enemy, the U.S. The Professor of Iranian History at St Andrews University, Ali Ansari, explains why this is the case.

This week sees the 10th Anniversary of Scottish devolution: the creation of a Scottish parliament with many of its own powers - a project which all agree has been a success. Alex Salmond, the leader of the Scottish National Party and Scotland's First Minister, wishes to go further and gain full independence for Scotland from the rest of the UK, but does the success of devolution mean Scots may no longer have an appetite for independence?