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Network for Peace
Network for Peace
5 Caledonian Road, London N1
9DY
Tel: 07794
036 602 fax: 020 7278
0444 (shared fax, mark fao: NfP) Email: NfP
Trident
Replacement
Events
What is Trident?
Britain’s nuclear weapons system. It
consists of 4 nuclear-armed submarines, one of which is on patrol at all
times. Each submarine carries 48 warheads, each of which has the explosive
power of up to 100 kilotons, 8 times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Replacing Trident
Trident
went into service in 1994 and has a 30-year lifespan. A decision has been
made but there’s plenty of time for this to change. The campaigning goes on.
Proponents of nuclear weapons argue that such a deterrent is necessary to
ensure our continuing security and to protect Britain’s status as a key
political actor. Many of us believe the latter is one of the most important
reasons nuclear weapons continue to be in favour with the nuclear weapons
states – these weapons are in fact a political tool rather than of any
military importance. We believe that Trident is illegal, immoral and a waste
of resources. It does nothing to increase world security and undermines
international efforts to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. We
say there are better ways of building and maintaining peace!
Trident and the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty
To fulfil
its international legal obligations, the Government should comply with its
unequivocal commitment under the Nuclear Non
Proliferation Treaty by immediately decommissioning Trident and ruling out plans for
future nuclear weapon systems.
The cost
They
aren’t telling us the exact figure. It is estimated that it could be as much
as £25 billion. What could the government spend £25 billion on? See http://www.cnduk.org/pages/ntrep.pdf
British people oppose
developing new weapons system
When
presented with the estimated cost of replacing Trident, a majority of the British public
opposes the development of a new nuclear weapons system. The British public
understands that money would be better spent on defeating poverty at home and
abroad, and providing for employment, education and health.
Leading figures from
politics, religion, the arts and the military demand halt to replacement
A
powerful coalition of 100 scientists, lawyers, church leaders, actors,
writers and MPs have demanded (20th February) a halt to the rush
by Tony Blair towards a replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear weapon
system.
Stephen
Hawking, the astrophysicist, is among the prominent figures fronting the
campaign, which will strengthen growing demands in Parliament for the vote on
the replacement of the nuclear weapons system to be delayed until a full
debate on the options has taken place.
Professor
Hawking said: “Nuclear war remains the greatest danger to the survival of the
human race. To replace Trident would make it more difficult to get arms
reduction and increase the risk. It would also be a complete waste of money
because there are no circumstances in which we would use it independently.”
What you can do
Collect signatures for CND’s No to Trident
Replacement petition in your
town or city centre. Leaflets are available at no cost from the CND office
(donations for postage are welcome). Ring 0207 700 2393.
 CND
page on Trident http://www.cnduk.org/pages/campaign/ntdtrep.html
Join a local campaign against Trident.
Contact CND for details.
Organise a public meeting on Trident.
Contact the organisations below for information, suggestions on speakers,
then contact NfP for publicity!
Invite Bruce Kent to speak at your
meeting. Contact CND on 020 7700 2393.
Come to a Block the Builders action
at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment, where a new generation of
British nuclear weapons would be designed and built. Blockades take place on
the second Monday of every month.
Add
your name to the Rethink Trident statement
CND
and Compass have brought together a coalition of over 100 leading figures
from across British public life to call for next week's Pre Budget Report to
halt Trident replacement and re-deploy the resources saved to more socially
useful areas. You can read
the statement and add your name at rethinktrident.org.uk
Launched earlier today with an article in The
Independent, the coalition reconvenes the group first formed in the
run-up to the 2007 Commons vote on Trident, which at the time was calling for
further public and parliamentary debate.
The fact that an even broader coalition has now come together on the basis of
outright opposition to Trident replacement shows how opposition to the plans
has toughened.
Please
sign the statement and send it on to your friends.
Events
Saturday, 20 March
EDINBURGH.
Demonstration - Cut Trident not Jobs. 11:00am - 1:00pm Assemble Scottish Parliament 11 am March
off 11.30 am to city centre rally at 12.30 pm Organised by Scotland's for Peace
Tuesday 23 March
SALISBURY.
"Is a nuclear-free world possible?". Speaker Kate Hudson, Chair
CND, followed by Salisbury CND's AGM. Refreshments. 7.30pm, Salisbury Methodist
Church, St. Edmund's Church Street SP1
1EF . Wheelchair accessible. www.cndsalisbury.org.uk
2 – 7 April
DOVER TO SOUTHAMPTON. Relay along the South Coast
from Dover to Portsmouth to carry a Flame of Hope for
abolition of nuclear weapons. Our flame will to join a flame from Hiroshima in time for the crucial Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York. You can join in just one of the
days of the relay to carry the Flame of Hope. You carry it by bike. Or you
could run. You could take part for only a part of the relay. Or you could
just be there on one of the days on the South Coast
when the Flame is handed over. To register online just click on http://www.peacebourne.serifweb.com/FlameGen/index.html
or contact George, 01323 844269
Sunday,
4 April
SUSSEX. Flame of Hope. Christian CND will
be participating in this walk along the south coast of Britain. The south coast walk (Dover to Southampton) is part of a feeder march relaying
a Flame of Hope which will be carried to New York
to join a flame brought form Hiroshima,
in time for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. CCND's
part of the relay will be from Dungeness to Hastings. You can join us for some or all
of the walk, by foot or by bike, or you could run if you want to. Or you
could just be there on the day when the Flame is handed over. More details
from CCND, 020 7700 4200 email. http://www.ccnd.gn.apc.org/html/events.php
11 April
CHICHESTER TO PORTSMOUTH.
‘Flame of Hope’
walk. See 2-7 April for details. This section of the walk is organised by
South East Hants Peace Council. Contact 023 9234 6696 email
3 - 28 May
NEW YORK. Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (RevCon) in New York. Lots of useful information at: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/nptindex1.html
Further information and
briefings
See the following websites for information:
Acronym: http://www.acronym.org.uk/dd/dd76/76news04.htm
BASIC: http://www.basicint.org/nuclear/beyondtrident/
CND: http://www.cnduk.org/pages/binfo/ntr06.pdf
CND ‘Alternative White Paper: Click
here
Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk
Medact: http://www.medact.org/article_wmd.php?articleID=387
Methodist Church: http://www.methodist.org.uk
Peacerights Report on the legality of the
Trident nuclear missile system: http://www.peacerights.org/reports/195
Trident Ploughshares: http://www.tridentploughshares.org/index.php3
UNA-UK: http://www.una.org.uk/ps_main.html
Briefing here
Yorkshire CND: http://www.cndyorks.gn.apc.org/news/articles/no_trident_replacement.htm
Blackaby Paper 7,
October 2007
The Hidden Human Cost of Trident
by Di
McDonald, Executive Director of the Nuclear Information Service (NIS), which
works to promote public awareness and debate on nuclear weapons issues, &
Jamie Woolley, sometime legal adviser to the Nuclear Free Local Authorities.
The 7th
in a series of occasional papers on defence and disarmament issues in memory
of Frank Blackaby.
After the
March 2007 UK governmental and parliamentary decision to undertake eventual
replacement of the V-class (Trident missile armed) submarine fleet, as well
as the continued upgrading of the warhead design and research capabilities of
AWE Aldermaston, it has become essential to document not just the financial
costs of this programme but also and more significantly the human and
environmental costs. This Blackaby Paper addresses these key and previously
underemphasised issues.
Blackaby
Paper 7 also contains a detailed section placing all the arguments within a
firm legal context.
Copies of
the full paper can be obtained from the Abolition 2000 UK office (address below).
Individual copies are £2:00 plus £0:50 postage (total £2:50). Prices for
multiple copies are available upon request.
Copies
can also be downloaded from the website.
Abolition
2000 UK,
162 Holloway Road London N7 8DQ
Email: mail@abolition2000uk.org
Website: www.abolition2000uk.org
Don't replace Trident!
Do you
want to know more about the UK's
nuclear weapons and help to make sure that they are not replaced? This pack, available free or for a
donation, includes a briefing about nuclear weapons in the UK, an action
ideas sheet, a list of key arguments, as well as postcards and petitions to
use in the community. Thanks to
research by the Oxford Research Group, the pack includes a letter writer's
list of 'decision makers' - key officials and parliamentarians with a bearing
on the government's decision. There
are also instructions for making paper cranes, which we are suggesting people
enclose with letters to decision makers.
Folding paper cranes is also an ideal activity for children over 9 and
young people's groups.
For your
pack, write to:
Peace
& Disarmament Programme, Quaker Peace & Social Witness, Friends
House, 173 Euston Road,
London NW1 2BJ,
Email disarm@quaker.org.uk or call
020 7663 1067.
Quaker Peace & Social Witness Peace
and Disarmament newsletter: http://www.quaker.org.uk/
or email
QPSW Briefing on the Replacement of Trident: www.quaker.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=91671
Trident Debate Site
A broad
coalition of individuals and organisations has launched a campaign to
secure a full public and parliamentary debate on the replacement of Britain's
nuclear weapons system, Trident. The website www.bigtridentdebate.org.uk
contains a statement calling for a full debate which individuals and
organisations are encouraged to sign. Click here to read the full
statement. Please visit the
site and join the debate.
Discuss Trident
Come Clean
has launched a forum on its website to help share information, generate
discussion and create informed debate about WMD. The forum can be accessed
online at: http://forum.comeclean.org.uk/.
Of current relevance is the
section on 'Beyond Trident', a collaborative project (organised by Come
Clean, the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, Oxford Research Group
and BASIC) to raise awareness and foster public and parliamentary debate
on whether or not Britain should retain nuclear weapons and replace the
Trident nuclear weapons system. You can discuss the Future of Britains
Nuclear Weapons and find out why a debate on nuclear
policy is vital online at: http://forum.comeclean.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=2
.
Further information about Beyond
Trident is available from the Come Clean Website at: http://comeclean.org.uk/bt_information.php.
Nuclear Peace
The
objective of this site is to scrutinise the arguments advanced both for and
against the replacement of the UK’s nuclear defence system, Trident.
http://nuclearpeace.wordpress.com/
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