Trident

Hundreds of people from across the UK, France and as far away as New Zealand converged on Faslane Naval Base, homeport to Trident, at 7 a.m. on Monday 15 April, blocking all three of its gates and shutting down access, bringing traffic on all roads into the nuclear weapons base to a halt for 3 hours.

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There are three main arguments against Trident. One is the growing acceptance among senior ex-military types that it has no strategic relevance to Britain’s war machine and that its retention and likely renewal is more about having some spectacular macho bling to dazzle on the world stage. While that argument has significance and cogency among the political elites, it does not have huge popular force in a Scotland largely and rightly alienated from the whole of the UK war-making adventure.   Read More...

Since early in 2010, that the cornerstone of the coalition government’s deficit reduction plan was radical and savage cuts to welfare spending. After announcing initial plans to reduce the benefits bill by £18 billion per year by 2014-15, they have ramped up the anti-welfare rhetoric further this year with the announcement that a further £10 billion is to be cut with a new round of reforms from 2017. What is absent from the government’s announcements on welfare ‘reform’ so far, however, is an analysis of just who it is that stands to lose and how exactly that loss will affect them. To some extent, the sheer complexity of the welfare system has assisted the government in hiding the cumulative impact of the changes.
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The Scottish Parliament is holding a debate on Trident at 2 pm on Wednesday 20 March. The motion will be presented by the Scottish Government and there will be a vote at 5 pm, see Agenda for 20 March: Please contact your MSPs and encourage them to oppose Trident. On the day when the Scottish parliament is discussing nuclear weapons, the House of Commons will be hearing George Osborne announce his budget for the year. Please encourage MSPs to say that Trident should be cut, not welfare or public services.   Read More...

Organised by Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear Weapons
The Easter Witness for Peace 2013 will take place at the gate of Faslane Trident base from 12 noon on Saturday 23 March. This will be an opportunity to meet together and to witness to our common faith in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and to underline our belief that nuclear weapons are immoral and they should not be maintained or renewed. There will be a short act of worship with singing, prayers for peace, followed by a picnic. Bring food to share. Tea, coffee and juice will be provided. Speakers: Rev Sally Fulton (Church of Scotland), Bishop Joe Toal (Catholic Church) and Bruce Kent (Vice President, CND).  Short statements against nuclear weapons from a range of churches will be read out. Music by the Wild Goose Resource Group.
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On Wednesday 5th December, George Osborne is expected to announce further spending cuts with his Autumn Statement. But one thing we know he isn't planning to cut is Trident. Funding the Trident nuclear weapons system and its replacement comes at the cost of key services and facilities across the economy - up to £100 billion over its lifetime. With the nation's media watching the Autumn Statement - make sure our message is getting through - tell George Osborne what he should cut.
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The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament condemned Defence Secretary Philip Hammond's announcement of a further £350m spending on Trident replacement, ahead of a parliamentary decision in 2016. It also criticised the government's 'shabby attempt to intervene in the Scottish independence debate' just days after the Scottish Affairs Committee called on the government to consider the implications of potential Scottish independence for Trident.

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The Scottish Affairs Committee published a report on the 25th October which points out that Scottish independence could lead to nuclear disarmament for Britain. It also says that Scottish CND's timetable for disarming Trident is realistic.   Read More...

Trident faces public opposition whether or not it is forced out of Scotland, experts told the House of Commons Defence Committee on 3 July 2012, as they offered varying visions on the likely impact of Scottish independence on the future of Britain's nuclear weapons system. The comments echoed the findings of a detailed report by CND on the lack of possible sites for relocation of Trident. (Source Ekklesia)   Read More...

Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Defence, was called to the Commons  after trying to quietly announce a £1.1 billion investment contract in part to develop reactors for the Trident replacement submarines. The investment is part of a controversial plan to order the reactors before the go-ahead decision to construct the submarines has even been made - due to be in 2016.   Read More...

EDM 95     DETENTION OF TORTURE SURVIVORS 
EDM 96     TRIDENT REPLACEMENT
EDM 117   HUMAN RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT AND ARMS TRADE TREATY
  

A report by Professor Malcolm Chalmers, defence policy director of the influential Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), has questioned whether an independent Scotland could remove Trident nuclear weapons from their base on the Clyde and remain in NATO.  The report, was commissioned by the 'Scotland on Sunday' newspaper, The report is published as the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) prepares to debate  whether to retain its long standing policy of opposition to NATO membership at its party conference in June.   Read More...

Please support Scottish CND's new campaign "No Nuclear Weapons Here". SCND want people to add their pin to their map to show that people in every corner of the country want to see nuclear disarmament. Put yourself on the map if you want to see a Scotland which is free of nuclear weapons.  Today all British nuclear weapons are based on the Clyde

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The Easter Witness for Peace will take place at the gates of the Faslane nuclear submarine base at 12 noon on Saturday 31 March, which is the day before Palm Sunday. This will be a safe and friendly event, for all ages and is especially designed for those who have not been to Faslane before.  The event is organised by Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear Arms (SCANA), Bishop Toal will be among the speakers   Read More...

On 21st March Chancellor George Osborne will be announcing the 2012 budget. Money is tight, and no doubt austerity will be the guiding principle, but in the meantime the UK is spending £100 billion on nuclear weapons.Tell George Osborne: It's Time to Cut Trident. Cuts across public services are causing real pain but billions are being poured into the replacement programme for the UK's Trident nuclear weapons. Tell him that this is the spending cut you support.   Read More...