campaign

THE MAGAZINE OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AUTUMN 2010

Is
Trident
on the
way out?
Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament,
162 Holloway Rd,
London N7 8DQ

Let’s make it happen

Tel: 020 7700 2393
Fax: 020 7700 2357
enquiries@cnduk.org
www.cnduk.org

Inside
 Nuclear deals with India  Trident, jobs and the UK economy

 Hiroshima peace exhibition  Launching Reality Radio

CND  Chernobyl 25th anniversary  Join the Big Blockade in Devonport

 Editorial

Anti-Trident advances
It’s interesting to see the struggle
between the Treasury and the Ministry of
Defence over who should pay for
Trident. The MoD is facing cuts of up to
20% (and why not?) and wants the
Treasury to pay for Trident replacement.
But George Osborne is adamant that the
money will have to come from the MoD
budget. So the MoD is now at war with
the Treasury! There is an easy way to
resolve this conflict though – cancel the
whole Trident programme!
‘We ought now to be
Dave Webb, Acting Chair
asking, what more can
ou are probably wondering what
Review. Even Des Browne, the former
Labour Defence Secretary who
introduced Trident replacement in 2007,
is questioning his decision, saying ‘We
ought now to be asking, what more can
the UK do to contribute to the
international momentum on disarmament
and non-proliferation?’ Well, yes we
ought! People around the world,
including top military and political leaders,
are saying that they want to see a world
without nuclear weapons. Even NATO is
making noises - Secretary General
Rasmussen has said that they will be
discussing diminished reliance on nuclear
weapons at their November summit. The
world is waiting for someone to take the

Y I am doing in Kate’s column this

issue. Well, as agreed by CND
Council, I am shifting over from being
Vice Chair to Acting Chair so that Kate
can move into the new full time position
of General Secretary. This new post will
enable us to make an even more concerted
effort in our campaign to scrap Trident
and secure a global ban on all nuclear
weapons. You will, of course, still be
hearing from Kate as she continues to play
a key role in CND as General Secretary –
as you can see in this issue.
But there’s not only change afoot in
CND – there’s a new government and
there will soon be a new leader of the
Labour Party. British politics is in flux,
with many new directions now becoming
possible – and all to play for. Although
the coalition government is using the
current financial situation to make cuts in
spending across the board, people
everywhere are starting to question their
the UK do to contribute
to the international
momentum on
disarmament and
non-proliferation?’
Des Browne, former Labour Party
Defence Secretary
Although Trident isn’t part of the
government’s Strategic Security and
Defence Review, Liam Fox has said that
it will include a ‘value for money’ review
of the Trident replacement programme.
What we really need is a review of
whether the UK needs nuclear weapons
at all and pressure for that is building! Lib
Dem conference has voted
overwhelmingly for its inclusion in the
New petition: by popular demand
Our new Scrap Trident petition reflects the fact that the political debate has moved further
first step. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the
UK could break out of this debilitating
stale-mate and make a significant move
towards nuclear disarmament? Wouldn’t
that give us something to be proud of?
As we go to press there is talk of a
delay to Trident replacement. Now is the
time to redouble our efforts and press
forward this advantage. CND and its
members have always been a terrific
inspiration to me, and the fact that
Trident is being questioned from all
directions is due in no small way to us.
Our strength lies in the groups and
individuals around the country that work
hard promoting peace and disarmament.
Like you, I want to do whatever I can to
continue to play a part. I look forward to
working with you in the year ahead.

SC R AP E
decisions. If it is necessary to make cuts
on and the very future of the current system is in question. Now is the time to reiterate the

(and that in itself is debatable) –

Scrap Trident message as well as saying no to Trident

shouldn’t we be making them in a

replacement and yes to a Nuclear Weapons Convention.

BAN ALL
considered way, a democratic way, a way Sign the new petition online at www.cnduk.org and TRID NT
that protects those most vulnerable?
NUCLEANRS
forward it on to everyone you know. To help you get
Shouldn’t we be cutting things we don’t
WEAPO
more signatures, you’ll also receive a hard copy with
want, things we don’t really need? your Campaign Review in January.

Opinions expressed by authors in Campaign are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the policies of CND.

2

Nuclear deals with India
Dr David Lowry, former Director
of the European Proliferation
Information Centre (EPIC)
n 2008 the US broke a 34-year ban
I on nuclear trade with India. It signed a
special deal allowing the export of US
civilian nuclear technology and fuel in
exchange for inspections of India’s
civilian (but not military) nuclear
facilities. France has since followed suit
with its own civilian nuclear deal. On
3rd August 2010, Labour’s Shadow
Business Secretary Pat McFadden wrote
to The Guardian with apparent umbrage
regarding David Cameron’s UK-India
nuclear co-operation deal signed the
previous month. He asserted that the
initiative was not a break with the
Labour government’s stance on such
atomic collaboration, because Labour
had already set up such a deal in
February this year. Mr McFadden also
asserted the deal was ‘in line with our
strong non-proliferation commitments.’
This is a dangerous fantasy.
But the problem is not, as some critics
suggest, that these moves are likely to
raise fears of leakage of fissile material
from India’s civilian to its military nuclear
programme, but that it rewards a state
that has steadfastly refused to sign the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
with a preferential business atomic
arrangement. It seems ministers overrode
the sensible caution of both the Foreign
Office and Ministry of Defence.
India’s atomic ambitions – like those
of the much touted global nuclear
renaissance – have no basis in reality. A
year ago, India’s Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh announced a
projected 100-fold increase in nuclear
energy output by 2050, with 470
gigawatts (GW), comprising around 470
new nuclear plants. This is considerably
more than the total number of nuclear
plants currently operating worldwide.
The UK has a nuclear co-operation
deal with India, despite the latter’s
refusal to sign up to the NPT
In July, Anil Kakodkar, former Chair
of the Indian Atomic Energy
Commission wrote boldly: ‘we must be
Fact box
 India is estimated to have
60–80 nuclear warheads,
Pakistan 70–90.
 Both countries are believed to
be increasing their nuclear
forces.
 Neither country has signed the
nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, yet both countries have
voted for a UN resolution
calling for a Nuclear Weapons
Convention.
 A regional exchange of 50
nuclear warheads from either
side in a war between two
countries like India and
Pakistan could kill 200 million
people and result in ‘the
largest climate change in
recorded human history’– see
latest research findings at
www.nucleardarkness.org).
 Pakistan has called for a similar
US civilian nuclear deal.
Viewpoint
aware of the importance of greater
Indian involvement in international
nuclear business partnerships. Such
partnerships, given our technological
capability, would not only eventually
position us as a major global player, but
also add a further degree of immunity
against disruptions and vulnerabilities
that are associated with this politically
sensitive trade domain.’ (‘Towards a
Nuclear Future’, Times of India, 10th July)
The Labour government document
issued last year titled The Road to 2010 –
on UK non-proliferation and nuclear
export policy – interestingly released
under the imprimatur of the Cabinet
Office, not the Foreign Office – is one
of the most dangerous and deluded
documents issued in modern times by
any democratic government. It is, in
effect, a blueprint for promoting global
nuclear proliferation and undermines
government aims to create a more
secure world, because of the deeply
misguided policy to increase nuclear
exports and spread nuclear technology
and nuclear explosive material around
the globe.
No doubt British diplomats and
nuclear power cheerleaders were
delighted by the final outcome of the
2010 NPT Review Conference at the
end of May which promotes nuclear
power extensively, signing up all states
to ‘the fullest possible exchange of
equipment, materials and scientific and
technological information’.
The India deal is totally outside this
regime, which offers a nuclear energy
carrot in exchange for waiving interest
in nuclear weapons. India gets the carrot
without paying any heed to the stick.
We should be very afraid that
Labour’s remarkably naïve and
disingenuous document now appears to
have become the coalition’s very own
‘Janus’ nuclear policy.
3
 News

Hiroshima Peace Exhibition

In August for the first time in London there was a rare opportunity to see first hand the
destructive capabilities of nuclear weapons at our major exhibition After the Bomb
dropped: How Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered. Many people visited the exhibition and
attended its accompanying talks and film showings which we organised with the Quakers
and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The common reaction was how powerful, moving and
informative it was to see such relics and photographs.

everal dozen volunteers gave despite his parents’ devoted nursing.

S generously of their time to help staff
the exhibition, one of whom was Noriko
Jentschke. She says:
‘As I am from Hiroshima and my father is a
survivor of the atomic bomb, the exhibition was
very interesting for me and I was very glad to help
as a volunteer. Thank you for the opportunity.
The exhibition had a great impact and Mr
Kawamoto’s testimony was unforgettable as we
hardly ever hear about the suffering of those
orphaned by the atomic bomb. I have realised I
must continue to be active for peace because I
never want children to feel like that again.’
Tetsuo Kitabayashi (then 12) was a
first-year student at Second Hiroshima
Prefectural Junior High School. On the
6th August, he was one of 26,800
students mobilised for a large-scale
building demolition project, 600m from
the hypocentre when the bomb was
dropped. Tetsuo was exposed to the blast
and the school uniform he was wearing,
later donated to the museum, was
displayed at the exhibition (see above). His
father, Yudo, desperately searched
Yudo wrote in his diary, ‘My greatest regret
is that we were so close twice, in the morning and
afternoon, but failed to meet. Later, I went
downstairs to find his pulse no longer beating. It
was over. No words can describe my resentment
and sorrow…I kept vigil over his body. I
couldn’t hold back the tears.’
everywhere for his son, passing near him  If you missed the exhibition you
twice but failing to find him. Seriously can see most of it (except the relics) at
injured, Tetsuo managed to make it home, Coventry Cathedral next year where the
but he died in the afternoon of the 7th display panels have been donated.
Mr Shoso Kawamoto who survived the
Hiroshima bomb travelled from Japan to give his
testimony during the exhibition. He spoke of how
8,600 children aged between 8 and 11 years were
evacuated to the countryside because, in his
words ‘American bombing from the air was
intensifying’ and ‘small children were a hindrance
in escaping from those raids’. Although he and
other children who were evacuated escaped being
killed by the bomb, they lost their homes and
families and for many this impacted on the rest of
their lives. Extracts of his testimony are below:
‘Out of the 8,600 who were evacuated in the School Children Evacuation Programme,
6,000 of them had a family who survived, or were taken in by their relatives. But the rest of
them – about 2,700 – became orphaned; they were just on their own. Of those children, 700
were accommodated into orphanages. But the rest became homeless, with just their summer
clothes to wear. So by December that year, 1,000 had starved to death or died due to cold
weather. But those children’s records are not kept, even in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Museum. Nobody knows about them.
1,000 orphans survived, somehow. The reason is there were a lot of gangsters who came to
Hiroshima right after the bombing [from other towns] … and they took care of those
orphans. So the orphans became their sort of assistants on their street stands, or they
worked as shoeshine boys. However, in the New Year, these gangsters started fighting each
other in a turf war. And another 300 orphans died in the crossfire. But they were regarded
as part of the gangster groups. They are not even commemorated in the Peace Memorial
Tower. But they are definitely victims of the war.’
 Listen to Mr Kawamato’s full testimony on CND’s Reality Radio – see page 8 for more details.

4
 Campaigns

Chernobyl 25: Casting a

shadow over generations to come
Linda Walker, the Chernobyl
Children’s Project (UK)

he 25th anniversary of the

T worst ever nuclear accident will be
commemorated around the world on
the 26th April 2011. This tragic
birthday provides an opportunity to
support the children whose lives have
been blighted by the accident and also
to raise awareness about the dangers of
nuclear power.
The nuclear industry and the
governments which support it always
make light of the ongoing effects of the
contamination from Chernobyl. The
Chernobyl Forum report, produced for
the 20th anniversary by UN agencies
led by the IAEA, sought to perpetuate
the myth that the greatest health
consequence of the accident was
psychological stress, or ‘radiophobia’.
In stark contrast, a New York
Four year old Sasha during her treatment in the cancer hospital in Minsk. It is hoped

Academy of Sciences’ book published in

she will be able to come for a holiday when her treatment has finished

spring, written by scientists in Russia and
Belarus and based on years of research,
reveals that hundreds of thousands have
died as a result of the fallout.
Back in 2001, the Belarusian
Ministry of Statistics declared that there
had been a 60% rise in the number of
children born with disabilities over the
previous seven years. And in the same
year the head of Belarus’ radiation
medicine institute, told a news
conference: ‘It is clear that we are seeing
genetic changes, especially among those
who were less than six years of age when
subjected to radiation. These people are
now starting families.’
These consequences are now being
widely denied, but in the Minsk
Children’s Cancer Hospital, doctors are
talking of their shock over the numbers
of babies being diagnosed with cancer,
including leukaemia. And the Belarusian
Children’s Hospice has many young
families in their care, because babies have
been born with genetic disorders which
make it hard for them to breathe unaided.
The Chernobyl Children’s Project
(UK) works closely with both the hospital
and the hospice, buying medicines when
these cannot be obtained in Belarus and
providing training and equipment for
hospice staff.
We bring children to Britain for
recuperative holidays, many of them in
remission from cancer, and we organise
holidays in Belarus for disabled children
living in orphanages.
We have set up small family homes
for disabled children and young adults
and we have a major training
programme which has helped move
hundreds of children from orphanages
into local foster family homes.
For the 25th Anniversary we will be
working with other Chernobyl charities
to raise awareness about the ongoing
effects of the accident. We hope to
involve school students in raising funds,
taking part in a Creative Writing
Competition and performing a play. We
plan to hold concerts, exhibitions and
church services. We hope that CND
members and groups will support
CHERNOBYL 25 activities and the work
of the charities. We especially encourage
you to take part in a ‘Chernobyl
Challenge’. Across Europe, there will be
candlelit vigils with people forming a giant
‘25’ which can be filmed from above.
Vigils are already planned at the
Brandenberg Gate and Cologne Cathedral.
Please start planning your own vigil.
 To find out more about our work
and events planned for CHERNOBYL
25, visit our website www.chernobyl-
children.org.uk

5
Trident replacement
will destroy thousands of jobs
Our new report Trident, jobs and the UK Economy explodes the myth that replacing Trident would
create more jobs for defence workers. On the contrary, it would destroy thousands of jobs across
Britain. This is not just because spending on Trident comes at the expense of other public spending
like health, education and basic community services. It is because the money for Trident will come
primarily at the expense of other conventional defence projects and the jobs that support them,
writes Alan Mackinnon, Scottish CND Chair.

he real game changer has RAF Marham, with the the loss of almost

T been Chancellor George

Osborne’s decision that the
replacement costs must come out of the
defence budget, not out of some separate
pot of Treasury money. This will put
huge pressure on a defence budget that
is already heavily overspent and
overcommitted which faces cuts of up
to 20% per year. This means that over
the next 10 years the MoD faces a
£74bn budget cut, a £36bn deficit on
projected capital programmes and a bill
exceeding £20bn for the capital costs of
Trident replacement.
In other words, the MoD would have
no choice but to impose deep cuts in a
range of defence projects and axe
thousands of defence manufacturing
jobs. According to a leaked report in the
Daily Telegraph, the projects at risk are: the
second aircraft carrier; the F35 Joint
Strike Fighters; the Eurofighter Typhoon
aircraft; armoured vehicle procurement;
replacement tankers and supply ships;
Chinook and Lynx Wildcat Helicopters;
the programme to build Type 26
Frigates. Also likely are the closures of
RAF Kinloss, RAF Lossiemouth and
6,000 jobs and the phasing out of 295
aircraft, including 120 Tornado GR4 jets.
Cuts in the naval shipbuilding programme
could threaten up to 10,000 jobs in
shipyards in Portsmouth, Rosyth,
Newcastle, Birkenhead and on the Clyde
with the likely closure of at least one
shipyard. Cancellation of aircraft
programmes could cause major job
losses at BAE Systems at Salmesbury,
Warton, and Woodford, Augusta-
Westland at Yeovil, and Marshalls
Aerospace at Cambridge.
Defence programmes threatened by
these cuts would have a more immediate
and far greater impact on jobs than
those affected by Trident cancellation.
These would only be lost from 2016
onwards; vulnerable sites would be the
BAE shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness,
Rolls Royce plant at Derby, AWE
Aldermaston and Burghfield and the
Faslane Naval Base.
Barrow is a hotspot of defence
dependency and any transition to non-
submarine shipbuilding would be
difficult. It needs a government-led
defence diversification plan (based on the

6
successful US Base Re-alignment and
Closure programmes) with real resources, Spending Challenge mystery
early planning and trade union and
community involvement to ensure that
few if any jobs were lost in the event of
Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary
ending nuclear submarine construction.
The report focuses on how marine

I
n July, the Treasury invited the public to participate in its ‘Spending

energy has the potential to provide what

Challenge’, asking for our views on what should be cut. Many CND

the TUC called for in 2009 – a Just

members and supporters contributed and we were delighted to see

Transition to a low carbon green

that out of almost 2,000 entries tagged under 'defence' over a third of

economy, rich in jobs, high in research

and development and generating exports.
UK companies are at the leading edge of
this technology and Barrow could
become a major centre for the design and
manufacture of wave and tidal turbines.
By investing the money saved by
cancelling Trident the UK could become
them called on the government to scrap Trident. There were a couple
calling on the government to retain it, and perhaps two more calling
either for a land-based or for an airborne launch platform, but getting on
for 700 said Trident and its replacement should be scrapped.
In fact scrapping Trident was by far and away the most talked about issue
on the Treasury's website. Probably next in line was bringing the troops
home from Afghanistan – another good cut that should be made
immediately. There were other ideas, such as closing military bases in

a world leader in wave and tidal power

Germany and Cyprus, but nothing seemed to exercise people as much as

technology and hundreds of thousands of

scrapping Trident.

new jobs in Britain could be created,

more than compensating for jobs lost by
As well as the online submissions, many hundreds of Spending Challenge

cancelling Trident replacement.

Trident, Jobs and the UK Economy
considers what would happen to defence
projects and thousands of jobs if Trident
replacement goes ahead. It does not
signify CND support for the existing
level of conventional defence spending
or the ‘expeditionary’ role of Britain’s
postcards were sent by CND members to the Treasury. This simple action
turned into a strange process! Numerous boxes of these postcards were
returned to CND office stamped 'Screened by Houses of Parliament
Contractor', without a letter explaining why. Things became even more
astonishing when we realised that other people’s mail was included in our
boxes! Here’s how Hugh Muir reported it in The Guardian diary:
‘…inside were not just troublemaking missives from CND supporters
but also unopened items of mail – Spending Challenge ideas sent in

armed forces.
by ordinary members of the public. Filed away and never to be seen

Some trade unionists have previously

again. And then there was one other item, an envelope with a crest

argued that replacing Trident was

containing an anti-European Union cutting from the Daily Telegraph

essential in maintaining high value

and a personalised compliments slip in the name of Liam Fox,

defence jobs. This report shows the

Britain's new defence secretary. “I hope something will be done
about this,” the handwritten note said. From the writing on the
opposite: scrapping Trident is a key part back, the envelope itself seemed destined for ‘IDS’ – fellow
of the fight for jobs. Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith. It never got there. But in a perfect
 Trident, Jobs and the UK Economy world, all Liam's correspondence would go via CND.’
was launched at CND’s fringe meeting
at the TUC. An attractive four-page
Strange but true. The good news is that when members of the public then
summary is also available.
voted on the Defence submissions, the four with the highest number of
For copies of the summary and full
votes called for Trident to be scrapped!

report visit the Briefings page on

CND’s website at www.cnduk.org or
Thanks to everyone who participated.

phone 0207 700 2393

7
 News
Reaching new audiences – Reality Radio
Kate Hudson,
CND General Secretary
ew ways of communicating are
N sprung on us all the time, making use
of new electronic media. My leaving
present from South Bank University was
an e-book reader – I can store over 3,000
books on a gadget the size of an A5
envelope and read them any time, any
place! Things are changing fast and CND
needs to keep abreast of the times. We
have to reach new audiences in new ways
and that means adding to traditional ways
of communicating.
I’ve always been a fan of radio; it’s a
really great and simple communicator.
Earlier this year I started to read about
online radio and discovered that not only
is it easy and cheap to get up-and-running,
Join the Big Blockade of Devonport
A call to action by Trident Ploughshares Tamarians
Devonport Dockyard is rapidly becoming
the Sellafield of the South West. The
Plymouth dockyard refits, maintains and
upgrades the submarines which carry the
Trident nuclear weapons system. It is also
a dumping ground for old subs. The
250,000 Plymouth residents who live
nearby are at great risk of poisonous
radioactive contamination.
Accidents do happen: two years ago
the Royal Navy confirmed that up to 280
litres of water, likely to have been
contaminated with tritium, had poured
from a burst hose as it was being pumped
8
but it is increasingly popular and
accessible. A report in 2007 showed that
around 19% in the US – around 57 million
weekly – listen to internet radio
programmes. The figures are steadily
increasing each year.
Getting in on a growth area seems like
a good idea – branching out into the
online spoken word to get our message
out there. Thanks to the hard work of our
intern James Funnell we now have the first
steps in place – a series of podcasts that
we will develop into a fuller service.
We chose the name Reality Radio
because we want to address what is really
going on in the world – and we plan to do
that grounded in the values of peace and
justice. Our first show, which I present, is
entitled ‘Open Door’, discussing current
peace and campaigning issues.
from a submarine at Devonport. An earlier
incident involving HMS Trafalgar resulted
in radioactive liquid escaping into the sea
around the River Tamar. These incidents
are just two of the nine reported around
the dockyard between 1997 and 2009.
To draw attention to the dangerous and
immoral practice of both nuclear weapons
possession and this kind of nuclear
submarine work being carried out in a city
location we are calling on all CND
members to join us in a blockade of the
dockyard on the 1st November.
The plan is to stop all traffic and
pedestrians from entering the base for as
long as possible by non-violently blocking
the entrances. Although all direct action
carries a risk of arrest, participation does
not need to mean that. You can get
involved simply by being a visible
presence at the gates, handing out leaflets
and providing moral or legal support to
blockaders. Everyone is welcome,
provided they abide by non-violence and
safety guidelines.
Guests so far include: Bruce Kent, on
Hiroshima, Obama and prospects for
global abolition; Jeremy Corbyn MP on the
record of the coalition government and the
Labour leadership contest; Lindsey
German from Stop the War on
Afghanistan; Hiroshima survivor Shoso
Kawamoto on his childhood experiences
when orphaned by the Bomb; Sarah
Colborne from the Palestine Solidarity
Campaign on her experiences on
the Gaza flotilla; and more!
 Listen in: just click on the
Reality Radio logo on
the CND website.
REALITY
rad o
Trident Ploughshares activists have
pledged to disarm the UK Trident nuclear
weapons system in a non-violent, open,
peaceful, safe and fully accountable
manner. The justification and mandate for
such action is The Advisory Opinion of
the International Court of Justice, which,
on the 8th July 1996, confirmed the
general illegality of nuclear weapons.
Trident Ploughshares founder Angie
Zelter said: ‘Nuclear weapons distort the
moral fabric of our society and undermine
our humanity. With our world facing
massive ecological crises caused by
corporate power abuse backed by military
might, we need to actively promote a
culture of peace not war. So please come
to Devonport on the 1st November, join
the blockade, and start dismantling the
war machine. Non-violent and sustained
people power will transform our world.’
 For more information see
www.tridentploughshares.org or
telephone 0845 4588 363.

Anna Liddle,
Peace Education Officer
CND’s Peace Education work
continues to reach thousands of new
pupils thanks to many more schools
eagerly taking up our resources for use in
their classrooms. Visiting many schools
and conferences, I experience first hand
how positively students engage with the
materials and some teachers have even
set their GCSE coursework on some of
the activities.
Most recently we produced a brand
new booklet called Under Pressure: How
Pressure Groups Operate. This booklet
contains three lessons exploring how
CND operates as a pressure group and it
encourages young people to devise their
own campaign based on an issue about
which they feel strongly. This fits into the
GCSE Citizenship curriculum, and has
been commended by teachers and
promoted at conferences for teachers of
Citizenship and Social Sciences.
CND Peace Education also made its
TV debut in recent months with a short
film broadcast on Teachers’ TV about the
education pack. The film, entitled The
Bomb Factor, features our popular
resource of the same name which
explores the nuclear weapons debate
through the medium of a reality TV talent
show! The class at Hessle High School in
Hull performed amazingly in front of the
cameras and the film gives teachers a real
idea of how the activity functions in the
classroom. Search for ‘The Bomb Factor’
on the Teachers’ TV website to view it
for yourself.
We have also been involved in a
number of exciting projects over the last
few months. In conjunction with the
London School of Economics which
holds CND’s archives, we took part in a
project introducing young people both to
the archives and also to several of our
seasoned and committed peace
campaigners or ‘Peace Veterans’. This
project gave them a better understanding
of CND’s history and that of the wider
peace movement. It was a great success
for all involved.
Peace education update
With the autumn term starting,
another jam-packed year is underway.
Some things in store include: a Peace
Play in a Day as part of the Manchester
Peace Festival; the visit of a Mayors for
Peace Delegation from Nagasaki; teacher-
training sessions booked in across the
country and school visits in the diary for
as far ahead as next July.
 Get in touch with Anna Liddle to
promote CND Peace Education in your
school, email: peaceeducation@cnduk.org
Participating in the CND history project
at the LSE
Fund education,
not Trident
Fiona Edwards,
Student CND Convenor
S tudent CND’s focus over the past year
has been our ongoing priority
campaign Fund Education Not Trident.
With Britain facing devastating cuts in
public services – including in education –
and the prospect of higher tuition fees for
university students also looming, we have
stepped up our efforts to expose the
government’s wrong spending priorities.
Rather than spend over £76bn on Trident
replacement, Britain’s nuclear weapons
system should be scrapped and the
billions saved then used to prioritise
education and other public services.
Recently we produced a Fund Education
Not Trident briefing to equip student
leaders and activists with the key facts
and arguments on why we should scrap
Trident and how the money saved could
improve education. The £2bn spent
annually on maintaining the existing
Trident system is the same amount the
government takes from students in
tuition fees every year.
Our briefing was sent out to more
than 800 newly elected student
sabbatical officers of student unions
throughout Britain, together with a
covering letter co-signed by the
President of the National Union of
Students and CND Chair Kate Hudson.
We played an active role in mobilising
students to write to the General Election
candidates in their local constituencies
asking whether they supported Trident
replacement and if they backed a Nuclear
Weapons Convention banning all nuclear
armaments.
The NUS National Conference, which
takes place once a year, is a great
opportunity to make links with new
students across the country and build
support for our campaigns amongst
young people. At the conference in April
Student CND had an excellent presence.
Our fringe meeting – held in collaboration
with the Stop the War Coalition and the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign – was one
of the largest conference meetings, at
which we distributed much CND material,
including the student newsletter.
9
 Campaigns
Dear Obama – where’s the DU?
Doug Weir, Campaign Against
Depleted Uranium (CADU)
Development Worker
s concern has grown over the
A possible impact of uranium
weapons in Fallujah and other Iraqi cities,
CADU has been backing an international
campaign for transparency by depleted
uranium (DU) users. At present at least
440 tonnes of United States’ DU fired
from aircraft, tanks and armoured
vehicles remains unaccounted for in Iraq.
DU contamination is a threat to
human health and the environment but
there are no restrictions on its use, or
controls on how it is managed following
conflicts. There are regulations that assign
responsibility to both parties to a conflict
for clean-up and for the exchange of
targeting information for land mines and
cluster bombs but not for DU. As a result
we know little about possible DU use in
In the news. . .
New treaty bans cluster bombs
Following concerted campaigning
worldwide, the Convention on Cluster
Munitions entered into force in
August. Although 106 countries have
signed up, campaigning needs to
continue as Russia, the US, Israel,
China, Pakistan and India are not yet
signatories.
Pirate risk for floating reactors
Russia launched a gigantic new barge
in June planned to carry two nuclear
reactors by 2012. The Global Security
Newswire has explained that such
reactors are vulnerable to piracy and
severe weather conditions. Further-
more, the uranium fuel used in them is
to be more highly-enriched so is closer
to reaching weapons-grade which
means there is a risk of it being diverted
to make a crude nuclear device.
Hole in another Polaris sub
The Tayside and Fife Courier has
reported how three holes have been
discovered in the hull of a second
10
Somalia, Chechnya and Afghanistan in the
80s and the last decade.
Research by the International
Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons
(ICBUW) in the Balkans indicates that
the post-conflict management of
contaminated sites is completely
dependent on the resources of the
country where the weapons have been
used. It is even more dependent on states
being told where such sites are as soon as
fighting ends. At the moment users of
uranium weapons are not obliged to
reveal where they have fired them.
Bosnia, for example, had to wait six years
for NATO to even admit its use of DU.
This has obvious implications for efforts
to reduce civilian exposure. It is also
hampering efforts to undertake
epidemiological research into the effects
of these weapons.
This situation is completely
unacceptable. ICBUW hopes that a
Polaris submarine, HMS Resolution,
(obsolete and being stored afloat at
Rosyth Dockyard). In 2008, a fist-
sized hole was found in HMS
Revenge’s hull. Parts of these vessels
are still radioactive. The local MP has
written to the Nuclear Directorate
seeking reassurance.
AWE: a fire, a supercomputer
A new supercomputer, Blackthorn is
being installed at the Atomic Weapons
Establishment, Aldermaston to work
alongside two other new super-
computers, all supplied by French
company Bull. New data conducive to
nuclear warhead design development
will be generated by these computers in
combination with a planned new
hydrodynamics facility and the new
Orion laser.
Another recent (unrelated) event was a
fire that broke out in the explosives
area. A worker received minor burns,
local residents were evacuated and
roads were cordoned off. The Nuclear
resolution calling on states to reveal where
they have used the weapons – and for
states to assist each other over managing
contaminated sites – will be submitted at
the United Nations this October.
Unlike the US, the UK has cooperated
with the UN over where it used DU in
2003; it also helped fund a limited study
in Iraq. The UK Uranium Weapons
Network, of which CADU is a member,
expects that a planned parliamentary
Early Day Motion will call on the UK to
support this UN resolution rather than
voting against it as it has done on two
previous occasions. The UK’s position is
important internationally and any shift
would be significant.
We will have a narrow window of
opportunity between submission of the
EDM and the UN vote in which to
gather signatories – we will inform CND
about how its members can help once
the EDM is published.
Information Service has called for a full
independent inquiry into the incident.
Fire at Sizewell B
Eight fire crews were called out to
the Sizewell B nuclear power station
after a fire broke out in one of the
adjacent facilities. According to
regional news reports, the fire took
6½ hours to bring under control. The
reactor has been shut down since
March after moisture levels were
found to be too high.
Blair’s belated Trident wisdom
Tony Blair reveals in his recently
published memoirs that he was
aware of the ‘common sense and
practical argument’ against Trident,
nevertheless he believed nuclear
weapons gave the UK status.
Despite his backing for Trident
replacement while Prime Minister, he
now says, ‘The expense is huge, and
the utility in a post-cold war world is
less in terms of deterrence, and non-
existent in terms of military use.’
 Muriel’s Grapevine

ummer is an important time for

S CND groups: a chance to reach
different audiences at fetes and fairs and,
especially with Hiroshima and Nagasaki
commemorations, an opportunity to
remind people about the horrific
consequences of the use of nuclear
bombs. Sheffield CND reported as a part
of their Hiroshima Day event that the
local Mayor signed up to Mayors for
Peace. And at Southend CND’s stall on
that day in the High Street, members
managed to give out over 800 leaflets.
Leicester CND described their stall
with Friends of the Earth at the
Caribbean Carnival as colourful and
even ‘stylish’. Right opposite the
popular Aba Shanti sound system the
stall was very busy and members
distributed over 500 leaflets.
Bath CND collected 60 signatures
for the new Scrap Trident petition just
weeks after its launch in August. All
groups should now have received the
(above) A band entertaining all those at Merseyside CND’s Peace and Ecology festival.
(below) Ken Livingstone, Jeremy Corbyn MP and the Mayor of Camden at the
petition (a copy of which will be sent to Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration event, organised by London Region CND
all members with Campaign Review in it is held and into the surrounding
January) and it’s also available online – link gardens due to high winds. But there
on the home page of the CND website. the event attracted much more interest
Wallasey CND made their local from passers-by and gained a far bigger
parks a focus for campaigning. They and more attentive audience for its
hosted three Tea in the Park events dancers, speakers, poets and musicians.
where they ran an information stall and GM&D CND provided the
served tasty refreshments to park-goers imagination and much organisation for
who were entertained by the Manchester Peace Festival in
local musicians. Their final September. A huge range of activities
event Peace in the Park (many sold-out well in advance) over
invited the Bishop of the eight-day event included inspiring
Phone, broadband & mobile

Birkenhead to celebrate poetry readings, different photographic

the International Day of exhibitions, the Michael Foot exhibition
Peace in September with se rv ic e s at the Working Class Movement
craft stalls, dance, and Library, a packed rock concert and a
obil e
and and m nce
e, broadb plier with a differe
music from folk, rock, and Grand Finale Concert with Tony Benn,
G et p ho n
coms sup
from a tele e
soul artists. poet Shamshad Khan, the Lord Mayor
am e tim
o rt C N D at the s
Both Gtr Manchester of Manchester and the Bishop of
p p
...and su

& District CND and Middleton.

Merseyside CND have
ed it
a £10 cr
w ill give you
also had a lot of success
rt er, w e ill g o
suppo r spend w
As a CND 6% of you nt work
t bill AND
organising local festivals.
on you r firs
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help them
This year Merseyside
to CND to

CND’s annual Peace and Call: 0845 458 9040

Ecology Festival in July
was forced out of the
Visit: www.thephone.coop/CND

bombed-out church were

QUOTE: ‘CND’ and AF0267

11
 What’s on
Diary
29TH – 31ST OCTOBER
Pilgrimage to Peace festival
of Christian Peacemaking at
Coventry Cathedral. An
event to include Christian
CND’s 50th Anniversary with
campaigning workshops,
liturgies, Cathedral by Night
tour and art installation.
See the events sections of
CCND’s website at
http://ccnd.gn.apc.org for
more details or call 020
7700 4200
30TH OCTOBER
Join the Scrap Trident –
Protect Public Services
demonstration in Plymouth.
Meet at Sundial 11am.
Supported by CND, the
Plymouth Nuclear-Free
Coalition, Stop the War
Coalition and Plymouth
Trade Union Council.
Call 07923 417868 for
more information.
1ST NOVEMBER
Big Blockade at Devonport
(page 8 for more details).
6am start at Albert Gate,
Devonport Dockyard. Sit, lie
down, lock on or simply
provide moral support.
Organised by Trident
Ploughshares and supported
by CND.
Call 0845 4588 363 or see
www.tridentploughshares.org
6TH NOVEMBER
Campaign Against the Arms
Trade National Gathering,
9.45am–4.30pm Conway
Hall, London. Guest speaker
Mark Thomas. £5 waged /
£3 unwaged. Register at
http://www.caat.org.uk/even
ts/nationalgathering/
the People’s History
Museum, Manchester.
Christmas cards and new Organised by Llew Smith and
the late Pam Smith and to
kids’ t-shirts and hoodies be opened by Bruce Kent.
See the events listings at
Christmas is
approaching and http://www.phm.org.uk/ for
what better time to more information.
lavish CND-themed
treats upon your
nearest and dearest. Peace Camps
We have a new
ALDERMASTON WOMEN’S
Christmas card design
PEACE CAMP
(pictured) as well as
Second weekend of every
new kids’ t-shirts and
month.
hoodies and all of our
tel: 07969 739 812
normal range of badges, books, flags, posters, mugs and
info@aldermaston.net
other peaceful presents. Visit www.cnduk.org/shop or call
www.aldermaston.net
the office on 020 7700 2393.
FASLANE PEACE CAMP
20TH NOVEMBER put an end to this Permanent. A814,
Afghanistan: Time To Go – unwinnable war. Called by Shandon, Helensburgh
Troops Home Now National CND, Stop the War Coalition Dumbartonshire G84 8NT
Demonstration 12 noon and British Muslim Initiative. tel: 01436 820901
Central London. There are Volunteer help needed, faslanepeacecamp@hotmail.
now more NATO troops in please email Anne at com
Afghanistan than ever. If campaigns@cnduk.org or
British troops stay until 2015 contact 020 7700 2393 MENWITH HILL WOMEN’S
as David Cameron has PEACE CAMP
planned, hundreds more 4TH DECEMBER – 6TH Contact Yorkshire CND for
soldiers and thousands more JANUARY details. Call 01274 730795
civilians will die. Please join Protest, politics and the or email
this crucial demonstration to Christmas Card exhibition at info@yorkshirecnd.org.uk
Priestley play ticket offer
Top price tickets for J B Priestley’s play ‘When we are married’
at the Garrick Theatre, London are on offer for CND
members at £30 only (usually £49.50). As well as being one
of the founding members of CND, J B Priestley was one of
the 20th century’s greatest British writers. The revival of his
family satire ‘When we are married’ is to star Maureen
Lipman and Roy Hudd.
CND will receive a donation of £5 for each discounted ticket
sold. Book now by calling the Box Office on 0844 412 4662
and quoting the ‘CND offer’. Terms and conditions apply.
Offer available for the first two weeks only (from 27th
October) on all performances. Subject to availability.
Booking fees may apply.
Campaign is printed on 100% recycled paper 12