Brentwood CND
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

WIRE - Page 1 - May 2007

THE NEWSLETTER OF BRENTWOOD CND

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NO TRIDENT REPLACEMENT.
THE NEXT STEPS

A conference called by CND in London on May 19th to discuss the post-Trident vote and post Scottish elections situation left delegates feeling very upbeat about the way ahead for nuclear disarmament.

Various strands of activity were brought together, ranging from grass roots activism at Aldermaston and Faslane through to CND’s legal challenge to the Trident decision and its involvement in high level disarmament negotiations.

Scottish CND was also present to discuss the potential for nuclear disarmament in Scotland now that Labour was no longer the largest party there. The main points to emerge were:

NEW SITUATION IN SCOTLAND

Alan Mackinnon, Chair of Scottish CND, spoke about the weight of opinion in Scotland against Trident – 75% of the general public, 50 out of 129 SNP’s plus some waverers, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Church of Scotland (a unity unprecedented in recent times!), and all of the trade unions.

People are now talking in serious terms about the closure of the nuclear facilities at Faslane (it is also the headquarters of the British Navy for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England and is the main base for minesweepers) and Scottish CND is convening a conference on 26th-27th May on the subject of Scotland, Trident and the New Nuclear Settlement which will be attended by all political parties except the Tories.

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

Rebecca Johnson reported on an NPT meeting in Vienna. These meetings are held regularly between the major 5 yearly reviews (next one due in 2010) and are attended by MP’s, NGO’s, ambassadors and other representatives of the 188 signatories to the treaty.

She noted a marked change in attitude and atmosphere since Britain’s decision to renew Trident. The British ambassador was very much on the defensive, being challenged by almost everyone about the decision, with most countries seeing it as rearmament and not as “modernisation”, “renewal” or “replacement” which is what Britain wants to call it.

Kofi Annan, Hans Blix and Mohammed el Baradei have all criticised Britain and CND is working in particular with the New Agenda Coalition – Ireland, Sweden, South Africa, Brazil, Egypt, New Zealand and Mexico-who are lobbying the British Government regarding the breaking of its treaty commitments.

JUDICIAL REVIEW

    A legal challenge is being mounted by CND to the decision to renew Trident. It is based on three grounds:

    1. Article 6 of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty which states “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.”
    2. That according to International Law Trident is illegal because it cannot distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
    3. That here was no proper consultation.
      In the past the courts have ruled that International Law cannot be examined in domestic courts. However, the White Paper specifically claims that Trident renewal is in compliance with International Law. The Government has thus put it on to the agenda itself as a justification for its action.

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    Published by Brentwood CND (Jill Dimmock) c/o 26 Mascalls Gardens, Brentwood CM14 5LT