| On Tuesday, March 22, at Broadacre House, Newcastle Stop the War Coalition (NSWC) hosted a meeting with the support of Unison Northern Region on why we should scrap Trident. Around 20 people took part. Clare Williams, Unison Northern Region Convener spoke about Unison's policy and concern in the unstable world conditions created by the big powers and their added concern against Trident. She said we need to organise to have a different type of world that brings peace and not war and brings people together. She said that from a union perspective it made no sense to say that Trident would "protect" jobs and outlined how the whole austerity programme, which was linked to this policy of nuclear weapons was destroying both manufacturing and public services. She explained Unison's strategy for an alternative to austerity. She concluded by saying there needs an atmosphere of ongoing discussion in Unison and other unions on these issues and a working together with Stop the war, CND, and other organisations and utilising information and facts from all these organisations in the future. Alex Snowdon, Newcastle Stop the War concurred with the previous speaker and the chair around "project fear" that was increasingly being used to stop serious discussion of these vital issues of Trident as well as other issues in society. There was a need to take these issues up in the movement and he spoke about the recent mass demonstration in London, the first for many years, which showed the increasing opposition to the renewal of Trident. He said especially when, you have leaders of SNP, Greens and the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn speaking there and in Parliament against Trident. He pointed out how Trident was totally dependent on the US. That for the government, Trident was about prestige and global standing. It was ludicrously expensive, dangerous and useless in addressing the 21st century security issues. He concluded by saying that what needed to be done was firstly to put the arguments across, support Corbyn and campaign and lobby MPs for the vote in Parliament and secondly to create a broader vision in the movements of the people for peace and justice and work for a world without endless war. Dave Webb, Chair of CND complemented the other speakers giving some detailed accounts of the nuclear weapons systems, the costs and the legal frameworks. He pointed out that one submarine which was on duty all the time could hit 40 targets with nuclear weapons and that 3 million people could be killed with one strike. He pointed that to target civilians in war was illegal in international law and then gave facts on how Britain was in breach of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty it had signed by its actions to renew Trident. Talking about the costs he said the latest figures that been worked out by a Conservative MP and put the figure at £180 billion over 30 years, £6 billion a year. He concluded by also calling for CND working together with other organisations and it was agreed by all that there needed to be a new branch of CND set up in Newcastle. Contributions and discussion were very much focused on developing discussion in the trade unions and in Labour Party circles and amongst MPs as well as broadly in society. The meeting was chaired by Roger Nettleship Convener of NSWC. |