Author: edinburghcnd

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 13th November

EVENTS:
1. Thursday November 14th: The planned NFLA meeting on Nov 14 in Motherwell has now been CANCELLED due to General Election purdah rules on local authority meetings. However there will be a meeting at the University of Edinburgh on at 3 pm in room LG 11 in the basement teaching area that you enter from George Square or the basement of David Hume Tower.  The meeting is to discuss the alarming new ONR evidence on the poor state of the reactors at Hunterston B. These were first revealed in newspaper articles in the Ferret on October 17 (see https://theferret.scot/hunterston-graphite-debris-nuclear/).
Ian Fairlie has kindly agreed to speak to the Edinburgh meeting and to answer questions. We shall also be discussing possible demands for the immediate distribution of prophylactic iodate tablets by EDF and the publication of 30 km evacuation zones near Hunterston and Torness.
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2. Saturday 16th November: 2.1 Scottish CND AGM at the Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House (7 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL) from 10:00am with special guest performer Rachel Sermanni and Scottish Youth Climate Strikers Kenneth McIvor and Grace Quinn. All welcome. Further information VIA THIS LINK
2.2 Evening: David  Rovics concert: Highly recommended. ‏‎David Rovics in concert‎‏
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3. Tuesday 19 Nov. NAE CASH FOR NUKES! Launch of the new Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland 2019 report. 6 for 6.30-8.30pm Edinburgh University Law School, Quad Teaching Room G.158, Old College, South Bridge EH8 9YL
Speakers: Linda Pearson, Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland.
Audrey Doig, Renfrewshire Councillor, NFLA Scotland Co-convenor.
John Finnie, Green Party MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
Please book via https://dbotb19nov.eventbrite.co.uk and
Note: Edinburgh Council hasn’t passed a resolution on nuclear weapons divestment, although we hope it will eventually, as it has passed the ICAN cities appeal resolution. Midlothian Council has passed a divestment resolution. The complete list of Scottish councils that have passed a divestment resolution is on this page: https://nukedivestmentscotland.org/local-authority-divestment-resolutions/                                                                                                   
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4. Thursday 28 November – Sunday 1 December. Conscience International conference. Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh.
Speaker Thurs 28 Nov. Vijay Mehta on the idea of a Minister for Peace.
Full programme at: conscienceonline.org.uk/international-conference-2019/                                                                                                      With the announcement of the General Election, political debate is escalating.
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5. Tuesday 3rd December: 

No to Trump – No to NATO national demonstrationsmail
On Tuesday 3rd December, the Queen will be hosting a reception for NATO leaders at Buckingham Palace and protesters from a wide range of campaigning organisations will be there to greet the delegation. Crowds will be assembling in Trafalgar Square from 4pm where there will be speeches and music before setting off towards Buckingham Palace.
There will be supporting gatherings in Scotland including in Edinburgh 5.30 pm East End of Princes Street:

There is also an anti-NATO summit in London on 30 November 2019 • 10.30 Register for your complimentary ticket

Britain’s membership of NATO is rarely discussed in the public arena. Many politicians talk like it’s an obviously good thing – some even cling to the bogus notion that NATO represents a high-point of international cooperation.
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6. Tuesday 3rd December: Edinburgh AGM and Seasonal social 7pm at Peace and Justice Centre, Epworth Halls  EH8 9BX. Immediately after the anti-NATO demo
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7. Saturday 7th December: 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street.
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8. Thursday 12th December GENERAL ELECTION. CND says: Now is the time to put nuclear weapons on the public agenda. So CND is taking action to make Trident an unignorable issue at this election and is launching a major campaign to lobby parliamentary candidates, to tell them that their views on nuclear weapons matter and can affect how we vote. The majority of us don’t want to see £205 billion wasted on replacing Trident – and we want newly elected MPs to oppose it. It’s vital that the peace and anti-war movements are mobilised to demand an end to what John Pilger dubs an ‘American invention designed to impose American power on Europe.’

Scottish CND adds: What does a general election mean for those of us who want nuclear disarmament? It is a chance to check out the position of all candidates before we decide who we vote for. Let’s make sure that Scotland only returns MPs that firmly OPPOSE nuclear weapons and support the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that will ban them globally.REGISTER TO VOTE: A lot of people, especially young people, are not registered to vote because they may have just come of age or moved house since the last election. Check your own eligibility and encourage others. You can register to vote VIA THIS LINK. Those working, or otherwise away from home, can get a postal vote. Applications for postal votes must be received at least eleven working days before the election. Apply for a postal vote VIA THIS LINK.
Read more about the upcoming election in the latest edition of the UK CND magazine.  Plus, why it’s important for our campaigns to be inclusive.
Read Campaign: November edition
Download Campaign: November edition
Download election pack for full information about what your group could be doing in the run-up to this crucial moment.
See cnduk website for more information on our lobby tool.They will publish the information on our General Election database to help the public identify candidates who support peace and disarmament.
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OTHER NEWS:
1. nuClear News No.119 November 2019 is now available for downloading here: www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/NuClearNewsNo119.pdf
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2. Move the Nuclear Weapons Money: From October 24-30 (UN Disarmament Week), a team of volunteers in New York City counted out $542 billion – the approximate global nuclear weapons budget for the next five years – and symbolically reallocated this to climate protection, poverty alleviation and the Sustainable Development Goals.The money was counted in 542,000 mock notes each of value $1million.
‘We had hoped to count 1 million notes to make up $1 trillion, the nuclear weapons budget for the next ten years’ said Susanna Choe, Co-founder of Peace Accelerators and member of the core team of money counters. ‘But this amount of money is so vast, that even counting with notes of $1million and with many volunteers counting, it was too much.’ We filled basket after basket with billions of dollars,’ said Bill Kidd, Member of the Scottish Parliament and member of the core team of money counters. ‘This moneycould protect the climate, end poverty, ensure universal health care, support peace and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if it were not wasted on nuclear weapons.’
‘We are counting out one million mock notes totalling $1 trillion, the global nuclear weapons budget for the next ten years, and reallocating this to climate protection, ending poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,’ said Alyn Ware, PNND Global Coordinator.
‘This action demonstrates the massive wastage of money on nuclear weapons, and actions that people can take to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons, and shift these to better things.’
To co-incide with the 24th October PNND Co-President Senator Edward J. Markey and Congressman Earl Blumenauert reintroduced legislation in the U.S. Congress that would cut $75 billion from the nuclear weapons budget over the next decade. The purpose of the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act is to improve national security and budgetary sanity by cutting redundant and destabilizing nuclear weapons programs.
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3. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org
3.1 A desperate nuclear industry propaganda machine is in overdrive, so thorium reactors are routinely trotted out as the latest savior, the next better nuclear mousetrap. But thorium, writes Helen Caldicott, is just one more dangerous, expensive and pointless delusion. To achieve nuclear power, we need uranium. Navajo activist and academic, Tommy Rock, describes his personal journey as the grandson of a uranium miner, and how he uncovered the vast extent of health tragedies in his community and beyond.It is also on our website – https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/newsletters/nfla-newsletter-october-2019/
3.2 Although they came in peace to prevent a crime against humanity, seven Catholic Worker activists were instead convicted of crimes after entering a US Trident submarine base. Now they await sentencing. Nuclear Resister’s Jack Cohen-Joppa tells their story. Jane Fonda has been a life-long activist. But the actor now has a new lead role, on the frontlines of climate protest. We check out her Fire Drill Fridays.
3.3 BNI are also Fundraising for their work (see website).
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4. Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) 4.1 Due to the calling of the UK general election on December 12th,  the NFLA Scotland Forum on November 14th is cancelled and the NFLA UK & Ireland Steering Committee, Annual General Meeting and Annual Policy Seminar will now be on January 31st, 2020 in Manchester Central Library.
4.2 All the presentations from the NFLA All Ireland Sustainable Energy Forum; and the presentations from the NFLA English Forum joint meeting with TASC, BANNG and Stop Hinkley held in Colchester are on the website – https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/category/presentations/
4.3 The NFLA Chair was one of the co-signatories to a joint letter challenging a Financial Times article that was arguing a ‘net zero’ carbon target needs politicians to get over their ‘radiation’ fears and embrace new nuclear. The joint letter is attached and has gone on our website, along with our views on the upcoming UK general election (which means that probably, due to purdah rules, only Irish Forum NFLA media releases will be sent out until the election is over) and congratulations to Norwich.
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5. New Media (a) A new half-hour film entitled ‘A New Lucas Plan’ looks at a plan for switching workers involved in arms manufacturing to more socially useful jobs. A copy of the film is available online.
(b) A new documentary about the nuclear “Ban Treaty’ will be premiering in LondonWebpage – here // Facebook here // Eventbrite here
(c) New resource (teaching pack) Critical Mass: Lessons on gender, race and nuclear weapons created by Joe Jukes, former Quaker Peaceworker at CND Peace Education and now Peace Education Officer at CND Peace Education.
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OTHER MEETINGS:
1. Wednesday 13 November (1.1)  No to Nato meeting in the Glasgow SCND office (See 4 below) 2pm   (1.2) 7:15 for 7:30pm.Religious Freedom, Religious Persecution and Peace: An Interfaith event for peace and understanding. Annandale St Mosque organised by Uniting for Peace
2.Thursday 14 November . 5:30pm for 6 – 7pm.Edinburgh Radical Bookfair, 2 Roxburgh Pl, EH8 9SU. Stopping War in 2019.
Tim Gee, Melanie Scott, Janet Fenton (and Edinburgh Stop the War)
Three anti-war activists make a case for a nonviolent world, and the means by which it might be achieved. facebook.com/events/384671502208071/
NB There is a Peace Campaigning stall (with ECND materials) at the Fair.
3. 22nd November:Global Ban Treaty Working Group meeting in the SCND office (77 Southpark Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8LE) from 2:00pm. Remote meeting software will be available, please get in touch to participate.
4. Tuesday 26th November: Dovetails upcoming anthology Bridges or Walls?  features work by Margaret Elphinstone, Chrys Salt, Liz Niven, Ray Evans and many more.  EDINBURGH launch of the anthology at Lighthouse Books (West Nicolson St) starting at 7PM. Buy previous anthology ‘A Kind of Stupidity’ here
5. Wednesday 27 November:  6:30 – 8:30pm,Opposing War Memorial Embroidery workshops:  Create your own peace handkerchief. Edinburgh central venue, to be confirmed. To book your space email Kate Ive directly: mail@kateive.co.uk                             6. Sunday November 17th On Borders: Carving the land, shaping the Mind

2019 at 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM.Assembly Roxy. Edinburgh Radical Bookfair, 2 Roxburgh Pl, EH8 9SU. Peace Campaign stall with ECND materials still available.                                          7. Monday 25 November 30. 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Glasgow Protest the Scottish government’s subsidy to Raytheon.

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 23rd October

EVENTS NOVEMBER to EARLY DECEMBER
Thanks to all who made the Edinburgh World Justice Festival a success. Here are some future events:
1. Saturday 2nd November: Edinburgh Eco-fair 2019 10am to 4pm at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall 36 Dalmeny Street EH6 8RG. Scottish CND are having a stall and would appreciate customers and helpers. Do drop by if you can help, even for a short time. There will also be a Scottish CND Stall at the Scotland Moving Forward event at Queens Hall on the eve of 30th October (and helpers will be appreciated at that too). If you can help with either contact Emma@banthebomb.org                                                ——————-
2. CANCELLED Tuesday 5th November: regular organising meeting 6pm this meeting has been cancelled                                                                                                                ——————–
3. Saturday 9th November: 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street. There will also be a Stop the War Stall and we hope to have a large Peace Presence. Afterwards there will be crane-making at the Peace and Justice Centre                                  ———————
4. Saturday 16th November: SCND conference in Edinburgh  www.banthebomb.org                                            ——————
5. Tuesday 19 November: NAE CASH FOR NUKES! Divesting Scotland from nuclear weapons 6 for 6.30-8.30pm , Edinburgh University Law School, Quad Teaching Room G.158, Old College, South Bridge EH8 9YL                                                                                    ———————
6. Sunday 1st December: Bruce Kent is conducting a special Peace Service at the Faslane Base and there is a general invitation to attend and there will be transport organised from the following event: Thursday 28th November – Sunday 1st December 2019. Conscience: Taxes for Peace Not War will be hosting the 15th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns at the Quaker Meeting House in Edinburgh                                                                                               ——————–
7. Tuesday 3rd December: 5.30pm (note change of time) East End of Princes Street:  Protest against the NATO summit being held in London that day.  
+++++From CNDUK In December, NATO will mark its 70th anniversary with a Heads of State Summit in London. Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend this gathering of the world’s largest nuclear-armed military alliance.
It’s vital that the peace and anti-war movements are mobilised to demand an end to what John Pilger dubs an ‘American invention designed to impose American power on Europe.’ Britain’s membership of NATO is rarely discussed in the public arena. Many politicians talk like it’s an obviously good thing – some even cling to the bogus notion that NATO represents a high-point of international cooperation.
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8. Tuesday 3rd December: Edinburgh AGM and Seasonal social 7pm at Peace and Justice Centre, Epworth Halls  EH8 9BX (after NATO protest)
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NEWS
1. POSTPONED (because of General Election)Nuclear Free Local Authority (NFLA) Scotland is holding a special seminar in Motherwell Civic Centre on Thursday November 14th from 12.30pm – 2.30pm, looking at concerns over Hunterston B and Scottish energy development, but also looking at the moves to encourage Councils to divest from investments in nuclear weapons companies. A number of Councils have passed resolutions and discussions are beginning with pension committees and pension funds, so Linda Pearson from the DBOTB Scotland network will talk about progress in this area. Also NFLA welcomes the decision by Norwich City Council to pass a resolution supporting the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons http://www.nuclearpolicy.info

Rob Edward’s report on Hunterston https://theferret.scot/hunterston-graphite-debris-nuclear/  explains the issues. It very disturbing that Reactor 4 was allowed to restart when the graphite is known to be crumbling.  As outlined in Scottish CND’s pamphlet  the ‘risks of radiation working group’ suggested a call to issue iodine tablets and declare evacuation when it was restarted https://www.banthebomb.org/index.php/publications/reports/2041-radiation-risks-and-nuclear-power-in-scotland                                                                                                     ——————

2. Vijay Mehta from the Uniting For Peace organisation is speaking about his latest book at a public meeting on Wednesday November 27 at 7 pm in the Unite the Union office at 145 -165 West Regent Street Glasgow.                                                                            —————–
3. PNND reports: Over 700 parliamentarians from 140 countries met  in Belgrade  (October from 13 to 17) for the 141st IPU Assembly. The over-arching theme of the assembly was Strengthening international law: Parliamentary roles and mechanisms.

The IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security held an open session on Implementation of the 2014 IPU resolution entitled Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: The contribution of parliaments. PNND Global Coordinator Alyn Ware introduced the topic and chaired the session. The conference also highlighted the Global Peace Index www.pnnd.org

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5. Climate Change is one of the main threats the world faces today. Urgent action is needed but our government continues to prioritise war and weapons over the future of our planet. CND joined XR Peace and is currently taking part in the October Rebellion. Find out more in the magazine, which also includes news on the upcoming NATO summit in London. Read Campaign: October edition
Eight of nine XR peace activists were arrested outside the supreme court. They had glued themselves to each other in front of the court in spite of the imposition of a Section 14 Order which prohibits any Extinction Rebellion protest in London. They called on the UK Supreme Court to recognise the crime of Ecocide and the illegality of nuclear weapons, and to protect people’s rights to freedom of assembly.   They   are calling on the court to use its powers to uphold international law.                           Photo Group outside the Supreme Court

Video of arrest

Photo Police surround activists ahead of arrests

Photo Superglue being removed by police

Photo Close-up of protester before they were arrested

6. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org                   6.1 NATO is aggressive, expansionist, and should be abolished, argues the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Disbanding NATO, says CND’s Kate Hudson, would move us toward a nuclear-free, less militarized Europe. Even as its reactors — and shares — were crumbling, French nuclear company EDF held a propaganda side-show at the UK’s Labour Party Conference. Beyond Nuclear’s Linda Pentz Gunter went along.       6.2 The Extinction Rebellion, born in Britain, is on the streets en masse around the world. Part street theatre, part rage for survival, participants face mass arrest and harassment. What is XR and is it working? We provide a glimpse. Those living downwind of the US atomic tests have been unevenly compensated, excluding those at the epicenter of the very first test, Trinity. Will this injustice ever come to an end? 6.3 (28/10) An international team visited the small villages in the “Polygon,” the area in Kazakhstan where the former Soviet atomic tests took place. There, they found both terrible suffering and remarkable resilience. In the next in our series on the myths of nuclear deterrence, E. Martin Schotz argues that we are already at war, even before we use nuclear weapons.                                                                                                     ——————-                                                                                                                                   7. Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre. Over the coming year, the Peace & Justice Centre will continue to promote peacebuilding and non-violence through a range of great projects. Will you chip in to ensure that our hard-working staff and volunteers are able to realise these projects?DONATE NOW   (a) Thanks to substantial grants, our team of Peacebuilders will continue to teach peace in schools with our cooperative games programme. (b) Thanks to the generous donations of hundreds of supporters we’ve raised £67,450 so far to build an Opposing War Memorial in Princes Street Gardens – that’s 40% of our budget for the project. Our lead artist for the sculpture, Kate Ive is running workshops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee for participants to create their own handkerchief like the ones that will be put on the tree. You will create a simple emblem, image or text design which Kate will then help you embroider onto fabric. During the workshop, Kate will also talk about the design and construction process and timeline for installing her Opposing War Memorial design in Princes Street Gardens.
Edinburgh workshop: Wednesday 27th November, 6.30 – 8.30pm, central venue to be confirmed.
(c) In partnership with Scottish CND and international health charity Medact we’ve persuaded three Scottish local Councils to call for divestment of their pension funds from nuclear weapons. Last month we published the 2019 Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland report where you can find information on how to lobby your Councillor. Check out the coverage in the National here.  (d) We’re also working with Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) to expose the role of Scottish companies in selling arms to Saudi Arabia. Our report will be published jointly with CAAT later this autumn.(e) To mark the 75thanniversary of Hiroshima next year we’re planning an exhibition of 140,000 Origami Cranes. Each crane represents one person who died when the nuclear bomb was dropped. With 134,000 cranes made so far, we’ve nearly reached our goal.  (f) see website for white poppy sales                                                           —————–                                                                                                                                           8. Scottish CND:  8.1 The latest edition of Nuclear Free Scotland – Spring/Summer 2019 is available on our website. Become a member today to get a copy in the post! 8.2 The new Scottish Greens CND Network  counts all Greens in SCND as members. Data protection legislation makes it difficult to know who they are! Soplease email us to add you to our subgroup and receive relevant info write directly to scnd@scottishgreens.org.uk). 8.3 6 Nov, Glasgow: Scottish CND are proud to be supporting a screening of The War Game at the Glasgow Caledonian University 8.4 29 Oct, Glasgow: Come hear about the impact of nuclear power and weapons from Alex Lockwood and talk about what climate action means for you, what your priorities are and what you think we should all be doing. Edinburgh CND still has copies of Alex’s Book mail us on edinburghcnd@yahoo.com 8.5 Next No to War / No to NATO Scottish Network meeting is scheduled for Wednesday November 13 at 2 pm in Scottish CND office.                                                                                                         +++++++8.4 SCND AGM takes place on Saturday 16th of November in the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL, 10 am.                                                                                                                       ————————-                                                                                                                                 9. ANTHOLOGY LAUNCH Dove Tales NEW anthology is called BRIDGES OR WALLS? and features work by Margaret Elphinstone, Chrys Salt, Liz Niven, Ray Evans and many more. The book launch is at our Day of the Dead event at the CCA on Sauchiehall Street in GLASGOW on the 5th of November at 7pm!  

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 7th October

UntitledWe had a successful  Edinburgh World Justice Festival (EWJF) event with Alex Lockwood and Rob Edwards on 1st October. Video of the talks are available via our Facebook page and there will be more copies of Alex’s book on sale at the EWJF Book festival:
Saturday 19th October: EWJF Bookfair 10am to 5pm Augustine United Church, 41 George 4th Bridge, EH1 1EL Organised by EWJFCome and browse and buy some great inspiring books from sfbbooks, Lighthouse, Shrub, Scottish Radical Library and Haymarket. There will also be talks, workshops and short films.
There are still a number of events: check out the full programme at 
We would particularly like to recommend the following:
1. Wednesday 9th October, 7.30pm War and the Environment
Edinburgh Stop the War public meeting as part of the Edinburgh World Justice Festival.  At the Augustine Church, 41 George 4th Bridge EH1
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2. EWJF Conference which will put justice at the centre of debates about action on climate change. CLIMATE JUSTICE – the world we want and how to get it
10.30 – 5.30 Saturday 12 October
Epworth Halls, Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square EH8 9BX
Part of Edinburgh World Justice Festival

————                                                                                                                                                3. Monday 14th October, 7 – 9pm Women and the Environmentat the Augustine Church, 41 George 4th Bridge EH1 1EL organised by Scottish Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom                                                                                                        —————-4. Tuesday 15th October, 6 – 9 pmWar School (war.school/)  Campaign Against the Arms Trade in collaboration with Edinburgh Stop The War Coalition, Edinburgh CND, Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre and Peace Education Scotland.facebook.com/events/684046652077780/ —————                                                                                                                                              5. Thursday 17th October, 6.30 – 8.30 pmShadow World (shadowworldfilm.com/) The unmissable Shadow World returns to Edinburgh. This year we are joined by Andrew Feinstein: author of the original book, Executive Director of Corruption Watch UK and exANC MP. shadow-world-2019.eventbrite.co.uk/                                    Both films are free to attend, and both are being held in the University of Edinburgh’s David Hume Tower, LG09, George Square, EH8 9JX. Note they are filling up quickly!

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Other Events:
1. Today: 7th October 2019, XR Peace joins the International Rebellion: see previous post and Facebook
2. Exciting conference and side-events in Prague on October 7-8. 2019.
Bertha von Suttner, the first female Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was born in Prague. She lived in a number of Czech, German, Austrian and other European towns during her life campaigning for peace and an end to war. This conference aims to raise awareness about the life and ideas of Bertha von Suttner, and discuss peace-related issues in the context of today’s international politics. The conference will be held in the historic Old Town Hall (Day 1) and the Czernin Palace/Foreign Ministry (Day 2). Visit the conference website for more information including the program and registration application.
UPDATE 10/10 ‘The Nobel Committee has not adhered to the will of Nobel, as inspired by Bertha von Suttner, to give the prize to peace and disarmament activists and organisations,’ said Fredrik Heffermehl, author of the book The Nobel Peace Prize: What Nobel Really Wanted. Heffermehl says that the prize should have been called the ‘Lay down your Arms’ prize, and focus on the civil society organisations that are working for disarmament and the abolition of war, and that they desperately need the money allocated to the award in order to undertake this vital work. 
3.’Gandhi, The Man Who Changed The World’ at the Indian Consulate in Edinburgh on the 8th of October 6pm. Further info from Dovetails (see below).
4. The Scottish Peace Network are organising an event called Opposing Pro War policies and Modern Day Threats such as Climate Change – on Friday October 11- doors open at 630 pm and event starts at 7 pm .
Venue is Room LG 10 David Hume Tower , University of Edinburgh , George Square Edinburgh EH8 9 JX .
5. Saturday 12th October: Edinburgh CND leafleting. 1230 East End of Princes Street
++++++6. Protest BAE and Campaign LaunchWednesday 23 October, 12pm to 3pm Glasgow University Union, 32 University Ave, Glasgow

7. Saturday 26th October: Radical Independence Campaign ConferenceA Failed State in a Failed System: Time for Radical Independence RIC National Conference 2019 Glasgow, Radisson Blu Hotel Tickets available here

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OTHER NEWS:
1. The 2019 version of the Don’t Bank on the Bomb guide is now available at nukedivestmentscotland.org. The media release is here https://nukedivestmentscotland.org/media-releases/ a. It includes a quote from Councillor Steve Burgess (Edinburgh) and Councillor Audrey Doig (Renfrewshire). The Sunday National has published a news piece.
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2.1. CND has responded to a Yougov survey which shows that 70% of Labour Party members support getting rid of Britain’s nuclear weapons system.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“The overwhelming majority of Labour Party members must be listened to. They rightly recognise that Britain’s nuclear weapons are an enormously expensive and dangerous white elephant. Trident addresses a phantom security threat rather than the real threats like the unfolding climate crisis, which must be at the top of the agenda.
2.2. Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry’s plan to compensate to military victims of Britain’s nuclear tests. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:”Every aspect of nuclear weapons manifests a complete disregard for human life, and the way British veterans exposed to high doses of radiation have been treated serves as a powerful example.”Like many service people today, they were ill-equipped, and they knew little about the fatal and life-changing consequences of the nuclear tests they carried out.CND ran 2 side events at the conference on 22nd and 23rd September
2.3. Anti-nuclear campaigners protested outside the Japanese Embassy in London over plans to dump radioactive water from the ruined Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese government is exploring what to do with over 1 million tonnes of contaminated water which have accumulated since a tsunami struck Fukushima in 2011. The water has been used to prevent the Daiichi nuclear power plant’s reactor cores from melting. The plant operator Tepco expects to run out of storage space by 2022.

Home page – Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

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3. Move the Nuclear Weapons Money: As the United Nations First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) starts its 2019 session in New York today (7 Oct), plans are progressing to publicise the colossal waste of money on nuclear weapons by physically ‘counting out’ the global nuclear weapons budget. 
This event will highlight the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign and actionspeople can take to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons corporations and re-direct these budgets and investments to better things.Over the next four weeks, governments meeting at the UN will debate and vote upon a number of nuclear disarmament resolutions. However, the impact of these resolutions is likely to be minimal as long as there continues to be strong financial interests in maintaining the nuclear arms race.  There are about 26 nuclear weapons corporations earning nearly $100 billion per year amongst themselves. ‘They have vested financial interests in producing more and more nuclear weapons,’ says Dr Keith Suter (Australia), Economics Futurist and member of the Club of Rome,  ‘and they exert intense political power on decision makers to protect these interests.‘
Join them count out $1 trillion – the nuclear weapons budget for the next decade – and ‘reallocate‘ this from nuclear weapons to climate protection, poverty alleviation and the sustainable development goals. The campaign is building excitement amongst legislators, religious leaders, peace and disarmament campaigners, climate activists, artists, musicians, athletes, youth and others. Below are inspring words from a few supporters of the campaign.
The money counting will be used to highlight actions that can be taken by individuals, universities, cities, parliaments and others to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons, and invest instead in a sustainable future.
The main counting will take place in New York during UN Disarmament Week (October 24-30, 2019). However, there will also be some small ‘satellite countings‘ in other locations around the world.
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4. Nuclear Free Local Authority (NVLA) on the potential resolutions to consider in support of the ICAN Cities Appeal and the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
An information briefing is available which offers members three possible resolutions:
4.1. A simple endorsement of the ICAN Cities Appeal.
4.2. A resolution which mentions your membership of NFLA / Mayors for Peace and support for the ICAN Cities Appeal.
4.3. A broader and more political resolution supporting the ICAN Cities Appeal and challenges current UK nuclear weapons policy.
The briefing also includes all the current global towns and cities that have passed resolutions to support the ICAN Cities Appeal according to the Nuclear Ban website.
NFLA also congratulated Fife Council becoming the 5th Council in the UK to pass a resolution to support the Treaty.
Other NFLA information sources:
4.4 NFLA Newsletter for September 2019, which summarises what we have done this month.
4.5 NFLA Policy Briefing 192, which summarises the key discussion and actions from the NFLA Steering Committee of the 13th September.
4.6 NFLA New Nuclear Monitor 59, which provides a copy of our response to the fourth round of public consultation on the proposed Sizewell C reactor in Suffolk.
4.7 The flyer for the NFLA All Ireland Sustainable Energy Forum taking place in Dublin City Hall on the 18th October – registration for this is now open to councillors, council officers and NGO representatives.
4.8 The flyer for the NFLA / TASC / BANNG and Stop Hinkley joint public meeting in the Firstsite Gallery, Colchester on the 26th October – registration for this is now open to councillors, council officers, NGO representatives and interested members of the public.
4.9 NFLA Policy Briefing 193 and a media release summary of the NFLA’s assessment of Brexit from the perspectives of nuclear, energy, environmental and climate change policy.
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5.1.ICAN Scottish Partner organisations and MSPs  attended a press and photo call outside the Scottish Parliament at 12.45 on Thursday the 26th September to highlight the special Opening for Signature for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN in New York. Politicians and campaigners also handed in a letter to Number 10 Downing Street tomorrow to mark the UN’s Nuclear Abolition Day. The United Nations General Assembly hosted a High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament at the UN Headquarters on that day from 11am until 6pm. UN Member States are represented by their Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers or UN Ambassadors. In addition, the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs has selected two representatives from civil society to speak.
The letter, coordinated by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), urged the government to honour its commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. The letter said “In an increasingly dangerous world, where the threat of nuclear war is rising, this goal has never been so important.”
“The UK cannot claim to support this goal whilst prioritising the replacement of Trident, at vast expense and considerable opportunity cost to other forms of security and spending beneficial to our country.”
5.2.1ICAN minutes from the last meeting are available, 5.2.2 Bea of ICAN wrote for our Together First campaign recently:https://together1st.org/blog/a_world_free_from_nuclear_weapons.  Here’s a bit of background, would be lovely if any of the organisations on this list wanted to sign up.
5.2.3 Recent analysis that UNA-UK put out contains a letter exchange that shows (sigh…) the UK’s continued undermining of the TPNW, against the judgement of the recent Lords report.
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6. It’s party conference season at the moment, but it won’t be long now until it’s time for CND’s own conference, on the weekend of October 19-20. There are many important topics to discuss as part of our AGM and policy conference on the Saturday. See our AGM and policy conference for information, including online registration if you haven’t yet done so.
On Sunday, CND and the International Peace Bureau will jointly host an international conference — 21st Century Security: challenges and solutions. Please join us and hear activists and experts from around the world provide a global take on the problems we are facing. We will be gathering to learn from the experience of activists from across Europe and beyond – and to plan collective strategies to address global problems.  We will explore topics including climate change, nuclear disarmament in the age of Trump, the rise of China, potential conflict with Russia, resource wars, and building a different future.
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7.  Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org  7.1 When we speak about the world’s deadliest nuclear disasters, we routinely mention Chernobyl and Fukushima, but we forget Mayak and Church Rock. Charles Digges reminds us of “the worst nuclear disaster you’ve never heard of” when a deadly nuclear explosion at Mayak in the Ural mountains occurred on September 29, 1957, leaving permanent radiological contamination that still affects people today. Perry Charley will never forget the Church Rock tailings spill. He continues to seek protection for his Navajo people from the ravages of uranium mining, while providing a glossary of nuclear concepts for which the Diné have no words.
7.2 (14/10) The Extinction Rebellion, born in Britain, is on the streets en masse around the world. Part street theatre, part rage for survival, participants face mass arrest and harassment. What is XR and is it working? We provide a glimpse. Those living downwind of the US atomic tests have been unevenly compensated, excluding those at the epicenter of the very first test, Trinity. Will this injustice ever come to an end?
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8. Los Alamos Study Group Bulletin 263: Los Alamos doubles down on plutonium and growth overall; “How dare you!” http://www.lasg.org/
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9. 2nd October was the birthday of Mohandas Gandhi. The day is commemorated around the world as the UN International Day for Non-violence.
This special day was adopted by the United Nations in 2007 by UN General Assembly Resolution 61/271 with the objective to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness“. The resolution reaffirms “the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence” and the desire “to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence“.
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10. 22nd and 23rd October in London Facebook Decolonising the Nuclear: Public Lecture & Workshop
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11.Justice Sub-Committee on Policing is undertaking an inquiry into how policing in Scotland makes use of facial recognition technology. The sub-committee will consider whether the use of that technology is lawful, ethical, proportionate and transparent. You are invited to submit your written views to the inquiry  https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/113104.as    ———–                                                                                                                                              12. Cynthia Cockburn obituary https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/24/cynthia-cockburn-obituary?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

edinburghcnd

Special Post 3rd October 2019

TWO EVENTS:  October 5th (All Under One Banner) and October 7th XR PEACE
1. CND and SCND: Climate change and nuclear war are the two greatest threats to global health and survival. Despite Nobel Peace Prizes, the Global Ban Treaty, and the efforts of experts and activists, the issue of nuclear weapons and war has not received the attention it deserves given the grave nature of the threat.Urgent action to tackle climate change is needed but our government prioritises war and weapons of mass destruction like Trident over the future of our planet.

It has been estimated that about 6% of the global carbon footprint results from military-related activity. Militarism and war are inextricably linked with imperialism, racism, and the destruction of habitats.
Scottish CND has joined XR Peace which proposes to make explicit the links between militarism and the climate emergency. On the 7th October 2019, XR Peace will join the International Rebellion around the world and our presence will raise awareness of how militarisation, wars, armed conflicts and arms sales all impact the climate, cause long term pollution and enable corporate exploitation of scarce resources, which dispossess people and lead to militarised borders to limit climate-induced migration, and massive suffering.
As we block the road with other peace organisations who are also part of XR Peace there will be workshops, teach-ins, speakers, entertainment and more. Also, if you have unwanted props or structures to help block the road, they are wanted too!

The Extinction Rebellion movement has inspired millions with its attention-grabbing protests which have succeeded in setting a new agenda in the media and have put governments under growing pressure to respond. The next action will take place between the 7th and 20th October.
Nuclear abolition has to be part of the agenda, which is why CND, in addition to supporting this Friday’s Global Climate Strike, will join the October blockade.
We’re working as part of XR Peace, a new coalition of organisations planning to shut down part of the Embankment in London to bring attention to the growing threat of nuclear war.Can you join in from Monday 7th October or commit to a couple of hours? There are a variety of things to engage in. Affinity groups can help blockade the Embankment – alternatively there’s plenty to do without risking arrest.

Supporting the blockaders, singing, dancing, talking — all are essential and good fun. Also, if you have unwanted props or structures — perhaps a Trident missile or submarine, or something that could help block the road, like unwanted furniture? — bring them down to liven up the events.
We invite you to join us on one of the days between October 7th-20th.
As we block the road we will have workshops, teach-ins and exhibitions, choirs, musicians, comedians, academics, story tellers and speakers, making the links between nuclear weapons, militarism and the climate emergency. Come for a day or the whole two weeks. Rebel for peace and the planet. Edinburgh’s Peace and Justice Centre will also be joining in

2. All Under One Banner: March and Stall

This years All Under One Banner March is on Saturday 5th. SCND are having a stall on the Meadows and have asked for volunteers to help with it.
We will also have the black and white Edinburgh CND banner and has suggested that those wanting to walk with it meet at the steps in front of Dynamic Earth at 1230.  It’s just behind the parliament towards the crags.
There are several ways to get there eg through the closes above the parliament or down Holyrood Rd as the area immediately around the front of parliament and the bottom of the High St. will be very congested.
We should also have a very tall pole to fly the CND symbol flag and guide people in.
Contact Malcolm on 07989 776 041 if you get lost looking for either.
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 16th September

Edinburgh World Justice Festival 2019 runs from 28th September to 19th October -check out the programme at www.ewjf.org.uk

Edinburgh CND’s main meeting is on 1st October with Alex Lockwood, author of the novel ‘The Chernobyl Privileges’ (available to purchase at the talk) and Rob Edwards (Environmental Journalist, theferret.scot) for a discussion of what we can learn about the dangers of nuclear power and to debate the ongoing presence of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil at HMNB Clyde. Especially topical given the likelihood of reopening the Hunterston B nuclear power reactor (see also later items in News section).

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From Chernobyl to Faslane: the nuclear emergency
Tuesday 1 October, 7pm to 9pm
at Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh
Discussion about the dangers of nuclear power and to debate the ongoing presence of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil. (2 days later some of us will be visiting Faslane)

Other meetings we will be supporting include:

1.Edinburgh Stop the War public meeting ‘War and the Environment’ taking place on 9th October, 7.30pm at the Augustine Church on George 4th Bridge – see Facebook event  – https://www.facebook.com/events/380454189312971/

2. Saturday 12th October EWJF conference: Climate Justice, the world we want and how we get it  Epworth Halls, 25 Nicolson Square, EH8 9BX                                            What kind of system change is needed in order to stop catastrophic climate change?What kind of movement will be needed to create this?                                                      How do we integrate global climate justice into campaigning in Scotland?                     N.B.at 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street

3. War School Screening @ EWJF Tuesday 15 October, 6.30pm to 9pm
at David Hume Tower, Edinburgh
This documentary looks at the dangers militarism poses to the nation’s youngest generations and is sponsored by a number of organisations including EdinburghCND

4. Shadow World Screening @ EWJF
Thursday 17 October, 6.30pm to 8.30pm at David Hume Tower, Edinburgh
Shadow World, is a film which reveals how the international arms trade fosters corruption, determines economic and foreign policies, undermines democracy and creates widespread suffering.

5. Saturday 19th October: EWJF Bookfair 10am to 5pm Augustine United Church, 41 George 4th Bridge, EH1 1EL Organised by EWJFCome and browse and buy some great inspiring books from sfbbooks, Lighthouse, Shrub, Scottish Radical Library and Haymarket. There will also be talks, workshops and short films.                                            ——— —–                                                                                                                                 STOP PRESSES Sunday 22nd 2019 version of our guide is now available at nukedivestmentscotland.org. The media release is here https://nukedivestmentscotland.org/media-releases/ and copied below. It includes a quote from Councillor Steve Burgess (Edinburgh) and Councillor Audrey Doig (Renfrewshire). :1.Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland intends to launch the 2019 edition of the guide to nuclear weapons divestment in Scotland next week. The report details the nuclear weapons investments of Scottish banks, Scottish local authority pension funds, Scottish universities and the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme, and features a step-by-step guide for people who want to get involved in the divestment campaign. Some of the changes in this year’s edition of the guide include: the research covers 30 nuclear weapons companies compared to 22 last year; detailed information on the investment policies of Scottish local authority pension funds has been added; 10 Scottish universities are covered compared to last year’s five. Their website https://nukedivestmentscotland.org/ is currently down for updating but they will be tweeting information from the guide using the hashtag#NaeCash4Nukes so please share widely if you can  UPDATE website will be up from 22/9     2.20/9 is the first day of the Global Week for Peace, the Climate, Sustainable Development and Nuclear Abolition.  The week takes in the:

                                                                                               ——————-

NEWS:                                                                                                                                                 1. HUNTERSTON B

Hunterston B nuclear power station is based in North Ayrshire and has been operational since 1976 and was due to be decommissioned in 2006, a date which has since been pushed back to at least 2023 – making Hunterston one of the oldest nuclear power stations in Europe.Both its nuclear reactors (R3 and R4) have been out of operation due to safety reasons since March and October 2018 respectively. Now that R4 is due to restart with hundreds of cracks that exceeded government safety limits until the Office of Nuclear Regulation changed the goalposts to allow up to 700 cracks, we urge our members and supporters to take the actions listed below. Read the Report
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2. CLIMATE STRIKE The world currently faces two existential threats: nuclear weapons and climate change. Urgent action is needed on both but our government continues to prioritise war and weapons over the future of our planet. Trident uses massive energy and resources in research, production, operation, dismantling and eventual waste storage. Scrapping Trident is a great way to cut the UK’s footprint.
For these reasons, CND is supporting the Global Climate Strike called for Friday, September 20th, ahead of an important UN climate summit. We are calling on our supporters to join us for a Climate not Trident day of action
STOP PRESS: XR Peace October Rebellion: The world is burning.
Urgent action to tackle climate change is needed but our government prioritises war and weapons of mass destruction like Trident over the future of our planet. The Extinction Rebellion movement has inspired millions with its attention-grabbing protests which have succeeded in setting a new agenda in the media and have put governments under growing pressure to respond. The next action will take place between the 7th and 20th October.Details to follow.
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3.(A)+++++++ It’s been a busy month at Scottish CND, some travelled down to London to oppose the DSEI arms fair then back up to Helensburgh to participate in the Disarming Nuclear Scotland conference and now they’re gearing up for our AGM in the coming months and also some exciting coalition work happening in October http://www.banthebomb.org+++++ (B)CND UK has a very busy autumn coming up and they started as we mean to go on with a very successful protest at one of the world’s largest arms fairs, where nuclear bomb makers trade and arms are sold to authoritarian regimes. CND & Trident Ploughshares joined the #StopDSEI blockade this week – here’s how we got on
Read all about it in this month’s magazine, as well as our support for the upcoming Global Climate Strike.

Read Campaign: September edition
Download Campaign: September edition                                                                      +++CND @ Labour Party Conference :Sunday 22 September 2019, 6:00 PM St Paul’s Church, West Street, Brighton BN1 2RQ. CND also responded positively to Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry’s plan to compensate to military victims of Britain’s nuclear tests.

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4. MOVE THE MONEY: In just under 45 days legislators, youth, celebrities, religious leaders and other representatives of civil society will start counting out $1 trillion – the nuclear weapons budget for the next decade – and ‘reallocate’ this from nuclear weapons to climate protection, poverty alleviation and the sustainable development goals.

The money-counting action will be used to highlight actions that can be taken by individuals, universities, cities, parliaments and others to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons, and invest instead in a sustainable future.                                                                                                                                             The action is part of the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign, which was established by PNND, International Peace Bureau, World Future Council and other international organisations in 2016.The main money-counting action will take place in New York during UN Disarmament Week (October 24-30, 2019).

In 1973, Pink Floyd released a hit song Money from the album Dark Side of the Moon, a number one selling album that remained in the pop charts for a record 900 weeks. The song is about the seductive and corrosive power of money – which can blind people from their humanity and serve instead the force of evil.                                      Money, so they say. Is the root of all evil today
Money, it’s a hit. Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit                                                   So it’s no suprise that Roger Waters, songwriter of Money and the conceptual leader of Pink Floyd, supports Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, which aims to move money from the evil of nuclear weapons to instead be spent for human good.               In a video message supporting the Count the Nuclear Weapons Money action released today, Waters holds up a mock $1 million note and says that we have a choice: ‘We can either spend this million bucks on this – MAD, mutually assured destruction. Or on this: kids, our future, the planet, education, equality.” n a longer interview with Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, Waters warns about the risks of nuclear weapons, and he highlights the negative role of the corporations which are making millions or billions of dollars producing the weapons.
For more  quotes from some Move the Nuclear Weapons Money supporters (including CNDs Bruce Kent). please visit www.facebook.com/CTNWM or www.nuclearweaponsmoney.org/endorsers.

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5. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org             5.1 The Washington Post recently editorialized that Bernie Sanders’s omission of nuclear power from his climate plan made it “unnecessarily expensive.” But, as we answered on their editorial pages, nuclear power is wildly expensive and relies on subsidies that stunt renewable energy growth. And it has never been a financial success. One trillion dollars, another needless spending splurge, is how much the world’s nuclear states will squander on nuclear weapons in the next 10 years. A protest action outside the UN will count it all (see $ above).  5.2 (Hu)Man-made radioactive contamination is already everywhere, including in the deepest reaches of our oceans. That’s why we, and experts around the world, urge Japan to continue storing its radioactive water at the Fukushima disaster site, rather than dump it into the ocean. And some of the oldest radioactive contamination of the Nuclear Age continues to plague the Hanford site and the people who work there. ICAN reports. 5.3 (added 23/09) The world’s youth turned out across the world on September 20 in a mass climate strike. We covered events in Washington DC. Much alarm rightly surrounds the burning Amazon, but, as journalist Angelo Ferrari points out, Africa is also burning, and, in some ways, the climate effects are even more severe. We run his article in English and the original Italian.                                                                                                                           ——————–
OTHER MEETINGS:
1. Two meetings on Monday 16 September, (1.1) Edinburgh CAAT 7pm to 8.45pm
at the Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House  (1.2) Edinburgh Stop the War 7.30 pm to 9pm at the Peace and Justice Centre, Epworth Halls. Regular group meet-ups – newcomers welcome!
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2. Together We Are Powerful: Stories of Resistance
Saturday 21 September, open all day at Customs Wharf, Edinburgh
A unique exhibition collecting images and artefacts from decades of creative activism as communities around the world.                                                                                                  ————–

3. Facilitator Training for PeaceBuilders: Cooperative Games & Conflict Resolution for Primary Schools 
Sunday 22 September, 10am to 5pm
Initial training followed by an 8 week volunteer placement. Contact Edinburgh Peace and Justice on the link above for more info and to register.                                                      ————–                                                                                                                                          4.Just Transition: Employment, Energy and Environment
Saturday 16 November, 10am to 5pm
at St Ninian’s Hall, Edinburgh
Learn about the practicalities of turning the idea of a just transition into a reality.———————-

++++++5. 130 years of ideas that don’t get old: 7th-8th October in Prague. Visit the conference website for more information including the program and registration application.                                                                                                                   ——————
++++++6. CND conference, on the weekend of October 19-20. There are many important topics to discuss as part of our AGM and policy conference on the Saturday. See our AGM and policy conference for information, including online registration if you haven’t yet done so. On Sunday, CND and the International Peace Bureau will jointly host an international conference — 21st Century Security: challenges and solutions. Please join us and hear activists and experts from around the world provide a global take on the problems we are facing.
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AND FINALLY:
1. Peace & Justice News Autumn edition 
In this issue Nay Nay Htun reminds us of the forgotten people – the Rohingya Muslim refugees who fear to return to Myanmar, Eeman Talha gives historical context to the crisis in Kashmir and Cindy Kamtchoum explores West Papua’s demand for autonomy. And, in Centre News we’ve nearly reached our goal of  140,000 Origami Cranes and our Peacebuilders Collaborative Classroom programme is nearly ready to launch in schools. Plus catch up on our work on the arms trade and nuclear weapons.

2. .Los Alamos Study Group http://www.lasg.org/ to host town hall meeting on 17th September on Los Alamos lab expansion, reinvestment
Plutonium factory complex planned, $13 billion in capital investment expected lab-wide, new highway proposed Congressional delegation, Governor, cabinet officials & others invited

3.Next UK ICAN partners meeting will take place in London at Friends Meeting House on Monday 23rd September between 2.00pm and 4.00pm 

STOP PRESS: Invitation  to join with ICAN Scottish Partner organisations and MSPs to attend a press and photo call outside the Scottish Parliament at 12.45 on Thursday the 26th September to highlight the special Opening for Signature for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the UN in New York.

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 24th August into September

Edinburgh CND events in September:
1.Sunday 1st September: Portobello Village Show. We will have a Peace Stall at the show which runs from 2pm to 5pm in Rosefield Park https://www.facebook.com/events/2267948083304092
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2.Tuesday 3rd September: regular organising meeting 6pm at New Peace and Justice Centre.
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3.Saturday 14th September: 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street

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4.Other events:
4.1 Stop the Arms Fair.  1.Monday 3rd September will see our friends at Roots of Resistance protesting outside the ExCel starting with a Meeting of Worship. I hope you can make it to the ExCel next month. This is where those who profit from war, repression and injustice do business. This is where we can stop them.                                       ++++2. 4th September 2019 10am to 4pm Join the No Nuclear Day at the ExCel in the Royal Victoria Dock • Further details, including meet-up point and map Sign up and share the event on Facebook
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“These companies are not only profiting from selling arms to some of the world’s most authoritarian regimes, they profit too from manufacturing Britain’s own weapon of mass destruction, the Trident nuclear weapons system.
“We are outraged at this cavalier approach to human rights and the threat of nuclear war. The DSEI arms fair has no place in a civilised society – we call on the government to shut it down for good.”
Notes

see http://www.cnduk.org (also forMerchandise and August Newsletter)
NB on the 3rd Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems are attending a reception in the Scottish Parly onat 6 pm:THERE WILL BE a presence outside the Parliament with singing, placards and banners to protest about the event from 5.30pm


4.2 Saturday 7th September: Helensburgh CND Conference:The conference will cover topics from the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to outlining our efforts to work with and through trusted political partners such as the SNP and Scottish Greens. There will also be a tribute to the lifelong anti-nuclear activists Dot and Eric Wallace who left Helensburgh CND a substantial legacy which should allow the annual conference to continue. Scotland: A Peace of History will also be on display as will David Newbigging’s Benchmark 6 for the lunch hour where soup and sandwich will be provided. You can read more about the itinerary and book your tickets via the links above and below.To attend you have to go through Event Brite on the link below . Disarming Nuclear Scotland Conference – Helensburgh CND  
For other SCND events see http://www.banthebomb.org

————–                                                                                                                                            5. 28th September to 19th October: Edinburgh World Festival 2019. see http://www.ewjf.org.uk. Edinburgh CND have a meeting on 1st October and are sponsoring a number of others.

42789301Chernobyl, what can we learn? Tues 1st Oct, 19.00 – 21.00
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL Organised by Edinburgh Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Alex Lockwood, author of ‘The Chernobyl Privileges’ and Rob Edwards (Environmental Journalist) discuss the danger of Nuclear Power https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-chernobyl-to-faslane-the-nuclear-emergency-tickets-71033889275

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NEWS: 
1. Don’t attack Iran

Trump has scrapped the deal with Iran designed to prevent the development of nuclear weapons and has imposed sanctions aimed at destroying the Iranian oil trade and therefore its economy. He is looking for pretexts to attack the country. In this he is being encouraged by his national security advisor, John Bolton, an architect of the Iraq war and a man committed to military solutions. The new Tory administration at Westminster is lining up with Trump.  The risk of outright war is high.  Stop the War is campaigning for the British government to condemn this brinkmanship and publicly oppose military action against Iran. Download the petition and use it in your workplace, community group, political party or with your friends. https://scotlandstopwar.org/2019/07/15/petition-dont-attack-iran/

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2. SCND: are coming to the end of the planned Scotland Not Trident campaign for 2019 where we spent each month focusing on a different issue Scotland is facing, from drastic cuts to NHS funding to school teachers striking for better pay. It has been a whirlwind and hundreds of people have been involved spreading the message online and on their streets. The campaign may be over but the message of Scotland Not Trident will live on, especially in these uncertain political times. We will not stop campaigning until there are no nuclear weapons on the Clyde – in Scotland – or in the world.
The August Newsletter and the new magazine contain more information see http://www.banthebomb.org
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3. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org 3.1.When a French lab discovered tritium in the drinking water of more than 6 million people in France, authorities rushed to dismiss the levels as “harmless”. But are they really? We take a look. And after the French “tested” atomic bombs in French Polynesia, a legacy of illnesses was ignored by the government. Three men, all now gone, tried to change that.
3.2. Ames, Iowa, processed uranium for the atomic bomb. Then the lab dumped the waste by the river and around the town. People began to notice high cancer rates. Brittany Prater, who grew up there, returned to make a documentary about what happened. She found a deadly secret lurking beneath an idyllic-looking landscape. We review her film, Uranium Derby. We are honored to republish an oped by Robert Jay Lifton and Naomi Oreskes, who dismiss any rationale for including nuclear power in climate solutions. Read “The false promise of nuclear power.”                      3.3. A secretive nuclear industry-led agency has eclipsed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, writes Beyond Nuclear’s Paul Gunter. The Institute for Nuclear Power Operations does not make any of its information available to the public but is controlling so-called safety oversight at aging and failing US nuclear power plants. Two theatrical performances inspired by the Fukushima disaster offer hope — and sometimes a touch of humor — amidst tragedy, and conclude that giving up is not an option.
3.4.(2/09) Arguments for nuclear power are falsely optimistic, write Mark Diesendorf and Richard Boinowski. New wind and solar farms are far cheaper — and of course safer. So is Australia’s interest in nuclear power just a cover for nuclear weapons aspirations? Paul Martin Butkovich drew the horrors of nuclear war in the 1940s and ’50s, but never sold his pictures. We are happy to give his art some belated attention.
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4. CND (London) recently received a letter from the mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, in which he commended our efforts in working towards peace. In it he also shared the text of a Peace Declaration that he delivered on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, at the city’s annual Peace Memorial Ceremony, in which he expressed his ardent wish for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons so that no one else would experience such tragedy as Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Read the full declaration, which is included below, and to share its powerful and important message as widely as possible; a message of peace and reason in a world in which intolerance and aggression are on the increase. http://www.cnduk.org. Also has details of 2 London based vacancies (parliamentary officer and campaigns assistant)
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5. Peace and Justice Centre Autumn events:
5.1 Gentle Peace Walk: Sunday 15th September Princes St Gardens 2-3pmhttps://www.facebook.com/events/636670543484221/
5.2 Militarism & Climate Crisis. Sunday 15th September. 3.15-4.30 pmWhat can we do? St Columba’s by the Castle. https://www.facebook.com/events/2339439912935134/
5.3 PeaceBuilders: Facilitator Training. Cooperative Games & Conflict Resolution for Primary Schools Sunday 22 Sept. 10am – 5pm. Edinburgh. For more information and to register go here.
5.4 Origami Peace Cranes Workshop
Saturday 14 Sept  2 – 4pm. Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre Edinburgh Methodist Church,25 Nicolson Square, EH8 9BX
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6. In 2013, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared September 26 to be the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day). The 130th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, representing over 170 parliaments from around the world, adopted a resolution which ‘Calls on all parliamentarians to promote and commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons each year on 26 September, in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolution 68/32.’        The United Nations General Assembly will host a High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament at the UN Headquarters on September 26, 2019. UN Member States will be represented by their Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers or UN Ambassadors. The event will aslo be live-streamed on http://webtv.un.org/. In addition, two representatives of civil society will be selected to speak.
September 26 is also the anniversary of the incident in 1983 when a nuclear war was almost launched due to malfunctions in the Soviet nuclear weapons early warning system, which erroneously detected a US ballistic missile attack against Moscow. The incident is graphically portrayed in the award winning docu-drama ‘The Man who Saved the World.’ The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons falls in the same week as the UN International Day for Peace (Sep 21), the UN Climate Summit (Sep 23) and the UN Summit on SDGs (Sep 24-25).
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7. Move the Nuclear Weapons Money is a campaign involving legislators, religious leaders, youth and other civil society activists all over the world taking action to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons and redirect these budgets and investments to instead support peace, climate protection, ending poverty and achieving the sustainable development goals; reverse the financial interests in the nuclear arms race, and build a peace economy.  Over the next ten years the nuclear armed countries plan to spend over 1 trillion US dollars on the nuclear arms race. Those who are manufacturing the nuclear weapons are making a fortune. But they are stimulating the nuclear arms race while everyone else suffers. Imagine how this money could instead end poverty, help reverse climate change, fund sustainable development goals, and support peace, education, health and welfare. Each couple of weeks they introduce a few of the amazing people who have joined the campaign, and we share some of their words of inspiration on the issue.
Check the website and facebook pages and twitter handle for more endorsers and quotes.                                                                                                                                              On July 30, the Abolition 2000 global network to eliminate nuclear weapons held an international webinar on  Divesting from Destruction. Investing in peace and sustainability. The webinar explored strategies and actions to reverse the financial interests in nuclear weapons by cutting nuclear weapons budgets, ending investments in nuclear weapons corporations, increasing investments in peace and sustainability, and promoting the economic value of peace. Just under 2 months will be the of start counting $1 trillion, the nuclear weapons budget for the next 10 years, in 1 million mock notes each of $1million value.

—————–                                                                                                                                            8. UNFOLD ZERO, a global platform advancing UN initiatives for nuclear abolition, is compiling a list of Nuclear Abolition Day 2019 events and actions around the world.

In 2009, the United Nations declared 29 August to be the International Day against Nuclear Tests, a day to raise awareness about the catasrophic impacts of nuclear weapons tests or any other nuclear explosions, and the need to abolish nuclear tests as one of the ways to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Karipbek Kuyukov, a second generation victim of Soviet nuclear tests, calls on people around the world to observe a moment of silence on August 29th.
Kuykov is Honorary Ambassador of the ATOM Project, which was launched at the 2012 Assemblyof Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND).
Kuyukov, who was born without arms but is an accomplished artist, would like people to observe the moment of silence at 11:05 a.m. their local time. At this time analog clock hands form a Roman letter “V,” symbolizing victory. “The moment of silence and the representation of victory honour those who have suffered and urges the international community to continue to seek victory over the nuclear weapons threat.”
Peace with NFLA is holding a seminar close to International Peace Day on the humanitarian aspects around nuclear weapons and peace in general.

STOP PRESS 29/08: NFLA media release, for immediate release, 29th August 2019

On the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, NFLA welcomes an upcoming seminar with Mayors for Peace highlighting the ongoing issues of those affected by 74 years of nuclear weapon tests,

http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages
Mayors for Peace Website: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org
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9. Nuclear Power: We heard on 20th August that the Office of Nuclear Regulation has given EDF permission to restart reactor 4 at Hunterston B.  The date is not yet certain but the probable date is 30th August.  You will remember from the note of the meeting between ONR and Dr Ian Fairlie and Sean Morris of Nuclear Free Local Authorities, that although cracking in Reactor 4 is not as extensive as in Reactor 3, there is an issue of some cracks openings that are greater than 1.2 cm wide (ie ~½ inch):

Write (with copies to social media) to the following people

·      the Chief Inspector of the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR),

·      the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA),

·      your own MSP and the current Scottish Minister for Energy

·      the Scottish Government’s Director of Energy and Climate Change                             In writing to the above and in using social media, you might express the views that:

·       both the Hunterston B reactors should remain closed for good

·       that EDF and North Ayrshire Council should publish their plans for evacuation in the event of a nuclear accident; and

·       that free potassium iodate tablets should be pre-distributed to the population within 50 km of Hunterston B.      Consider planning, organising and participating in demonstrations outside Hunterston.                                                    +++++++++++++++COME TO THE EDINBURGH CND meeting on 1st October                                                  

————–                                                                                                                                        10. Other issues: 1.NFLA Policy Briefing outlines core Hiroshima and Nagasaki events held around the UK and Ireland. It also outlines the wider policy context, Manchester’s recent 200th anniversary of the Peterloo massacre and the upcoming Mayors for Peace Executive Conference later this year in Germany. 2.Friday 13th September Mayors for Peace / NFLA joint seminar on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and the need for peace is taking place in Manchester Central Library Meeting Room 1 with a sandwich lunch at 1pm and the seminar from 1.30pm – 3.30pm. 3.The Yemen crisis and reforming Britain’s arms trade Organized by Lloyd Russell Moyle MP, member of Parliament’s Committees on Arms Export Controls Monday 23rd of September at 11am, Brighton Unitarian Church, BN1 1U  3. Next UK ICAN partners meeting will take place in London on Monday 23rd Septemberbetween 2.00pm and 5.00pm in London, venue tbc and draft agenda to follow.

edinburghcnd

EdinburghCND News 6th August (Hiroshima Day)

74 years ago today (6/09) an atomic bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima, killing over a hundred thousand innocent men, women and children.
Added 09/08; At 3:49 am on the morning of August 9, 1945, the crew of the Bockscar, a United States Army Air Forces plane set off. It carried the ‘Fat Man’ atomic bomb towards its primary target, the city of Kokura in Japan. Clouds and smoke obscured Kokura so the Bockscar headed for its second target, the city of Nagasaki.The bomb was devastating. 22% of Nagasaki’s buildings were consumed by flames. The death toll and destruction was less than in Hiroshima because of Nagasaki’s hilly geography, but as many as 50,000 to 100,000 died instantly and others died slowly and agonisingly as a result of burns and radiation.
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1. Tuesday 6th August: HIROSHIMA DAY Commemoration  NEW VENUE:  South Castle Street (bordering Princes Street) from 6pm to 7pm. Followed by regular organising meeting afterwards at Peace and Justice Centre.
Also: tea ceremony commemorating Hiroshima at 3pm at St Mary’s Cathedral, west end Remembering Hiroshima with a Japanese Tea Ceremony
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2. Saturday 10th August: 12 30, A. Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street. Education Not Trident and remembering Nagasaki.

B. Edinburgh Stop the War Campaigning stall also 12 30 at east end princes street https://www.facebook.com/events/665631733939468/ Download the petition and use it in your workplace, community group, political party or with your friends.

https://scotlandstopwar.org/2019/07/15/petition-dont-attack-iran/

C. Origami Cranes Workshop 2pm – 4pm Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre EH8 9BH (this will be repeated on other Saturdays in August: see link in 4 below

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3. More than 60 remembrance events are set to take place across Britain to mark 74 years since nuclear bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The events honour the 340,000 people who will killed.
The anniversary comes in the week Donald Trump scrapped the INF treaty, sparking fears of a new nuclear arms race (see 5 below)
Watch our video to hear from a survivor of the bombs and help win a world where this horror will never happen again.
(a)NFLA has a media release which supports the Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration events this week and comments on the current concerns over the nuclear weapon issue.
(b) Also today,  Mayor Matsui of Hiroshima delivered this year’s Peace Declaration at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony.
The Peace Declaration is also available online at the City of Hiroshima website:
http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/www/contents/1343890585401/index.html
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4. Fringe Events (to be updated with any suggestions)
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5.INF Treaty: on Friday, 2nd August, the historic INF Treaty is set to expire, massively increasing the risk of nuclear war in Europe. Meanwhile, tensions are on the rise with Iran following the US’s wrecking of the landmark nuclear deal. And the British government has used the 50th anniversary of the moon landings to announce new military space programmes.
As a landmark nuclear arms control treaty was scrapped, anti-nuclear campaigners handed in a letter to Downing Street  calling on the Prime Minister to guarantee that Britain will not play host to US nuclear missiles.
Some articles on this:
SCND adds: With Donald Trump’s stalling of the Iran nuclear deal, there is a very real danger that there could be a new war in the Middle East that the UK could end up involved in. Both sides in this dispute need to take steps to de-escalate this confrontation. Since Trump start this current crisis, the United States should begin to ease tensions by backing off of the sanctions directed at Iran. (The Scottish Peace Network have some new literature about this topic, get in contact to hear more.) Furthermore, the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty is due to expire tomorrow. This treaty has been a cornerstone of nuclear arms control since 1987 and now President Trump is tearing it up with Russia closely following suit.
The latest edition of Nuclear Free Scotland – Spring/Summer 2019 is available on the SCND website http://www.banthebomb.org
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6. Nuclear Power:  The recent heat wave has brought home the reality of the climate crisis, but nuclear power is no solution, with the extreme temperatures shutting down plants in France and a damning new report showing the industry is totally unworkable, despite what the new Prime Minister says.Boris Johnson has written the so-called ‘letters of last resort’ to the commanders of our nuclear weapons submarines. As we approach the 74th anniversary of the catastrophic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons remains very significant.
New research has found that almost all nuclear power plants built since the nuclear industry’s inception have generated large financial losses. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “The history of nuclear power is seven decades of economic ruin and environmental catastrophe. Toshiba’s decision last year to abandon plans to build a reactor at Moorside in Cumbria and Hitachi’s suspension of work this year on the Wylfa Newydd plant in Anglesey simply reflect the economic reality that this report sets out. “Nuclear power isn’t only expensive, it creates an unsolvable waste problem, and as the TV drama Chernobyl so graphically reveals, nuclear accidents create human misery and environmental destruction. “Our new Prime Minister should learn these lessons and adopt a fresh approach to energy that centres on clean and economically viable renewable technology.”
DIARY DATE: Remember our meeting on 1st October
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7. Preparations are under way for the No Nuclear Day at the DSEI arms fair, on Wednesday 4th September in east London. DSEI is one of the world’s biggest arms fairs and the UK the second-biggest arms exporter.As Kate writes on her blog, “behind every pound made in this trade is the reality of death, brutality, mutilation, and destruction of communities. Behind every company or government celebrating a new order or contract, lies the sorrow of bereavement, of childhood curtailed, of peace denied.” Please see the DSEI page on our website for more information, including how you can get involved on the day. In particular, there are contact details for Trident Ploughshares, who are keen to talk to CND groups about the arms fair and what support roles are needed, including legal observers. Both Trident Ploughshares and Yorkshire CND are organising non-violent direct action training, visit our website for up to date information and contact details.                                                   ————–                                                                                                                                                                                     8. Basle Peace Office and others: We’ve written a letter to the new Prime Minister to express our concerns about Britain’s continued possession of nuclear weapons and the lack of action on global abolition.Please add your name.In just under 90 days Basel Peace Office will join others to count out $1 trillion, the nuclear weapons budget for the next 10 years.

As we count one million mock notes each of $1 million value, we will reallocate this moneyto peace, poverty alleviation, climate protection, health, education and other areas of economic, environmental and social need.
And we will highlight actions people can take to ‘Move the Nuclear Weapons Money’ to better purposes.
Join us to help count the money and to demonstrate what we could do if we weren’t wasting this money on nuclear weapons.
++++The week of Sep 21-27 includes the UN International Day for Peace (September 21), UN Climate Summit (September 23),  UN Summit on SDGs (September 24-25) and the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (September 26).

—————                                                                                                                                       9. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.orgAn International Forum for a Nuclear-Free World, held in May in Sendai, Japan, has just released a statement calling for a global end to the use of nuclear power. And it noted that nuclear power and nuclear weapons are “two sides of a single coin.” An African American medical doctor, Chip Thomas, lives and works on the Navajo reservation. With the participation of his patients and others in the community, he photographs and records their lives on the sides of buildings. (b) President Trump has his finger on the nuclear button. He could press it and obliterate Afghanistan. But he says he won’t do it. At least for now. Paul Rogers looks at the implications of Trump’s hints at “winnable” nuclear war. Seven young Tunisians call upon their government to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons because “waiting and doing nothing is the worst of solutions,” they write.                          ————-

10. July 2019 NFLA Newsletter. It is also on our website at http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NFLA_July_2019_Newsletter.pdf
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11. Forward to September: We will have a stall at the Portobello Village Show on Sunday 1st September
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12. And a reminder: No to War / No to NATO Scottish Network  – meeting has been arranged on Wednesday August 7 2019 at 5 pm in Scottish CND office
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++++++13: Sad news from Australia: The  legal challenge against the Yeelirrie uranium mine had been unsuccessful. Please watch and share the short 2 min video Uranium: West Australia under threat to make uranium mining extinct – not WAs unique species. Buy Kalyu – support Martu campaign against Kintyre
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++++++14:Check out meeting in Edinburgh 22/09 on Illegality of Nuclear Weapons. Organised by UN house