Author: edinburghcnd

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 9th December 2018

Last events for 2018:                                                                                                                    

1. Monday 17th December: 7.30 – 9pm   End of year social Join Edinburgh Stop the War for a mince pie and a drink at the Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh EH1 2JN https://www.facebook.com/events/198706991039051/

2. Saturday 15th December: 2.1 In Glasgow: Scottish CND received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to fund a mobile ‘Peace of History’ exhibition to chart the history of Scottish CND since we were founded 60 years ago. It is being launched at 12:30pm on Saturday December 15th in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, G3 7DN (Granville Street entrance). The exhibition will be available for people to view until 4:00pm and then it will travel around the country next year. If you would like it to come to your area, let us know at scnd@banthebomb.org. 2.2 In Edinburgh: Scotland Against Criminalising Communities Conference. Islamophobia 2018 – Scottish Conference Sat 15 Dec 2018 11:00am to 5:00pm Quaker Meeting House,7 Victoria Street, Edinburgh,EH1 2JL

NEWS

  1. CND on the INF Treaty:

mailAnti-Anti-nuclear campaigners visited the Foreign Office on 7th to hand-in thousands of letters addressed to the Foreign Secretary calling on the government to save a pivotal nuclear arms control agreement.
President Trump recently announced that he intends to withdraw the US from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia. The nuclear treaty saw the elimination of nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles and has played a crucial role in ensuring that US nuclear missiles are not situated in Europe.
The letters, signed by thousands of members of the public, call on the government to condemn the decision by President Trump as other Europeans countries have done. Standing by and allowing crucial nuclear arms control agreements to be torn up places the whole world in great danger.
President Trump’s announcement that he intends to withdraw the US from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Force (INF) poses a serious threat to diplomatic attempts to curb the deployment of nuclear weapons.
This withdrawal from the INF treaty is part of a wider pattern of the US disengaging from essential international nuclear treaties. Earlier this year, the US withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, removing its support for a treaty which sought to denuclearise Iran.
The British government needs to step up and defend the INF. If you haven’t already, you can still  use our lobby tool and write to the Foreign Secretary to demand that action is taken to save this crucial treaty. The treaty is less than 60 days away from being torn up following an announcement by the US government. President Trump had already announced that he intended to withdraw the US from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia. This is a vital nuclear treaty which has ensured the destruction of nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles and has played a crucial role in ensuring that US missiles are not situated in Europe Sara Medi Jones, CND acting general secretary, said: “This ultimatum by Trump is unhelpful, and frankly reckless. While we call on both Russia and the US to fully comply with the terms of the INF, threatening to withdraw from the treaty in two months rather than proposing negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues is a risky decision. extra read recommended by ICAN: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/International-Relations-Committee/NPT-and-Nuclear-Disarmament/npt-call-for-evidence.pdf 

STOP PRESS: URGENT ACTION:   Save the INF nuclear treaty. President Trump has now set a date for withdrawal from the historic 1987 INF nuclear weapons treaty. This threatens a new nuclear arms race and makes nuclear war more likely.  Please contact your MP via the link: https://cnd.eaction.org.uk/inftreaty  And the Foreign Secretary: https://cnd.eaction.org.uk/lobby/savenucleartreaties

 

2. CND on Trident: 2018 has seen the Trident replacement programme lurch from crisis to crisis. 2.1 Read about the latest problems – safety fears at the Faslane naval base – in this issue of Campaign magazine. You can also read about how arms companies are getting involved in our children’s education. CND slams Faslane safety record  Read Campaign: December edition
Download Campaign: December edition 

2.2.Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to the government’s latest Trident spending announcement. Sara Medi Jones, CND acting general secretary, said: “Trident is bankrupting the Ministry of Defence. This extra £400 million for Trident adds to a growing body of evidence that replacement of Britain’s nuclear weapons system is running over budget. “A National Audit Office report earlier in the year suggested a £6 billion black hole in the MoD budget, and last month’s report indicates a £7 billion to £15 billion black hole over the next 10 years. “Business as usual cannot be an option – the consequences for other defence sectors and wider public spending are just too serious. In writing blank cheques for Trident replacement – ring-fencing an amorphous budget no matter what the impact on other areas of spending – it is bankrupting the MoD and putting the security of Britain at risk.

p.s. CND presents and more news: https://cnduk.org

3. Nuclear Ban news Manchester becomes first European city to support global nuclear ban  The first Scottish Council, Renfrewshire, will be the next to pass a resolution on the 13th December. ICAN add; Catalan Mayors for Peace Vice President Granollers passed a resolution the day before so we were the second European city but we won’t quibble!                                                                                                                NFLA Website: http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages  including  NFLA media release, for immediate release, 11th December 2018NFLA elects new Chair as the problems of new nuclear arise againMayors for Peace Website: http://www.mayorsforpeace.or

 

4.  Beyond Nuclear International:  4.1STOP PRESS: (a) Our beautiful “blue marble” is in trouble. Climate change is upon us and world leaders have let us down. Worse than that, the current US administration is actively trying to restore and boost the fortunes of fossil fuels and nuclear power. Nuclear subsidies — which could keep dangerous old nuclear plants running for as long as 80 years — rob renewables of essential support while lining the pockets of nuclear corporations that cannot hold their own financially. This only makes climate change worse. Beyond Nuclear plays a crucial role in working to stop the diversion of millions of dollars from needed renewable energy toward failing nuclear power plants. Your donations help support those efforts and more. Nuclear power is too slow to make any impact on climate change but instead heightens the risk of a catastrophic accident while accumulating ever more lethal radioactive waste that no one knows how to store safely. The time for debate is over and the time for action is upon us.

(b)Children and young people are rightly angry that their future has been compromised, if not destroyed, by the failure of governments to act adequately or in time on climate change. One group of young people is suing the US government despite multiple efforts to delay or derail their case. The rebels of the 1970s included Austrian anti-nuclear activists who cut and pasted the famous Asterix books into new versions telling an anti-nuclear story — eventually halted due to copyright infringement but not before appearing in multiple languages.                                         4.2 The UN Special Rapporteur who earlier criticized Japan for exploiting the workforce at Fukushima, allowing unnecessary risks and exposures, has now said that Japan should stop sending evacuees home to radiation exposures 20 times higher than permissible before the nuclear disaster. We have his story. And as the Climate Conference (COP 24) gets underway in Poland, Linda Walker delivers a compelling list of reasons not to “nuke the climate.”
                                                                                                                                                            5. Conscientious Objectors Memorial update Alison Johnstone MSP (Co-Convenor Scottish Greens) has lodged a motion in support of the Memorial which has been signed by a dozen MSPs and which was debated just after 5pm Wednesday 5 December. Please come along to Scottish Parliament to be in the public gallery during the 7 minute debate and meet with Alison either just before or after the debate.   Please ask your MSPs to support The Crowdfunder has raised over £17,000 so far. This brings total fundraising so far to over £35,00 and will enable us to commission Engineer’s drawings, seek planning permission and run workshops to involve folk in the project. http://peaceandjustice.org.uk

STOP PRESS: The meeting of the Steering Group of the Opposing War Memorial Committee will take place Tuesday 18 Dec at the Peacee & Justice Centre from 5 – 6pm. The debate at Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone MSP’s motion in support of the Memorial was a great success. 22 MSPs signed the motion and 8 MSPs, from all parties, spoke in support.

 

6. Los Alamos Bulletin   250   http://www.lasg.org/

7. PNND Latest news:
  1. Report on the affirmation made by the UN Human Rights Committee that the threat and use of nuclear weapons is a violation of the Right to Life (as codified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights);
  2. Invite legislators and civl society leaders to endorse the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign, which calls for nuclear weapons budgets and investments to be re-allocated to better purposes, such as combatting climate change and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals;
  3. Highlight parliamentary events at COP 24, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, Dec 2-14, including the launch of a new international parliamentary network for renewable energy.

One of the key events Parliamentary Meeting at the United Nations Climate Change Conference  hosted today (Sunday December 9) by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Policy parliament.
Parliamentarians, climate experts and representatives of parliamentary organisations discussed parliamentary actions to ensure implementation of the Paris agreement on Climate Change, including those outlined in IPU’s Parliamentary Action Plan on Climate Change.                                                                                                For more information about divestment from nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries see Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and  350.org Go Fossil Free divestment campaign

8. Added bit: Lloyd Russell-Moyle MPhas written a little explanation about the grabbing the mace in case you’re interested.

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edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 18th November (Updated 28th November)

+++28th November: see 4 updates especially re INF see news item 1
EVENTS
Tuesday 4th December: Edinburgh CND AGM and Annual Festive meeting (donations of food and drink welcome but not compulsory) 6pm to 8pm, Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, Edinburgh. All Supporters Welcome.
                                  —————————————-
Other events: 1. Sunday 18th November, 6:30 to 9:30, Radical Voices at the Black Fox by the Shore Constitution Street, Leith.  The theme is Peace is Possible.                                           2. Monday 19th November monthly meeting of Edinburgh Stop the War at the Peace and Justice centre.                                                                                                                                             3. Tuesday 20th November: Opposing War Memorial performance of This Evil Thing (see below) https://this-evil-thing.eventbrite.com STOP PRESS Two Israeli conscientious objectors will be speaking Read the full article here.  
4. Saturday 24th November STUC annual anti-racist demo in Glasgow
5. Saturday 8th December  Yemen protest and CND leafletting East end of Princes Street 11am to 1pm    
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NEWS                                                                                                                                                          
1. From CND UK
1.1 President Trump has announced plans to withdraw the US from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). We must protect the INF, an agreement CND fought for – and won – 30 years ago. As the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war, the INF treaty helped pull us back, eliminating over 2,500 nuclear missiles and de-escalating US-Soviet tension.
If we allow this agreement to be torn up, we could soon see the return of ground-launched nuclear missiles to the UK, a scenario which would make anuclear war fought on European soil far more likely.
CND condemns the Defence Secretary’s support for Trump’s action and calls on our government to express strong opposition to this dangerous move. This week an urgent question was asked in Parliament and EDM 1744 was tabled on this crucial issue. Now we’re following this up and mobilising MPs to press the government to respond. Can you help us?
+++++++++28th NOV UPDATE 
CND: We are running out of time to save the crucial anti-nuclear treaty the INF. Showing blatant disregard for international cooperation on arms control, President Trump has announced he plans to withdraw from the treaty, risking a dangerous return to cold war-style nuclear escalation.
We still need your help. Trump is intent on trashing this vital treaty, and shockingly the UK government is doing nothing to stop him.
The British government needs to step up and defend the INF. If you haven’t already, please use our lobby tool to write to the Foreign Secretary to demand that action is taken to save this crucial treaty.
On Wednesday, CND will visit the Foreign Office to deliver your letters. We are trying to collect as many letters as possible before our visit, so please encourage your contacts to sign.

Together we can make sure that our calls for a safer world are heard.

SUGGESTED URGENT ACTION:   Save the INF nuclear treaty
Please contact your MP and the foreign secretary via the links below:

 

1.2 Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to a letter from the defence ministerthat has revealed 505 safety incidents at the Faslane naval base in the last 12 years. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “When the MoD took the decision to censor annual nuclear safety reports which had previously been made public, we feared that safety at Faslane was worsening. “While we welcome a return to a degree of transparency, the figures in the defence minister’s letter confirms our fears, revealing a catalogue of accidents in the last three years. Many of these incidents involved the Trident submarines which carry Britain’s nuclear weapons.

                                                                                                                                                                  1.3. One hundred years ago, in November 1918, the world’s first global, industrialised war was drawing to a close. It was described at the time, as ‘the war to end all wars’. But those lessons were not learnt, countless millions more have died in war since then, and our own world today – already suffering many ‘conventional’ wars and the crimes, brutality and displacement that they bring – faces the increasing danger of nuclear war. When leaders trash treaties that reduce the risk of obliteration, make plans for new generations of ‘usable’ nukes, or speak glibly of ‘pressing the nuclear button’, our role is to present an alternative to hatred, to war and destruction. On the centenary of the ending of the First World War, politicians should use the commemoration as an opportunity to reflect on the horrors of conflict and on the possibility that a future war could turn nuclear.

1.4. Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to the Chancellors of the Exchequer’s 2018 budget. Sara Medi Jones, Acting General Secretary of CND, said: “This is yet another budget that prioritises war and nuclear weapons over people and their needs. While millions use foodbanks, the government has announced an extra £1 billion for the Ministry of Defence. “The elephant in the room is Trident. The Chancellor should have announced today that he is scrapping Trident, but instead the government continues along a path that will see over £205 billion spent on replacing Britain’s nuclear weapon system. “Hammond began his speech saying the last eight years of cuts were not driven by ideology, so why is it that at every budget the only thing we can be sure of is more money for weapons of mass destruction? “If Trident is scrapped, the £205 billion saved could employ 150,000 new nurses and build 120 state of the art hospitals. The money could also be used to build 650,000 new homes.”

Here are just three alternative proposals the Chancellor could have announced today.

  • Climate not Trident: 100,000 wind turbines could be built if just half of the money spent on replacing Trident was invested in renewable energy.
  • Homes not Trident: The average cost of building a new house in Britain is £150,000. This means that the government in partnership with civil society could build over 650,000 houses with the money it is planning to spend on Trident.
  • NHS not Trident: An extra £205 billion could employ 150,000 new nurses and build 120 state of the art hospitals. Or we could use the money to support our ageing population by providing occupational care at home allowing people to live independently for longer. As Kate Hudson says in her latest blog post “one thing is certain, whatever the Chancellor of the Exchequer says, the British economy is being deprived of the investment it needs to grow and flourish, and that our society is being denied the funding it needs to ensure the health, welfare and happiness of its citizens.”
1.5. This is a particularly busy time foranti-nuclear campaigning, but here at CNDwe’ve also found time for a fanstastic new collaboration with our friends at Teemill: two awesome new garment designs! Available as T-shirts, sweatshirts or hoodies, these will make the perfect Christmas gift. Also crushed missile T-shirt is still available                              
1.6. Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to Toshiba’s scrapping of plans to build a nuclear power station in Cumbria. Sara Medi Jones, Acting General Secretary of CND, said: “Nuclear energy isn’t just dirty and dangerous, this announcement shows once again it’s not economically viable.
1.7. Other News: Saturday, 17 November 2018 at 12 noon
Join the CND banner outside the BBC at All Saints Church, Langham Place
London W1A 1AA
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 2. Beyond Nuclear International: Artist Mary Lou Dauray found inspiration in the spectacular landscapes of her world travels. But climate change and Fukushima changed her vision. Her paintings now reflect the runaway destruction — as well as the abiding beauty — of our world. Through her art, she hopes to inspire change. In India, uranium mining takes a drastic toll on the poor and disenfranchised. Journalists Krishna Shree and Rajesh Serupally found anger and desperation among those affected, but denials from nuclear companies.
Last week was in the USA. The critical mid-term elections on November 6 — and their aftermath — will fill the airwaves. After much thought, we opted not to load new content to the Beyond Nuclear International site this week.
Nuclear power is demonstrably useless — and even a hindrance — in saving us from climate change. M.V. Ramana and Robert Jensen show us why. Consequently, we were deeply disappointed by the wrong turn taken last week by the respected Union of Concerned Scientists. Their new report supports subsidies for aging and even new nuclear power plants, arguing that if reactors close, carbon emissions will rise. The majority of major environmental groups strongly oppose this position, which is disproven by evidence where shuttered nuclear plants have been replaced by renewable energy. Our stories this week make the case against nuclear bailouts in the name of carbon reductions.                                                                                                                             STOP PRESS: American podcaster and activist, Libbe HaLevy, survived the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster. She was a mile away when it happened and it was “not the vacation I had intended,” as she writes in her new book, Yes, I Glow in the Dark!, an in-depth and personal look at the dangers of nuclear power. Peter Weish emerged from Austria’s nuclear sector to become a leader in the nuclear power opposition movement. He has strong views about the way forward to a peaceful world.

++++++28th NOV UPDATE

More than 15,000 people are now crowded onto tiny Ebeye in the Marshall Islands, forced into exile by the US government to make way for the Cold War atomic tests and the US missile “defense” system on Kwajalein. A powerful photo essay records their plight. Meanwhile, the US vets forced to witness those US tests, and “clean up” afterwards, have suffered numerous illnesses along with ignominy.  Today is “#GivingTuesday,” and that apparently means that if all of us ask for money on the same day, we have more chance of raising funds.
On ‘Giving Tuesday’ Like Mother’s Day, we think that every day should be #GivingDay, if you believe in and care about a cause.
———-
3.PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTRE: 
Have raised over £8,000 for the Opposing War Memorial in just two weeks bringing our total fundraising so far to over £25,000!
They have still to raise £33,000 in 26 days to meet our target. People from many countries have donated. We have received about 90 donations ranging from £5 to £5,000. Many thanks to those of you who have donated already.

If you haven’t yet contributed, can you make a donation to help create this lasting tribute to those who have refused to take part in war and/or attend the fundraiser on 20/11?
Other News: Conscience: Taxes for Peace Not War. Inaugural meeting of Edinburgh Chapter was held on 31st October
Chrys Salt – Home Front/Front Line Sunday, 18 November 2018 – 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House
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4. nuClear News No.112 November 2018 is now available for downloading here:
http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NuClearNewsNo112.pdf
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 5. October edition of the NFLA newsletter. It can also be found at the NFLA website –

+++++28th NOV UPDATE: Manchester City Council passed a great resolution today to support the nuclear ban treaty and call on the UK govt to take clear steps on nukes.

This makes it the first European city to formally endorse the TPNW and endorse ICAN’s cities appeal.

ICAN Cities Appeal, November 2018
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6. UNFOLD Zero and Basle Peace Office: 6.1 24th to 30th October was UN Disarmament Week, when member states vote on a range of disarmament decisions and resolutions. Decisions are binding on the United Nations. Resolutions are indications of governments’ positions and intent – they are not binding but can be very authoritative and influential if supported by key countries. The deliberations and votes took place in an environment of increasing tensions between nuclear armed States, and also an increasing divide between non-nuclear countries and those countries which rely on nuclear weapons for their security.
Here is a short summary:

  •  Reducing nuclear danger submitted by India received 127 votes in favour (mostly non-aligned countries). It failed to get support of nuclear-armed or European countries, primarily because it only calls for nuclear risk reduction measures by China, France, Russia, UK and USA – leaving out the other nuclear armed States – India, Pakistan, DPRK and Israel.
  •  Decreasing the operational readiness of nuclear weapons systemssubmitted by a group of non-nuclear countries, was much more successful receiving 173 votes in favour, including from most of the NATO countries and from four nuclear armed States (China, DPRK, India, Pakistan).
  • on the Treaty on the Prohibition Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was supported by 122 countries. This is more than the number who have signed the Treaty (which is 50).
  • Humanitarian consequences of Nuclear War and the Law
  • Un High-level conference                                                                                                For more information see 

6.2 STOP PRESS: In their historical meeting in June 2018, USA President Trump and North Korea Leader Kim Jong-un announced an agreement under which each country commits to:

  • ‘…establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity’;
  • ‘…join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula’; and
  • ‘…recovering POW/MIA remains including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.’

In addition, Kim Jong-un committed to ‘work towards complete de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.’ Following the signing of the joint agreement, President Trump announced that a first step by the USA in implementing the agreement would be to cease the US-led war games exercises off the coast of the DPRK. The US/DPRK agreement came on the back of a peace process between North and South Korea initiated by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Members of Abolition 2000, the global network to eliminate nuclear weapons, had been pushing for such a diplomatic process, especially in 2017 when tensions between USA and DPRK were at their highest for decades. See Abolition 2000 actions and responses on USA/Korea peace agreement.                                               ++++++28th NOV UPDATE:                                                                                                       UNFOLD ZERO :On October 30, 2018, the UN Human Rights Committee adopted a new General comment No. 36 (2018) on article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), on the right to life, which concludes that the threat or use of nuclear weapons is ‘incompatible with respect for the right to life’ and ‘may amount to a crime under international law.’ The General Comment replaces earlier Comments on the Right to Life adopted by the Committee in 1982 and 1984.

7. Next meeting for the SCND exhibition group is on 22nd November at 6.30pm in the SCND Office Glasgow

8. Edinburgh CAAT: contact edinburghcnd@yahoo.com for news. Next meeting Monday 19th November 7pm in the Quaker Meeting House Edinburgh
9. In Australia? Hope to see a lot of you out on the Walk this year and if you cant make it but would like to support the Walkatjurra Walkabout then click here
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 23rd October (updated 7th November)

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EVENTS:
1. Tuesday 6th November:  We will be having our usual organising meeting at 6pm in the Peace and Justice Centre.
2. White Poppy Sales :1pm Thursday 25th October at the University of Edinburgh (George Square/Appleton Tower junction).
5pm Wednesday 31st Octoberat the east end of Princes Street
5pm Thursday 8th Novemberat the east end of Princes Street
Poppies will also be on sale on Saturdays 1pm to 2pm as part of the Women in Black Vigil at the east end of Princes Street and at the Women’s STUC in Dundee 29th and 30th October
3. Scottish CND AGM is on 10th November 2018 at Renfield St Stephen’s Centre, Glasgow, G2 4JP. Registration from 10:00am see http://www.banthebomb.org for more details
4. Sunday 11th November: events to commemorate all those who helped bring about the end of the 1914-18 War including in Edinburgh and London
5. SAT, 17 NOV AT 10:00 (all day) Just Transitions Conference: Employment, Energy, Environment Charteris Centre, 138-140 The Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9RR organised by Scot.E3
6. Tuesday 20 November, 6.30pm – 9.30pm Memorial to Conscientious Objectors Fundraiser: see News section no 4
————————————————————————————–
NEWS:
STOP Press 24/11: 1. Anti-Trident protestors have blockaded all entrances at one of Britain’s nuclear weapons factories, AWE Burghfield in West Berkshire. The direct action has halted traffic to and from the site this morning. The protest is highlighting the role AWE Burghfield plays in the maintenance and replacement of Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system.The Burghfield bomb factory, administered by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, builds and maintains nuclear warheads.The Trident Plougshares activists have blocked access to the site with a car with two people locked to it at one point and with a line of people with their arms in lock-on tubes at another.
Separately, campaigners from local CND group Hereford Peace Council will today travel to Parliament on a ‘peace train’, bringing with them petitions from thousands of supporters who want the government to get rid of its nuclear weapons and join the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

2. Just days after President Trump announced US withdrawal from the INF Treaty, NATO is to launch its biggest military exercises since the Cold War tomorrow, lasting until November 7th. Taking place in Norway, these exercises will simulate the collective response of NATO to an imagined attack on an allied partner, as outlined in Article 5 of the NATO treaty. The UK has committed more than 250 vehicles and 500 soldiers to this exercise. CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said:‘While the foe in this imagined scenario is claimed to be fictitious, the decision to launch these drills in Norway, a country which shares an Arctic border with Russia, sends a provocative message of NATO’s intended dominance in the region to Russia.

——-
1. President Trump has announced plans to withdraw the US from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). This is a hugely destabilising development that threatens global and – in particular – European security.

Signed by Reagan and Gorbachev in 1987, the treaty banned ground-launched nuclear missiles and led to nearly 2,700 missiles being eliminated. It meant that the cruise missiles sited at Greenham and Molesworth were removed and countless more across Europe. Tearing up the INF Treaty will end the restraints on nuclear arsenals achieved in the 1980s. It will open the way for the return of cruise-type missiles to Europe: they have only one purpose – that a US nuclear war against Russia will be fought in Europe. We understood that in the 1980s and we mobilised against it – and the INF Treaty was in large part the result of that. Hundreds of thousands protested against cruise missiles; the iconic Greenham peace camp was part of that movement. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “This is a reckless move by Trump. Tearing up the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty will mark the end of the restraints on nuclear arsenals achieved in the 1980s. The danger is that we will see spiralling arsenals on a Cold War scale.  “We utterly condemn the Defence Secretary’s comment that the British government’s support for the US administration at this time is ‘absolutely resolute’. Britain should be voicing strong opposition to this dangerous move rather than fanning the flames that can lead to nuclear war.

  • We stand resolutely against this return to the nuclear escalation of the Cold War and we call on all peoples once again to reject these moves.
  • We condemn the Defence Secretary’s support for Trump’s action and call on our government to express strong opposition to this dangerous move.
  • This is just the latest in a growing list of rash US positions: trashing the Iranian nuclear deal, planing to build ‘usable’ nuclear weapons and outlining a greater range of scenarios in which to use them .
2. CND is also delighted to launch its new collaboration with Britain’s foremost political artist Peter Kennard: a campaign T-shirt based on Peter’s iconic Crushed Missile artwork. As Peter explains: “World leaders in their macho madness announce that they would press the nuclear button. We have to campaign to crush and destroy all nuclear weapons before they do press the button and destroy us”.
3. Politicians, academics and activists gathered in Bristol 20th and 21st October for a two-day CND conference on how to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear power. see http://www.cnduk.org  and will be gathering Saturday, 17 November 2018 at 12:00
Join the CND banner outside the BBC on Great Portland Street
4. Memorial to Conscientious Objectors;

Along with a range of other peace organisations Edinburgh and are supporting  a Memorial to Conscientious Objectors and all who oppose war in Edinburgh. Conscientious objection and opposition to War is a significant part of Scotland’s history. 80,000 people marched to oppose the First World War in Glasgow in 1914. There were nearly 20,000 COs in Britain – 1434 in Scotland – yet they are scarcely recognised in public spaces. There are memorials to COs in London and other places but not yet in Edinburgh.                                                                                                                                           Civil society groups, faith groups and educators came together to make sure the voices of those who refused to fight are heard in Scotland’s capital city. A CO Memorial in Princes St Gardens will ensure that this history is recognised in a site that is visited by millions of people. To donate to the Memorial visithttps://chuffed.org./project/opposing-war-memorial                                                                                                                     We commissioned artists’ submissions and chose a design by a local artist for a bronze tree and bench that will create a space for reflection on alternatives to war in the midst of eight war memorials. In October theTransport and Environment Committee of City Council unanimously approved the design proposal. Now we need to raise the funds to complete the project. So far we have raised over £19,000. We need to raise £149,000 more for technical drawings, fabrication and installation of the sculpture. We hope to raise a total of £59,000 from individual donations and the rest from grants. Please take a few minutes to visit the crowd funder site, view the video and make a donation to support this enduring monument to those who said no to war:https://chuffed.org./project/opposing-war-memorial  Every donation counts, large or small. Alternatively you can donate by Bank Transfer (and save Card processing fees) toBank of Scotland Account Name: Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre
Account: 00207018 / Sort Code: 80-11-30 Be sure to use Reference: Opposing War If donating by Bank Transfer pleaseemailadmin@peaceandjustice.org.ukto request a Gift Aid form and make your donation go further AND tell us if it’s ok to acknowledge your donation by name on the website

Click here to view the video about the wonderful design that will be noticeably different and represent a respectful counterpoint to all the war memorials nearby. Share the Crowdfunder page and help spread the word so lots of people will be able to help.
This Evil Thing
Written and Performed by Michael Mears
Performance in aid of the Opposing War Memorial in Edinburgh
Tuesday 20 November, 6.30pm – 9.30pm
St. Thomas of Aquin’s RC High School Edinburgh EH3 9ES Tickets £10
5. Beyond Nuclear International: focuses this week on atomic testing, by the Russians in Kazakhstan and by the French in Algeria. Both countries endure an ongoing disaster in public health and environmental contamination. We feature those who have spoken out, sought compensation and cleanup, and who have become voices for global peace.
Activists in Wales were abandoned by their political leaders when they tried to stop mud — which scientists say could contain plutonium — being dumped just off shore. Nuclear Age Peace Foundation president, David Krieger, says our peace treaties have failed us and we need cooperation among diverse movements. The International Uranium Film Festival returns to Navajo next month. Despite its niche subject area, it enjoys unexpected popularity and no shortage of material.
6. UNFOLD ZERO:  report on the exciting Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign, including new endorsements, a benefit concert on October 20, and postponement of the Count the Nuclear Weapons Money action.                                                                     Nuclear weapon States should slash nuclear weapons budgets, reallocate these funds to the Sustainable Development Goals and take action to reduce the risk of nuclear war and to achieve nuclear disarmament, according to a number of governments speaking at the start of the 2018 UN session on Disarmament and International Security this week. Basle Peace Office adds: The 2018 UN session on Disarmament and International Security opened on October 8 with strong calls on the nuclear armed countries to slash nuclear weapons budgets, reallocate these funds to the Sustainable Development Goals and take action to reduce the risk of nuclear warand advance nuclear disarmament.
During the next four weeks governments will debate, and then adopt, resolutions at the UN General Assembly on a number of disarmament and international security issues.

The session opened with statements from the UN High Representative on Disarmament Affairs, the Head of the Non-Aligned Movement and representatives of many UN member countries.

7. ICAN: latest report of activity with the UK and Ireland Mayors, Provosts and Leaders for Peace – the constituent Chapter of the Mayors for Peace organisation available on request. Meanwhile countries and regions continue to support the Un Treaty.
8. Next meeting of SCND Timeline exhibition group is on Monday 29th of Oct, 6.30 pm – in SCND office (see earlier posts). STOP PRESS: MINUTES NOW AVAILABLE

9. 10th November, CAN BE WATCHED LIVE: Future Wars: The Impact of New Technologies conference will take place at Birkbeck College in London. It will be a fascinating event, with a host of experts laying out the new threats that we need to organise against and face down — including the militarisation of space, cyber warfare, hacking, and killer robots and drones. But we’ll also discuss new tech ethics and alternative visions of security. Following last year’s CND Council decision to hold it, Future Wars is shaping up to be an essential event for peace campaigners, and we really look forward to seeing you there. You can register online on Eventbrite. Extra Comment: CND condemns the Defence Secretary’s support for Trump’s action and calls on our government to express strong opposition to this dangerous move. This week an urgent question was asked in Parliament and EDM 1744 was tabled on this crucial issue. Now we’re following this up and mobilising MPs to press the government to respond. Can you help us?   
Contact your MP today

10. The Walkatjurra Walkabout is already talking about next years walk and the many other projects and events coming up to support the court case to stop Yeelirrie and to keep Western Australian free from uranium mining..  There may be a few changes next year and one of them may be that we walk from Leonora to Yeelirrie.  We will update you more as plans unfold.

 

11. Why is Saudi Arabia under fire over Jamal Khashoggi, but not Yemen?

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND: The EWJF continues (and other News: 7th October)

Untitled The Festival Continues:
Wed 10 Oct, 7 – 9pm What price Nuclear War?
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL
Edinburgh Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Statue Of Liberty Mushroom Cloud Atomic Bomb
Statue Of Liberty Mushroom Cloud Atomic Bomb

————                                                                                                                                                 Thu 11 Oct, 6.30 – 8.30pm: Film: Shadow World (exposes the reality of the global arms trade)
David Hume Tower, LG09, George Square, EH8 9JX
Campaign Against Arms Trade Scotland                                                                                   ———                                                                                                                                                        Fri 12 Oct, 7.30 – 9.00pm Just Transitions  Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL
Scot E3 (Employment, Energy and Environment)                                                                   ———-                                                                                                                                                      Sat 13 Oct, 11am – 4.30pm Book Fair and forums
Epworth Halls, Methodist church, 25 Nicolson Square, EH8 9BX
www.sfbbooks.wordpress.com   We will have a stall at this event. We will also go to the East End of Princes Street from 1230 for our usual monthly leafleting session.                                                                                                                                                             __________                                                                                                                                         Tues 16 Oct, 7pm    From the Sabine Women to Srebenica Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, EH8 8DT Dove Tales, Association of Scottish Artists for Peace From time immemorial rape has been used as a weapon of war and women treated as booty. This Dove Tales event aims to highlight the issue through prose accounts of rape in modern conflicts and through poetry dramatising the complexities of such action for both victims and perpetrators.                                                                                                                             _______                                                                                                                                                       Last event: The People of Palestine  Sat 20 Oct,  12.00 – 5.00pm
Muslim Welfare House (Lauriston mosque),  59 Lauriston Place, EH3 9HY
Interpal

 

OTHER NEWS:

We need your urgent help! The “No Fleet Review in Jeju” endorsement is by 9 October 6pm(GMT +9, South Korea time). Collected signs will be published on Oct. 10, the opening day of International Fleet Review in Jeju (Oct. 10 to 14). Please sign and spread to your network as soon as you can. Your prompt response is very appreciated. Thanks so much for the help!

To Endorse >> Click and Fill out the form

1. A new project from Scottish CND with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to highlight the rich Scottish peace heritage with a focus on the nuclear disarmament. This project includes a free training workshop in video making and conducting interviews at an accessible venue with lunch provided. Scotland: A Peace of History will capture the key developments that shaped Scottish CND and the wider Scottish Peace Movement and share them with the whole community in a mobile exhibition and an online resource, marking the 60th anniversary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
A large display timeline with pictures and explanatory texts will be produced and recordings with video testimonies will run on a screen accompanying the exhibition. A digital version of the timeline and additional materials will be made available online. With the help of volunteers and liaising with other groups we hope to launch by the end of the year and tour the country in public venues, schools and museums in 2019. The project will offer training opportunities, particularly for volunteers wanting to learn how to make a testimony video. We will include Scottish CND material currently held in our archives but we are inviting members and supporters to get in touch if they hold any relevant or rare materials like press cuttings, leaflets, photos, posters or CND merchandise. The free training workshop will run as part of the project and BAFTA New Talent Winning Filmmaker David Newbigging will teach participants valuable, transferable campaign skills and improve their knowledge of media and digital campaigning.
You can check out the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/286794425262842/
Attendance for this event will require a £10 deposit which is fully refunded on the day of the training. This deposit will be requested upon booking via Eventbrite. Free lunch will be provided and the venue is accessible.                                                                                        The next meeting for the 60th Anniversary Exhibition will take place next Thursday, 11th at 6:30 in the Scottish CND office.
2. CND UK: 
We’ve already seen the Public Accounts Committee warn that the MoD’s nuclear sites are a “ticking time bomb”, a report on nuclear divestment in Scotland, and good discussions at the CND fringe meetings at the Liberal Democrat and Labour Party conferences.annual conference, Towards a nuclear-free future: building change from the grass roots, is coming up on Saturday and Sunday October 20-21 at the historic Wills Memorial Building at the University of Bristol.
At a time of increasing global threats and amid an unstable political situation, conference is the chance to decide our direction for the next year and discuss how we respond to the challenges ahead.

  • Saturday October 20: CND AGM & policy conference

Our policy conference is on the Saturday, with delegates welcomed by Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire. CND members should visit our conference page to register by Friday October 12.

  • Sunday October 21: CND open conference

Open to all, Sunday’s conference, introduced by South West MEP Molly Scott Cato, will include workshops and debates on today’s vital issues – including grass roots campaigning, defence diversification, nuclear power and non-violent direct action.  Extra bit: As part of the upcoming annual conference in Bristol, CND would like to welcome all our supporters to a public event Sunday, October 21st on the subject of ‘Towards a Nuclear-Free Future: Building Change from the Grass Roots’ see http://www.cnduk.org

Mean while: The United Nations Association – UK, the country’s foremost advocate for action at the UN, has issued a red card for Britain’s failure to live up to disarmament obligations and for its dismissive approach to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The body’s new report, the Global Britain Scorecard, explores whether the UK practices what it preaches after Theresa May pledged her support for the UN system. She has previously acknowledged its importance in addressing shared global challenges and delivering benefits to UK citizens and the wider world. Explaining the rationale for the red card, the UNA said:
“The UK has made little progress on its disarmament obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty since the welcomed, but modest, reductions announced in 2010. Rather than working in “good faith” for a world free of nuclear weapons, Britain has failed to participate in multiple initiatives and international fora aimed at making multilateral progress on disarmament, and has failed to follow UN guidance to adopt a constructive approach to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary, said: “We welcome the UNA’s scrutiny of government policy. It’s a national shame that the UK has rejected the nuclear ban treaty out of hand when a majority of the world’s countries are working together to eliminate nuclear weapons. The UK nominally says it supports such multilateral diplomatic efforts, but in practice it is trying to wreck the initiative. “Theresa May’s government should be taking steps in good faith towards nuclear disarmament, but instead it has committed £205 billion to replacing Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons system, and stands idly by while Donald Trump develops new ‘usable’ nuclear weapons that raise the threat of nuclear war.”
CND has always said that Trident is an irrelevant, ludicrously expensive weapon of mass destruction. And recent events certainly prove us right. In this month’s edition of Campaign magazine, read about the latest development that shows the project is in free-fall. You can also read about Trump’s latest ridiculous idea and find out what CND got up to at Labour party conference.
Read Campaign: October edition
Download Campaign: October edition
++++++More News from London: This week, activists from around the world are holding actions and protests to demand an end to plans for a US Space Force during the annual Keep Space for Peace week. In June, President Trump made a highly controversial announcement: he directed the Pentagon to develop a ‘Space Force’ – a new branch of the US military, ‘separate but equal’ to the US Air Force – to ensure ‘American dominance in space.’ Read CND Chair Dave Webb’s blog post
Here in Britain, at Menwith Hill outside of Harrogate in North Yorkshire tonight, a demonstration will take place between 6pm and 7.30pm. All are welcome to join. See Global Network Against Weapons website for more events. Future Wars Conference: The Impact of New Technologies 10th November • London The US Space Force will be a major theme of our Future Wars Conference that will explore The Impact of New Technologies, taking place on the 10th November in London.Tickets are available now
3. Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre are  working with other groups to get approval for the memorial to be erected in Princes St Gardens in the midst of seven war memorials. Those who have died in war are well remembered in public space – with 37 war memorials in Edinburgh – but opposition to war has been a significant part of our history too. This Memorial will ensure that opposition to war is also represented in public space – and be a space for reflection on alternatives to war.
Approval by the Transport & Environment Committee is a crucial step. In a couple of weeks – we’ll start fundraising for the cost of casting and installing the bronze sculpture and granite bench. You can help get approval for the Opposing War Memorial at City Council next week.
Please take a few minutes today to send a message to your Councillor today about why he or she should support the proposal for the Memorial to go in Princes St Gardens. You can see a description of the Memorial design and read more about it here. Here are the names of the Councillors on the Committee. But you can also contact all your councillors.
Below is some text you can copy and paste and use as a basis for your message. Feel free to add your own reasons why they should support the Memorial.
Click the link below to go to the Write to Them website.  Just enter your postcode and the site will give you the names of your Councillors. Click on the Councillors names to open forms to send them messages.  Go to https://www.writetothem.com/ 

+++++The Crowdfunder will start on Monday 15 October when link will be available. Here is a report on the decision in the Edinburgh Evening News to share: https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/peace-tree-memorial-to-honour-those-opposed-to-war-to-be-erected-1-4810908

4. SNP CND are holding a conference with their AGM on 4th November 2018

Albert Halls, Dumbarton Road, Stirling (FK8 2QL)
10:30am

5. nuClear News No.111 October 2018 is now available for downloading:
http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NuClearNewsNo111.pdf

 6. The September edition of the NFLA Newsletter,  is on the NFLA website – http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/newsletters/nfla-newsletter-september-2018/ 
NFLA representatives attended a ceremony on 8/10 to rededicate Leeds memorial stone for the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association and encourages member Councils to support model resolution on the TPNW (see website)
7. Los Alamos: Several more countries  signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), joining the first 60 such states.

The ceremony is timed to coincide with today’s UN General Assembly “High-Level Plenary Meeting on Nuclear Weapons to Commemorate and Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. http://www.lasg.org/

8. Beyond Nuclear International: (a) There is no “safe” dose of radiation, says the National Academy of Sciences. Our new handbook on radiation and harm to human health explains why. The 2018 World Nuclear Industry Status Report confirms nuclear power’s continued global decline, eclipsed by renewable energy. And a mother in Japan tells the harrowing story of how she fled Tokyo after her daughter showed signs of radiation exposure far away from Fukushima. (b)Two new reactors underway in Georgia, USA, just got the vote to continue. But locals fear more cancers, writes Jeremy Deaton, in a community already awash in radioactive contamination. The nuclear industry, meanwhile, is making a spurious case that it must continue in the interest of US national security — “one claim too many” write Victor Galinsky and Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Centre. (c) Information is essential, but it also needs to be understandable and accessible. And of course accurate! That is why Beyond Nuclear is producing a series of concise anti-nuclear handbooks and the first ones — on radiation and health and on why nuclear power can’t address climate change — are ready on our website. But, we absolutely must print these now and get them out to the people who need them. Please help us raise needed funds!
9. UNFOLD ZERO: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a passionate plea last week to nuclear-armed States to re-engage in ‘sincere, substantive and results-oriented dialogue towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons,’ and to ‘reinforce the norm against nuclear use‘ by affirming publicly ‘that a nuclear war cannot be won and therefore must never be fought.’
Guterres made his remarks at a high level meeting on nuclear disarmament held on September 26 to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
++++10. Edinburgh Stop the War’s October meeting 7.30pm on Monday 15th October at the Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow, EH1 2JN.  The agenda will include follow up on our recent public meeting on the arms trade in Scotland, planning action on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the SACC meeting on Islamophobia which we have cosponsored, Afghanistan and campaigning stalls.  This is an informal – participative meeting – hope to see you there.

11. ICAN In London: Wednesday 17th October 2018, 6:30-8 pm, Shaw Library, Old Building, LSE

The End of Nuclear Weapons
Speaker: Beatrice Fihn
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh World Justice Festival 2018 is nearly with us

UntitledWORLD JUSTICE – 10 YEARS AFTER THE FINANCIAL CRASH

28 September – 20 October 2018 

It’s time for another Edinburgh World Justice Festival! – 16 informative and inspiring events about the big issues in the world and what we can do about them.  Here’s a summary of the programme – check out the details of the events on www.ewjf.org.uk and Facebook, put them in your diary and share it all with your friends.

#ewjf  #10yearsOn
The following Events may be of particular interest to CND members. NOTE EDINBURGH CND MEETING ON 10th:
Conference: Reimagining the Economy
Sat 29 Sep, 9:45 – 5:30pm Edinburgh Methodist Church 25 Nicolson Square EH8 9BX
EWJF and Jubilee Scotland. ECND will have a stall at this event.

 Followed by                                                                                                                                               Launch party!
Sat 29 Sep, 19:00 – 22:30 Join us for a fun evening
Greyfriars Charteris Centre, 140 Pleasance, EH8 9RR

————–
Tue 2 Oct, We will be having our usual organising meeting at 6pm in the Peace and Justice Centre. Then some of us will go to the following event:
Join the campaign for climate justice.
7.30pm Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square, EH8 9BX
Friends of the Earth Edinburgh / Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
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Thu 4 Oct, 7.30pmThe real cost of the Scottish arms industry
Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL
Edinburgh Stop the War                                                                                                             UN: Peacemaker or toothless tiger? How to reform the United Nations and bring about a more peaceful world. 6pm same day 50 George Sq. Room G.06Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre. EDINBURGH CND will be contributing.
—————
Fri 5 Oct, 7pm How to Sink an Arms Fair
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL
Campaign Against Arms Trade Scotland
Statue Of Liberty Mushroom Cloud Atomic Bomb
Statue Of Liberty Mushroom Cloud Atomic Bomb

Wed 10 Oct, 7 – 9pm What price Nuclear War?
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, EH1 2JL
Edinburgh Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament                                                                  ————                                                                                                                                          Thu 11 Oct, 6.30 – 8.30pm: Film: Shadow World (exposes the reality of the global arms trade)
David Hume Tower, LG09, George Square, EH8 9JX
Campaign Against Arms Trade Scotland                                                                                   ———                                                                                                                                                Fri 12 Oct, 7.30 – 9.00pm Just Transitions  Augustine United Church, EH1 1EL
Scot E3 (Employment, Energy and Environment)                                                                   ———-                                                                                                                                              Sat 13 Oct, 11am – 4.30pm Book Fair and forums
Epworth Halls, Methodist church, 25 Nicolson Square, EH8 9BX
www.sfbbooks.wordpress.com   We will have a stall at this event. We will also go to the East End of Princes Street from 1230 for our usual monthly leafleting session.

******************************************************************************
OTHER NEWS:
1. Beyond Nuclear International:   (a) Almost 35 years ago to the day, we came close to oblivion. Thanks to one level-headed and stubborn Russian lieutenant colonel, Stanislav Petrov, who failed to sound what would have been a false alarm about a US nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, here we still are. But our luck could run out, writes Jon Schwarz in The Intercept. Where are the movies and TV shows like we saw in the 1980s to scare the wits out of us and spur real action?                                  (b) As the latest hurricane threatens coastal US nuclear plants, John Vidal’s timely article takes an in-depth look at the risks of nuclear reactors operating under climate change conditions, including sea-level rise. Plus the Climate Change chapter of the Beyond Nuclear A-Z handbook on nuclear power delivers the key arguments against nuclear power as a climate change “solution.”
————————————-
2. On Saturday 22nd we gathered at Faslane Peace Camp at 12 noon and walked from the Peace Camp to the North Gate of the base for a rally. Look out for all the reports.
————————————–
3. September Drones news available here: https://dronecampaignnetwork.wordpress.com
————————————-
4. The Don’t Bank on the Bomb guide has now been published here: https://nukedivestmentscotland.org/
The successful launch meeting was held on 20th September
The story has been covered on the front page of The National newspaper this morning (see attached image). News coverage here:http://www.thenational.scot/news/16889891.stop-funding-armageddon-why-nuclear-investment-must-end/ and there’s an op ed here: Stop funding Armageddon – why nuclear investment must end
—————————————
5. On September 26, TOMORROW, (A) the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, world leaders will participate in a High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament. ‘The United Nations and its member countries should focus more on disarmament for sustainable development’ says 2016 Children’s Peace Prize winner Kehkashan Basu, who was last week selected by the President of the UN General Assembly to address the UN High-Level Meeting as one of the two speakers from global civil society.
++++++++Watch live on UN WebTV (10am – 1pm and 3pm – 6pm).
(B) Also onSeptember 26th, ICAN be bringing a message to BNP Paribas: Nuclear Weapons are unacceptable, divest!
They know that when you choose the end of nuclear weapons it also means choosing to end investments in nuclear weapon producing companies. That’s why they’re using the 26thof September, the UN Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, to demand BNP Paribas choose wisely. They will be doing this by making a Splash Online,following an NFLA media release today 25th September 2018
NFLA highly concerned with nuclear safety at the Aldermaston and Burghfield nuclear weapon sites and seeks action from nuclear regulator
———————————-
6. CND travelled to Liverpool for the Labour Party’s annual conference, where they had two successful rings meetings. Living in the age of Trump, one of their main conference themes was calling for an end to the special nuclear relationship. Want to see the advert in the Guardian? Click here
++++++++26th:  CND Campaigners have responded to two announcements at Labour Party conference that commit the party to ending interventionist wars and creating a nuclear-free world. see http://www.cnduk.org
————————————
7. The Public Accounts Committee has today warned that the infrastructure supporting the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet is no longer ‘fit for purpose’. The Commons Committee revealed that MoD decisions to delay maintenance at its 13 nuclear sites had created a ‘ticking time bomb’. Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND, said:
‘We welcome this very frank PAC report which puts MoD incompetence and negligence in the spotlight. It’s clear that the MoD is overreaching itself financially: it clearly cannot afford to buy a new nuclear weapons system and maintain its other spending requirements. Spending on Trident replacement when it can’t afford general equipment is grossly irresponsible.
———————————-
8. News on the recently established Just Transitions Commission: NFLA Website: http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 10th September

mail

NAE NUKES ANYWHERE! 22nd September

Assemble Faslane Peace Camp 12 pm, Walk to North Gate where there will be a rally

Protest the Trident Weapon System! You can get there by bus from Edinburgh and there is also space to sleep in Glasgow (bring a mat and a sleeping bag) and there will be food and drink at the Rally along with stalls and singers and Indylive will be streaming events, and interviewing the folk – including celebrities and politicians – there on the day.Buses are running from various parts of Scotland and further afield. Lots of interesting meetings while the visitors are here, full details including transport details are posted on nuclearban.scot/Sep-rally

 
EVENTS BEFORE THE RALLY
 

1. Saturday 15 September, 4pm – 6pm: Peace Walk through Holyrood Park to the Salisbury Centre organised by the Peace and Justice Centre. Meet: Outside the Scottish parliamentJoin  for a walk through Holyrood park to the Salisbury centre with storytelling and music on the way and stay for a cup of tea in the centre’s lovely gardens. No need to book in advance – just turn up                                                                         If you can stay with us a little longer, they’d love you to join them  for our bring and share meal at 6.30pm, following a short AGM.Community meal, AGM and peacebuilding in schools workshop. After the shared meal from 7.30pm facilitators from the Peacebuilding for Schools project are offering an interactive taster workshop, for you to get a feel for how the project works. There’s no need to book for this, but it helps  plan. Tell us you’re coming

2. Monday September 17th at 7.30 Edinburgh Stop the War meeting at the Peace and Justice Centre, 5 Upper Bow EH1 2JN.  Report back from the UK Stop the War conference; a working session on our upcoming meeting on Scotland and the arms trade and will discuss ongoing campaigning around Yemen and the wider Middle East. These meetings are informal and agendas are flexible so come along with things you would like to discuss.

 3. Tuesday September 18 at 530pm in the Scottish CND office at 77 Southpark Avenue Glasgow G 12 8 LE .To ensure that the March and Rally at Faslane goes smoothly we require as many people as possible to volunteer to be stewards .
The main jobs of the stewards will be to walk on the outside of the March and help to ensure people get from the starting point of the March at the Peace Camp to the Rally point at the North Gate at Faslane . Anyone who can be a steward at the March and Rally is invited to come.

4. Wednesday 19th September from 7-8.30pm: Edinburgh CND will be having a banner and placard making workshop on  in the Peace and Justice Centre. This is after the meeting of the Cross-Party group at the Scottish Parliament.

5. Thursday 20 September, 6.30pm – 9pm. Stop Funding the End of the World.
University of Edinburgh, 50 George Square. Don’t Bank on the Bomb launch their new report – Stop funding the end of the world: Working to eliminate nuclear weapons through divestment. Supported by EdinburghCND
Click here for more information and to Register.                                                                    6. Also on Thursday :Tim Wallis of Nuclear Ban US, hopefully a speaker from the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Nuclear Weapons, myself and Flavia Tudoreanu from Peace Education Scotland speaking at the event. We are hoping to encourage Councils to develop resolutions to support the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and challenge the UK Government to engage in this debate. The seminar is on Thursday 20th September from 1pm – 3.30pm in Clydebank Town Hall, which is a short train hop from Glasgow Central.

 7. Friday 21st September 12.30: Bill Kidd MSP in conversation with Sharon Dolev (Israel) and Emad Kiyaei (Iran) in discussion on progress in the process towards gaining a treaty for a weapons of mass destruction free zone, and an organisation, METO to negotiate and monitor it. For anyone with an interest in obtaining peace and stability in the Middle East. Registration is necessary. Supported by Edinburgh CND Progressing The Possible.  PLEASE TRY AND BOOK BY TUESDAY 18th
Followed by
8. drop in welcome at the Peace and Justice Centre 2-4pm

 

EVENTS AFTER THE RALLY

 1. Sunday, September 23, 2:00pm There is a widespread support for the idea that Scotland and the UK should become a nuclear weapon free zone. Opposition to the renewal of Trident is an essential step toward this goal, but can Scotland truly be free of nuclear weapons as long as it is included within the NATO alliance? The Scottish Peace Network is sponsoring a forum that will present the views and experiences of those representing the peace and justice movements of several countries who remain within NATO on this vital issue. Speakers include: Dave Webb, chair UK CND; Roser Iborra, Popular Unity Candidacy of Catalonia (CUP); Maalke Bennes, PAX of the Netherlands; Reiner Braun, International Peace Bureau of Germany. Quaker Meeting House at 38 Elmbank Crescent (opposite Charing Cross station)                                                                                                                                              2. In Edinburgh same day: SECURITY FEMINISM & THE BOMBUN HOUSE EDINBURGH 19.00 – 2100

3. 22nd to 25th September CND are delighted to announce that they will be appearing at this year’s The World Transformed festival in Liverpool 7 Mann Street, Liverpool L8 5AF. The World Transformed is a festival of politics, arts and music that runs alongside the Labour Party’s Annual Conference, working to build the movements both inside and outside of Parliament. There is growing support across the political spectrum for defence diversification – the need to redeploy highly skilled workers, like those involved in Trident, in socially useful parts of the economy. This is the theme of our talk at the festival and part of our campaigning activities at party conference.

On the 24th September at 1pm, CND’s Kate Hudson will chair the session Labour and Trident: do jobs justify making nuclear weapons?

CND add: It seems like everyone has that back to school excitement, with a new energy for the months ahead, including us here at the CND office. The autumn will be a busy period for us as we attend political party conferences, trade union meetings, rallies and our own annual conference. In this month’s edition of Campaign magazine, read about what we’ll be doing as a new parliamentary term, in particular, begins. Read also all about an important rally taking place at the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland.

Read Campaign: September edition
Download Campaign: September edition

4. September 26th is United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Abolition Day). UNFOLD ZERO: The day occurs on the anniversary of the 1983 incident in which a nuclear war was almost initiated by accident (See The Man who Saved the World). The day also occurs when world leaders (Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers…) are in New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). And it is just prior to the deliberations of the UN Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) which occur at the UN through-out October 2018.                                           Nuclear Abolition Day Actions

 

5. 29th September to 16th October: Edinburgh World Justice Festival. http://www.ewjf.org.uk. Edinburgh CNDs meeting will be on 10th October. Watch this space.

6. Monday 1 October from 18:30 – 21:00.  Tim Wallis will be speaking at Friends House in London. The event is called ‘Implementing the Nuclear Ban Treaty in the United States: Latest Update from Tim Wallis.’ Too far to travel? Try: https://www.gazettenet.com/Wallis-and-Elson-17302589

 

7. 24th-30th October. Basle Peace Office and unfold zero: Can you imagine one million notes each worth $1 million? That’s $1 trillion, the amount the nine nuclear armed countries plan to spend on nuclear weapons over the next 10 years. Basel Peace Office encourages you to join Count the Nuclear Weapons Money in New York from October 24-30 (UN Disarmament Week) to help count out one million of these notes and re-allocate the money from nuclear weapons to better purposes. This is one of a number of recent initiatives in the US Congress, and in state and city legislatures, to promote a U.S. No-First-Use policy.

8. A concert in November: https://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/events/play-for-peace-a-concert-for-cooperation

OTHER NEWS:
1. nuClear News No.100 September 2018 is now available for downloading here:

2. The August 2018 edition of the NFLA Newsletter. It can be found on the NFLA website and has also been linked on the NFLA’s new Facebook and Twitter pages –http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/newsletters/nfla-newsletter-august-2018/

INTERNATIONAL: (NOTE WALES IN FIRST ITEM!)
1. Beyond Nuclear International: A 40-year effort by Traditional Owners and environmental groups in Western Australia to stop uranium mining is heating up. The case is in court but a hostile government has approved the mine. We tell the story of their struggle. And read the poetic description by Marcus Atkinson of Footprints for Peace, of walking in country with Aboriginal elders to learn about and enjoy the beauty of the land while protesting the uranium mines. Darlene Keju campaigned tirelessly for justice and the truth behind the atomic bombs the US “tested” in the Marshall Islands. She saw her home “blown off the face of the earth”. Displacement led to poverty, alcoholism and suicide among islanders. She vowed to help change their lives for the better. Nuclear power can be complex to explain. The Overview section of our new anti-nuclear handbook lays out the nuclear fuel chain in simple terms.
This week the focus is on Iran. The Tehran Peace Museum is run by veterans injured during the Iran-Iraq war, many of them by Iraq’s US-backed use of chemical weapons. Through exhibitions, events, and invitations to visitors from abroad, they bring a message of peace. Writer Vijay Prashad says Trump’s new sanctions against Iran, a result of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, make conflict in the region more likely. That’s also what CODEPINK’s Medea Benjamin wants most to avoid. She is determined not to let the Iran nuclear deal collapse.
STOP PRESS: Wales is under nuclear siege! French nuclear builder, EdF, is about to start dredging radioactive mud from the Hinkley C two reactor site in England and plans to dump it 1.5 miles off the Welsh coast! There has been no Environmental Assessment and no independent testing. Cian Ciarán of the Welsh band Super Furry Animals, has brought a case to the Welsh High Court to secure an injunction to stop the dump. You can help support this legal action. Meanwhile, Hitachi is about to bulldoze countryside around the proposed Wylfa B twin reactor site in North Wales and a small modular reactor is slated for Snowdonia National Park at Trawsfynydd.
2.  The Walkatjurra Walkabout has finished with a storm (literally)! An awesome walk into Leonora with lots of support to keep WA nuclear free.  A successful public meeting the following day having CCWA Director Piers Verstegen come into Leonora to support the community and in particular the three Tjiwarl native title holders, Shirley, Lizzy and Vicky on the court challenge that included a visit to the proposed radioactive waste dump.  You can see photos and read about their adventures here.
3. Albuquerque, NM – 29/8 the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB, Board) convened a hearing to examine issues related to Department of Energy (DOE) Order 140.1, “Interface with the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board,” approved by the Secretary of Energy on May 14, 2018.http://www.lasg.org/

 

 

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 24th August

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The centrepiece of SCND activities this year will be the Nae Nukes Anywhere International March & Rally organised at Faslane on 22th of  September.
Key international campaigners from at least six countries will be coming to Faslane to speak at the rally in an expression of global solidarity for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Please mark it in your diary and come joins us for what we hope to be the biggest demonstration in years at the Faslane gates.
Gather at the Peace Camp at 12 noon & walk to the North Gate to join the Rally.
You can find more details of the demo here. Transport arrangements, including buses from Glasgow & Edinburgh are listed and more will be added.  If you want leaflets/posters to publicise the event please get in touch with us and we’ll send some over.

Beyond Nuclear International: One week is not long enough to remember the horrific legacy of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We continue our coverage this week with author and scholar, Ward Wilson, who argues that the use of atomic bombs on Japan did not shock the country into surrender nor serve as a deterrent. Nagasaki survivors use old traditions to find new ways to tell their story and engage young people.
A Canadian minister’s tweet about women’s rights in Saudia Arabia caused that country to throw a political tantrum. As it purges everything Canadian, a nuclear deal with Westinghouse, now owned by a Canadian company, may go down as well. Meanwhile, a long-planned UN disarmament summit could be canceled by pro-nuclear forces. You can help save it.
See later posts for more details on some of these issues
 

Other Events

0. Sat 1st and Sun 2nd is the Mela at Leith Links.  Edinburgh CND will join Edinburgh Stop the War in leafleting and petitioning people as they arrive.  We’ll do from midday to 2pm each day with lots of leaflets for the 22nd.                                                              Quick update on the Mela following Saturday. This year it’s at the very far end of the links. We did our stall by the path where it goes past the cricket pitch. It went well but we did start too early so tomorrow we’ll start at 12.30 rather than midday and then stay until about 2.30.

  1. Tuesday 4th September: Monthly Edinburgh CND meeting 6pm at the Peace and Justice Centre
  2. Saturday 8th September a) Leafleting 1230 East end of Princes Street    b)UK Stop the War Conference  in London. c) Crane-making at the Peace and Justice Centre 2-4pm
  3. Radical Voices is happening this Sunday, 9 September.  The usual venue has changed its name again!  The former Constitution Bar is now called The Black Fox by the Shore, and we will be there on Sunday, 6:30 to 9:30. Theme is International Solidarity in memory of Anne Scott
  4. Saturday 15 September.  Peace Walk Edinburgh From Scottish Parliament to Salisbury Centre Walk Starts at 4pm.  6 – 6:30pm P&J Annual General Meeting. 6:30 – 7:30pm. Bring and share meal at the Salisbury Centre: 7:30 – 9pm. Speakers to be confirmed.  A great chance for our members and supporters to meet up, share good food and conversation and hear some great speakers. Come for some or all of the day. Let us know you are coming
  5. Other events are planned for the period 15th to 22nd September including a MEDACT AGM and a joint seminar being organised by the NFLA Scotland Forum, the UK and Ireland Mayors, Provosts and Leaders for Peace Chapter (part of Mayors for Peace) and ICAN UK groups. The latter will be held on Thursday 20th September in Clydebank Town Hall, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland from 1pm – 3.30pm. These are to build for the 22nd demonstration. Edinburgh CND will be placard making on the 19th at the peace and justice centre.
  6. UN Peace Day (September 21) and/or Nuclear Abolition Day (United Nations International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, September 26). Nuclear Abolition Day 2018 occurs as world leaders (Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers…) are in New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In less then two months the United Nations General Assembly will decide whether to hold the UN High-Level Conference (Summit) on Nuclear Disarmament, which has been planned for five years, or to yield to the pressure from pro-nuclear forces and cancel the event. You can help keep the UN on track for nuclear abolition.                               Sign the Avaaz petition United Nations: Step up for nuclear abolition            Forward the petition to your networks;                                                                          Send a letter to your government (Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, UN Ambassador).
 Other News:
1. News from CND UK:
Thank you to all of you that supported the Together Against Trump demonstration last month. CND was proud to be one of the organisations who supported a march that showed most of us oppose his policies of hatred and war. Read in the magazine about the challenge for us as a movement now and why we must build on the success of this protest and win the war being waged.
In this month’s magazine, read also about the creeping militarisation of the European Union, and how it’s happening behind closed doors.
Read Campaign: August edition Download Campaign: August edition

We’ve three stops left on the Now More Than Ever CND symbol tour, and we’re thinking about what comes next for the symbol once it has finished its journey.
We had a great two-day event take place in Norwich this past weekend, and more are on the way in Cardiff, Chesterfield and Nottingham in September.
It’s been really inspiring to see you all spring into action, and very encouraging to hear your reports back that the symbol has gone down so well.                                                               CND now has a new fundraiser: see website.
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2. SCND It’s been 73 years since the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan. This has caused extreme suffering and by 1950 over 340,000 people had died as a result of the two bombings.
Last week Hiroshima Survivor Mr Masashi Ieshima visited Scotland to participate in the Youth Peace Academy organised by SCND Education. He spoke at the conference attended by 70 youth participants, visited the Faslane Peace Camp & Nuclear Base and addressed the festival goers at Mugstock. In his speech he said: “Humans cannot coexist with nuclear weapons. Let us work together for a world of peace.”
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3. Message from the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre: 

Please help us spread the word about our desk space to hire. Hiring out desks helps us to cover the cost of the day-to-day running of the Peace & Justice Centre. It also helps us to fulfill our aim to be a hub for grassroots organisations working for peace. Meeting space is also available at the Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre on a pay as you can basis for grassroots organisations.                                                                                                                —————–                                                                                                                                          4. News from Los Alamos Albuquerque, NM – On August 15, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) announced a “major reform” which would slash its Washington, DC staff by 46% while increasing its field staff by 80% and place the entire staff under a single “Executive Director of Operations.” The new structure would go into effect October 1.         http://www.lasg.org/                                                                                                    —————–                                                                                                                                   5.The Walkatjurra Walkabout has enjoyed the first fourteen days of walking with Traditional Owners to protect country and stop uranium mining despite freezing overnight temperatures and long hot days. http://www.walkingforcountry.com

And some things to Watch: 
1. Quakers in Britain have relaunched our podcast as ‘A Quaker Take’ and in the first episode we discuss peace education and nuclear weapons with peace poet Antony Owen, CND peace educator Owen Everett, and Quaker staff Ellis Brooks and myself. I thought I’d share the link with you in case any of you are interested in listening to it over the weekend: https://soundcloud.com/qwitness/peace-education. I could’ve sounded more articulate!
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2. Uranium Film Festival Must see: Anointed (w/ Subtitles) – by Dan Lin & Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner about atomic bomb test legacy will screen in Berlin with Uranium Film Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVpExaY2Fs … & http://www.uraniumfilmfestival.org 
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3. ‘The Man Who Saved the World’ recreates the tense moments in 1983 when Stanislav Petrov, duty officer at the Soviet nuclear early warning center Serpukhov-15, was confronted with an emergency that could have led in minutes to a nuclear war. Petrov defied protocol, but this probably prevented a nuclear war.
The film also chronicles his spectacular journey to the United States three decades later, as a new nuclear confrontation is brewing between the USA and Russia.
Click here for the trailer.
Contact PNND if you would like to organise a screening. Special discount rate for screenings to commemorate UN International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.