Author: edinburghcnd

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.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.   Merchandise and August Newsletter
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

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.

Chernobyl, 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 Power42789301

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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.”
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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.                                                                                                                                                     —————–                                                                                                                                            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.
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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.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

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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).

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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
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 20th+ July & into August

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On 6 August 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb called “Little Boy” on Hiroshima in Japan. Three days later a second atomic bomb (“Fat Man”) was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. These are the only times nuclear weapons have been used in war.
The firestorm in Hiroshima destroyed five square miles of the city. Almost 63% of the buildings in Hiroshima were destroyed after the bombing and nearly 92% of the structures in the city were destroyed or damaged by blast and fire.
Estimates of total deaths in Hiroshima have generally ranged between 100,000 and 180,000, out of a population of 350,000. Casualties from Nagasaki are thought to be between 50,000 and 100,000.
The world says never again
2019 is the 74th anniversary of the bombings. Memorial events are planned across the UK for Hiroshima Day on the 6th August and Nagasaki Day on the 9th August.
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.
2. Saturday 10th August: 12 30, A. Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street. Education Not Trident and remembering Nagasaki.
B Origami Cranes Workshop 2pm – 4pm
Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre EH8 9BH
Join us on the weekend after the anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb, to make origami cranes for peace. Ancient Japanese legend promises anyone who makes 1000 cranes will be granted a wish from the gods. Help us make 140,000 cranes to wish for peace and disarmament. Workshops are the second Saturday of each month. Make cranes (or learn how to), help count how many we have so far (about 125,000), enjoy tea and coffee, a chat – or come along to find out more about the work of the Peace and Justice Centre. Please share far and wide!
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Two Events in July
1. 22nd July in Glasgow
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STOP PRESS: For those who missed Monday’s Meeting: Scottish CND and Edinburgh CND are supporting a very interesting meeting in the Edinburgh Yes Hub at 31 Lasswade Road Edinburgh EH16 6 TD on Thursday July 25 at 7 pm .
The speaker at the meeting is Medea Benjamin from the US Code Pink Women for Peace organisation .
Code Pink is an internationally active NGO . It is a grassroots peace and social justice movement which works to end US funded wars and occupations .
A major part of its work is to challenge militarism .
Medea is visiting Scotland over the next week or so – therefore it is good news that she is able to speak at this meeting.
The venue is quite small so it would be really if people could book s place by going to the website edinburghyeshub.info
2. Webinar PNND joins with Abolition 2000, World Future Council and UNFOLD ZERO to invite you to join a webinar on:
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money:
Divesting from Destruction. Investing in peace and sustainability
Tuesday July 30. 5pm – 6:30pm Central Europe time. 11:00 – 12:30 USA Eastern time
3. and one more in August: 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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Other News: 
STOP PRESS: STOP PRESS: Kate Brown’s landmark book — Manual for Survival — revealed many little known facts about the Chernobyl disaster and debunked myths put about by the nuclear lobby. Here, she highlights five common misconceptions about the accident. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/04/chernobyl-nuclear-power-climate-change-health-radioactivity  (for those who missed the excellent meeting on 19th July)
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1. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org (A)  One day before an election, the Australian government authorized a Canadian uranium mine that has been bitterly opposed by the Aboriginal traditional owners. The move follows a long history of colonial abuse of indigenous peoples, often over mineral rights. N.b. See also:
 (B) At 16 she won the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize. Now Kehkashan Basu is calling for spending on nuclear weapons to be redirected toward aid to refugees, children and ending world hunger. And the false narrative that Chernobyl wildlife is thriving is exposed once again, by a new study of bank voles which shows a decline in reproduction that could affect the entire ecosystem. (C) For the first time BNI are running a story in three languages — thanks to Equal Times– about a play performed by relocated Futaba high schoolers vividly recalling their experiences of the Fukushima nuclear accident as little children. And Jacqueline Cabasso lauds the US Mayors who unanimously passed a resolution calling on all presidential candidates to declare their views on nuclear weapons and nuclear war.
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2. From CND: (A) Peace campaigners have responded to news of a new MoD space programme, announced by Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt on 18th: Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “We condemn UK involvement in these new military programmes in space. Our leaders should be taking steps to preserve space for peace, rather than racing towards its weaponisation. “The Defence Secretary rightly celebrates the moon landings in her speech today. They represented a high point of the peaceful exploration of space, an endeavour that inspires the best in humanity. But the militarisation of space is completely at odds with this peaceful vision and Britain should play no role in it. (B) We’re still trying to get our anti-Trident message out on the buses in Manchester this September, in time for this year’s Conservative Party Conference. Can you help us take it to the heart of the establishment. http://www.cnduk.org
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3. Extinction Rebellion Edinburgh: we need your help! We’ve been invited by Summerhall – a high profile and experimental arts venue – to curate a programme of artworks, performances and transformances (a combination of both art and activism, taking place in the city) for the Edinburgh Festival. There’s a problem though. We have the venue. We have the programme planned (it’s even being advertised at Extinction Rebellion – Summerhall – Open Minds Open Doors
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++++++4. NuClear News No.118 July/August 2019 is now available for downloading here: www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp content/uploads/2019/07/NuClearNewsNo118.pdf
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5. Parliamentarians from across North America, Europe and Central Asia met in Luxembourg from July 4-8, 2019 for the Annual Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  Following five days of dynamic discussions, the Assembly today (July 8, 2019) adopted a comprehensive Declaration on Advancing Sustainable Development to Promote Security(Luxembourg Declaration) along with a number of supplementary resolutions. Together the declaration and reslutions include reflections, recommendations and appeals to OSCE member governments on peace, human rights, environmental, economic, political and security issues. (See OSCE Parliamentary Assembly advances peace, disarmament and sustainable development).
+++++5A 25/07:Count the Nuclear Weapons Money will take place over seven days and seven nights during UN Disarmament Week, October 24-30, 2019. Join us for 15 minutes, an hour or longer to help count the money. Set up a counting team and use this to promote your nuclear disarmament initiative. Or organise a short satellite counting in your university or city. Click here to sign up to count the money, or contact us by email at info@nuclearweaponsmoney.org.
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6. On the second anniversary of the day that the United Nations agreed to ban the bomb Trident Ploughshares, in order to challenge Faslane’s legitimacy and highlight the progress that has been made since a huge majority of the world’s states took the ban decision, used spray paint to re-decorate the main entrance of the base for peace and blocked the the base’s other entrance.
Their aim was to remind the public and those working in the base that most governments now agree that nuclear weapons must be prohibited and eliminated and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) that was adopted at the UN aims to do just that. While the nuclear-armed states may not agree, they will have to come to terms somehow with the impact that the TPNW is already having because the ban prohibits any nuclear sharing, testing and development as well as use.
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7.Los Alamos Study Group http://www.lasg.org/ :Bulletin 261: Public discussion: “The Steepest Time: Youth and Crisis at the End of an Age,” Thursday July 25, 2019, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Phil Space Gallery, 1410 Second St, Santa Fe PLUS Bulletin 262: New Mexico Democrats push Trump nuclear weapons agenda regardless of environmental costs, suborn NM Environment Department to blackmail DOE into more LANL pit production and warheads
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8.And finally:

A wonderful event to start this year’s Manchester International Festival –  Yoko Ono’s Bells for Peace. The BBC filmed it and it can be seen on the attached link.
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News 27th June and into July

EVENTS:
5. Friday 19th July: Kate Brown will be speaking about her book on Chernobyl:
See 2 in NEWS and https://cnduk.org/events/talk-on-chernobyl-survival-and-the-future-edinburgh/
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1. Saturday 29th June:  Don’t Attack Iran: 1330 at the East End of Princes Street
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is joining protests against war on Iran
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “Every day seems like a step closer to a US-led war on Iran. It’s clear now that US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last year was in fact a step towards a declaration of war. Military intervention in Iran will inevitably have devastating humanitarian consequences and there are no just arguments for it. Why are our leaders incapable of learning the obvious lessons from Iraq and the other disastrous Middle East wars? A movement must quickly gather pace to say no war on Iran, back the Iran nuclear deal, and oppose any British involvement in this war. We must act now to prevent catastrophe and countless innocent deaths.”
1(a). Saturday 20th July there will be a stall with petitioning against war with Iran (East end of Princes Street 12 noon)
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2. Tuesday 2nd July: Regular monthly organising meeting 6pm at Peace and Justice Centre. NOTE new address: 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX

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3. Saturday 6th July: Climate Festival on the Meadows. 12noon to 9pm The Meadows EH9 9EX. Edinburgh CND will have materials on the ScotE3 stall https://www.facebook.com/events/2261408987509612/
Jim Taggart’s funeral is also on 6th July, at 10:30am in Craigrownie Parish Church, Cove Burgh Hall, Shore Road, Cove, near Helensburgh G84 0LY.
The service will be followed by burial at the Barbour Cemetary and then refreshments at the Green Kettle, Garelochhead (see link in news item 3 below)
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4. Saturday 13th July: 1230 Leafleting at the East End of Princes StreetSCOTLAND NOT TRIDENT
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NEWS:

STOP PRESSES:

(A) This NFLA media release  welcomes an Edinburgh City Council resolution supporting the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (and the ICAN Cities Appeal), and a Midlothian Council resolution calling for the Lothian Pension Fund to divest from shares in companies involved in developing nuclear weapons. 
(B) The HBO/Sky TV series, Chernobyl, has been hailed as a masterpiece, reached millions of viewers and revealed many truths about the terrible devastation of a nuclear accident. But despite efforts by the nuclear lobby to claim the show is “fiction”, or a uniquely Soviet-driven outcome, we show how Chernobyl can still happen anywhere, and why. Similarly, the threat of nuclear war remains ever-present. Tilman Ruff helped found iCAN and still works for nuclear abolition, inspired by the Hibakusha eye-witnesses and their powerful testimony. https://beyondnuclearinternational.org
See also items 2 and 3 below
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1. From Edinburgh CAAT: Last week the Court of Appeal ruled that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen are unlawful! This verdict is fantastic news and represents a massive achievement for CAAT. The judges in the case concluded that key ministers – including Liam Fox and the remaining two candidates for the Tory leadership – had illegally approved arms exports to Saudi Arabia without an assessment of the risk to Yemeni civilians. The government has been ordered to stop issuing arms export licences and review all previous decisions on arms sales to Saudi Arabia since the start of the Yemen conflict, which the Guardian reports as having a value of at least £4.7 billion. You can read more on the decision on the CAAT website, CAAT blog, the BBCand the Guardian. Analyses of the decision were also published in the Guardian and the Independent.
However, the Court’s verdict will not be the end of the struggle: the Government is expected to appeal the decision, and will doubtless be looking for ways to minimise the impact on its relationship with Saudi Arabia. We would urge you to write to your MP in support of the verdict. Your support is essential for demonstrating that the Government is acting at odds to the public opinion. And don’t forget to keep up the pressure on your public servants in Holyrood to end their support for our local arms dealers. If you want to learn more about local and national arms trade issues, the next Edinburgh CAAT meeting is next week:  Monday 1st July, 7pm to 8.45pm
Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL
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2. The CAAT meeting is after the EWJF meeting also on 1st July 5pm to 6.30pm in the Peace and Justice Centre.                                                                                                This years EWJF https://www.facebook.com/ewjf1 runs from  28th September to 19th October and our meeting is on Tuesday 1st October with Alex Lockwood author of the Chernobyl Privileges and Journalist Rob Edwards.

The issue of Nuclear Power is becoming more serious with EDF wanting to reopen Hunterston Power  Station: Kate Brown will be speaking about her book on Chernobyl on Friday 19 July 2019 15:00 – 17:00. Room 1.20, Dugald Stewart Building, 3 Charles Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AD Booking is Required.  Chernobyl- Survival & the Future: Professor Kate Brown

Dr Ian Fairlie will also be at the meeting and will be able to update  on development at Hunterston. EDF Energy is currently hoping to re-open Reactor 4 on 24th June and reactor 3 on 31st July. For more on EDF see 3 below
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3. From CND: (a)The UK will shortly have a new Prime Minister, but we’re stuck with the same old policy on Trident. The UK is committed to spending £205 billion – and counting – on nuclear weapons at a time when there’s no money for hospitals, schools or housing. This waste of money on Trident has to stop, and so we want to take this message to the heart of the establishment – to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.  Throughout September, for the four weeks culminating in the conference, we plan to launch a fleet of buses on the city, emblazoned with a CND slogan. We want to make the case against Trident impossible to ignore. Can you help us flood the streets of Manchester with our anti-Trident message? (b) STOP PRESS (June Newsletter):It’s been a worrying start to the summer, with the US seemingly desperate to start a war on Iran, which Kate analyses on her blog, and a recent nuclear convoy exercise showing that Britain is unprepared for a nuclear accident. We’ve also been greatly saddened by the deaths of Walter Wolfgang and Jim Taggart. It all shows the importance of our continued campaigning, and we were pleased to see tens of thousands demonstrate against Donald Trump . We were also buoyed by the landmark judgement that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful. CND with other anti-nuclear groups will be hosting the No Nuclear Day on Wednesday September 4th, to highlight and protest against arms firms’ profiting from their involvement with immoral nuclear weapons. See http://www.cnd.uk for more including conference, Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Global Dangers Tour.

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4. Beyond Nuclear International https://beyondnuclearinternational.org (a) Women and children are far more sensitive to radiation exposure than men, their daughters especially so. Yet women continue to live, work, and raise children far too close to nuclear power plants, which release radiation on a daily basis, and in large batches when refueling. We are campaigning to let more women know of the dangers. And we present another article in our series on why nuclear power impedes progress in addressing the climate crisis, this time focused on French company, EDF, and its misleading “emissions-free” claims.
(b) We are grateful to our Greek colleagues for reminding us of the truly appalling and barbaric fate of Nikos Nikiforidis, who was executed by firing squad in 1951 for promoting the Stockholm Antinuclear Appeal.They tell his tragic story. And Heidi Hutner and Erica Cirino author the next in our series on why nuclear power only adds to the disaster of the climate crisis. (c) If you wish to make a donation towards the work of BNI visit the webpage.
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5. Move the Nuclear Weapons Money and the ICCPR: Over the next ten years the nuclear-weapon States plan to spend approximately $1 trillion on maintaining, upgrading, modernizing and deploying nuclear weapons. At the same time the international community is striving to find the money to implement the Sustainable Development Goals, and the United Nations is struggling to meet its operating costs which are less than 5% of the annual nuclear weapons budget.
PNND is cooperating with Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, a global campaign to cut nuclear weapons budgets and investments, and reallocate these to instead support peace, climate protection and sustainable development.
And in October, the big event: Count the Nuclear Weapons Money
Basle Peace Office adds: On October 24, 2018, the UN Human Rights Committee adopted General Comment 36 on the Right to Life, affirming, amongst other things, 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.’
General Comment 36 also held that States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) have an obligation to end the production of weapons of mass destruction, destroy existing stockpiles and provide adequate reparation to victims of their testing or use. In light of this historic development, the Abolition 2000 working group on Nuclear Weapons and International Law has posted a blog and published a flyer on Using UN Human Rights Committee General Comment 36 to support nuclear abolition actions and campaigns                     +++++++++(A)The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2019 rankings, released earlier this month, demonstrate that ‘Global peacefulness has improved for the first time in five years.’
But for most of the countries possessing nuclear weapons their level of peace remains far below the global average, and in some cases has declined even further.
The United Kingdom is ranked at number 45 on the Global Peace Index, France is ranked at number 60, China at 110, USA at 128, India at 141, Israel at 146, DPRK at 149, Pakistan at 153 and Russia at 154.
Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis to date on peace dynamics, trends, and key factors in developing peaceful societies. The Index also makes correlations between levels of Positive Peace and economic indicators, demonstrating the economic value of peace. +++++++++(B) UNfold zero adds update introducing the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money global nuclear-weapons divestment campaign, highlight recent developments that support the divestment campaign including the UN Global Compact revised investment exclusion criteria and UN Human Rights Committee General Comment 36, and we note some recent divestment initiatives in US cities including in Charlottesville and New York. The nuclear weapons industry has incredible political power, and uses this to stimulate the nuclear arms race and expand the already colossal nuclear weapons budgets. In order to reverse this power, a global Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign is promoting and supporting nuclear weapons divestment. The campaign partner organisations are working in cooperation with similar campaigns on divestment from fossil fuels and conventional weapons industries. To date, four federal governments have adopted nuclear weapons divestment policies as a result of initiatives by parliamentarians and civil society – Norway in 2006, New Zealand in 2008, Switzerland in 2012 and Lichtenstein in 2016.
The campaign has also gathered momentum with nuclear weapons divestment policies adpted by a number of by states, cities, universities, religious institutions, banks, pension funds and private investors. +++++(C) Basle Peace Office: Basel Peace Office is a co-sponsor of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money which campaigns to cut nuclear weapons budgets and investments in nuclear weapons corporations, and redirect these budgets and investments to peace and sustainable development.
The campaign has been boosted by the UN Global Compact adding nuclear weapons to its list of excluded investments, and the UN Human Rights Committee adopting General Comment 36 in which it affirms that the threat or use of nuclear weapons violates the Right to Life. In addition, some activists are referring to the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(‘Ban Treaty’) and the International Court of Justice 1996 nuclear weapons case to convince their cities, universities, governments, pension funds and banks to end their investments in nuclear weapons.
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6. Peace and Justice centre: (a) Kites Not Armed Drones: Summer edition
Sunday 30 June. 1 – 4pm. Meadows Pavilion Cafe Our warm and sunny version of the earlier Kites Not Drones will feature kite-making and origami peace crane making, plus Refugee Community Kitchen will provide music, food, and merchandise sale. A lovely event for families and it looks like the weather is going to be good this time! Let us know you are coming and Share on facebook.
We are also looking for volunteers to help make kites and staff our stall. Could you help out for an hour or two? Email the office to express an interest.
(b) Workshop: The Ambiguity of Violence as Resistance Friday, 28 June 2019. 10:00am to 6:00pm. Godfrey Thomson Hall, Thomsons Land
Holyrood Road EH8 8AQ Edinburgh. For More info and to Register go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/workshop-the-ambiguity-of-violence-as-resistance-tickets-62254788749
(c) Annual Inter-Faith Occasion for World Peace Tuesday 2 July. 7:15 – 9pm.
St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, Edinburgh EH1 2DP                                                                  ———————
7. Scottish Peace Network Armed Forces Day protest
Saturday 29th June Scottish Peace Network presence at the Armed Forces Day parade in Stirling. Meet at the entrance to the King’s Park (a short walk from the train station) at 11:30
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8. Los Alamos Study Group http://www.lasg.org/ : Peace leader in Albuquerque, almost 96 years old, begins fast against US sanctions and sieges, calls for solidarity
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+++++9.  Campbeltown AUOB rally: The Yeshub has a bus going, great scenery, great journey with yessers. Leaving the hub at 7-30, uplifts at Murrayfiels Hotel, A8 footbridge Ratho Station Premier Inn Livingston book edinburghyeshub.info   under events  
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news June 2019 (updated on 9th/11th)

Tuesday 11th June  6:30 PM – 9 PM Grassmarket Community Project Candlemaker Row: Film screening “War School: The Battle for Britains Children”     https://www.facebook.com/events/276870699920249/    

War School is a film about the battle for the hearts and minds of Britain’s children. Set against the backdrop of Remembrance the controversial and challenging documentary reveals how, faced with unprecedented opposition to its wars, the British government is using a series of new and targeted strategies to promote support for the military. Armed Forces Day, Uniform to Work Day, Camo Day, National Heroes Day – in the streets, on television, on the web, at sports events, in schools, advertising and fashion – the military presence in civilian life is on the march. The public and ever younger children are being groomed to collude in the increasing militarisation of UK society.  Interweaving the powerful and moving testimonies of veterans of Britain’s unbroken century of wars with expert commentary, archive and a redolent score, War School’s mosaic of sound and imagery evokes the story of the child soldier who becomes a peace campaigner, challenging the myth of Britain’s benign role in world affairs and asking if perpetual war is really what we want for future generations?BADGE_2

Reminders: (i) the day before the film (10th June):
Join the conference call on Monday June 10 at 10am Central Europe time meet
the Count the Nuclear Weapons Money team, find out about the action and to
consider how you can participate. See item 7 below     and (ii) the Saturday after (15th) we will be leafleting at the east end of Princes Street at 1230.
and theN;
Sunday 16th to Thursday 20th is the Holyrood Rebel Camp https://www.facebook.com/events/358774031319715/                                                                                          ————————
Saturday and Sunday the 1st and 2nd of June. We ran our Plants for Peace stall at the Meadows festival.
This is our biggest event of the year, raising our profile and earning the cash we need for our campaigning against nuclear weapons.
Please get in touch if you can offer any help whatsoever.
Have you got time to help run the stall? (a total of 40 one hour slots from 10 on Saturday 1st, 11 on Sunday 2nd). Thanks to those of you who have volunteered to join the rota but we could do with a few more volunteers.

You can find us next to Edinburgh Stop the War in the Green Zone, Middle Meadow West stalls MW14 and MW15.  Do come along and have a chat – we welcome donations of plants (and books) to sell – and if you’ve got time to stay around and help out you’d be very welcome.

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The following Saturday (8th June) had a presence at the Leith Festival and will be looking for help with that too. Leith Links, Edinburgh, EH6 7, United Kingdom 10am to 5pm Come along and have a chat or help out. We’re pitch C46. Books, Plants and Campaign Materials available. https://www.facebook.com/events/2455682181110891/
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On Tuesday (4th June) Edinburgh CND supported the protest against Trump’s visit to the UK and will be particularly highlighting the danger of any conflict escalating on the nuclear front. People are meeting outside St Giles Cathedral in the Edinburgh High Street from 5 to 7 pm. We will be concentrating our attendance from 5.30 to 6.30 but people will be there for the whole 2 hours. Protest against Trump’s drive to war after which we will have our monthly meeting in the new Peace and Justice Centre.
CND says: It’s vital that we come together to rally against Trump on Tuesday June 4 during his state visit to Britain – Be sure to read our up-to-date briefing that lays out just how dangerous this man is NB CND demand the London protestors be given the right to march. If you agree , please sign the petition addressed to the London Metropolitan Police. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is one of several organisations leading protests against Trump’s state visit to Britain next week.
CND is protesting against what it describes as “Trump’s nuclear brinkmanship” and his “penchant for tearing up nuclear treaties,” in particular the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. CND argues that recent developments suggest that the 2018 withdrawal was, in effect, a declaration of war.
E against Trump
update from CND: The protests during Trump’s visit were a huge success. Thank you to everyone who participated in them. CND’s concerns about Trump’s nuclear brinkmanship, US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and moves toward war with Iran were widely reported in the media coverage of the state visit.
The global dangers before us are real and growing so, beyond this week’s protests, it’s crucial that we continue to reach new audiences to raise these concerns and present the alternatives. CND in England is highlighting the threats we face in a national Global Dangers Tour.
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What has been happening:

CND had a busy few weeks, with the demonstration at the Springfields nuclear fuel plant near Preston at the end of April, and our protest held outside Westminster Abbey against the government’s sickening thanksgiving ceremony for nuclear weapons, which you can read more about on Kate’s blog. As well, our Campaigns Officer Sara Medi Jones, along with Janet Fenton of SCND, attended the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty preparatory committee at the UN in New York, which ended “on an ominous note”.                             We’re facing a particularly gloomy period. Donald Trump has put the landmark Iran nuclear deal in grave peril and is making ever more serious threats against the country. +++++++Read all about what they got up to in this edition of the magazine, as well as about how UK banks are profiting from nuclear weapons. Read Campaign: June edition     Download Campaign: June edition

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Other News:
1. nuClear News No.117 June 2019 is now available for downloading here:
www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NuClearNewsNo117.pdf

STOP PRESS (4th June) Pete Roche has put a new comment piece on his website:

http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/news/comment/everybody-is-talking-about-nuclear-accidents/———He was quoted in the Herald warning that a nuclear accident on the scale of Chernobyl is not impossible in the UK. (Herald 5th June 2019https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17684146.is-another-accident-on-the-scale-of-chernobyl-possible-expert-yes/ 

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2. Beyond Nuclear International https://beyondnuclearinternational.org  (a) South Africa: When the quiet beauty of that country’s Karoo desert was threatened with uranium mines, farmers opposed it. But it was a tiny, rare plant that saved the day. We pay tribute to a tireless South African activist, Muna Lakhani, who has departed the planet, but whose spirit shines on. And we remember three US anti-nuclear activists also now gone. (b) Germany: The battle to stop a nuclear reprocessing plant in the 1980s is best remembered by startling news footage of near riots and police brutality. But Oliver Haffner’s dramatic film about Wackersdorf is a quieter look at one man’s change of heart. In our second article, that man, elected official, Hans Schuierer, relates how he arrived at his decision to oppose the nuclear plant, and a tribute by Claus-Peter Lieckfeld recalls that Schuierer was charged with treason for his resistance (the case was eventually dropped.) (c) USA: Peace walkers crossed the boundary”line” at the Nevada National Security Site, this year enduring jail time and now facing potential charges. John Amidon recounts the Sacred Peace Walk. And a new film, The Beginning of the End of Nuclear Weapons, opens in New York, telling how ordinary citizens worked to get the nuclear Ban Treaty. Tony Robinson reports. (d) 10th June: A nuclear power plant in Florida took 13 years to come up with a sea turtle excluder device (TED) that didn’t work. The country’s TED expert said it was designed to fail and offered an alternative. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission simply removed the requirement. So sea turtles and other threatened and endangered species will continue to be harmed and killed. And an insider who once thought nuclear power had a future now says it should be banned. Libbe HaLevy delves into Greg Jaczko’s memoir.
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3. ICAN:  Paris’s Mayor Anne Hidalgo has committed the City of Paris to the ICAN Cities appeal, pledging to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  Paris joins Washington DC, Manchester and a host of other cities around the world to work for entry into force and implementation of the UN ban on nuclear weapons.   The recent collapse of the INF Treaty, the US withdrawal from the Iran-Deal and a new nuclear arms race have made nuclear weapons one of the main security threats facing Europe.
In August, the INF Treaty will formally end, leaving previously banned medium-range missiles – missiles meant for obliterating European cities – legal for the US and Russia to deploy. MEPs have a responsibility to protect citizens and make sure that weapons of mass destructions are not threatened, or used, to indiscriminaitely harm civilians. ICAN pledge for MEPs Sign the ICAN Pledge
See also: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-agreement-will-be-tough-at-2020-nuclear-treaty-review/2019/05/10/70dd0584-738d-11e9-9331-30bc5836f48e_story.html
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4. NFLA:  (a) media release 14th May 2019 NFLA welcomes Renfrewshire Council resolution on nuclear weapons divestment as its Scottish Forum discusses ‘Just Transition’ and a low carbon local energy response to the ‘climate emergency’
 (b)  The presentations from the NFLA Scotland Forum seminar in Dundee City Chambers can be found at – http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/presentations/nfla-scotland-spring-seminar-dealing-with-climate-change-just-transition-and-divestment-issues/

5. Peace & Justice Centre  (a) On 1 and 2 June we will be at the Meadows festival. f you can help out please email us if you are coming along to the Meadows Festival for the day – make sure you come and visit us and say hello!(b) ‘Kites not killer drones’ – in the sunshine? Our event this year was very wet and rainy, so we’ve decided to re-run it, in the warm and (hopefully) sunny summer. As in the spring event, we will be in the Meadows helping children (and adults) make kites, there will be face-painting, music, and food from the Refugee Community Kitchen The summer event takes place on Sunday 30 June from 1pm – 4pm. Please put the date in your diaries. Again, we are looking for volunteers to help on the stall, make kites and face paint. It’s a really lovely event when the sun’s out. If you would like to volunteer please email the office.    ++++++(c)Where Next on Climate Emergency? 6 for 6.30 – 8.30pm, Wed 26 June G21 Paterson’s Land, Moray House School of Education St John’s St, EH8 8AQ                                                                                                                            .————–

6. On May 24, the International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament, UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres released a video message highlighting the importance of disarmament, in particular nuclear disarmament.

‘Today the global security environment is threatened from many sides‘ said Mr Guterres. ‘Regional nuclear challenges persist. And tensions between nuclear armed rivals have intensified.’ Also on May 24, 2018, in connection with International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament and the launch of Securing our common future, PNND women members from around the world released a joint appeal Common security for a sustainable and nuclear-weapon-free world calling on governments, parliaments and civil society to act together to implement the UNSG’s disarmament agenda

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We will hold the conference call twice. You choose which one to join: (i) Thursday June 6 at 12 noon New York time; This call is primarily for those in the Americas and/or planning on being in New York for the counting. Click here to register for the call. (ii) Monday June 10 at 9 am Central Europe time: This call is primarly for those in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Click here to register for the call.                  ———————                                                                                                                                   7(a) NEW POST 10th June from PNND and the Basle Peace Office: The Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström today hosted a meeting in Stockholm of high-level representatives (mostly foreign ministers) from 16 countries to elevate political attention to nuclear risks, and to inject new life into the nuclear disarmament commitments made by States parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).The participating governments include a mix of non-nuclear countries (Argentina, Finland, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland) and allied countries under extended nuclear deterrence policies (Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea and Spain) making this a very credible and potentially effective group.The ministerial meeting is part of a ‘Stepping Stones initiative‘ introduced by Sweden to the NPT Preparatory Committee meeting in May 20                                                                                   ————                                                                                                                                                       8. Events in London: (a) Special evening to celebrate the life and legacy of former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, on Monday 3 June 5pm to 8pm at London’s prestigious Central Hall Westminster – where the first UN Secretary-General was appointed in 1946. (b) Give Peace A Dance is an evening of music, spoken word and politics Notting Hill Arts Club in support of CND. Early bird tickets are available for £7.50. Full price is £10. (c) Ambassador Robert Gallucci, Dr Dan Plesch, Chair Henrietta Wilson 25 June 2019 1:00 PM to 3PM in Russell Square: College Buildings Room: KLT     (d) CND is delighted to announce our full line up of punk-disco bands for our Give Peace A Dance evening is here                                                                                                                                                                —————-                                                                                                                                              9. Berlin  http://uraniumfilmfestival.org: Next Uranium Film Festival screening and round table event with documentaries about depleted uranium weapons in Berlin, June 24th, 7 pm. Venue: Zeiss Großplanetarium in Prenzlauerberg. All are invited!                                                                                                                                                 ——————–                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              10. Los Alamos Study Group http://www.lasg.org/ for news from the US     STOP PRESS: includes a press release 4th June:Administration to conduct environmental analysis of plutonium warhead core (“pit”) production in SC; mayanalyze NM production; NNSA’s plan may violate 1998 court order and other applicable law  ++++++10th June Bulletin 258: Administration announces plan to conduct environmental analysis of plutonium warhead core (“pit”) production in SC, no comparable commitment in NM                                                                                                                       —————                                                                                                                                             11. Other events: (i) https://www.edinburghyeshub.info for buses to Galashiels for the Indy demo on 1st June (ii) To Yemen with Love, From Scotland Saturday 15 June. 3pm – 6pm (plus afterparty) Glasgow G3 6PE Recommended by Edinburgh CAAT (iii) Annual Inter-Faith Occasion for World PeaceTuesday 26 June. 7:15 – 9pm. St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, Edinburgh EH1 2DP +++++++++(iv) A PLEA The bus for the Oban Indy demo leaves the Edinburgh Hub 31 Lasswade Road at 9am and will pick up opposite Murrayfield Hotel at 9-20. Please book edinburghyeshub.info  events  although we have to pay the bus this Friday you can book by going on site and when payment comes up press pay on line, this way you can pay when you can afford it.
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AND A REMINDER:

42789301Copies now available from Edinburgh CND, email us on Edinburgh CND@yahoo.com AND 2nd June Meadows Festival and 8th June Leith Gala (see first item)

STOP PRESS: Without fanfare, Chernobyl has become unmissable TV, according to Sky.https://news.sky.com/story/how-chernobyl-quietly-topped-the-tv-charts-11732879 The show is harrowing and unrelentingly bleak, with some complicated science to get to grips with. It is a western-made drama about a disaster that occurred in the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago, and we already knew the ending. But seemingly from nowhere, this five-part mini-series is now the show that everyone is talking about. (Sorry, Game Of Thrones). After just three episodes, Chernobyl topped film and TV database IMDB’s list of the greatest 250 TV shows of all time – quite an accolade.

When there was still one episode to go The Economist said it was the highest-rated television series of all time. (Economist 3rd June 2019 https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/06/03/chernobyl-is-on-track-to-become-the-highest-rated-tv-series-ever)

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News mid-May update

EVENTS:
Rest of MAY
1. Wednesday 15 May. Conscientious Objectors Day Vigil 5 – 6pm. NOTE VENUE CHANGE: Now at:Outside Register House, by the Wellington Statue, East End of Princes St
Remember COs of the First World War who were not released until 2019 and those of all wars, including present day COs. With songs by Protest in Harmony, reading of names of COs and brief talks by a few descendants of COs. If you are a CO descendant or a CO yourself and would be willing to speak or if you would like to bring a poem to read or song to sing please contact us here.
2. Scottish CND are delighted to say that Francis Daehoon Lee – a founding member of the South Korea People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy organisation is speaking at a pubic meeting organised by Scottish CND on Wednesday May 15 at 7 pm in the Unite the Union Building at 145 – 165 West Regent Street Glasgow G2 4 RZ. Frances will also be in Edinburgh on Thursday 16th (email edinburghcnd@yahoo.com for more details)
3. Thursday 16th May: Faslane Peace Campers in court (see below)
4. Friday 17th May: CAAT and Transition Edinburgh: DSEI 2019 Awareness Raising 5.30-8.30pm Fri 17 May St Leonards Land EH8 8AQ
5. Saturday 18 May (a) 9.30am to 5pm How We Win: Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigningalso at St Leonard’s Land Rm 3.24, (b) CANCELLED Stop the War stall at the east end of Princes Street 12.30 – 2pm.THE STALL IS CANCELLED (weather)
6. Monday 20th May: (a) Edinburgh Stop the War meets in the NEW Peace and Justice Centre at 7.30pm (b) Peace Education (4pm) and Peace of History (6pm) meet in the SCND office in Glasgow
7. Friday 24th May: Youth Strike for Climate UPDATE 23rd May Join in the second big strike!Meeting at the bottom of Middle Meadow Walk at 10:30-11am and marching down to the Scottish Parliament! 
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Early JUNE
Once again we’re having our ‘Plants For Peace’ stall at the Meadows Festival.
Saturday and Sunday the 1st and 2nd of June. We will be alongside Edinburgh Stop The War, creating a good peace space.
This is our biggest event of the year, enjoyable, but tiring! raising our profile and earning the cash we need for our campaigning against nuclear weapons.
We need your help, please get in touch if you can offer any help whatsoever.
Have you got time to help run the stall? (a total of 40 one hour slots from 10 on Saturday 1st, 11 on Sunday 2nd).
Can you grow and donate plants? Herbs, veg and flowers do well, we’ve also sold trees, houseplants and even nettles!!
We need to spend money to make money – can you donate cash to help pay for the stall, transport, publicity, etc?
The following Saturday we will have a presence at the Leith Festival and will be looking for help with that too.
Please let us know if you can help in any way.
We look forward to hearing from you edinburghcnd@yahoo.com
N.B.3rd/4th June:  Donald Trump visits UK: watch this space for events in Scotland
Book
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Other News:
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 1(a) THE CHERNOBYL PRIVILEGES by Alex Lockwood. We have copies of this thriller available http:/tinyurl.com/alexlockwood. Email edinburghcnd@yahoo.com to reserve your copy

1 (b) Hunterston B EDF have again changed their intended start date of the less badly cracked of the two reactors at Hunterston B.  They will likely continue to do this so that should they get permission to restart they will have given appropriate notice.  We continue to believe both reactors should be permanently closed.                                                  ——————

2. SCND News: The first four months of 2019 have been hectic and we have covered a lot of ground with the launch of Scotland Not Trident, a campaign to highlight the ways in which money saved by scrapping Trident and its replacement could be better used for socially useful purposes such as housing, jobs and tackling climate change. We’ve held meetings around NATO and attended meeting to link in with our partners in ICAN in the UK and in Scotland.
We would like to thank all the volunteers who have been out come rain or shine to leaflet and have meaningful discussions with the public around the issue of nuclear weapons in our country. In this May newsletter we’ll cover Jobs Not Trident, the launch of NIS’s report Trouble Ahead as well as the discussions taking place in New York at the 2019 NPT PrepCom and how you can take part in the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament this summer as well as an event with a very special guest (see 2. above)
Also see https://banthebomb.org for how you can help SCND
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3. A quick update on the legal proceedings of the faslane peace campers.
Thursday 09 May was the intermediate diet for the trial of the two campers, arrested after blockading Faslane’s South gate a few weeks ago.
Willemien Hoogendoorn was present and representing herself. She entered a plea of Not Guilty to the two charges. Her co-defendant, Magnuss Petersson did not appear in court, with his lawyer citing a family emergency.
A further intermediate diet has been set for  Thursday, May 16. The trail will proceed the next day on May 17 at 10am at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.
Anyone who would be able to join us next Friday with a banner or two would be more than appreciated! We anticipate Friday will also mark Willemien’s release from prison, so we’ll be taking her for some food and a catch up afterwards also. All are welcome!
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4. CNDUK: 500 people took part in a CND protest and Christian CND vigil outside Westminster Abbey to oppose a thanksgiving service to mark 50 years of Britain’s Continuous At Sea Nuclear Deterrent.
200 people lay down in front of the Abbey to take part in a ‘die-in’ to represent the victims of nuclear war. Musician Brian Eno, Bruce Kent, and three Anglican vicars were among those who attended.
The campaign was reported on in all the mainstream newspapers, as well as on BBC News, Sky News and in the international media too. You can watch BBC London’s excellent report on the protest here or listen to Kate Hudson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. It also inspired a number of strong opinion pieces by Bishop Roger Morris Rachael Maskell MP Caroline Lucas MP and CND’s very own Kate Hudson and Bruce Kent. Read Campaign: May edition Download Campaign: May edition
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5. Beyond Nuclear International https://beyondnuclearinternational.org 1.Alexander Kmentt, an Austrian who played a leading role in getting the UN nuclear weapons ban treaty, wants the nuclear states to seriously consider the humanitarian arguments against possession of nuclear weapons. Paul Dewar, the Canadian politician who has died at 56, saw his illness as “a blessing.” After a lifetime of campaigning against nuclear weapons, he spent his last year finding a way to unleash the power of the young. 2. Enthusiastic physicists love to tout fusion as the miracle nuclear energy source. But humans have so far failed to crack it, and furthermore, writes Daniel Jassby, the claims about a fusion reactor’s safety and lack of waste aren’t as promising as they sound. A closed nuclear power plant in Snowdonia National Park in Wales could be replaced by small modular reactors. The fight is on to stop it. We visit Trawsfynydd. (If you are watching HBO/SKY “Chernobyl”, check out our many Chernobyl articles.)                                 ——————-
+++6. Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NVLA) have media release welcoming Renfrewshire Council’s resolution that urges divestment of Council pension funds from companies involved in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. It also notes support for the ICAN Cities Appeal and outlines its seminar on climate emergency resolutions, Just Transition and wider divestment issues held in Dundee City Chambers. http://www.nuclearpolicy.info
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7. Los Alamos Study Group http://www.lasg.org/:Bulletin 255: Special Report: “Draining the Nuclear Swamp”
Bulletin 256: The Great Transformation: Nuclear Weapons Policy Considerations for Congress

 Bulletin 257: Pentagon pit study: The Trump plutonium pit schedule is impossible. NNSA: 2 warheads are delayed                                                                                                                  —————-                                                                                                                                                 8. Australia: Walkatjurra Walkabout click here                                                                                ——————–                                                                                                                                      ++++9.NPT update https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-agreement-will-be-tough-at-2020-nuclear-treaty-review/2019/05/10/70dd0584-738d-11e9-9331-30bc5836f48e_story.html?utm_term=.fdba213722e3

and a reminder that the ‘Citizens Committee on the Arms Trade’ event will take place at 6pm on May 22 in the Atlee Suite in Portcullis House, Westminster. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/citizens-committee-on-the-arms-trade-tickets-61091455187

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News May 2019

NEW LEAFLET Available at all Edinburgh Events! People Power not Military PowerIMG_4375EVENTS IN MAY
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has confirmed it will go ahead with protests against a Royal Navy thanksgiving service to mark 50 years of Britain’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD) at Westminster Abbey on Friday. Further details on the CND web site and below News item 2
1. Saturday 4th May: Edinburgh May Day March and rally (supported by Edinburgh CND). Assemble 1130 Johnston Terrace and march off (with the Edinburgh CND banner) at 1200.  Rally 1230 at the pleasance theatre. Penny Stone will be singing for Edinburgh CND and we will have a stall.
2. Sunday 5th May: Stall at May Day book fair Kirkgate Community Centre Leith 12 noon to 6pm
3. Tuesday 7th May: regular organising meeting 6pm at Peace and Justice Centre. NOTE new address: 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX
4. Friday 10th May: NVLA meeting in Dundee (see main post)
5. Saturday 11th May:12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street JOBS NOT TRIDENT. This will run alongside Edinburgh Stop the War’s ‘Solidarity with Palestine’ stall.   After both: 140,000 Origami Peace Cranes Workshop 2 – 4pm at the NEW Peace and Justice Centre
6. Wednesday 15 May. Conscientious Objectors Day Vigil 5 – 6pm. NOTE VENUE CHANGE: Now at:Outside Register House, by the Wellington Statue, East End of Princes St
Remember COs of the First World War who were not released until 2019 and those of all wars, including present day COs. With songs by Protest in Harmony, reading of names of COs and brief talks by a few descendants of COs. If you are a CO descendant or a CO yourself and would be willing to speak or if you would like to bring a poem to read or song to sing please contact us here.
7(a).Friday 17th May: CAAT and Transition Edinburgh: DSEI 2019 Awareness Raising 5.30-8.30pm Fri 17 May St Leonards Land EH8 8AQ
7(b)Saturday 18 May, 9.30am to 5pm How We Win: Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigningalso at St Leonard’s Land Rm 3.24,
8. CANCELLLED Saturday 18th May: Edinburgh Yes Hub are having a rally St Katherines Park CANCELLED
9. Friday 24th May: Youth Strike for Climate 10am Scottish Parliament
And in June: Here’s an updated link to the page where you can book tickets for the Edinburgh film screening event. Please feel free to share among your networks.Tuesday 11th June  6:30 PM – 9 PM Grassmarket Community Project Candlemaker Row: Film screening “War School: The Battle for Britains Children”
NEWS
1. A statement from Scottish CND on Chernobyl disaster – April 26 2019 is the 33rd anniversary of what is known as the Chernobyl disaster .
This was a catastrophic nuclear incident that occurred in the No 4 nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant . The location was the town of Pripyat , in northern Ukraine .This incident is considered the most disastrous nuclear power plant incident in history , both in terms of costs and casualties . According to the World Nuclear Association – two Chernobyl plant workers died on the night of the incident and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation poisoning .
According to a 2006 study by Elisabeth Cardis of the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon by year 2065  the incident at Chernobyl will have caused 16, 000 cases of thyroid cancer and 25,000 cases of other cancers . Research by the European Parliament also indicates that the incident caused a major release of nuclear radioactive material into the atmosphere .This research also shows that the incident had a major impact on both agricultural and natural ecosystems in Belarus , Russia and Ukraine .
the thoughts of Scottish CND members and supporters and the wider Scottish Peace Movement were with our fellow human beings who have been affected by the Chernobyl incident as this sad anniversary comes about .                                            Reminder: we will be having a meeting on Chernobyl as part of the Edinburgh World Justice Festival in October
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2. From CNDUK: With Easter services at Westminster Abbey now over, preparations are in full swing for a nuclear weapons thanksgiving service set to take place on May 3.
We are doing everything we can to get the Abbey and the Defence Secretary to reconsider their plans to host this morally repugnant service. Our campaign has already garnered much attention in the press.
Nuclear weapons should not be celebrated. Their use would lead to the indiscriminate killing of hundreds of thousands of people and provoke a nuclear exchange that would threaten all life on our planet.
It is incumbent on us all, at every level of society, church and government, to work towards of nuclear-free world.
Take action: Please write to the Dean of Westminster to ask him to reconsider his decision to host the service. It takes just 1-minute using our lobby tool.Thank you to the thousands who have already written in.                                                           Join the CND No Thanksgiving for Nuclear Weapons protest outside Westminster Abbey on the day of the service                                                                                                               During the church service there will  be a ‘die-in’ to represent the millions killed in the event of nuclear war.                                                                                                                  Christian CND will conduct a service of repentance led by CND vice-president Bruce Kent.     Westminster Abbey Protest: No Thanksgiving For Nuclear Weapons  Gather at 11am outside Westminster Abbey on May 3 Look for the CND banner • Share the event on Facebook
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3. The long-awaited Report of the House of Lords International Relations Committee on “Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the NPT”  has now been published:    House of Lords – Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – Select Committee on International Relations  Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to a new report by the House of Lords International Relations Committee into the rising threat of nuclear weapons use.  Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
“We welcome the report which calls on the UK government to endorse the principle that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.’ With increasing geopolitical tensions, destruction of fundamental arms control treaties, and the continued development of new nuclear weapons, the UK must do more to support global disarmament initiatives. The report is right to criticise the government’s lack of engagement with the UN’s new nuclear weapons ban treaty. It calls out the ‘aggressive tone about the treaty’ which in practice has meant the UK boycotting talks and offering little encouragement to countries that have embraced this exciting diplomatic initiative. The report does however fail to address the hypocrisy of the government in continuing to waste money on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. The replacement of our nuclear weapons is contrary to our Non-Proliferation Treaty commitments and is set to cost at least £205bn which could be better spent on jobs, homes, education and health.” “The report does however fail to address the hypocrisy of the government in continuing to waste money on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Notes Threat of nuclear weapons use has risen, says Lords Committee Click to download the “Rising nuclear risk, disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty” report. (24/04/2019)

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4. The Basle Peace office, PNND and UNFoldZERO co-sponsored organised a very successful international conference on April 12-13, Move the Nuclear Weapons Money: Invest in the Future, which was hosted by the Basel City Kanton/government (see conference report below), and we are co-sponsoring a Move the Nuclear Weapons Money side event at the 2019 Non-Proliferation Treaty prep com at the United Nations on (May 7, 2019 (details below).

this unique event which was hosted by the City of Basel on April 12-13. The conference brought together legislators (parliamentarians and city councilors), climate change and disarmament experts, investment fund managers and activists to address and reverse the corporate and financial interests which are maintaining a fossil fuel based economy and a nuclear arms race.The conference advanced two key tools:          Divestment from nuclear weapons and fossil fuel industries:                                         Investment in peace and sustainability, with a focus on investments by governments, pension funds, cities, universities, religious organisations and banks.  For more information see:

UNFOLD ZERO and the Basle Peace Office also  encourage participation in the Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting in New York on Sunday 5th May.

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5. The May issue of nuClear News is now available for downloading at:
6. Beyond Nuclear International: US nuclear plants aren’t prepared for extreme floods and earthquakes. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s majority Republican commissioners just decided that’s not necessary, changing its own staff’s recommended safety enhancements from required to voluntary. Eduardo Soto Pérez’s 30-minute drama imagines a future where a nuclear accident that could have been prevented actually happens. His feature film — La Fuga (The Leak, in Spanish with English subtitltes) acts out the consequences of a serious accident at a nuclear waste storage facility.                        —————
7. CNDUK: The Office of Nuclear Regulation has announced a decision to prosecute Devonport Royal Dockyard, where Trident submarines are refitted and refuelled, over health and safety breaches. In December it was reported that cranes that lift nuclear fuel at the dockyard had been halted amid a series of safety alerts. It has now emerged that the dockyard had breached crane regulations during work on the HMS Vanguard nuclear weapons submarine in September 2018 when a weight narrowly missed a worker. The case is due to open on 23 July at Plymouth Magistrates Court.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “News of this safety breach is alarming, not least because it is just the latest in a long list of incidents that have occurred over many years. Indeed, unsafe practices have dogged not only Trident submarines but the nuclear weapons infrastructure overall. The very least we should expect from the Ministry of Defence is the highest level of safety standards in dealing with such dangerous weapons. No one wants to see a nuclear accident.”
                                                                                                                                                                          —————

8.Update on Hunterston B  

On April 25, EDF (Électricité de France) gave notice to the Hunterston Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) that they have submitted a safety case for restarting one of the two reactors that make up Hunterston B, ie reactor 4, and it declared a restart date for reactor 4 of May 14th. Reactor 4 has less cracking in its graphite core than reactor 3. Note that EDF is legally required to give notice to the National Grid of any proposed restart date and EDF’s declaration does not mean R4 actually will restart then. For more info email edinburghcnd@yahoo.com

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Other Events:
1. CAAT Edinburgh – Schools Sessions Planning Group
Thursday 9 May at 7pm to 9pm
Please email us on CAATEdinburgh@live.com for location details!                                    2.World Fair Trade Gathering 
Saturday 11 May at 5pm
at Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Concert and ceilidh with loads of exciting bands and musicians

4. Organised by Lloyd Russell Moyle MP, member of Parliament’s arms export control committee (CAEC), an alternative ‘Citizens Committee on the Arms Trade’ event, at 6pm on May 22 in the Atlee Suite in Portcullis House, Westminster.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/citizens-committee-on-the-arms-trade-tickets-61091455187

5. Securing China’s Northwest Frontier Identity and Insecurity in Xinjiang A talk by Dr David Tobin of Manchester University Tuesday 14th May at 7 p.m. in The Brass Monkey 14 Drummond St, Edinburgh EH8 9TU

 

+++++6. Scottish CND are delighted to say that Francis Daehoon Lee – a founding member of the South Korea People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy organisation is speaking at a pubic meeting organised by Scottish CND on Wednesday May 15 at 7 pm in the Unite the Union Building at 145 – 165 West Regent Street Glasgow G2 4 RZ