Author: edinburghcnd

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Edinburgh CND and COVID-19

 

The Edinburgh CND April meeting will be held on-line with the aid of ZOOM. Further details to follow.

COVID-19: A message from Scottish CND and Edinburgh CND
We are facing an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus across the world and here in Scotland which is particularly threatening to those in our communities who are older and/or have underlying health conditions. We encourage our members and supporters to follow the official NHS Scotland advice found here.
The Scottish CND office will be closed to visitors for the foreseeable future and staff will mostly be working from home so if you have a non-urgent query please get in touch via scnd@banthebomb.org or leave a voicemail for us on 0141 357 1529. Membership, online shop orders and payments will be processed as usual, maybe with a small delay.                                                                                                                     With the help of the internet, other campaigning can continue even in lockdown – researching, letter writing and lobbying from home. Our website has various current suggestions – protesting radioactive discharges into the Gare Loch, calling for the closure of Hunterston nuclear power station and checking your local authority shows support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by signing the ‘Cities Appeal’. All of these issues concern both nuclear weapons and the environment. If you feel you want the information you cannot find then please get in touch.

The CND office in London is also shut: They explain that these are frightening times for millions of people around the world. But this global pandemic was predicted in successive government security assessments. So why are we so unprepared?
Twisted priorities have seen billions of pounds wasted on nuclear weapons rather than preparing for the situation we now find ourselves in.
This is why we’re urging our supporters to write to their MP to tell them it’s time for the government to wash its hands of Trident so we can begin to address the real security threats we face. Hundreds have already taken part, and we ask you to spread the message further. Click here for the lobby tool.It’s also a crucial time to make the case for NHS not Trident.

Internationally: Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament are also monitoring parliamentary action and policy analysis of the coronavirus pandemic situation and the connections to security policy.
See for example the article National security is too crude to protect us from pandemics: It’s time to shift to human security’ by PNND Council MemberJonathan Granoff and published in Newsweek. Also of interest could be To address the corona virus: Shift resources from nukes and the military to public health and the economypublished by Move the Nuclear Weapons Money, and the blog PNND and the Coronavirus.
“We are at war with the coronavirus. We need a massive wartime manufacturing mobilization for coronavirus testing kits and personal protective equipment for medical personnel. We need to activate our capable and talented domestic industry and bring the full power of the federal government to bear in responding to this viral enemy.”
PNND Co-President Senator Ed Markey. Letter to President Trump, March 15, 2020. See PNND and the Coronavirus.
Move the Nuclear Weapons Money published a blog, To address the corona virus: Shift resources from nukes and the military to public health and the economy, which explores these issues and the budget decisions which governments must make to address both the health and economic impacts of the corona virus pandemic.

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND March Events

MARCH EVENTS
1. Tuesday 3rd Edinburgh CND business meeting 6.30pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
2. Thursday 5th 50th anniversary of Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
3. Saturday 14th 1230 leafletting Princes St
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND Events February 2020

EVENTS
1. Tuesday 4th Edinburgh CND business meeting 6pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
2. Saturday 8th 1230 leafletting East end of Princes St
3. 14th-16th ICAN Campaigners Forum, Paris
4.Thursday 20th February: A special daytime (1 – 2.15 pm) at The Scottish Parliament screening of Peter Watkin’s “The War Game” (1966 Academy Award winning TV documentary) followed by panel discussion. Please intimate interest by sending an email to scnd@banthebomb.org before 12th Feb.
5. Tuesday 3rd March Edinburgh CND business meeting 6.30pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX
NEWS
Can be found on the following sites:
Scotland:
Scotland Stop the War http://www.scotlandstopwar.org
Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre http://peaceandjustice.org.uk
UK
Nuclear Free Local Authorities http://www.nuclearpolicy.info
International:
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND News January 2020

Stop Press 21st June:

On January 24, 1946, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted by consensus its very first resolution, Res 1 (I), which established a commission of the UN Security Council to ensure the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction. The ensuing Cold War dashed the early hopes of the commission implementing the resolution, as nuclear weapons became entrenched in the policies of the USA, Russia and the three other permanent members of the Security Council – China, France and the UK.However, the UN resolution remains valid as setting a core objective of the United Nations, and contributing to customary international law requiring the global abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Simple actions you can take to commemorate January 24:

On January 28, Move the Nuclear Weapons Money will testify at a New York City Council public hearing on draft resolution Resolution 976 which calls on New York City to divest its public pension funds from the nuclear weapons industry, and Initiative 1621 to reaffirm New York City as a nuclear weapons-free zone and establish an advisory committee to implement this status.

STOP PRESSES FROM 15th Jan:

1. From CND 1.2 UK The UK government has announced today it is formally reporting Iran for not abiding by its commitments to the nuclear deal it signed in 2015, while the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would support a ‘Trump deal’ instead. The crisis is certainly deepening; read more in this month’s magazine. But we don’t just have bad news for you! Read as well about progress on the international treaty banning nuclear weapons. Read Campaign: January edition
Download Campaign: January edition

2.2 17/1 Campaigners hit back at the inclusion of peace organisations in a counter-terrorism police document, as reported in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/…/greenpeace-included-with-neo-…Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:Why is CND listed in a police counter-terror list? We have over 60 years of peaceful protest to our credit and an open, democratic structure and policy process. We have no secrets and act in the public interest.‘It is nuclear bombs that terrorise people, not our campaign which works to eradicate weapons of mass destruction.

2. from SCND 2.1 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock symbolises how close we are to total catastrophe due to human-generated existential threats. It is currently set at only two minutes to midnight. When reset on Thursday 23rd January at 3:00pm GMT it is predicted to be closer still because of the continued climate emergency and risk of nuclear war. Both are heightened by new threats to democracy across the world.
2.2 Faslane Peace Camp are crowdfunding to raise money in particularly for building materials and tools to help complete their new bathroom/washroom. They know this project has been sorely needed for a number of years and they hope that this update will make the camp a safer and more welcoming environment for new guests, visitors and residents. You can donate to the crowdfunder via the link below and read more about it there. 
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EVENTS: JANUARY 2020:
1. Tuesday 7th January: Regular organising meeting 6pm at Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX.
2. Thursday 9th January: No War with Iran. Protest/vigil 1730 to 1830 East End princes Street: The assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani is an act of war by Donald Trump. The act was carried out in Baghdad, violating all agreements with the Iraqi government. Both Iran and Iraq will retaliate. Trump has been heading for war since tearing up the nuclear deal with Iran and if he succeeds will create a bigger war than we have seen in the Middle East. It will draw in major players across the region including Israel, Saudi Arabia and possibly Russia. CND in London add:
If Trump’s belicose actions are allowed to continue, aided and abetted by diplomatic and political support from the British Prime Minister and his government, a catastrophic war and nuclear proliferation are very likely. There will be a London demo on the 11th.
3. Saturday 11th January: 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street
4. Wednesday 15th January: EWJF round-up/organising meeting.https://www.facebook.com/events/433511740676639/
5. Monday 20th January: Edinburgh Stop the War open meeting 7.30pm on Monday 20th at the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre.  The Centre is in the basement of the Epworth Halls 25 Nicolson Square.  We’ll be discussing current events including Iran, Iraq and Libya and planning campaigning activities for the next couple of months.  You can download our Iran petition from the resources page of the www.scotlandstopwar.org website.
6. Saturday 26th January: CAAT strategy day: see 4 below
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NEWS
  1. From SCND: Post-election is the beginning of a new chapter in Scottish CND’s campaign for a nuclear-free Scotland working for a nuclear-free anti-racist world, and responding appropriately to the climate emergency. An anti-nuclear, anti-racist stance was explicit and high profile in the SNP campaign and the one remaining Labour MP in Scotland is known for his steadfast opposition to Trident. The election results outwith Scotland are a sober reminder that Scotland is currently part of a United Kingdom which is dead set on continuing to prioritise nuclear wepaons at the expense of genuine social and economic security, and to wilfully ignore the planetary crisis.
    (Some in SCND believe that) an independent Scotland will follow a better path than the road the UK is being led down. The power is in our hands to rid the whole of the UK from the scourge of nuclear weapons and we should now be planning the vital and sequential steps towards that end. Meanwhile, we must live and act as part of that global groundswell for peace and human security that is behind the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It is a sleeves up moment.
    At the same time we share the feelings of distress, dismay and actual grief that so many are experiencing today and we wish to express real and heartfelt solidarity with those who are even now picking themselves up to continue the hard struggle for equality, truth and justice. In particular, we saluate the courage and the persistence of those in the rest of the UK who work their socks off in the cause of nuclear disarmament in such a hostile climate. We are in this together.       NB Saturday 11th January Scottish CND participated in the march for Scottish independence to push for an independent Scotland free of nuclear weapons.
  2. CNDUK: 2.1 Many of us may still be disheartened at the Conservative Party victory in last week’s election. But as a movement we must hold our heads high and carry on our crucial campaign, whoever is in government. See the magazine for CND’s next steps. This issue also includes an article on possible further delays to the Trident replacement programme. Read Campaign: December edition Download Campaign: December edition       2.2     Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Brian Eno and Tez Ilyas will address a demonstration against the threat of war on Iran in central London on Saturday 11th. They will be joined by war veteran Joe Glenton, Stop the War’s Lindsey German, CND’s Kate Hudson and others.
  3. NFLA – On the 24th January the NFLA Scotland Forum will hold a business meeting, Annual General Meeting and a special seminar from 10am – 3pm in Glasgow City Chambers. The seminar will consider Hunterston B ongoing concerns, a vision for Scottish energy policy and the growing movement for divestment from Council pension funds of investment in nuclear weapon and fossil fuel companies. The seminar flyer is attached and registration is now open. On the 31st January the NFLA Steering Committee will hold a business meeting and its Annual General Meeting that were postponed from this month, due to the election. This meeting will be provisionally in the HM Coroner Conference Room, the Royal Exchange Building in Manchester city centre (access from St Ann’s Square) from 10.45am – 1.30pm. I strongly encourage all NFLA member and officer contacts to attend this meeting, which remains the most important of the year. Venues and dates for other meetings are being finalised and will be communicated as they are confirmed. The NFLA December newsletter considers the UK general election outcome and nuclear policy, the development of the Mayors for Peace European Chapter, NFLA plans for early 2020, our new climate emergency briefing, a planned nuclear emergency planning briefing and our external interaction in the month. Please disseminate it widely! The Annual 2019 newsletter gives a summary of all of the work of the NFLA Secretariat, and its interaction with its core partners, across the year.NFLA Website: http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages Mayors for Peace Website: MAYORS FOR PEACE – 平和首長会議        Mayors for Peace International Newsletter and the UK and Ireland Mayors, Provosts and Leaders for Peace Chapter Policy Briefing. I also provide a short progress report on Mayors for Peace activity.
  4. CAAT Edinburgh 2020 Strategy Day Saturday 25 January 2020, 10.30am to 5pm in Edinburgh (full address provided on registration) Campaign Against Arms Trade are growing in Scotland: our numbers of volunteers and activists are growing, we’re holding more and more demonstrations and protests about arms manufacturing and export, and we’re talking to more and more people about the need for peace. And we’ll be building even further on this in 2020! Please register by emailing Melanie on caatedinburgh@live.com
  5. ICAN International Forum: The forum will take place all-day (9:00 — 17:00) on Friday, 14 February, and Saturday, 15 February. An evening social event will be organised on Friday, as well as Saturday, for those that are sticking around Paris until Sunday. Tickets Paris.icanw.org!  Extra: New ICAN website: www.icanw.org 
  6. Latest edition of Peace and Justice Centre news: In this issue of Peace & Justice News we report on embroidery workshops for community engagement on the Opposing War Memorial project and on Collaborative Classrooms – an exciting new development on our Peacebuilders programme for primary schools moves into gear. As the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons moves closer to banning the bomb our origami peace cranes project has nearly reached its goal. There’s info on how to get involved in the next phase of the project. Plus there’s news of our involvement in XR Peace. Find out how to get involved in a P&J Affinity Group. All in Centre News. http://peaceandjustice.org.uk
  7. Los Alamos Study Group Bulletin 265: Please help us work this coming year! Also: important meetings Jan 2 & 8 in Santa Fe; Pope Francis and The Bomb
  8. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org:    8.1 This week we look at nuclear colonialism, in the United States and overseas. From the exploitation of uranium to the dumping of radioactive waste, indigenous and poor communities of color are disproportionately discriminated against and democracy has often been cast aside for corporate profit. We look at Congo and New Mexico as two examples.                                      8.2 The truth in the nuclear world is quite often stranger — and nastier — than fiction. But little comes close to the bizarre true story of the bird ladies of Sellafield whose pigeons became radioactive waste. Illinois is America’s nuclear power capital, but the harm done by nuclear power and weapons is a legacy largely buried. In a new University of Illinois exhibition, artists bring that “slow violence” to light.                                                                                                                  8.3 (added 13/01) It’s time to examine nuclear issues through a social justice lens and get women’s voices heard, writes Lilly Adams, who takes issue with the male-dominated arms control community. She is fighting to get the emotional equation firmly at the heart of arguments for nuclear abolition. Trump’s reckless decisions to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and assassinate a top Iranian general may be pushing that country closer to nuclear weapons development. Or will Trump just decide to use nuclear weapons on Iran himself? Linda Pentz Gunter examines these perilous developments.                                                                                       8.4 (added 20/1) “Our water and our Grand Canyon is under attack,” write Patricia Kelly and Robert Arnberger. A growing number of calls to open the Grand Canyon to uranium mining risks the drinking water supply for 40 million people and would desecrate the world’s most spectacular gorge. Actor and peace activist, Martin Sheen, who has been arrested scores of times for acts of civil disobedience, chose arrest once again to protest the new apocalypse, climate change. Linda Pentz Gunter talked to him about his latest cause.                              8.5 added 27/1 And still we march. On January 18, it was the Women’s March, where many issues important to women were loudly proclaimed on protest signs and in speeches. But would a woman lead us to nuclear war? Linda Pentz Gunter ponders these questions and more. On January 25, we marched again, this time to say “no war with Iran.” But what do we really know about Iran and its people? Vijay Prashad gives us some perspective on the country, its history, and the motivation behind US war-making in the Middle East.
  9. The countdown has already begun to the 2020 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. This is a once every five years opportunity where governments get together to review the progress they have made towards the goal of the Treaty – complete disarmament of all nuclear weapons.As we know, there has been little progress since the last Review conference: every nuclear weapons state is ‘modernising’ its arsenal. The UK is a major culprit. It signed the NPT in 1968, but continues to possess nuclear weapons, and has committed to replacing Trident. We need to act now to make sure our government participates in this conference at a high level, and takes its legal obligations seriously. This is particularly important as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons may well come into force this year. CNDUK is racing money for a Newspaper advert. If just 700 people donate £20 each, there’ll have enough to place the advert, but any amount will help towards the cost. The advert will feature your name, along with hundreds of others who want to see nuclear weapons banned for good. Please, help us support the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by making a donation and adding your name to our newspaper advert.
  10. BaslePeace Office, Unfold Zero  Basel, January 6 2020 – The winner of a new youth award, the Peace and Climate action of European Youth (PACEY) Award, will be announced on January 9, 2020 at an international event in Basel that is bringing youth leaders and policy makers together to address the existential threats to humanity from the climate crisis and nuclear weapons. STOP PRESS +++The Green Building Municipality project, a multi-ethnic youth gardening initiative from a conflict region in Kosovo 
    Young people around the world are becoming more active on climate, peace and disarmament issues out of a growing sense of urgency, and a frustration at insufficient government action to address these threats. Latest     update  highlights the recent United Nations resolution on Youth, disarmament and non-proliferation, the new UN resource on Disarmament and You(th), and initiatives/events of Move the Nuclear Weapons Money campaign, Abolition 2000 Youth Network, Basel Peace Office & PNND linking youth actions and voices on climate, peace and nuclear disarmament. (a)United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/64 adopted earlier this month onYouth, disarmament and non-proliferation; (b)Climate, peace and security: From youth voices to policy action, an upcoming event in Basel, Switzerland bringing policy makers together with youth leaders in climate, peace and nuclear disarmament movements; (c) Peace and Climate action of European Youth (PACEY) Award, a new award to support an outstanding or innovative European youth project or proposal for action on the climate, peace and nuclear disarmament; (d) Youth voices on climate, peace and nuclear disarmament, youth-led actions and initiatives connecting these issues; (e) Disarmament and You(th), a new UN resource.                                                      PNND add: 2019 was a tough year for nuclear disarmament, with increased tensions between nuclear-armed States and erosion of arms control and disarmament agreements including the INF Treaty and the Iran nuclear non-proliferation agreement (JCPOA).              ++++Since 1947, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has annually announced the level of risk to humanity from nuclear weapons (and more recently also from climate change) by setting the hands of the Doomsday Clock. The closer the hands are to midnight, the higher the risk to humanity of a nuclear or climate catastrophe. Watch live today (January 23 at 10am, Washington DC time) as the new setting for the Clock will be announced at the National Press Club by Gov. Jerry Brown (Bulletin Executive Chair), leaders of The Elders Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland), Ban Ki-moon (former UN Secretary-General), and the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “These expert warnings show how real the twin existential threats of nuclear warfare and the climate crisis are. Urgent action must be taken to avert disaster.

  11. New paper: Youth Contributions to Peacebuilding in Yemen: “The situation needs us to be active”, written by Kate Nevens, Marwa Baabbad and Jatinder Padda for Saferworld. The paper draws on our experience of working with youth organisations and activists in Yemen over the past decade, and looks at the heavy toll the conflict is taking on youth activism, as well as the vital roles that youth continue to play in their communities across Yemen. Please find the paper attached and a link to the Saferworld page here.

  12. UN Association have a part-time consultancy opportunity (from Feb – June 2020). It’s to provide support to the UK campaign to stop killer robots, particularly with regard to broadening membership of the group inc from the tech sector, working with parliamentarians and tightening up our advocacy asks. Details on request edinburghcnd@yahoo.com
  13. January Dovetails events include the following: 13.1 A C CLARKE DROCHAID LAUNCH Full details HERE  The EDINBURGH launch of the pamphlet will also be happening on Saturday the 18th of January at lunchtime (exact time TBC) at Citadel Bookshop 41, Montrose Terrace Edinburgh. 13.2 Dove Tales member Jim Aitken has will be editing an anthology of radical Scottish poetry to be published by Culture Matters.  Culture Matters runs a website and publishing operation and promotes a progressive, socialist-minded approach to the arts and culture. With so much inequality, unfairness and social disconnectedness in our society and the world around us, the word radical should be interpreted in a way that suggests writers feel they are in opposition to how certain things are, whether expressed through protest, satire, the hopeful imagining of a better world, or other creative responses. Please send no more than 2 poems and a short biog of around 50 words to jaitken53@gmail.com by 31 March 2020. It is hoped that the book will be published and launched in the summer of 2020.
  14. nuClear News No.121 January 2020 is now available for downloading here:
    www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/NuClearNewsNo121.pdf
  15. Message of Pope Francis for the celebration of the 53rd World Day of Peace (1 January 2020), 12.12.2019 http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/12/12/191212b.html
edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 10th December 2019 (Updated post-election)

The first meeting of 2020 will be on Tuesday 7th January 6pm in the Peace and Justice Centre, Epworth Halls

14/12: What the election means for CND: There is no doubt the extra Conservative MPs in England and Wales – and the loss of some anti-Trident Labour MPs – make a difficult parliamentary terrain for change in nuclear policy.

But the election results shouldn’t be interpreted as reflecting a growing enthusiasm for nuclear weapons. A recent article in The Times acknowledged that polling data showed falling support for Trident. Another poll commissioned during the election by the same newspaper asked whether the British prime minister should be willing to authorise the use of nuclear weapons. A minority said the PM should – 57% said they shouldn’t or they didn’t know.

During the general election, the Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson was heavily criticised for her glib ‘yes’ response to whether she would press the nuclear button. A CND video which highlighted her inappropriate reply was viewed over 1 million times and Swinson went on to lose her seat to a candidate from the anti-Trident Scottish National Party.
Scotland – an increased anti-nuclear majority 
The SNP gained an extra 13 seats, bringing their total to 48 out of 59 Scottish constituencies. Party leader Nicola Sturgeon spoke very clearly and passionately against nuclear weapons throughout the election, which won her plaudits on social media and big rounds of applause in the leaders’ debates. SNP MPs will be a powerful voice for nuclear disarmament in Westminster.
The role of our movement
We thank everyone who lobbied the election candidates – we received hundreds of replies. The legacy of this work is the relationships we have forged with candidates who are now MPs – we will now invite them to campaign with us in Parliamentary CND. Quite a number of candidates who weren’t elected have become members of CND and plan to work with us from their localities.
Nevertheless, the Conservative majority in Westminster will leave many feeling pessimistic. Our movement has a crucial role to play in turning around the political situation on vital existential questions. We must give voice to the growing millions who oppose nuclear weapons. We must strengthen our links and solidarity with other campaigning organisations and movements who strive to build a better, just, more peaceful world.
Our vision of a world without nuclear weapons is needed now more than ever – as is our experience and commitment to change. Success will not come from waiting and hoping that the next election will deliver something better. It will come from our continuing work – and its intensification which we begin today – building together the kind of world the majority of humanity wants to see.

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1. Our last organised event of 2019 will be on Saturday 14th December: 1230 Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street.Please join us.

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2. Two days before that (12th) will be the UK General Election. Donald Trump has been campaigning for Boris Johnson in the G.E., he has also been once again demanding that NATO member states increase their military spending to pay for US military projects and ambitions. This is an unacceptable undermining of national sovereignty over public spending decisions.
 Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrats) said politicians unwilling to use nuclear weapons were a threat to national security and  on the ITV leaders’ debates she confirmed, for the second time, she’s ready to press the nuclear button.
 On Labour’s manifesto Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said:
(it) ‘is a missed opportunity to address the growing threat of nuclear war, a threat as serious and urgent as the climate crisis. The manifesto commits a future Labour government to the old cold war status quo on nuclear weapons. Replacing the Trident submarines – at a cost of at least £205 billion -means Britain possessing nuclear weapons for many decades to come, weapons which are already rendered obsolete as a result of technological advances, new forms of warfare and changing security threats’
 CNDs updated 2-minute lobby tool can be used to email the candidates in your constituency about their views on Trident and nuclear disarmament. Please forward their responses to parliamentarycnd@gmail.com.  The information is published on the #VoteOutNukes database  and will help the public identify candidates who support peace and disarmament.

  • CND asked each candidate two questions

    1. Do you support cancelling the replacement of Trident?
    2. Do you support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?
    Hundreds of candidates have now replied. The good news is that most of those who replied answered yes to both questions. We were also heartened to see that many candidates told us they opposed nuclear weapons even though this isn’t the position of their party.
  • We’re delighted to publish today the results of the lobbying on our #VoteOutNukes database. Simply enter your postcode to discover what we know about the candidates in your constituency. If we didn’t hear back from a candidate, we have listed their party’s national policy instead.

  • See also Quercus Manifesto, section on Defence. Quercus Manifesto  

    UPDATE 11/12: CND’s #VoteOutNukes database gives a clear picture of what parties and candidates think about nuclear weapons, but what do the parties think about CND’s others campaigns?
    We’ve reviewed the manifestos of the Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the SNP. We hope our review will help you decide which party to vote for on polling day.
     CND review of the manifestos

  • 12/12: Rarely has an election been so important. We stand at a turning point: one way lies a Conservative government which will cement a Johnson/Trump alliance and put Britain firmly in the camp of the far right.The other way lies a new attempt to build a better type of society – more inclusive, equal, just and peaceful.We urge all our supporters to vote today. We hope the following information will be useful if you’re still deciding who to vote for.
  • WE WILL UPDATE AGAIN AFTER THE ELECTION: SEE TOP OF PAGE                                     —————————–
3. SCND held their AGM on 16th November. It was a very lively and interesting meeting. They have a host of new Executive Committee members and office bearers with a range of experience. The AGM minute and record of passed resolutions are available on the website, an introduction to our new Executive Committee will also be on there soon. They have also issued their end of year summary including reminders that they released four short reports on everything from nuclear power to the global alliances that play political monopoly with our planet. You can read each of them here.  and  Scotland: A Peace of History on tour across Scotland.
More is covered in the Autumn/Winter edition of Nuclear Free Scotland which will be mailed out to our members this week, in the mean time please read the Spring/Summer edition which is available via this link. 
December email newsletter also available
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4. There are a series of protests organised across Scotland to oppose the NATO Heads of State summit (including in Edinburgh). Thousands also marched in London and a counter summit was held with activists from across Europe and beyond  Further details including the full agenda are available online.CND says: The good news is that opposition to NATO is growing. In 2017, polls showed that 27% were ambivalent or opposed to the bloc. By 2019, that number has risen to 41%. Those who strongly support NATO has fallen from 42% to 25%. SCND adds Opposition to NATO is growing, a 2017 YouGov poll showed that 73% of the British public approved of NATO member and a recent 2019 poll showed that this number has since fallen to 59%. Within two years there was a fourteen percent drop in support for NATO, despite the media giving little to no coverage about the war policies made by the world’s largest nuclear-armed military alliance at these Heads of State summits. With your help to spread the message of peace and disarmament without NATO we can get that percentage of approval even lower.
But there is much more work to be done. One of the frustrating aspects of the NATO summit was the complete absence of discussion and debate about the bloc in the media. It is still assumed by many – including by the main political parties – that NATO is a good thing.
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5. Parliamentarians for Non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament: there will be three exciting PNND events in early 2020: Climate, peace and security: From youth voices to policy action in Basel, Switzerland on January 9-10; the PyeongChang Peace Forum in South Korea on February 9-11 and the PNND 2020 Global Assembly in Seoul,  South Korea on April 23-24.
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6. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org:  
6.1. This week we question the sanity of the human species — specifically our insistence on punishing and imprisoning those whose peaceful actions are designed only to prevent our own annihilation. John LaForge reminds us of the powerful words articulated by his sentencing judge in 1984, who saw the use of nuclear weapons as far more heinous than the protest of them. And Linda Pentz Gunter wonders why the existential threat of nuclear war is never mentioned on the campaign trail and elsewhere, even as we — finally — recognize climate change as a global emergency.
6.2. What the US left behind in Iraq, say scientists looking at the health effects, continues to ruin the country’s environment and poison its people. That includes thorium — a decay product of depleted uranium — found in the hair of children born to exposed mothers. But after leaving Iraq in 2011, says David Masciotra, the US acts like nothing ever happened. Those who opposed the Iraq war — and many others — deserve a national monument, argues Michael Knox. Why do we honour soldiers and veterans and not also those who strive for alternatives to war?                       +++++6.3When polled, Americans say the Green New Deal is too expensive. But 75% of them have barely heard of it. Is the media negligent in giving the climate crisis the urgency and coverage it deserves? What price is too high for our future? Linda Pentz Gunter asks these questions and more. An even higher price could be paid by all of us if India and Pakistan wage a nuclear war, says a new study. Global temperatures could drop between 3.5-9 degrees and worldwide famine would ensue. Daniel Stain reports. 
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7. NuClear News No.120 December 2019 is now available for downloading here.
www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NuClearNewsNo120.pdf

——————————                                                                                                                   8.The next Peace and Justice Centre origami cranes workshop is on Saturday 14 December from 2pm – 4pm at the Peace & Justice Centre in the basement of the City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicholson Square EH8 9BX. Come along to learn how to make origami cranes, help us inch closer to our target of 140,000 cranes, and find out how else you can get involved. They are also looking for temporary storage space for the cranes, if anyone can help.The event is on Facebook here.

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9. Nuclear Free Local Authorities: A report which is now also on the NFLA website (and shortly on the Mayors for Peace website) outlines the recent Mayors for Peace Executive Conference and the founding meeting of the European Chapter. The report also outlines some other relevant initiatives. http://www.nuclearpolicy.info – includes links to NFLA Facebook and Twitter pages
Mayors for Peace Website: http://www.mayorsforpeace.org
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10. Los Alamos Study Group Bulletin 264: LANL expansion, new mailing list, staff position available, news and views you can use http://www.lasg.org/
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11. Dovetails Next event is at the Scotia Bar on 10th December 7pm.
112 – 114 Stockwell St, Glasgow G1 4LW 

‘FLIGHT OF THE KURDS’ will be an entertaining and inspiring evening of musicians, poets and writers performing their work. The event is intended to raise funds for Kurdish refugees. We will be holding a raffle and making a collection for Heyva Sor, the beautifully named charity which aids Kurdish refugees.*And as always at the Scotia Bar, we will be providing free sandwiches.                                              ———————–                                                                                                                                                   12. Get some great presents and support our campaign against nukes by grabbing some official CND merchandise at cnduk.shop (also http://www.banthebomb.org)                                                                                                                  ——————–                                                                                                                            13.Stop the Jeju 2nd airport(Air Force Base) Project. We are hoping to collect as many signatures as possible by midnight of Dec. 16th (Korean time). Please read the story at the end of this email. It is the story of a man whose home is in the middle of planned runway and who is currently fasting against the Jeju 2nd airport. Please sign (If you have not done so yet) and spread it to your networks. Beside the existing English language petition, Japanese and Chinese language petitions were also recently made. If you can, please spread them, too. (But please sign only one language petition per person.)

 

edinburghcnd

Special Post 3rd December 2019 Oppose NATO

mail No to Nato rally TODAY 3rd December
Gather at 5.30 pm at the East End of Princes Street (Register House)
Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other NATO leaders are expected to attend a reception hosted by the Queen to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary. Please join us on  to show your opposition. Bring your banners, placards and friends     https://www.facebook.com/events/1307144789464996/

For more information on opposition to NATO: https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/14937/even-if-no-one-talking-about-it-nato-critical-issue-general-election

mail

Afterwards: Join us from 7pm at the Peace and Justice Centre Epworth Halls, Nicholson Square for our AGM and Seasonal Social.

NEXT EVENT : 6 Dec
ember
FRI





COP 25 – Vigil for Climate Justice

17:30
Please join the GREEN FRIDAY alliance for the vigil to demand CLIMATE
JUSTICE NOW from the Scottish and UK governments in the coming general
election, and from the UN after 25 years of failed international climate
talks.The rally starts with guest speakers at 5.30pm outside Usher Hall on
Lothian Rd. After this we will go to make a human chain along the
western end of Prince’s St from 6:15pm for a vigil for climate justice
and in solidarity with social justice protesters in Chile, where the
government has chosen to pull out of hosting COP 25, the latest UN
climate conference, rather than meet their demands. Please help join us in PUTTING PEOPLE AND PLANET BEFORE PROFIT, with banners, climate carols and Chilean waves, on this international day of
action. REGISTER:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vigil-for-climate-justice-at-cop-25-tickets-83356847575Bring your banners, placards, torches,whistles, music
Wear something bright. Wrap up warm!

END BIT: A SURVEY The P and J emailed asking people  to complete a survey in Consultation on development of Princes St Gardens & encourage space for their Peacemaking Heritage. Unfortunately one of the links did not work.

Here is the Correct LINK

 

edinburghcnd

Edinburgh CND news 13th November

STOP PRESS 18/11 There are just 25 days to go until the General Election.

That’s 25 days in which we can continue to make Trident – the UK’s immoral, expensive and militarily useless nuclear weapons system – a major issue in this election campaign.
We’ve already seen Trident making headlines. Politicians are glibly asked if they would ‘press the nuclear button’, as if doing so were just a game and not a decision that would kill many millions of people.
So now we need to really step up the pressure and let all candidates know that scrapping Trident is a vote-winner. And we’ve only got 25 days to do it. See item 8 below                                                                                                                                               Two weeks ago (Jo) Swinson said politicians unwilling to use nuclear weapons were a threat to national security and last night, on the ITV leaders’ debates, she confirmed for the second time she’s ready to press the nuclear button. But what do the others think?

21/11: Anti-nuclear campaigners have responded to Labour’s 2019 manifesto.
Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “Labour’s manifesto is a missed opportunity to address the growing threat of nuclear war, a threat as serious and urgent as the climate crisis.
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EVENTS:
1. Thursday November 14th: The planned NFLA meeting on Nov 14 in Motherwell has now been CANCELLED due to General Election purdah rules on local authority meetings. However there will be a meeting at the University of Edinburgh on at 3 pm in room LG 11 in the basement teaching area that you enter from George Square or the basement of David Hume Tower.  The meeting is to discuss the alarming new ONR evidence on the poor state of the reactors at Hunterston B. These were first revealed in newspaper articles in the Ferret on October 17 (see https://theferret.scot/hunterston-graphite-debris-nuclear/).
Ian Fairlie has kindly agreed to speak to the Edinburgh meeting and to answer questions. We shall also be discussing possible demands for the immediate distribution of prophylactic iodate tablets by EDF and the publication of 30 km evacuation zones near Hunterston and Torness.
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2. Saturday 16th November: 2.1 Scottish CND AGM at the Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House (7 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL) from 10:00am with special guest performer Rachel Sermanni and Scottish Youth Climate Strikers Kenneth McIvor and Grace Quinn. All welcome. Further information VIA THIS LINK
2.2 Evening: David  Rovics concert: Highly recommended. ‏‎David Rovics in concert‎‏
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3. Tuesday 19 Nov. NAE CASH FOR NUKES! Launch of the new Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland 2019 report. 6 for 6.30-8.30pm Edinburgh University Law School, Quad Teaching Room G.158, Old College, South Bridge EH8 9YL
Speakers: Linda Pearson, Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland.
Audrey Doig, Renfrewshire Councillor, NFLA Scotland Co-convenor.
John Finnie, Green Party MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
Please book via https://dbotb19nov.eventbrite.co.uk and
Note: Edinburgh Council hasn’t passed a resolution on nuclear weapons divestment, although we hope it will eventually, as it has passed the ICAN cities appeal resolution. Midlothian Council has passed a divestment resolution. The complete list of Scottish councils that have passed a divestment resolution is on this page: https://nukedivestmentscotland.org/local-authority-divestment-resolutions/                                                                                                   
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4. Thursday 28 November – Sunday 1 December. Conscience International conference. Quaker Meeting House, Edinburgh.
Speaker Thurs 28 Nov. Vijay Mehta on the idea of a Minister for Peace.
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5. Tuesday 3rd December:  No to NATO national demonstrationsmail

On Tuesday 3rd December, the Queen will be hosting a reception for NATO leaders at Buckingham Palace and protesters from a wide range of campaigning organisations will be there to greet the delegation. Crowds will be assembling in Trafalgar Square from 4pm where there will be speeches and music before setting off towards Buckingham Palace.
There will be supporting gatherings in Scotland including in Edinburgh 5.30 pm East End of Princes Street: https://www.facebook.com/events/1307144789464996/

There is also an anti-NATO summit in London on 30 November 2019 • 10.30  Britain’s membership of NATO is rarely discussed in the public arena. Many politicians talk like it’s an obviously good thing – some even cling to the bogus notion that NATO represents a high-point of international cooperation.                                                                                                                                 STOP PRESS 19/11 Campaigners say their plans to protest against Donald Trump’s visit to the UK in December are being curbed by the Metropolitan Police.
A coalition of groups are planning to protest outside Buckingham Palace during a reception for NATO leaders on December 3rd. In the wake of the unlawful ban on Extinction Rebellion protests in October, activists say the Met Police are insisting on draconian restrictions again for protests during the NATO summit. Kate Hudson, CND general secretary, said: “We wish to protest to make clear our opposition to Donald Trump and the NATO summit, but the police have offered us a protest site where sound amplification is banned and is set back away from Buckingham Palace behind a wall.—————————                                                                                                                                 6. Tuesday 3rd December: Edinburgh AGM and Seasonal social 7pm at Peace and Justice Centre, Epworth Halls  EH8 9BX. Immediately after the anti-NATO demo                      ——————–                                                                                                                           7. Saturday 7th December: 12 30, Leafleting at the East End of Princes Street.               ———————

8. Thursday 12th December GENERAL ELECTION. CND says: Now is the time to put nuclear weapons on the public agenda. So CND is taking action to make Trident an unignorable issue at this election and is launching a major campaign to lobby parliamentary candidates, to tell them that their views on nuclear weapons matter and can affect how we vote. The majority of us don’t want to see £205 billion wasted on replacing Trident – and we want newly elected MPs to oppose it. It’s vital that the peace and anti-war movements are mobilised to demand an end to what John Pilger dubs an ‘American invention designed to impose American power on Europe.’

Scottish CND adds: What does a general election mean for those of us who want nuclear disarmament? It is a chance to check out the position of all candidates before we decide who we vote for. Let’s make sure that Scotland only returns MPs that firmly OPPOSE nuclear weapons and support the 2017 UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that will ban them globally.REGISTER TO VOTE: A lot of people, especially young people, are not registered to vote because they may have just come of age or moved house since the last election. Check your own eligibility and encourage others. You can register to vote VIA THIS LINK. Those working, or otherwise away from home, can get a postal vote. Applications for postal votes must be received at least eleven working days before the election. Apply for a postal vote VIA THIS LINK.
Read more about the upcoming election in the latest edition of the UK CND magazine.  Plus, why it’s important for our campaigns to be inclusive.
Read Campaign: November edition
Download Campaign: November edition
Download election pack for full information about what your group could be doing in the run-up to this crucial moment.
See cnduk website for more information on our lobby tool.They will publish the information on our General Election database to help the public identify candidates who support peace and disarmament.
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OTHER NEWS:
1. nuClear News No.119 November 2019 is now available for downloading here: www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/NuClearNewsNo119.pdf
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2. Move the Nuclear Weapons Money: From October 24-30 (UN Disarmament Week), a team of volunteers in New York City counted out $542 billion – the approximate global nuclear weapons budget for the next five years – and symbolically reallocated this to climate protection, poverty alleviation and the Sustainable Development Goals.The money was counted in 542,000 mock notes each of value $1million.
‘We had hoped to count 1 million notes to make up $1 trillion, the nuclear weapons budget for the next ten years’ said Susanna Choe, Co-founder of Peace Accelerators and member of the core team of money counters. ‘But this amount of money is so vast, that even counting with notes of $1million and with many volunteers counting, it was too much.’ We filled basket after basket with billions of dollars,’ said Bill Kidd, Member of the Scottish Parliament and member of the core team of money counters. ‘This moneycould protect the climate, end poverty, ensure universal health care, support peace and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if it were not wasted on nuclear weapons.’
‘We are counting out one million mock notes totalling $1 trillion, the global nuclear weapons budget for the next ten years, and reallocating this to climate protection, ending poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,’ said Alyn Ware, PNND Global Coordinator.
‘This action demonstrates the massive wastage of money on nuclear weapons, and actions that people can take to cut nuclear weapons budgets, end investments in nuclear weapons, and shift these to better things.’
To co-incide with the 24th October PNND Co-President Senator Edward J. Markey and Congressman Earl Blumenauert reintroduced legislation in the U.S. Congress that would cut $75 billion from the nuclear weapons budget over the next decade. The purpose of the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act is to improve national security and budgetary sanity by cutting redundant and destabilizing nuclear weapons programs.
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3. Beyond Nuclear International: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org
3.1 A desperate nuclear industry propaganda machine is in overdrive, so thorium reactors are routinely trotted out as the latest savior, the next better nuclear mousetrap. But thorium, writes Helen Caldicott, is just one more dangerous, expensive and pointless delusion. To achieve nuclear power, we need uranium. Navajo activist and academic, Tommy Rock, describes his personal journey as the grandson of a uranium miner, and how he uncovered the vast extent of health tragedies in his community and beyond.It is also on our website – https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/newsletters/nfla-newsletter-october-2019/
3.2 Although they came in peace to prevent a crime against humanity, seven Catholic Worker activists were instead convicted of crimes after entering a US Trident submarine base. Now they await sentencing. Nuclear Resister’s Jack Cohen-Joppa tells their story. Jane Fonda has been a life-long activist. But the actor now has a new lead role, on the frontlines of climate protest. We check out her Fire Drill Fridays.
3.3 BNI are also Fundraising for their work (see website).
3.4 18/ 11 STOP PRESS A hot radioactive particle turned up in a vacuum cleaner in a home in Nagoya, Japan. It came from the exploded Fukushima reactors, 270 miles away. How did it get there? Cindy Folkers reports. There’s still no sign of land when it comes to solving the world’s radioactive waste problem. A new report takes a deep look into the issue and concludes that future generations will still have to handle the burden. 
3.5 25/11: Many questions have been raised about safety for athletes and spectators at next year’s Olympic Games in Japan. Two events are scheduled for Fukushima prefecture. Meanwhile, Japanese citizens must live with the health impacts of the nuclear disaster every day. This week, in two stories, we turn to the doctors of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) for advice.
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4. Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) 4.1 Due to the calling of the UK general election on December 12th,  the NFLA Scotland Forum on November 14th is cancelled and the NFLA UK & Ireland Steering Committee, Annual General Meeting and Annual Policy Seminar will now be on January 31st, 2020 in Manchester Central Library.
4.2 All the presentations from the NFLA All Ireland Sustainable Energy Forum; and the presentations from the NFLA English Forum joint meeting with TASC, BANNG and Stop Hinkley held in Colchester are on the website – https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/category/presentations/
4.3 The NFLA Chair was one of the co-signatories to a joint letter challenging a Financial Times article that was arguing a ‘net zero’ carbon target needs politicians to get over their ‘radiation’ fears and embrace new nuclear. The joint letter is attached and has gone on our website, along with our views on the upcoming UK general election (which means that probably, due to purdah rules, only Irish Forum NFLA media releases will be sent out until the election is over) and congratulations to Norwich.
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5. New Media (a) A new half-hour film entitled ‘A New Lucas Plan’ looks at a plan for switching workers involved in arms manufacturing to more socially useful jobs. A copy of the film is available online.
(b) A new documentary about the nuclear “Ban Treaty’ will be premiering in LondonWebpage – here // Facebook here // Eventbrite here
(c) New resource (teaching pack) Critical Mass: Lessons on gender, race and nuclear weapons created by Joe Jukes, former Quaker Peaceworker at CND Peace Education and now Peace Education Officer at CND Peace Education.
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OTHER MEETINGS:
1. Wednesday 13 November (1.1)  No to Nato meeting in the Glasgow SCND office (See 4 below) 2pm   (1.2) 7:15 for 7:30pm.Religious Freedom, Religious Persecution and Peace: An Interfaith event for peace and understanding. Annandale St Mosque organised by Uniting for Peace
2.Thursday 14 November . 5:30pm for 6 – 7pm.Edinburgh Radical Bookfair, 2 Roxburgh Pl, EH8 9SU. Stopping War in 2019.
Tim Gee, Melanie Scott, Janet Fenton (and Edinburgh Stop the War)
Three anti-war activists make a case for a nonviolent world, and the means by which it might be achieved. facebook.com/events/384671502208071/
NB There is a Peace Campaigning stall (with ECND materials) at the Fair.
3. 22nd November:Global Ban Treaty Working Group meeting in the SCND office (77 Southpark Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8LE) from 2:00pm. Remote meeting software will be available, please get in touch to participate.
4. Tuesday 26th November: Dovetails upcoming anthology Bridges or Walls?  features work by Margaret Elphinstone, Chrys Salt, Liz Niven, Ray Evans and many more.  EDINBURGH launch of the anthology at Lighthouse Books (West Nicolson St) starting at 7PM. Buy previous anthology ‘A Kind of Stupidity’ here
5. Wednesday 27 November:  6:30 – 8:30pm,Opposing War Memorial Embroidery workshops:  Create your own peace handkerchief. Edinburgh central venue, to be confirmed. To book your space email Kate Ive directly: mail@kateive.co.uk                             6. Sunday November 17th On Borders: Carving the land, shaping the Mind

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