Anger at more spend on Trident

I give a huge welcome to CND highlighting the Government have announced a further £285m spend on Trident at the same time they are cutting £300m in legal aid. This really is deeply disappointing but only a fraction of the £3.3bn the MoD has said it will spend ahead of the parliamentary vote on Trident replacement expected in 2016. Where is the public debate on this? Total replacement is likely to cost £100 -120 billion over the next 30 years - can UK really afford such extravagance? Is this really what we need for our defence? And what message does this give other countries about our commitment to nuclear disarmament?

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dp

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

 

 

 

 

The economic and moral questions are clear.
“With the total cost of replacement likely to come in at an eye-watering £100 billion over the next 30 years, can the UK afford such an extravagance? Is a Cold War deterrent really the right solution for our defence needs in the 21st century?
“And what message would replacing Trident send out to the rest of the world about our country’s commitment to nuclear disarmament?”
- See more at: https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2012/10/30/green-party-calls-for-public-debate-on-trident/#sthash.OFJ16lDm.dpuf

CND General Secretary Kate Hudson said: "This £285m splurge is a stark barometer of the government’s priorities. Just this week, the Justice Select Committee warned of the consequences of the £300m cuts to legal aid which have left a third of victims of domestic violence without access to justice. It’s boom time for the makers of nuclear weapons – while some of the most vulnerable in our society are left suffering by the wayside. This is a bleak snapshot of 21st-century Britain. David Cameron is content to spend billions in order to strut on the world stage with a Cold War weapon and an inflated sense of importance, while forcing those who are most in need to pay for it."

The Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru and the Greens have said they would demand for Labour to scrap Britain’s nuclear weapons programme as their price for supporting the party in a hung parliament. Of course that would not be the only demand. Caroline Lucas has also spoken out demanding an end to welfare cuts and fracking. Can Ed Milliband be forced to abandon austerity and nuclear submarines? A strong Green vote can surely only help.

See here some of Philip Booth and other people's films of the Wool Against Weapons action last year to campaign against the renewal of Trident.