Don’t have to be sure - just ask for an open discussion

ON SUNDAY, December 10, I met with some friends to watch online an important world event.

It was the presentation in Oslo of the Nobel Peace prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). It’s called ‘I can’ because its members believe that individuals all over the world can do what our political and military leaders have failed to do for 70 years. It has 468 member organisations in 101 countries. Together they have managed to get a Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons drawn up by the United Nations, and signed by 122 national governments (about two thirds of the UN nation states).

Now you might think that the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, UK, US), set up in 1946 to control how the UN deals with conflicts all over the world, might have some interest in the idea. After all, it’s their job. But they all have nuclear weapons (what a coincidence!!). They’ve been claiming for 70 years that, though not one of them will give up their nuclear weapons unless the others all do, they are working to find a way to get rid of the weapons altogether. And that’s exactly what this Treaty sets out to do. But no. It would be terrible to have to admit that people working together throughout the world can achieve what the powerful members of the Security Council have failed to do! So they’re keeping quiet and hoping the campaign and the Treaty will go away.

Of course, all the people in ICAN and 122 nations in the UN might be wrong, and the Nuclear Powers might be right. But surely that means that there should be a discussion, in Parliament, in the press, on the telly. That’s what we usually do with important issues. And there’s nothing much more important than deciding whether or not to ban thousands of weapons, each of which would kill hundreds of thousands of people if they were ever used.

The UK Government has refused even to think about the idea, and I know there are many people in this country who’ve never even heard about the existence of a Nuclear Ban Treaty, or that many nations have already ratified it. It was ironic to hear, in the weeks before Christmas, all the carols being sung about “Peace on earth, good will to all people” when our own government refuses even to consider a first step towards bringing peace and good will into international affairs.

Lots of groups are urging the British public to sign petitions to our government and to local MPs, just to get the issue out in the open. You don’t have to be sure that ICAN are right, just insist there must be an open, honest discussion. You can sign up at www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/nuclearbansigned

Or how about just writing or emailing your MP? A good way to start a new year. David Paterson Gladstone Avenue Loughborough