VOTE NO TO TRIDENT REPLACEMENT
...that’s the message from Welsh campaigners
C AMPAIGNERS took to the streets of Wales and travelled to London yesterday to call on MPs to vote against the replacement of Britain’s ageing Trident nuclear weapons programme.
Tomorrow members of parliament will be asked to give the green light to the construction of four new Trident nuclear missile submarines.
The Government has earmarked £41bn for the boats, significantly more than it first estimated.
Events calling for No Trident Replacement were held in Bangor, Aberystwyth, Caernarfon, Conwy, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno and Rhyl yesterday.
Tomorrow evening, a vigil, organised by Cardiff Stop the War Coalition, is to be held in Cardiff city centre.
Many are concerned at the pro- posed cost to the taxpayer of £205bn for the new Trident programme.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood is among those who have spoken out.
She said: “It would never be justifiable to unleash weapons of mass destruction upon a population. Trident is an out-dated relic of the Cold War.
“When people are struggling to make ends meet, spending billions on unusable nuclear warheads is even more illogical.”
Adam Johannes, of Cardiff Stop the War Coalition, said: “Opinion polls consistently show majorities opposing renewing Trident. Instead of weapons of mass destruction let’s invest in ending child poverty and youth unemployment; providing affordable homes; free education; renewable energy; the NHS; and rebuilding our welfare state.
“It’s time to choose the human race over the nuclear race. It’s time to take the anti-Trident and antiausterity message to the heart of the British Establishment.
“There are issues that define politics. We should make one of them the choice between billions for Trident [and] hospitals and schools.
“If we spent our money on people instead of nuclear bombs, our society would be a much better place to live.”
Phil Steele, of Bangor & Ynys Môn Peace and Justice, added: “At a time when the economy is in meltdown, the Tories and their allies wish to throw over £200bn into a project which will make the world less safe and violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty. It will also be a gift to Vladimir Putin, for Nato playing silly games along the Russian border is just the thing to distract the Russian people from their many problems at home.
“In creating unprecedented weapons for civilian mass murder, [the Tories] will only further the politics of despair.”
A group of US generals, has written an open letter arguing that Britain must maintain Trident.
They included retired four star air force generals and US Navy admirals and they made their intervention in a joint letter to the Times.
They said: “Our ... experience for over 50 years makes clear that ballistic missile submarines remain the cornerstone of a nuclear deterrent.
“The combined deterrent forces of the US and UK make the horrific possibility of nuclear conflict considerably less likely.”