Abbey’s thanksgiving service for weapons of mass murder is morally repugnant

It was striking to note the utterly bizarre ceremony at Westminster Abbey last week in celebration of 50 years of submarine nuclear weaponry.

These submarines are nuclear weapon submarines, their crews trained to obey orders to fire missiles whose warheads will bring destruction to faraway places and people far beyond the scale of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

If nuclear weapons were supposed to bea deterrent to keep the peace, this has undoubtedly failed. The list of post-1945 wars runs to several pages.

We are now spending more than £200 billion on yet another nuclear weapons system (also entirely dependent on a regular loan of US missiles) to replace Trident.

With poverty levels rising and around one in four children living in poverty it is time to start spending our billions on our NHS, pensions, welfare and real peace-making initiatives, here and abroad. There is now a UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons just waiting for more signatory states to give it the force of law. Britain should sign it and lead the world towards a nuclear-free future.

In these dangerous times, when the threat of nuclear war is growing rather than receding, a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abb ey for the so-called nuclear “deterrent” is the last thing we needed.

ALEX ORR Marchmont Road, Edinburgh

In the aftermath of the English local elections there is turmoil. PRO-EU sentiment, anti-eu disenchantment and an awareness that the Conser vatives and Labour are a disaster over their policy, or rather non-policy over Brexit, has led to all kinds of mixed signals for this duopoly – losing seats across all areas with the Lib Dems and Greens gaining.

Scots have seen through the duopoly and the now creaking Union. The latest action to celebrate and worship in a house of God the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines and to praise nuclear weapons of mass destruction is utterly abhorrent. It is deplorable that the clergy at Westminster Abbey have committed to participating in such a service. It is hypocritical and a complete contradiction of their calling!

It is also morally repugnant. We berate others for possessing or wanting to possess such weapons, yet the irony seems to escape the UK Government and the monarchy. A shameful day for all.

JOHN EDGAR Langmuir Quadrant, Kilmaurs