Press Release
16 July 2013
The Trident Ploughshares campaign has condemned the Liberal Democrats Alternatives to Trident Review for missing the only logical option : full scale disarmament.
Trident Ploughshares spokesperson Jane Tallents said:
“If cost is the driving force in the Lib Dem proposal to only have two Trident submarines then why not go for the massive saving that would arise from the abandonment of the replacement programme? If it’s about morality the Lib Dem option offers no improvement. We are still talking about the constant threat to kill vast numbers of civilians.
“Where weapons of mass destruction are concerned one is one too many. A little bit of nuclear disarmament holds no moral integrity when its actually part of deploying a new weapons system designed to continue to threaten the planet with nuclear annihilation for decades. We would welcome the end of continuous at sea patrols if it was a first step towards complete nuclear disarmament but this is not on the table.
With Conservatives and Labour backing a full scale Trident Replacement and the Lib Dems only going for a slightly reduced version, Scottish Independence looks more and more inviting. As the UK have made clear that moving Trident south of the border would be extremely costly and impossible in practical terms then putting the facilities of Faslane beyond their control seems like the best available option for real disarmament.”
Trident Ploughshares will be camping at AWE Burghfield 26 August to 8 September to take direct nonviolent action both there and at AWE Aldermaston.Angie Zelter, one of the camp organisers said
“If our politicians cannot be trusted to fulfill our promise to disarm made under the Non-Proliferation Treaty then responsible citizens will do all they can halt the development of the next generation of British nuclear weapons themselves.” Contact: Trident Ploughshares Jane Tallents 01968 677401 or 07778 267 833
Burghfield camp organiser: Angie Zelter 0845 4588 362 or 07835 354652
http://tridentploughsharesarchive.org
Notes for Editor
AWE Aldermaston is the central facility of the British nuclear weapon establishment and is where the next generation of nuclear weapons is being designed.
see http://actionawe.org/awe-aldermaston/
AWE Burghfield is responsible for the complex final assembly and maintenance of the warheads while in service, as well as their decommissioning.
see http://actionawe.org/awe-burghfield/
For info on the Trident Ploughshares Burghfield camp
http://tridentploughsharesarchive.org/awe-burghfield-summer-disarmament-camp-2013/