campaign

THE MAGAZINE OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT SPRING 2012

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 162 Holloway Rd, London N7 8DQ Tel: 020 7700 2393 Fax: 020 7700 2357 enquiries@cnduk.org www.cnduk.org

Inside Trident: nowhere to go? A census-refuser speaks Lifting the lid on Menwith Hill Kent on Rotblat Revisiting Upper Heyford Debating CNDs remit

CND

Editorial

Cut Trident, not public services

hour or so it will have taken George Osborne to give his speech, around 227,000 will have been spent on Trident. Currently the UK spends over 2 billion a year on Trident but we could choose not to. We could keep and even extend public services all we have to do is decide to stop wasting time and money on weapons of mass murder. CND has been repeating this message for a long time of course and now there is evidence that others are coming to the same conclusion. Just recently the liberal think tank CentreForum described plans to replace home of conservatism) supported the conclusions of CentreForum and both have now joined senior politicians from all parties and many former members of the military establishment in pointing out the uselessness and futility of replacing or even retaining the Trident system. This growing awareness is welcome. But, more of a surprise is the revelation disclosed at the end of last year, that, even 30 years ago in the early 1980s, two thirds of Margaret Thatchers Cabinet were not in favour of getting Trident in the first place! Apparently, the Prime Minister had to operate unilaterally and secretly to secure the deal with President Carter. It also appears that, despite what we were told at the time, the Soviet threat was not necessarily the reason for acquiring Trident. A less-publicised view was that it would be intolerable for the French to be the only nuclear power in Europe. So, opposition to our views has not been as unified as we might have thought. The current government is split on the issue of Trident Replacement. Moreover, as detailed opposite, there is strong evidence that, should Scotland vote for independence, there will be nowhere actually to berth the huge, deadly dangerous Trident nuclear submarines. Whatever the outcome of the Budget and the discussions that follow we need to continually remind people that, not only do our nuclear weapons threaten to kill millions of civilians, but they are harming millions of us in the UK right now. At a time when it is increasingly difficult for proponents of Trident to justify its existence at all, costly plans to replace it make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Our message is clear Cut Trident, not Public Services.

Dave Webb, CND Chair

S I WRITE THIS the final details of the Budget have yet to be divulged. Even so, one thing that is certain is that CND will have been demonstrating against government plans for replacing Trident at a cost of 100 billion disastrous at any time, but particularly shocking when public spending is facing so many cuts that are damaging to ordinary peoples lives. It is also clear that we will have been joined by many others in our Budget Day protest and our London bus adverts will have been pointing out the huge daily costs of Trident: in the

Just recently the liberal think tank CentreForum described plans to replace Trident as making no sense.
Trident as making no sense. Apparently David Cameron and Nick Clegg hold the forum in some esteem, so perhaps they will take this on board at last and recognise this is now a widely-held view that is being voiced loud and clear from many directions. In fact, the blog ConservativeHome (the

New from CND Cut Trident Ballpool!

How many cuts does it take to pay for Trident? Have a go at CNDs new interactive webgame: www.cnduk.org

Opinions expressed by authors in Campaign are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the policies of CND.

Campaigns

Trident: Nowhere to Go
Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials are looking at the consequences of Scottish independence for the Trident programme. Scottish opposition to Trident means an independent Scotland is unlikely to tolerate the submarines and warheads being based there any longer, writes Scottish CND coordinator, John Ainslie.

EY QUESTIONS are whether the nuclear fleet could be moved, and if so where? Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has said that relocating Trident would cost billions and take many years. Admiral Lord West added that moving the nuclear armaments depot from Coulport would be a huge, huge complex operation. Almost 50 years ago the MoD drew up a list of possible locations for Polaris, the preceding submarine nuclear weapons system. There were three English sites on the shortlist. One was Portland, near Weymouth. Part of the area which would be required for Trident has been transformed into the sailing venue for the 2012 Olympics. David Cameron is keen to stress the legacy that the Olympics will leave, but even he would find it difficult to argue that this should mean parking nucleararmed submarines at Weymouth. A second alternative was Devonport. The MoD considered transforming the Cornish shore, opposite the dockyard, into a nuclear weapons store. To accommodate Trident they would have to buy Antony House and its grounds from the National Trust. In addition to the great difficulty of acquiring this site, the nuclear depot would be too close to a residential estate. The Office of Nuclear Regulation would almost certainly try to block any proposal to build a nuclear missile store next to a city with a population of a quarter of a million. The third location was Falmouth. The proposed submarine base would be on National Trust land close to St Just in Roseland. Acquiring this would be very difficult if not impossible. The

Trident: Nowhere to Go
John Ainslie

www.cnduk.org

Published by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

warhead depot would be north of Falmouth. Two villages would be so close to the depot that they would have to be abandoned. In 1963 the MoD concluded that the costs of acquiring and developing this site for Polaris would be so great that the project wasnt feasible. A Trident depot would be much larger and even less viable. Jobs that might arise from introducing Trident would be offset by a major decline in the watersports industry and tourism. An existing nuclear site that might be considered is Barrow in Furness, where the submarines are built. But Walney Channel is too shallow for a submarine base. The Barrow option falls at the first hurdle and was not seriously considered in 1963. The one Welsh location on the old shortlist was Milford Haven. Siting Polaris here would have resulted in the

closure of an oil refinery. Introducing Trident in this estuary today would mean closing three major petrochemical facilities and cutting off one of Britains main sources of gas. Basing the UK Trident fleet in the US was considered in 1981 and dismissed. The force would be even more dependent on US support. The UK would also need to build unique British facilities if they were to keep the weapons under their own control at all times, as required under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. For similar reasons, the option of basing Trident in France is not viable. Scotland should not be expected to keep Trident just because no-one else will have it. Admiral Lord West suggested that independence for Scotland would result in unilateral nuclear disarmament. This is something which many people in Scotland, England, Wales and the rest the world would welcome. Those who call for a nuclear-weapons free Scotland cannot be accused of taking a NIMBY approach. Removing Trident from Scotland would mean there were no nuclear weapons in Britain. This could give a new push to global efforts towards a nuclear-weapons free world. Whatever the result of the 2014 referendum, there is now a huge question mark over the future of the British nuclear weapons programme.

n This article is based on the findings of a new CND and Scottish CND report written by John Ainslie. Download it from the Briefings/Information section of our website or call the office for a printed copy.

Interview

Taking a stand
In last years spring Campaign magazine we featured an article by Dr Geoff Meaden who explained how the US arms company Lockheed Martin was contracted to run the UK census. This year Stroud Mayor John Marjoram and longstanding peace activist Roger Franklin have appeared in court for refusing to fill in their census forms for this very reason. CND Campaigns Officer, Dawn Rothwell asks John Marjoram about this action.
Youve gained a lot of press coverage for your action. Why did you feel it was important to take a stand in this way? JM: I had no other option. I couldnt have lived with myself if Id filled in that census supporting a company that makes profit out of conflict. Lockheed Martin is the biggest surveillance company and the biggest arms seller in the world. Interestingly, of the 750,000 people who didnt fill the census in, only 400 have been charged to my knowledge. And only two charged in Stroud, Roger Franklin and myself, both of us clocking up over 100 years of activity against war and weapons. Im deeply concerned about what this company does in terms of surveillance and the information theyve taken in the census. Especially because in 2007 our dear friend Mr Blair lifted the confidential clause out of the 1920 Census Act. Prior to that it was obligatory that census information was confidential, now access has to be restricted but that can be overturned. Weve been to court now; Roger refused to plea and was charged. I pleaded not guilty because there are clauses within the European Convention on Human Rights which serve my case, for example article 8 and 9 relating to religious conviction as Im a Quaker. Im going back to court in May. You have been an active campaigner on peace and anti-nuclear related issues for many years. What got you involved in the first place? JM: I always remember when I was about 12 or 13 my mother and aunt speaking about my uncle, he was only one of two of his battalion who came back from the First World War. In the last six months of his life he screamed out in his sleep because he saw the faces of the German soldiers he had bayoneted in his dreams. When I was around 15, I saw a mushroom shape in my grandmothers Daily Herald newspaper and read an article by Fenner Brockway about the whole impact of nuclear weapons used on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. In 1959 I was 18 and one of the last national servicemen to go in. When I got onto the target range we were shown how to bayonet someone. This and the whole thing about shooting horrified me, I thought, that could be a person! So 6-8 weeks into my national service I refused to fire a rifle. The first Easter I had off, I joined a CND march, the second one from London to Aldermaston. I was also involved for a long time in the Committee of One Hundred. And what has been your most memorable campaigning action JM: Trying to plough up an American airbase at Marham in Suffolk with a real plough and tractor. We got arrested and I did four weeks in prison. I was in prison again for a big sit-down outside the American Embassy. The whole fear of nuclear war has been very close to me, I was in prison at the time of the Cuban crisis and I thought, I might be safer in here! Do you feel you are able to use your status as a Mayor for Peace for the greater good? JM: Yes, Mayors for Peace is a great movement with thousands of cities involved across the world. It gives you a lot of information and a lot of confidence because youre not on your own. Ive been a Green Party councillor for 25 years and the Mayor of Stroud for ten times in the last twenty years. I would advocate that your members put pressure on their councils and get councillors to put motions forward to get their mayors to become Mayors for Peace.

Campaigns

Looking back, looking forward

Kim Bewdley, the official but anonymous former spokesperson of the Upper Heyford Peace Camp reflects on events thirty years ago and explains that the Monday 7th May commemoration will be looking forward to the campaign against the replacement for Trident.
supporting all those arrested, the core group divided to go their separate ways (although others continued to live outside the base after those intense 15 months). To quote Dickens, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The Camp achieved a great deal. It was a place for mixed, nonviolent direct action in support of Greenham Common and increased the level of activism in people who had felt powerless. Most importantly, it was crucial in increasing public awareness about the strength of feeling about the dangers of nuclear weapons. And we fell in love with the surrounding area: the Oxfordshire hedgerows, the elderflower trees on the bridleway, the long winding route via the canal from the nearest train station [Lower Heyford] and the walk across the field to the pub in Steeple Aston. The local village closed ranks and banned us from the local pub during that time although I am glad to say we have been invited back 30 years later when we return on 7th May this year! Many people in the area risked their local reputations to visibly support us though. In fact, overall, many lovely people supported us from the village and the surrounding towns and of course from CND. If you were one of those who helped support the Upper Heyford Peace Camp please come and join us in May with CND General Secretary Kate Hudson. Well be looking forward as well as back, discussing how to continue building the campaign against Trident; this is gathering pace and we have until 2016 to influence Parliaments final decision on a replacement. Head to the old peace camp site on Camp Road at the junction with Kirtlington Road on the outskirts of upper heyford village for 11 am and then share lunch, memories and future campaigning plans at the Upper Heyford Village Hall between 12 and 2. There are also (limited) spaces for a tour of the base. (see page 16).

HIRTY YEARS after a Peace Camp was established outside the US Air Force Upper Heyford base in Oxfordshire, we are returning to commemorate this event and the Upper Heyford Peace Blockade the following year at which 752 people were arrested. In the beginning Fear was a very real motivation for our Peace Camp as, at the time there was a very strong feeling of imminent nuclear conflict and increasing awareness of the devastating effects if nuclear weapons were ever used again. There were around twelve of us altogether, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, perched right at the edge of a nuclear weapons base complete with Quick Response Area, the place where fighter planes loaded with live nuclear weapons revved their engines. So our sense of urgency was intensified and it felt

like a race against time. The way we dealt with this was to be extremely organised. First we had a march from Oxford to Heyford in September 1982. This was followed by a 24-hour blockade on New Years Eve which was so successful that it closed the base! Then we organised an occupation of the site where the base was expanding and set up a separate peace camp there. Our four-day blockade starting at the end of May 1983 was an enormous action. It involved training more than 300 peaceful affinity groups to blockade in six different shifts region by region. By the end more than 4,000 people had taken part and 752 of them had been arrested. It was exhilarating to be so committed to a cause, but also exhausting. After

FEATURE

Lifting the lid on Menwith Hill

Yorkshire CND has published a new report Lifting the lid on Menwith Hill: The Strategic Roles and Economic Impact of the US Spy Base in Yorkshire. CND Vice-Chair Sarah Cartin explains the importance of its findings for campaigning against UK involvement in Missile Defence. Menwith Hill is the jewel in the crooked crown of a global electronic spy network run by the United States to support its military power projection Dr Steve Schofield
LD-HAND CNDers will already be familiar with the history of the US spy base Menwith Hill and its role in the wider US Missile Defence programme. Many of you have travelled to north Yorkshire and enjoyed the pretty spa town of Harrogate and the scenic countryside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park before encountering the menacing presence of one of the biggest and most strategically important US National Security Agency (NSA) bases in the northern hemisphere. Over the years CND has worked with local, regional and international networks to produce valuable information exposing the development of the US Missile Defence programme. In our campaigning, Menwith Hill has been a long-established focal point for protest against both the growing US military agenda and the continued existence of such a crucial point of operations housed, unquestioningly and unaccountably on British soil.

The need for this new report Despite its appearance being anything but in-keeping with local scenery, Menwith Hill has become very much part of the landscape. Marketed as an RAF base, it regularly hosts PR-friendly events and contributes to local good causes. Its presence is not the source of consistent local outrage that it ought to be. Bluntly, this is down to two key factors: n People arent really sure what goes on there. n People believe the base is good for the local economy. What does happens there? Menwith Hill is a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) spy station: a facility adept at military and economic espionage. It is a crucial element of any US-led military attack and a key component of the US Space Based Infrared Satellite system (SBIRS) set to enable missile-tracking and attack from land, sea, air and space.

Long-standing Menwith Hill activist Anne Lee speaks sense at CNDs Menwith Hill Day of Action in October 2011

As the report stresses, the fact that there are not weapons located on the base should not detract from the seriousness of the deadly role it plays in war, espionage and the US military and economic agenda across the world. The increase of the US National Security Agencys (NSA) annual budget over the last decade to over $15 billion a year, and an expanding workforce of over 60,000, is testament to the fact that this is a serious and growing issue. It does not bring money to the local area By opposing the presence and role of the base we are supposedly threatening jobs and input into the local economy a line the US authorities have peddled themselves. Campaigners have faced this argument for years. Claims that Menwith Hill provides economic benefits to the area to the tune of over 163 million in 2010 have proved to be grossly exaggerated. In

reality the base is a closed economy, local employment opportunities are limited and the base costs British taxpayers more and more every year, especially in such things as policing and servicing infrastructure. Preparing the report Following the successful securing of a grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Yorkshire CND commissioned Dr Steve Schofield to research and write the report with support from a steering group of academics, former government officers and activists. In Lifting the lid Schofield presents a compelling possible future strategy for the base. Citing its activities as illegal under international law, he calls for its closure. Yet he also presents a scoping analysis of the economic, social and environmental opportunities that would be presented by a US withdrawal from the base.

Action and future uses for the base The report calls for immediate action at local, national and international level. As a priority it calls for a detailed impact assessment into the closure of the base. Dr Schofield refers to the examples of NSA base closures at Bad Aibling in Germany and Edzell in Scotland as precedentsetting cases. At the reports launch in March in Harrogate Dr Schofields presentation received a vibrant and enthusiastic response to his view that Menwith Hill could make amends for the years of environmental damage it has caused to the local area by clearing out and re-opening as a centre of expertise on environmental and ecological sustainability. Visualise a centre providing cuttingedge research, development and opportunity in creating a long-term sustainable future for all quite a contrast to the bases current role! It is an ambitious vision, but it offers an opportunity for campaigners to develop a strong, economically viable and sustainable argument to present as a real alternative to the bases current focus. One that will build support, create opportunities for employment and investment and take us one step further to halting the development and growth of the US military agenda. n Download the full report at www.yorkshirecnd.org.uk or order a printed copy: call 01274 730795.

Viewpoint

Making links: a question of balance

CND has always been a place for vibrant debate amongst members about our priorities and the range of our campaigning work. Hotly debated topics over the decades have included the extent of our anti-war work, the role of non-violent direct action, and how far we can get through working in the Labour Party. Here, Kent Area CND and General Secretary Kate Hudson continue this important debate in todays political context.
Richard Norman, Kent Area CND Britain and other NATO countries should give military support to the rebels was a tough one, and people deeply committed to the cause of nuclear disarmament could perfectly well, in good faith, have taken either view. CND should have room for both groups. So where should we draw the line? In Kent Area CNDs resolution to CND Conference, we suggested that the test be whether links with other issues will or will not help to promote CNDs core aims. So for instance, since no sane person thinks that cuts to public services are in themselves a good thing, pointing out that public money could instead be saved by cutting Trident helps spread our central message. In the case of the Iraq war, the fact that the invasion was spuriously defended with the claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction enabled us to point out that the invasion was a crazy way of tackling the spread of nuclear weapons. In the case of nuclear power CND need not take a view on whether the dangers from nuclear accidents and nuclear waste outweigh the advantages of reducing CO2 emissions. However, we can legitimately point to the difficulty of ever effectively eliminating nuclear weapons as long as the nuclear power industry remains a source of enriched uranium. In other cases, however, CND will be dissipating its limited energies and resources if it takes up issues simply because current members think them important. They may indeed be important, but CND cant do everything, and if it tries it will succeed in nothing. No easy answers. But theres a constant need to get the balance right. And we think that at present its wrong and needs adjusting. Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary

HAT should the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament be campaigning for? The answer may seem obvious, but its not that simple. If you look at last years autumn issue of CNDs Campaign magazine, youll find articles attacking the use of remotely controlled drones; retrospective criticism of how the 9/11 terrorist attacks were used to justify the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq; criticism of NATO intervention in Libya; and several pieces about the dangers of civil nuclear power. Its fair to say that the issues of nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament take up a relatively small part of the magazine. Shouldnt we try to make links between nuclear disarmament and other issues? Yes, certainly we should. But thats also the danger. By taking up all these issues, we risk locking ourselves into an existing narrow circle of membership and restricting our opportunities to reach out and recruit new support. If potential supporters get the message that we are interested only in people who oppose nuclear weapons AND nuclear power AND the use of drones AND intervention in Libya AND cluster bombs AND depleted uranium weapons, they will hesitate to join us, and well find ourselves talking to no one outside our existing ranks. The case of Libya is a classic instance. In my view, the question of whether

HEN CND was founded in 1958 it agreed fundamental policies: to work for both British and global nuclear disarmament; to end British nuclear weapons testing; and to oppose the establishment of missile bases in Britain. It has always struck me as remarkable how utterly true to its original goals CND remains. If you look at our constitution today, the prime object of CND is to achieve nuclear disarmament by Britain and worldwide, and that US nuclear bases and forces in Britain should be unilaterally and unconditionally rejected and dismantled. If you look at CNDs strategic objectives, endorsed by CNDs conference on an annual basis, our number one priority is the elimination of British nuclear weapons and global abolition of nuclear weapons. This priority is absolutely correct and the overwhelming majority of our time and resources is spent on campaigning to this end. What has always exercised me during

Viewpoint
my work for CND is how to get that balance between full focus on promoting nuclear disarmament, and taking our issue out into the wider world; to get it out of a rather specialised ghetto in which nuclear weapons are understood in detail but dont touch the hearts and minds of people today, and dont appear to relate to a wider range of security and humanitarian concerns. My approach has always been to try and take the issue of nuclear weapons into every conceivable arena and show how they relate to the most pressing concerns of the day. So it is not to dilute the issue of nuclear disarmament but to insert it into debates where people just wouldnt expect to find it. As Richard says, it is clear how we can make relevant links over Iraq, and the relationship between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. But I think there are also other links that can be made too: there are plans to develop drones that can carry nuclear weapons for example, so we need to know about this technological development and its another opportunity to raise the issue of nukes. Libya was a complex one, but we decided to oppose military intervention by nuclear-armed NATO again taking the opportunity to expose the realities of NATO and its nuclear-first use policy. Richard also referred to our autumn 2011 issue as being thin on actual nuclear disarmament material. He is right, because we chose to include a themed section on 9/11: ten years on in that issue, looking at the impact of those events and the consequences for all of us. But I would say that issue is the exception that proves the rule! CND exists to achieve nuclear disarmament. The context on the way to that goal changes constantly, but whatever the context and however difficult the debates, CND works to bring our own anti-nuclear issues to the fore, to make them central in the current political agenda. It hasnt been easy or without controversy, but its what we are here for and well carry on until together we succeed!

Joining in and speaking out

Katy West was elected on to CND Council at our annual Conference in November 2011. Here she explains the workings of Council and the importance of CND in her life.

FTER HEARING Helen Steven speak as a teenager, her outrage at the existence of weapons whose destructive powers are beyond comprehension or justification and her inability to remain silent resonated strongly with me. CND has been part of my life as far back as I can remember and I joined the staff team enthusiastically in 2005 but without any specialist knowledge of nuclear issues and campaigning. For that reason I have been constantly grateful for the quality of analysis provided at council meetings, CND conference and in the array of publications produced. This has helped me, over the years, to develop a comprehensive understanding of nuclear issues. I accepted Council nomination because I wanted to use my skills and experience to continue working within the campaign after leaving the staff team. Council meets three times a year and drives forward the direction of the campaign as agreed by the annual Conference, ensures staff and volunteers have the resources to carry out their work and discusses local, national and international developments. As we are a reasonably large group it is possible to give as much of your time as you are able without being over-burdened and we benefit from and encourage a range of experience and specialities. Councils make-up guarantees that local, regional, national and specialist groups are all represented. The meetings are well-managed and all contributions welcomed. From the beginning CND has been a grassroots campaign and its democratic structures continue to have, at their heart, the importance of local campaigning, equal

It can never be morally right to use these ghastly weapons at any time, whether first, or as unthinkable retaliation after we ourselves are doomed.
Helen Stevens Statement to Dumbarton Sheriff Court 1984 after she broke into the Faslane Base as part of an anti-nuclear protest.

representation and working with all sections of society. I continue to volunteer for CND at events and demonstrations. It is very positive and rewarding, talking to visitors at our stalls. More than ever, people are discovering (and rediscovering) the uselessness of nuclear weapons, their irrelevance in todays world, and their shocking cost. I am grateful that, in my own way, I have been able to carry on the tradition of not remaining silent.

Book review Keeper of the Nuclear Conscience: The Life and Work of Joseph Rotblat by Andrew Brown and published by Oxford University Press, price 18.99. Bruce Kent
effective international network of peaceminded scientists. When Rotblat was finally given a Nobel Peace prize in 1995 he insisted that it was not just the bomb that needed to be eliminated but war itself and gladly agreed to be the Movement for the Abolition of Wars first President. Surprisingly, there is almost nothing in this book about CND, of which he was, for a few months, a national committee member. But then this book is almost entirely about Rotblats work in relation to Pugwash. There is very little in it about other peace campaigns. He was certainly not too respectable for activism, as his personal public support for freedom for Mordechai Vanunu showed. Not every professor would be willing to sit in a mock cage outside the Israeli Embassy as he did. He died in 2005, active almost to the end and never happier than when speaking to groups of students anywhere in the world.

HIS IS an inspiring book and life story which everyone interested in the abolition of war, as well as nuclear weapons, ought to read. Joseph Rotblat was born in 1908 to Jewish parents when Warsaw was still the capital of a Russian province. He gained his education by force of character, eventually becoming a promising physicist. Recruited by Liverpool University in 1939, after coming to Britain he never saw his wife Tola again though there is a lovely picture of her in the book. By the time she was able to travel Hitler had closed the borders. She eventually died in the gas chambers like so many others. In 1944 Rotblat went to Los Alamos to work on the bomb believing it would be a deterrent, but he soon learnt that Hitler had no chance of producing one of his own. Instead he was told that this awful weapon would now be used to threaten the Soviets and might even be used on

Japanese cities. As a matter of conscience, he resigned and returned to Britain under a cloud of quite unfair suspicion that he might have Soviet sympathies. He became a professor at St. Bartholomews hospital but his greatest work by far was his part in the creation and ongoing work of Pugwash, a very

In the news. . .
Dont attack Iran A new report by Scientists for Global Responsibility explains that a military strike on Irans nuclear facilities would kill large numbers of civilians, result in regional war, and incite Iran to withdraw from the nuclear NonProliferation Treaty and ensure their acquisition of nuclear weapons. 158 fires at AWE Aldermaston The Basingstoke Gazette has found out, through a Freedom of Informa tion request, that from 2000 to 2011 AWE Aldermaston made 2,252 calls to the fire brigade. Although the majority of calls were triggered by automatic fire alarms and were not attended, the fire service had to deal with 158 fires, including several in the radiation building, and also chemical leaks and spillages. Five minutes to Doomsday The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock has been moved forward to five minutes to midnight. This is in response to faltering relations between the US and Russia because of the continuing expansion of US Missile Defence, a lack of real progress towards global nuclear weapons reduction, and the threat of climate change. Local bird populations badly affected by Fukushima A worrying indication of Fukushimas poisonous impact on the environment comes from new research published in the Environmental Journal. This shows that local bird populations are diminishing with dramatically higher rates of DNA mutation and developmental abnormalities. News reports a year after this terrible catastrophe continue to highlight radioactive contamination of the surrounding area and the malpractice of the company TEPCO that ran the power station. CND Council Member Ian Fairlie has made a useful summary of the overall situation regarding Fukushima at www.ianfairlie.org Blaze on Russian nuclear-armed submarine Widely reported in the international press was the news of a potential nuclear disaster after one of Russias submarines caught fire during repairs and while it carried nuclear weapons. The submarine was ablaze for 20 hours with up to 30 crew members still inside throughout. Seven crew members had to be hospitalised due to smoke inhalation.

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Muriels Grapevine
ON THE EVE of the first anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, many CND groups joined the biggest protest against nuclear power in decades at Hinkley Point. Seize the Days music welcomed more than a thousand people for the rally at noon which was followed by a three mile walk around the site where the new build is planned. The walk highlighted the huge amount of wildlife and nature that will be affected and destroyed by this plan. Demonstrators then created a wave of sound to convey their opposition to nuclear power. Many demonstrators remained overnight with around 200 blockading the site. For 30 years Christians have gathered together at the Ministry of Defence for an Ash Wednesday Witness service. This year, spelling out the word Repent in ashes outside the main entrance of the building, around hundred people prayed for the government to have a change of heart about its nuclear weapons policy. Prior to the Witness, to mark the importance of this anniversary, Christian CND held a special preliminary liturgy and procession. Members carried a carved Alleluia plaque, candles, a cross and coffin from the Imperial War Museum, across Westminster Bridge to Embankment

Many CND groups joined the Stop New Nuclear protest at Hinkley Point

Gardens. There they delivered their liturgy and symbolically buried the Alleluia plaque which will be resurrected at Easter. With the help of Kent Area CND, Commander Robert Greens new book A Thorn in their Side: The Hilda Murrell Murder was launched in an event at the Dominican Priory in Canterbury in March. Commander Green explained how the book details the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of his aunt, a well-known anti-nuclear campaigner. He also told of the experiences that led him to become an antiPhone, broadband & mobile nuclear campaigner. General Secretary Kate Hudson chaired the event e services which also included an bil d and mo di erence broadban a interesting presentation by et phone, ms supplier with G co from a tele Rob Greens wife Kate e time am D at the s Dewes about her role on pport CN ...and su the UN SecretaryGenerals Advisory Board edit a 10 cr ill give you on Disarmament Matters. orter, we w will go supp r spend As a CND 6% of you There will be a review of ellent work t bill AND eir exc on your rs continue th help them the book in the next issue to CND to and you can buy it from Call: 0845 458 9040 the CND webshop. Last but not least, Visit: www.thephone.coop/CND Redbridge CND held a QUOTE: CND and AF0267 successful fundraising

dinner with local councillors, members and supporters to revitalise their group at the start of the year in a welcoming local restaurant. Kate Hudson spoke at the event and reported back on the dinner being a very positive and enjoyable event. P.S Bristol CND has already begun organising for this years short film competition for young people. See their website: www.thechanceofalifetime.org for more details.

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Whats on

Diary
20TH-23RD APRIL Sizewell Camp 2012
Spend a weekend camping on the beach at Sizewell and learn about the plans for new nuclear build. The weekend includes a protest at the power station entrance on Saturday at 12 noon, skill-shares and other workshops, woodland and beach walks. Now is the time to take action against nuclear new build come join us to say Nuclear power No thanks! A coach is being organised by London Region CND: to secure a place call 020-7607 2302 or email david.lrcnd@cnduk.org nFor more information see: http://sizewellcamp.org.uk Call 07894467356 or email camp@sizewellcamp.org.uk to register your attendance.

STOP PRESS
Save Jeju Island, Stop US Missile Offence plans
A huge South Korean naval base is being constructed on the beautiful World Heritage Site of Jeju Island so the US can berth its missile defence destroyers and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers close to mainland China. For five years villagers have been protesting now they are desperately trying to stop the enormous and ongoing destruction of their island, the obliteration of the coral reefs and marine life and blasting of their sacred coastal rocks. For more details read Dave Webbs blog www.yorkshirecnd.org.uk/blogs/posts-by-davewebb/darkness-in-paradise-4 and follow the villagers protest on facebook: Save Jeju and No Naval base on Jeju. Email the Island Governor, Mr. Woo Keun-Min: jejumaster@jeju.go.kr, the South Korean President, Mr. Lee Myung-Bak: president@cwd.go.kr and South Korean Defence Minister, Mr. Kim Kwan-Jin: cyber@mnd.go.kr Also sign the petition online: www.avaaz.org/en/save_jeju_island

30th anniversary event from 11am at the site of the Upper Heyford Peace Camp on Camp Road (at the junction with Kirtlington Road on the outskirts of Upper Heyford village). Please bring food to share, photos and memorabilia (for a display board at the Community Centre) plus a stone for a peace cairn at the site of the old peace camp. Non-campers welcome too! nRSVP to Kim Bewdley kim.bewdley@live.co.uk

9-10TH JUNE
London Green Fair, Regents Park. Visit and support CNDs stall at this free event with two festival stages, hundreds of other stalls, and a range of children's activities, workshops and performances, including dance classes and theatrical performances. n For more details of the fair: www.londongreenfair.org

28TH APRIL
Public meeting: Trident Replacement, Iran & Israel, 2-3:30 pm at the local Birmingham Friends of the Earth office, 54 Allison St, Digbeth, B5 5TH. With guest speaker Peter Burt, Director of the Nuclear Information Service. Organised by West Midlands CND. nFor more information call 0121 643 4617 or email wmcndall@gn.apc.org

Peace Camps
ALDERMASTON WOMENS PEACE CAMP
Second weekend of every month. tel: 07969 739 812 info@aldermaston.net www.aldermaston.net

Cut Trident postcard

You will find a postcard included in this Campaign mailing. Please send it off to your MP now. For more postcards phone 020 7700 2393.

FASLANE PEACE CAMP

Permanent. A814, Shandon, Helensburgh Dumbartonshire G84 8NT tel: 01436 820901 faslanepeacecamp@hotmail.com

7TH MAY
Looking Back, Looking Forward: Commemorating Upper Heyford Peace Camp and Campaigning against the Replacement for Trident. If you were in any way involved back in 1982-83 please join this

MENWITH HILL WOMENS PEACE CAMP

Contact Yorkshire CND for details. Call 01274 730795 or email info@yorkshirecnd.org.uk

Campaign is printed on 100% recycled paper

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