On Monday 18th July, MPs will vote on whether to renew Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system. It is made up of 4 submarines – one of which is always on patrol – carrying up to 40 nuclear warheads on board.
Calder Valley people have lobbied their MPs to vote No to Trident
Yesterday members of Calder Valley CND for peace and justice lobbied their MPs Holly Lynch (Halifax) and Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley) in Parliament.
Alan South lobbied Halifax MP Holly Lynch, who said she was still undecided, although Alan said:
“Holly is clearly uncomfortable with the moral implications.”
No to Trident lobby of MPs
Please email your MP to ask them to vote No to Trident
If you are a Halifax constituent and are also uncomfortable with the moral implications of renewing Trident, please email Holly Lynch MP or phone her constituency office on 01422 399515, asking her to vote No to renewing Trident on Monday.
Sonya Moorhead from Calder Valley lobbied Craig Whittaker MP.
Sonya said:
“I lobbied our case against Trident at 3pm today. I stated that it contravened the Geneva and Hague conventions and bill of human rights, that it threatened our lives and was not safe and therefore unethical, that moving war heads around the country by road was dangerously flawed, that spending £205 billion on something they claim would never be used is idiotic when the Ministry of Defence budget could be spent locally – on flood relief for example, because we have called upon army personnel and vehicles, or literally anything else including the peace movement.
I pointed out his career was in retail not nuclear science and CND is a 60 + year old organisation that understands the facts more than he ever could, I begged and cried and at that point my children asked ‘ Why do you want to make bombs that hurt people when you can choose not to?’
Despite all that he is voting for the renewal because he said he has ‘a duty to protect the realm.’
Thank you for sending me. I’m devastated but so glad I spoke on all our behalves and told him to think of me when he voted on Monday and know he wasn’t delivering on his mandate of representing the voice of his constituents.”
Craig Whittaker is unlikely to change his mind now if he didn’t take heed of what Sonya told him, but if you want to let him know you disagree with his decision, please email him at craig.whittaker.mp@parliament.uk or phone his consituency office on 01484 711260. HIs website says that “when contacting Craig, it is essential that constituents provide their full residential postal address (including post code), to enable him to respond to them.”
Trident and legality
Trident are weapons of mass destruction that it would be illegal to use under almost every conceivable circumstance, as huge numbers of civilian casualties would be unavoidable. That is why the International Court of Justice ruled in 1996 the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be contrary to the rules of international law.
These weapons have no legitimate purpose: their use would be illegal under almost every conceivable circumstance, as huge numbers of civilian casualties would be unavoidable. That is why the International Court of Justice ruled in 1996 the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be contrary to the rules of international law.
Trident and security
Not only are these weapons immoral, potentially genocidal and strategically irrelevant in the face of the realistic threats we face today, they are also hugely expensive. The Government’s National Security Strategy identifies international terrorism, cyber-attacks and natural hazards as greater threats than nuclear war.
Trident and its cost
The government is in favour of replacing Trident at a cost of at least £205 billion. This money would be enough to improve the NHS by building 120 state of the art hospitals and employing 150,000 new nurses, build 3 million affordable homes, install solar panels in every home in the UK or pay the tuition fees for 8 million students.
Trident and the last General Election
Trident was a major point of debate in the 2015 General Election, with the spectacular gains of the Scottish National Party (SNP) a stark indicator of opposition to nuclear weapons in Scotland. The Scottish people are joined by millions all over the UK who want to see an end to Trident.
A majority of the British public are in favour of scrapping Trident.
There are Stop Trident demos in City Square, Leeds and in Hebden Bridge at 6pm on Monday 18th July, to coincide with the debate in the House of Commons.
