POLL SHOWS DARLING SHOULD CUT TRIDENT NOT FRONTLINE PUBLIC SPENDING

OPINION POLL PUTS TRIDENT’S FINANCIAL FOLLY FIRMLY INTO FOCUS

As Chancellor Alistair Darling confirms Labour public spending cuts in a speech in Cardiff, the SNP seized on an opinion poll published today showing massive opposition to the Labour government wasting cash on a new generation of nuclear weapons, and called on the Chancellor to focus cuts on ‘white elephant’ projects like Trident and ID cards - and rule out real terms cuts by the Labour government in Scottish spending.

The ComRes poll for The Independent showed that the public overwhelmingly wants the government to scrap the Trident nuclear missile system and believes spending on health and education should be protected and rise each year.

Commenting SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

"The SNP have a simple suggestion for Alistair Darling to cut his spending - abandon plans to spend £25 billion on a nuclear missile system we do not want or need and the vast majority do not want.

“With the debate about Westminster government cuts raging, this ComRes poll lays bare the incoherence of spending plans that include Trident.

“The position of Labour and the Tories in arguing for Trident is untenable in these difficult financial times.

“Labour must focus its cuts on unnecessary and unaffordable white elephant projects like Trident and ID cards – and in the teeth of recession Labour must rule-out slashing front-line services like health and education, and capital investment.

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor attack the Tories for planning cuts in UK spending and yet Labour are doing the exact same in Scotland . The Budget confirmed Labour’s plans for the first real terms cut in Scottish spending since the dark days of the Tory government in the 1990’s. It will mean a real terms cut in Scottish spending, and is the wrong choice in the middle of the recession.

“The SNP want the required savings to be made by the UK Government abandoning its foolhardy £25 billion plan to replace the Trident nuclear missile, saving up to £100 billion over its lifetime. And we are also calling on Labour to completely drop their proposals to spend billions on unwanted and unnecessary ID cards.

“The UK Government’s catastrophic financial failure underlines the need for Scotland to have responsibility to run our own affairs – with the ability to take the decisions needed to reflate our economy, contribute to recovery, and overcome the Downing Street downturn.”

Trident replacement pause is 'excellent news' says CND

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament warmly welcomed the suggestion that the Government is to delay the 'Initial Gate' decision on replacing the Trident nuclear weapons submarines, pending the outcome of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in May 2010. Previously, the Government planned to move on to the next stage of the replacement process during the Parliamentary recess in September.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said:
"This delay is excellent news. We hope the Government will not only make a major contribution to advancing plans for global disarmament at the forthcoming international talks, but also use this pause to reconsider Britain's possession of nuclear weapons. Given the worsening economic climate, defence cuts will be necessary, but scrapping Trident would be positively beneficial to reducing global tensions.

"The current defence review and the Strategic Defence Review to be held after the next election are excellent opportunities to conclude that the challenges of the coming century cannot be met by costly Cold War weapons systems like Trident. We hope Ministers are brave enough to share the conclusion of the Generals who recently described Trident as 'militarily useless'.

"We hope this is the first sign that the Government is really prepared to respond to the changed mood not just from leaders like President Obama, but also from the British public. Recent polls show a majority oppose the UK's continued possession of nuclear weapons. This will be a vote winner for whichever party chooses to free itself - and Britain - from the dogma of the past. We are a world away from the tense world of the 1980s - the public recognises this, but now politics needs to catch up."

Earlier today over 30 MPs wrote to the Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary demanding exactly such a delay to the Initial Gate. They called for Parliament to have further discussions on Trident replacement before such a major spending commitment is given. CND believes that it is essential that such a debate takes place before the next stage of the project commences, whenever that occurs.

The Initial Gate decision, which would allow detailed design work to commence, is estimated to commit £2-3bn. The procurement costs for the new submarines are likely to be in the order of £25bn, with total costs of £76bn for the project when running costs are included.

PM BRANDED INCONSISTENT ON NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION

The Prime Minister has been branded inconsistent on nuclear non-proliferation after publishing a written statement today (Thursday) on countering proliferation and reducing weapons arsenals while simultaneously preparing to sign-off £2bn in design contracts for Trident replacement in September.

SNP Westminster leader and Defence spokesperson Angus Robertson MP urged Gordon Brown to rule-out imminent commitments on the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system expected to be signed-off during the parliamentary recess.

Mr Robertson said:

“Gordon Brown is totally inconsistent on nuclear arms limitation – he is lecturing the world on non-proliferation while simultaneously planning to pay a two billion deposit on Trident.

“The Prime Minister has even excluded Trident from the Strategic Defence Review as some sacred cow – it is just not credible to exclude a debate on Trident replacement from either that audit or wider international talks on disarmament.

“Any way you look at it - on moral, economic or political grounds - renewal of this nuclear system is untenable.

“Lord Mandelson has admitted Labour plan a decade of public spending cuts, and people will struggle to understand, at a time when budgets are tight across the armed forces and Scotland faces a £500 million budget cut from London , why the UK Government is ploughing billions of pounds into a new generation of unwanted and unnecessary nuclear weapons.

“As we go into the parliamentary recess the Prime Minister must rule out further decisions and spending commitments on the renewal of Trident due to be signed off in the coming months.

“Civil society, trade unions, religious organisations and the Scottish Government are working together to keep a new generation of Trident missiles out of our waters – even military leaders openly question the affordability and rationale of these weapons, and as recent polling shows, the tide has well and truly turned on Trident.”

Majority want Britain to abandon nuclear weapons

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament welcomed today's Guardian/ICM poll showing that a majority of Britons, 54%, want the country to rid itself of nuclear weapons [note 3]. Only 42% favour the replacement of Trident with a new generation of nuclear weapons. Significantly, the results were achieved from a question that did not mention the potential costs of the system, suggesting the growing acceptance that the UK does not need nuclear weapons goes beyond objection to the costs of any one development.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said "Public opinion has decisively shifted towards opposing the UK's retention of nuclear weapons - now we need politicians to catch up. The majority who want Britain to go nuke-free will not tolerate parties who plan to squander £76bn on replacing Trident. But the flip-side is also true: those offering a defence policy relevant to the real threats of the future and who will redirect the billions planned for Trident into more useful programmes will reap the rewards at the ballot box. The results also show that people are rejecting the need for such city-destroying weapons entirely - plans for 'Trident-lite' or cheaper, less capable nuclear weapons systems will not be a draw to these voters. To ignore such a major shift in British public opinion is foolhardy. It smacks of a head-in-the-sand approach - an unwillingness to recognise that things change, and that policies have to change too.

"The question of whether to commit billions to new nuclear weapons is also an urgent one - the onus is now on the government to explain why it intends to push ahead with the next stage of Trident replacement in September during parliamentary recess without any debate or scrutiny from MPs. The Foreign Affairs Committee and 160 MPs have called for just such a debate yet the Government seems to want to carry on as though nothing has changed - no recession, no Obama disarmament drive, no shift in public opinion. This has to change before they commit another £2bn to Trident in the next few months. [Notes 4, 5, 6]

"The poll also highlights the need for the upcoming Defence Review to give full consideration to cancelling Britain's ruinously expensive nuclear programme. It is ludicrous that the MoD have defined Trident as a "sacred cow" exempt from review, when culling this white elephant would end its huge distortion of defence spending and allow a focus on more immediate life-saving priorities. With President Obama acknowledging that disarmament by established nuclear powers is the best way to combat the spread of these terrible weapons, the urgent necessity for nuclear disarmament is staring us in the face. Most people have recognised that. The truly shocking fact is that our government - ostrich-like - won't even enter into a discussion on the subject."

POLL SHOWS TIDE HAS TURNED ON TRIDENT RENEWAL

A new poll which shows the majority of people across the UK oppose replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system has been welcomed by the SNP. The ICM poll today (Tuesday) adds to growing opposition to the renewal of Trident.

The SNP has consistently opposed the presence of nuclear weapons on Scotland 's shores and has condemned UK Government plans to replace Trident. The Scottish Parliament, a majority of Scottish MPs and the Scottish Government are all opposed to current plans to replace Trident with new nuclear weapons.

Trident renewal must not be excluded from the Strategic Defence Review and further spending on the project should be ruled out pending the planned assessment of defence needs and the 30-nation nuclear non-proliferation summit scheduled in Washington next March.

SNP Westminster leader and Defence spokesperson Angus Robertson MP said:

“The tide has turned on Trident, and Gordon Brown is going to have to accept that the renewal of this nuclear system is untenable.

“Any way you look at it - on moral, economic or political grounds - time is up for Trident.

“People struggle to understand, at a time when budgets are tight across the armed forces and Scotland faces a £500 million budget cut from London , why the UK Government is ploughing billions of pounds into a new generation of unwanted and unnecessary nuclear weapons.

“Ministers have announced a strategic defence review, and it is not credible to exclude a debate on the Trident replacement programme from that audit. It is totally untenable for Gordon Brown to exclude Trident from the Strategic Defence Review as some sacred cow.

“In the last week we have seen an agreement on nuclear disarmament between the United State and Russia and the announcement of a non-proliferation summit next March. For all these reasons the Prime Minister must rule out further decisions and spending commitments on the renewal of Trident due to be signed off by Ministers in the coming months.

“Civil society, trade unions, religious organisations the Scottish Government, are working together to keep a new generation of Trident missiles out of our waters – even military leaders openly question the affordability and rationale of these weapons, and this poll shows that the tide has well and truly turned.”

Anti-Trident protest within Parliament, campaigners risk arrest in silent protest

Thirteen campaigners from the groups Trident Ploughshares and Women in Black (London) have joined together in a dignified and silent protest within the Central Lobby of the Palace of Westminster, protesting at the illegal and undemocratic decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system, being made by the Government behind closed doors. Entering the lobby of the House of Commons at 2p.m today. they stood silently in a circle displaying t-shirts with the message 'Disarm Nuclear Weapons Now', whilst waiting to lobby their MPs. They are refusing to move and are risking arrest.

Their action highlights the need for the Government to engage in the debate already raging amongst commentators, military and security experts and members of the public over the plan to commit £76bn to replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. A decision on the next stage of the Trident replacement process is due to take place in September, during the Parliamentary recess.

Angie Zelter, one of the Trident Ploughshares protesters said, 'The Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Geneva Conventions, are being breached by the UK. If our Government is sincere about trying to stop terrorism then it should get rid of its own weapons of mass terrorism and stop its preparations for mass murder, and neither update nor replace Trident. Only a sincere and honest commitment to international law will bring the peace and justice the world needs to co-operate fully in solving the many crises, like climate chaos, that are confronting us'.

Liz Khan, from Women in Black London, said, 'The Government is taking fundamental decisions on the replacement of Trident in secret, behind closed doors. This is undemocratic. Given the current economic situation, blowing over £100bn on a useless weapon of mass destruction should surely be a matter for public scrutiny and debate. Our action today is part of the process of bringing this issue out into the open'.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "Next week Presidents Obama and Medvedev look set to agree huge cuts in their nuclear arsenals - perhaps by as much as 50%. The clear international trend is towards disarmament - unilateral, bilateral and multilateral. The UK must not stand apart from that by committing huge amounts of taxpayers money to renewing a system designed for the Cold War which has no relevance to the threats of the 21st century. Gordon Brown has said he wants to listen more - he should start by heeding the call from 85 of his own backbenchers not to commit over £2bn to Trident Replacement during the parliamentary recess, when there is no chance for democratic scrutiny."

The MoD's current schedule will see ministers take a decision on the scope and capabilities of the replacement system (the 'Initial Gate') during the Parliamentary recess this September, when there is no possibility for scrutiny in the Commons. The decision is expected to commit upwards of £2.1bn to the programme. Over 160 MPs have now signed EDM 660 calling for a Parliamentary debate before this decision is taken to proceed to the next stage in the replacement process. The Foreign Affairs Committee also recommended a further Parliamentary debate in its recent report on global security and non-proliferation. To date, the government have refused to allow any debate to take place, even though the decision will come at a sensitive time, just before Labour Party conference.

TRIDENT’S FINANCIAL FOLLY COMES INTO FOCUS

FORMER NATO GENERAL SECRETARY'S CALL TO AXE TRIDENT

Newspaper reports today (Monday) have brought the financial folly of replacing the current Trident system into focus with even the former secretary-general of NATO – Lord George Robertson – co-authoring a report calling for the re-placement system to be scrapped.

The report in the Financial Times details how Lord Robertson has co-authored a report along with former LibDem leader Lord Paddy Ashdown and Lord Guthrie – former chief of the defence staff.

In addition the Daily Mail also reports that plans are being drawn up by the government in Westminster to scrap the Trident replacement, and Scotland’s Cardinal Keith O’Brien has penned an article for the Times highlighting the immorality of nuclear weapons.

Commenting on these rush of developments, SNP Westminster leader and party defence spokesperson, Angus Robertson MP, said:

“With the debate about Westminster government cuts raging, these reports are very timely and lay bear the incoherence of spending plans that include Trident.

“It is even more embarrassing for the Labour government considering that Lord George Robertson is reported as one of the authors.

“The position of Labour and the Tories in arguing for Trident is untenable in these difficult financial times.

"Trident is frankly obscene, and in the current economic climate it must be obvious that these resources should be better spent.”

Bill Kidd MSP, an active campaigner against Trident, also said:

"To dump a 'son of Trident' on Scotland would be an act of immense irresponsibility - particularly when Westminster parties are planning cuts in Scottish public spending.

“And it is not just former defence chiefs like Lord Guthrie who think the UK Government is wrong to waste tens of billions replacing Trident. It is a view shared by governments around the world, the people of Scotland and the Scottish Parliament.

"Civil society, trade unions, religious organisations and the Scottish Government are working together to keep a new generation of Trident missiles out of Scotland, and today’s reports reinforce that argument."

Greenpeace backs Nick Clegg Trident announcement

Greenpeace today welcomed the announcement by Nick Clegg that the Liberal Democrats would review the decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system.

And they also urged the government to delay the ‘initial gate' process for the proposed successor submarine - which commits up to an estimated £2.1bn to the start of design work (1).

The Ministry of Defence currently plans to make the decision about whether to proceed with initial gate this September while Parliament is in recess.

Greenpeace disarmament campaigner Louise Edge said: "Given the state of the economy, committing taxpayers to the astronomical costs of replacing Trident without so much as a parliamentary debate is deeply irresponsible.

"The time is right to re-examine the need for a cold war white elephant before we sign the cheque."

Pressure is growing for a delay. An early day motion calling for the initial gate decision to be delayed until Parliament is in session has already been signed by over 155 MPs, including 80 Labour members (2). The cross party House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee this week urged the Government to allow MPs a debate on the renewal of the ageing deterrent system when the project reaches initial gate stage.

Greeenpeace believes that the government should take a lead in restarting international disarmament by:

• taking Trident submarines off patrol and removing the warheads to an internationally monitored storage site in the United Kingdom;
• cancelling plans to build a new nuclear weapon and halting associated developments at AWE Aldermaston of new laser facilities and super-computers;
• working closely with other key states to strengthen existing disarmament treaties and to restart global multi-lateral disarmament negotiations.

Greens congratulate LibDems - and challenge Labour, Tories to join the anti-Trident club too

Responding to the Liberal Democrats' decision to oppose replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system, Green Party deputy leader Adrian Ramsay said today:

"We are delighted that the Liberal Democrats have made this decision, and we call on the government and the Conservative Party to follow.

"The LibDems have come a long way since they supported the original Trident, and Nick Clegg is to be congratulated for winning the argument within his party.

The Liberal Democrats have been prevaricating over Trident for some time. As recently as September 2008 the LibDems were talking about "A major reduction of [the UK's] nuclear arsenal by approximately 50%, retaining no more than 100 warheads, with each Trident submarine carrying no more than 24 warheads when on deterrence patrol," and "Announcing its willingness to renounce the Trident system and any successor by agreement at the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty review." (1)

And as recently as 30 March 2009, Lord Lee of Trafford, Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson, said that "the Trident nuclear system should be continued and maintained, and its operational life extended. The final decision of any successor system should be taken around 2014 when significant capital spend would begin to be incurred." (2).

Adrian Ramsay, offering the Green Party's congratulations to the Liberal Democrats, concluded:

"The Trident missile system was redundant before it was introduced, and it has wasted tens of billions of pounds that could have been much better spent. But it's a case of much better late than never. Now we very much hope that Labour and the Conservatives will follow the lead taken by the Greens and the Liberal Democrats."