by Bruce Kent, longstanding UNA-UK member and CND vice president
What should we now be asking and expecting our Government to do about the elimination of nuclear weapons?
It might, to start with, take our Treaty obligations seriously. In 1968, 50 years ago, our country signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It was only partly a non-proliferation treaty.
It was equally a nuclear abolition treaty as its Article VI makes clear. Under that article the signatories promised ‘to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures related to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament‘
Yet only last year our present Government, with some Labour support, agreed to build and deploy, at a cost of over £200 billion another generation of nuclear weapons. They will replace the current fleet of Trident nuclear missile submarines. If this project goes ahead Britain will remain a nuclear armed country for another 30 or 40 years. ’In good faith’? It doesn’t sound like it to me.
There are so many things to be done with or without Government help. The billions spent on nuclear weapons cannot be spent on the NHS, decent housing, overseas aid or education. We need a national discussion about our real priorities. The UNA could launch one.
Last year 122 countries agreed a treaty on the abolition of nuclear weapons. Our Government took no part and effectively ridiculed the process. Time for our Government to open up a serious dialogue with the 122?
A bit of honesty would certainly help. Our nuclear weapons depend entirely on a regular supply of missiles, lent to us on a rotating basis, by the United States. Independent? You would no t call your car independent if you had regularly to borrow its wheels from a neighbour.
The 122 countries have shown us a way forward. They need our interest and help. We could - and should - join them.