Dundee Residents' Demo against Trident & Replacement

[1010011010]

The demonstration by Dundee residents against Trident and its replacement will be held at the Faslane Nuclear Base on Saturday 13th January.

There is a bus leaving from Meadowside, Dundee (across from the General Post Office) at 4am on the Saturday morning. We will be back in Dundee for 7pm. The reason we are leaving so early is so that people who wish to blockade the base can be at their most effective and this is when traffic going into the base is at its peak - around 6am. If anyone feels they cannot get to Dundee city centre for 4am then there are a limited number of places nearby available on the Friday night where people can stay. There is a suggested minimum donation of £5.00 for a seat on the bus.

This is a *peaceful, non-violent demonstration*. There is no need to be arrested or become involved in any direct-action. We have musicians and public speakers coming along with us and we hope to create a carnival-style atmosphere which will be fun to be involved in, whilst never diluting the essential message that we oppose Nuclear Weapons and any plans to replace the current arsenal.

This is your demonstration, and it will be as successful as you make it. Please bring your own banners, signs, flags, costumes, whistles, drums, props, instruments and music and help to make this as colourful an event as possible.

Given the time of year, it is advisable to pack warm clothes, and some waterproofs. Tea/Coffee in flasks would be a good idea and bring some food along. Some people are bringing disposable barbecues which will be great for hot food.

We are having a pre-demonstration social event at Braes on Thursday 11th January from 7pm. This will be a good opportunity to meet up with your fellow demonstrators and resolve any questions or queries you may have.

To confirm your place on the bus, please contact me. Please confirm your attendance ASAP as there are a limited number of seats available. Please also let me know if you are considering forming part of the blockade.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

I hope to see some of you there.

*THIS IS A THREAD FOR BOOKING SEATS ON THE BUS - IF YOU WANT TO DEBATE THE PROS AND CONS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS THEN START A NEW THREAD*

[Downie]

arg, i have to work that day as i've taken all my holidays for this month. i'd have loved to attend. if only i'd handed my notice in at work a month earlier, i'd be free.

[1010011010]

Your support is appreciated Shame you can't make it - will be a good day.

[1010011010]

*bump*

Only 7 seats left on bus - please book now if you're wanting to come.

[1010011010]

The event was a big success - we filled the bus and managed to shut down the base for an hour. Got some good press coverage too.

You can check out the Dundee report and see pictures here

[GaryM]

Originally Posted by 1010011010

You can check out the Dundee report and see pictures here

I was neutral on this subject until I read the arguments on that site, now I'm very much in favour of the UK having strategic nuclear weapons. Not so sure about tactical nuclear weapons though.

[1010011010]

Originally Posted by GaryM

I was neutral on this subject until I read the arguments on that site, now I'm very much in favour of the UK having strategic nuclear weapons. Not so sure about tactical nuclear weapons though.

Lots of folk are simply against nuclear weapons per se. The non-proliferation treaty which the UK signed in 1968 is being completely ignored by the UK government.

The latest bill proposed by the Scottish Greens is quite interesting - because defence matters are reserved to Westminster there's not much can be done through the Scottish Parliament, but the Scottish Executive is responsible for making sure that International Law is not broken on Scottish soil and as such there may be ways of stopping deliveries and the transport of materials on Scottish roads, effectively making it impossible for the nuclear base to remain in Scotland.

[Dashingmajor]

[GaryM]

Originally Posted by 1010011010

Lots of folk are simply against nuclear weapons per se. The non-proliferation treaty which the UK signed in 1968 is being completely ignored by the UK government.

Well, I'm not for nuclear (or any other) weapons, but I don't want to be the one who doesn't have them if others do. Also, what makes you say the NPT is being completely ignored? I'd say it was only a partial ignoring - the UK has followed Article XI in as much as it has reduced the number of delivery systems by cancelling the WE.177 bomb in 1998, making the UK the only member of the United Nations Security Council to use a single nuclear system. It has also reduced the number of deployed weapons, and the successor to the Vanguard submarines should see 20% fewer deployed warheads. However I would agree that the UK does not seem to be making plans to completely eliminate its nuclear deterrent. Also, the fact that Geoff Hoon, when he was Secretary of State for Defence, said that the UK was prepared to use nuclear weapons in response to a non-necessarily-nuclear WMD attack goes against the NPT.

[1010011010]

Originally Posted by GaryM

but I don't want to be the one who doesn't have them if others do.

That's an understandable position but in reality, what difference would it make? Who is going to launch a nuclear attack on us, whether we have nukes or not? For me, Scotland and by extension the UK, is in a position to lead by example in disarming.

Putting the moral argument to the side for a moment, the financial argument speaks for itself. How many schools and hospitals could have been created and maintained, how many jobs could have been created, how much investment in renewable energy technologies which could help to reduce our dependency on other states, could have been achieved with the money spent on missiles which have never, and will never be used?

I couldn't believe the other day when Blair gave that speech on the boat. The absolute disdain he spoke with about countries who have "retreated" to a position whereby their militaries are solely involved in peace-keeping operations was shocking. I don't see this as a retreat at all - this would be a progression in my opinion.

Originally Posted by GaryM

what makes you say the NPT is being completely ignored?

I dunno, I suppose I reckon it's either being taken seriously or it's not.

[humndislocation]

Just because we're not at risk of attack now, it doesn't follow that this will be true in the future. International politics aren't static.

Unfortunately nuclear weapons are like pandora's box. Once you have them, you can't really get rid of them.

Personally I don't think it's a good idea for countries like China, Iran and North Korea to have nuclear weapons, but for us not to. Personally I think that the "if we disarm, then all those dictatorships will disarm too, and not take advantage of the situation in any way, because they're nice like that!" argument is naive in the extreme, the real world doesn't work like that.