Scotland Says, "No to Trident"

Opposition to the bomb is greater in Scotland than in England and Wales. Yet Trident has been forced on the Scots.

"Currently the UK is proposing to increase its sea-based nuclear weapons system, at a cost of approximately 10.5 billion pounds. How strongly do you agree or disagree with this proposal ?"

Disagree
Scotland 70 %
England and Wales 55 %

Agree
Scotland 19 %
England and Wales 30 %

This poll also showed that over 81% of both Labour and SNP supporters in Scotland opposed Trident.

(Poll by On line Telephone Surveys, Feb 1992)

Labour Party

The Scottish Labour Conference has consistently opposed Trident. The London leadership is out of step with Scottish opinion, Tony Blair supports Trident.

Liberal Democrats

Paddy Ashdown supports Trident, but in the last Euro-election half the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidates said Scotland didn't need nuclear weapons.

SNP

"The Scottish National Party is committed to removing Trident from the Clyde" - Alex Salmond.

Other parties opposed to Trident include the Scottish Green Party, Scottish Socialist Alliance & Communist Party of Scotland.

Trade Unions

The Scottish Trades Union Congress is opposed to Trident. The STUC has called for the money which could be saved by scrapping Trident to be used to create jobs and at the same time improve housing and infrastructure in Scotland.

Local Authorities

13 Scottish local authorities have declared themselves Nuclear Free and a further 10 are expected to join them.

Church of Scotland

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland said that "nuclear arms, including the readiness to use them, are by their nature morally and theologically wrong."

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Bishops in Scotland sent declarations to the International Court of Justice saying - "It is my belief that nuclear weapons are morally wrong".

Leading figures from other religious faiths in Scotland have also expressed their opposition to nuclear weapons.