Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Scotland: A Peace of History

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Published on Thursday, 04 October 2018 14:21

We invite you to celebrate with us!

2018 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the formation of the Scottish ‘Council’ for Nuclear Disarmament. We want to use the occasion to showcase and celebrate our history, whilst also looking to our future. To this end, we are creating a timeline of important actions and events, both from within and out with our movement, spanning over eighty years! We have gratefully received funding from the National Lottery’s Heritage Lottery Fund for the timeline project. We hope the final results will be nostalgic, inspiring, and educational.

Launch Event

Sat 15 Dec 2018 12-4pm Mitchell Library, Glasgow

• 12:30pm - Informal opening ceremony with some brief speeches and some music
• 1:00pm - 4:00pm - An opportunity to view the exhibition which celebrates the 60th anniversary of Scottish CND.

Scottish CND members, supporters and people from the wider Scottish Peace Movement are very welcome to attend the opening and view the exhibition on Saturday 15th December 2018. More information can be found on the Facebook event.

Join the Nae Nukes rally, 22 Sep

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Published on Wednesday, 05 September 2018 10:11

NAE NUKES ANYWHERE! – International Rally at Faslane 22nd September 2018

Gather at Faslane Peace Camp at 12 noon and walk from the Peace Camp to the North Gate of the base for the rally, a distance of around a mile. The rally should end between 3 and 4 p.m.

The rally will feature speakers from many countries. Confirmed to date are: Sharon Dolev (Israel), Founding director of the Israeli Disarmament Movement, Ekatrina Earsalovna (Russia), Professor of International Relation, Ural Federal University, Anthony Donovan, writer, organiser and documentary maker on peace and disarmament from New York, Emad Kiyaei (Iran), a consultant who provides political, business and civil society leaders with strategic advice in the intersection of political risk, diplomacy and technology, Maaike Beenes (The Netherlands), a young campaigner with PAX in the Netherlands, Members of the People’s Democratic Party (South Korea) who visited Scotland as part of their Peace Expedition, Allison Pytlak (Reaching Critical Will), who was awarded, along with Ray Acheson, the UN Women’s Champion for Change status this year for their advocacy in the campaign for the TPNW and Timmon Wallis (United States) – National Co-ordinator of NuclearBan.US.

If you wish to make a donation for the rally please use the "Donate" button the right side of our website, visit our crowdfunding page here or send a cheque to the Scottish CND office.

As well as the rally itself there will be other events over that weekend to take advantage of the presence of campaigners from far and wide.

Full programme, bus details and other info available here

The aim of the rally is to to highlight the strength of support from many UN member states for Scotland, a country hosting nuclear weapons against its wishes. Scotland is a significant and relatively autonomous part of a nuclear-armed state which opposes its possession of weapons of mass destruction. As things stand we cannot become a party to the new UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons but there are lots of ways in which we can align ourselves to the Treaty. The September rally will be a fine opportunity to mark our determination to do so.

Make a special donation for the rally on the 22 Sep

Details

Published on Tuesday, 17 July 2018 13:51

To make a special donation please visit the crowdfunding page here  or send a cheque to Scottish CND

Join the events at the Youth Peace Academy

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Published on Tuesday, 17 July 2018 13:48

Events at the Youth Peace Academy open to all members & supporters +

Press/Photo calls times

You might be aware of you 3 day Youth Peace Academy. Applications are not officially closed, but we might be able to make some space for last minute registrations. 

We have a number of events open to our members and supporters. While these are free (voluntary donations encouraged) we require booking. Do get in touch if you want to join any of these great parts of the academy.

Speech from Hiroshima Survivor Mr. IESHIMA Masashi
Fri 27th, 4.30 pm, University of Strathclyde Students’ Association, 90 John Street, Glasgow, G1 1JH, Vertigo Room (level 8)

Social gathering with Live Ceilidh by The McHart Ceilidh Band (finger buffet provided, drinks available at the bar)
Sat 28th, 7 pm, 35 Avenuepark St, Glasgow G20 8TS

Bus tour of the Faslane Peace Camp & Faslane Base with workshops on non violent direct action & convoys. 
Sunday, 29th of July, 10 am - 3 pm
Leaving from  SYHA Glasgow Youth Hostel, 7-8 Park Terrace, Glasgow, G3 6BY at 10 am, returning to Glasgow City Centre at 3 pm. 

Please get in touch by email or phone (0141 3571529) if you want to book your space at any of these events!

If you want to help out as a volunteer at the academy do get in touch to let us know availability. Limited free beds available at the hostel, if any of you need accommodation. Volunteers might also get the chance to take part in some of the training and events. 

Press/Photo calls times

Friday 27th of July

Testimony from Hiroshima survivor 4.30 pm, Glasgow (University of Strathclyde Students’ Association) with time for press interviews 2.30 - 4.15 pm 

Mugstock festival Hiroshima speaker plus human peace logo formation, 8 pm (Mugdock Country Park). Journalists willing to cover this will have to contact Alan Govan (festival director) to arrange entrance. He can be reached at 07821077416, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sunday 29th of July 

Buss trip to Faslane Base & Faslane Peace Camp

Photo call with all academy participants, 11 am, outside the peace camp

For more details visit http://www.peaceeducationscotland.org/peace-academy/

Contact:

Peace Education Scotland 

Flavia Tudoreanu, 0141 3571529, 0740 5349615, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Arthur West, 07826127759

MugStock Festival

Alan Govan, festival director,  07821077416, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Photos of MugStock Festival:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1V-RY7DNkVRVO4tXCYHLgpKVa6-69xxEr?usp=sharing

statement on the US - North Korea summit

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Published on Friday, 15 June 2018 14:29

Scottish CND have given a cautious welcome to the outcome of US - North Korea peace summit 

Arthur West chair of Scottish CND said-

Some of the actions which were mentioned at the summit are very much steps in the right direction 

For example the remarks by President Trump that he will halt military exercises that include flying nuclear capable bombers close to the border of North Korea is welcome . 

There is also some encouragement in the remarks of the North Korean President about destroying his nuclear test centres.

Arthur West added -

This summit took place in a very tense atmosphere and at a time of increasing militarisation of our world.

At such a tense and difficult time - it is to be hoped that this summit will help reduce the risk of nuclear war in our world.

Statement from Scottish CND on UDT Conference

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Published on Wednesday, 09 May 2018 14:12

  The Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) event will take place at the Scottish Event Centre in Glasgow between 26^th and 28^th June 2018. Glasgow Life are a charity that organises cultural events on behalf of Glasgow City Council and are actively campaigning for this arms trade event to be held in the city. Scottish CND is disappointed in Glasgow City Council for supporting the conference, Arthur West (chair) continues:

 "It is even more troubling that some of the companies who are supporting this event may have links with the Trident nuclear weapons replacement programme. This replacement project is opposed by a clear majority of Scotland's politicians and the Scottish public.”

It is believed that this event is run by Clarion Events who arrange a huge Arms Fair in London every two years and this in itself should raise alarm bells about the nature of this event. “A public body should not be endorsing events that promote nuclear weapons and war and Glasgow Life have some questions to answer as to why they think it is reasonable to help house this type of unsavoury event in Scotland’s largest city.

Scottish CND Dismayed and Disgusted as Trump Withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal

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Published on Wednesday, 09 May 2018 11:21

 Chair Arthur West has expressed Scottish CND's disgust at the recent announcement by US president Donald Trump that he intends to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal.

"This deal has achieved its main aim which is stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons. It is very troubling that the US president has decided to move away from a deal which makes a positive contribution towards a more peaceful world."

Arthur concluded by noting that International Atomic Energy Agency which has inspection powers to keep a heck on how Iran is complying with the deal has expressed concern about the US president moving away from the deal.

"There is clearly substantial opposition to this latest ill advised and wrong headed move by the Trump administration. The International Atomic Energy Agency, Tom Tugendhat MP - the chair of all party foreign affairs committee at Westminster and Dr Patricia Lewis of the respected Chatham House research organisation has all indicated reservations about this move by the Trump administration.

Report from Members Debate in Holyrood – 2 May 2018, Civil Contingency in Nuclear Weapon Transport

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Published on Thursday, 03 May 2018 14:02

For over an hour the Scottish Parliament discussed nuclear weapons convoys in a debate raised by

Mark Ruskell MSP from the Scottish Greens. It was a members debate which comes after decision

time so most members leave then but 22 stayed to listen and contribute.

Mark Ruskell introduced the motion and thanked David Mackenzie and Jane Tallents for the Unready

Scotland report and paid tribute to the work of the Nukewatch network. He explained why the

hazards of nuclear weapons transport are so unique and the results of a survey of Scottish Local

Authorities by him which showed that none of them had conducted risk assessments or informed

the public. He said that the current devolution settlement laid responsibility for community safety

with the Scottish Government under the Civil Contingencies Act 2014 and called for them to hold a

review of civil authorities plans for a convoy accident.

Bill Kidd (SNP) said no one should be ignorant of what these convoys carry and called for the

minister to consider setting up a group to conduct a review.

Civil Contingency in Nuclear Weapon Transport to be debated in the Scottish Parliament

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Published on Wednesday, 25 April 2018 09:43

In Scotland last year, following a careful examination of the local authorities readiness (or not as the case is) to deal with any emergency arising from the regular convoys that take the Uk's nuclear warheads up and down the country on the back of lorries, campaign group Nukewatch worked with Green MSP Mark Ruskell to compile a meticulous report, Unready Scotland, to expose this gap in the Scottish Government's duty of care.

It has now been taken up by our parliamentary all party group on nuclear disarmament and will be debated in our Scottish Parliament.

They are asking the Scottish Government to examine the risk assessment and public information in place, and to highlight any shortcomings to the UK Government.

A detail perhaps, and a small action, but it could be  a concrete measure that the Scottish Government would be allowed to take. and I hope you might take the opportunity to send messages of encouragement to our First Minister  in the hope that the Scottish Government will agree to take the steps suggested in this parliamentary motion.