Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

100 Seconds to Midnight

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Published on Thursday, 23 January 2020 16:41

Doomsday Clock Registers Increased Planetary Peril

Today the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved its symbolic Doomsday Clock twenty seconds closer to midnight in recognition of the significantly increasing risks of nuclear war and climate catastrophe.

In its statement, the Bulletin says that any belief that the threat of nuclear war has been vanquished is a mirage and that civilisation-ending nuclear war - whether started by design, blunder, or simple miscommunication - is a genuine possibility. Their assessment is based on the Iranian and North Korean developments as well as on the almost total breakdown in arms control measures applying to the nuclear armed states.

Reflecting the urgency of the situation a timely Scottish Parliament motion(1) by Bill Kidd MSP has called for real progress towards genuine nuclear disarmament, citing tomorrow, 24th January, as the anniversary of the very first UN resolution which was a call for the elimination of nuclear weapons. The quinquennial Review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) takes place in New York in April/May. This is the first Review since the adoption by the UN of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which complements the NPT and provides the legal mechanism for the fulfilment of the hitherto disregarded pillar of that treaty - the obligation on the nuclear-armed states to take real steps in good faith towards complete disarmament. Scottish campaigners are urging their parliamentarians to attend the Review in a civil society capacity since otherwise Scotland's rejection of nuclear weapons will not be represented.

Chair of Scottish CND Lynn Jamieson said: "We appreciate the stark realism of the Bulletin's assessment of the horrifying risk we face every single day and hope that this will lead to real and immediate action. We need an immediate step back from the brink by the nuclear-armed states and those seeking to acquire these weapons. Above all we need to begin the journey towards the total elimination of these weapons via the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

NPT and the TPNW discussions at the UN May 2020

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Published on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 15:50

NPT and the TPNW discussions at the UN May 2020. This year, our Scottish Parliamentarians have a unique opportunity to join diplomats and governments to advocate for nuclear disarmament, not just from Scotland but for the world. Can you help make that happen? Here’s the background and why it's important.

This year, the Treaty on The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) gets closer to ‘entry into force’, that is the point at which it will become binding on those who join. For that to happen we only need 16 of the states who have already signed to complete ratification by putting it through their national legislation. All Greens, SNP and a good number of Scottish Labour Parliamentarians have signed a pledge to support the TPNW. The unique opportunity for our parliamentarians will arise because the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is due for Review in New York in early May  [1].

Write to your MP or MSP now

Campaigners Raise Alarm Over Inclusion in Counter-Terrorism Net; Reassurance Sought From Police Scotland

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Published on Tuesday, 21 January 2020 13:26

Responding to the recent revelation that police forces in England have included peaceful campaigns such as Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and CND in their lists of organisations to be alert to in countering terrorism, Scottish CND is seeking re-assurance from Police Scotland that no such tactics are being used in Scotland.

In her letter to Chief Constable Ian Livingstone Scottish CND Chair Lynn Jamieson says: “We are writing to share our concern over reports that peaceful and legitimate campaign groups, such as Greenpeace and CND, have been included in training manuals and other advice by officers in English police forces engaged in counter–terrorism. Entangling the policing of peaceful protest with counter-terrorism activity is the thin edge of a very dangerous wedge and a step towards a situation in which all activity critical of the state is deemed illegal. We seek your assurance that Police Scotland is not and will not be engaging in such unacceptable categorisations. As regards protest in Scotland against the UK's nuclear weapon system we are used to the almost universal acceptance by Scottish police of the legitimacy of our activity and its entirely non-violent nature. This has built a reputation that no-one wishes to lose.”

Doomsday Clock to be Reset Next Week

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Published on Wednesday, 15 January 2020 13:46

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Doomsday Clock symbolised how close we are to total catastrophe due to human-generated existential threats. It is currently set at only two minutes to midnight. When reset on Thursday 23rd January at 3:00pm GMT it is predicted to be closer still because of the continued climate emergency and risk of nuclear war. Both are heightened by new threats to democracy across the world. 

Scottish CND chair Lynn Jamieson said:

"The planet is in crisis; climate emergency demands total focus but we dare not ignore the nuclear threat. Displacement and conflicts are caused by climate breakdown and raise the probability of wars including nuclear catastrophe. Maintaining a nuclear threat is carbon intensive and heightens the climate emergency. 

Both threats require genuine co-operation across the globe. In the case of nuclear weapons, we have a potentially effective mechanism already in place and backed by a majority of the world's states - the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The complete elimination of nuclear weapons is both essential and achievable. 

The recent surge in awareness of climate breakdown has shown how quickly public engagement can change. The same shift must happen in addressing the threat of nuclear catastrophe, especially since the two disaster scenarios are so closely inter-linked."

Scottish CND will issue a statement following next week's reset of the Doomsday Clock.

Contact: Lynn Jamieson: 07974 631397

Response to Soleimani Killing

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Published on Saturday, 04 January 2020 11:49

Scottish CND chair Lynn Jamieson said:

"The UK government should condemn actions which breed violence and undermine the international legal structures that support world peace. The US extra-judicial killings of seven people in Iraq, including General Qasem Soleimani, does all of this. The tearing up of the nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) and the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia have also undermined peace and are escalating a new nuclear arms race. Russia has just last week announced that it has developed hypersonic missiles which can evade US missile defences while the UK is pushing ahead with new technology in smaller 'useable' nuclear weapons. We are in a situation when all these developments could readily collide. 

In this context the assassination of Soleimani is pouring yet more fuel on the multiple fires in the Middle East with massive implications. We are in the midst of a planetary crisis comprising the climate emergency and the increased threat of global nuclear war. As far as nuclear weapons are concerned the UK Government can act by example by supporting the UM Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons rather than continuing to develop a new arsenal of its own."