The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is urging Scottish MPs of all parties to send a strong protest to the the US President asking him to reverse his decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine.
These not only kill when first used but leave a terrible legacy embedded in the land for civilians.
It was two small countries – Ireland and Norway – which took the initiative to establish the international Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2008 and 110 states have signed, agreeing to prohibit all use, production and transfer. The UK was pressurised into ratifying it by strong public support for the ban. Strong criticism of this US decision is therefore an expression of the legal position of the UK.
The UK will also be responsible for lasting environmental pollution if it proceeds with its proposal to supply uranium-tipped weapons to Ukraine. These leave long-lasting toxic material in the soil as well as posing a health risk to military personnel using them.
The spiralling use of increasingly toxic weapons is a dangerous route to go down. The message is – we have no limits. Where will that lead?