Firstly, thanks to all those who attended our webinar on the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal last night. We had considerable interest and our guests made fantastic contributions. The webinar recording will be uploaded in full on our YouTube channel.
In other SCND news, our annual Year in Review report is now available online. We have printed versions of this report we can send to supporters – if you would like a physical copy, please contact scnd@banthebomb.org with your name and address so that we can post it to you!
In world nuclear news, Spain’s foreign affairs committee this week voted on whether to recommend signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to the Spanish parliament.
This would not have resulted in Spain’s accession to the treaty, but may have forced a parliamentary debate or vote on the issue. For a NATO country to formally debate signing the TPNW would have been significant given NATO has forcefully lobbied against it.
The motion was forwarded by a coalition of left parties, but was unfortunately stymied by the abstention of Spain’s ruling PSOE party. This is despite Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez making statements against nuclear deterrence policies at the recent Munich Security Conference, and polls showing overwhelming public support for joining the nuclear ban treaty.
Nevertheless, the majority of world states that have signed the TPNW continues to grow, with Gabon this week signing the UN nuclear ban treaty. That makes 101 nations worldwide that agree nuclear weapons are a threat to humanity as a whole, disavow nuclear “deterrence” policies and commit to the total elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.
This majority shows no sign of shrinking, meaning the longer nuclear-armed states and NATO countries double-down on their dangerous and misguided policies of vertical proliferation, the more isolated their political position on the world stage.
For our part, Scottish CND has been corresponding with the new cohort of MSPs in the Scottish parliament to encourage their signatures in support of ICAN’s Parliamentary Pledge.
The results of the last election mean we may be able to secure the largest ever parliamentary cohort in support of the TPNW. Though Scotland cannot yet sign the Treaty, such an achievement would be a powerful symbol of the democratic deficit at the heart of the UK’s nuclear weapons presence in Scotland.
Please continue to follow and engage with our campaign as we make the political case for a more peaceful 21st century, in Scotland and beyond.