The Government gives us no say on replacing Trident nukes - but you can vote online: http://bit.ly/g4W48
Blog entries to date
1st of November 2009
October 28 Campaign message Gordon Brown doesn't give a XXXX what you think about Trident. Why? Cos it costs 4 times what he says it does. Time we told the Nobel Peace Prize Winner to remove his nukes from Scotland.
October 26 Campaign message: My School, My Hospital or Gordon Brown’s Nukes? No wonder he doesn’t care what we think but vote in Trident referendum anyway
October 25 Gordon Brown now to the right of Angela Merkel. “Germany's New Government to US: Take Away Your Free Nukes!” Trident “would not deter any enemy actually likely to attack,” says Barrow Nuke Shipyard Guru Terry Waiting. Former Defence Secretary Lord Owen opposes Trident.
October 23 Campaign message Our Money, Our Choice. PM doesn’t want you to vote in our referendum: Say No to No Say on replacing Trident. Parliament never agreed £97bn for Trident. How can a government bind its successors on an election issue?
October 18 Poll result: 94% say we can't afford Trident replacement and should spend the money on protecting public services instead. New poll added on ethical and independent foreign policy and nuclear deterrent
Campaign member Duncan Macintosh says “Trident replacement is damaging prospects for multilateral disarmament and costs money needed for essential services, without adding to the wider economy”
Campaign member Ryta Lyndley says “we should have a referendum on most topics as this is supposed to be a democracy, not a fascist state.”
October 17 New poll added on policing and civil liberties (Poll No. 6)
9 October Campaign member Colin Fulker writes on Trident “Get rid of it and use the money to pay off the national debt. Maybe that is a unilateral move that others would be tempted to follow."
October 7 New Champion John Wright invites 215 people to vote, smashing Sarah Lasenby's record of 97. Beat that! Campaign member David Seddon comments that “the Security of British people is not assured by mid 20th century nuclear weapons. we need a new approach to security and to 'defence' linked to a new enlightened foreign policy.
October 5 New polls open on Trident cost (No 3) and Government accountability (No 5) Campaign member Philip Gillian expresses concern at poll question: 'Can Britain rely on a friendly Superpower to provide any necessary nuclear deterrent?'
October 4 Poll result: 97% say they have democratic right to be consulted on replacing Trident
October 3 Scottish MSPs now voting in Trident replacement referendum
September 30 Poll result: 94% don’t trust Government to do the shopping for Trident.in the wake of leaked MOD procurement fiasco report. Welcome to Green leaders as campaign supporters: MEPs Caroline Lucas & Jean Lambert GLA members Darren Johnson & Jenny Jones
28 September David Blunkett's against replacing Trident: how about you?
23 September Campaign message: Do you want fewer Tridents or no Trident? Who do you trust on costing Trident: an independent world-class NGO like Greenpeace or the PM?
21 September Huw Spanner plugs our website: “Why don't we all combine to knock £97bn off the national debt? Just vote en masse to scrap Trident!”
20 September Campaign message "Replacing Trident is against both our national interests and our international obligations" Foreign Secretary Robin Cook (alas, deceased)
19 September campaign message: Trident Biggest scam in history: £97bn for replacing Trident that we wouldn’t even own
18 September Greenpeaceuk explodes Government's phoney Trident estimate and costs it at £97bn Guardian says £130bn – they are same newsgroup as Observer who think it costs £16bn!
17 September Campaign message: “Want another £75-100bn for public services? Cancel trident replacement”
Observer reported to Press Council for costing Trident2 at £16bn.
8 September Alison Margaret, Secretary of the Merton Branch of the UN Association says she will invite her other members and friends to vote
3 September Labour’s Charles Clarke questions replacing Trident
August 24 Campaign supporter John Evans says the site is a “fantastic idea.” Trident-supporting MPs in marginal constituencies likely to lose their seats, according to the latest referendum returns.
August 21 Heaviest voting in London and the North. First Scottish Vote:! Green councillors start voting in Trident Referendum. Lets go get many more
16 August First of many start tweeting our message “I voted in the Trident Referendum Gordon Brown didn’t want to have; you can too!”
14 August Polling opened today and the first members immediately call on Government to tell us in what circumstances Trident would be used
Spot the odd one out. Trident is nuclear. Not the UK’s because we lease them from the US.
Never mind if we have complete control of launch codes (do you really think the Americans would let us nuke them?). Trident is independent except for depending on the US for
● Manufacture
● Servicing
● Technical help to make the warheads functional
● Satellites for navigation and targeting.
Members of our site are asked about whether with Trident we can have an independent foreign policy or are sacrificing our liberty to security and following American interests.
As for being a deterrent, why is the Government unable to say against whom?
And as for maintaining peace: Afghanistan-Iraq-Bosnia-Gulf-Falklands-Aden …Suez-Cyprus-Korea-Malaysia-Burma...
Government says you’re more at risk carrying a knife, safer having nuclear weapons, but even women have broken into our nuclear installations so how safe can they be from terrorists? If the defence case for Trident were not silly and dangerous enough, there is a question of affordability, which involves more lies on how much replacing it will really cost.
● Does retaining nuclear weapons make us and the World safer?
● How much do you think it will really cost and should we spend this instead on protecting public services?
● How open, engaging and accountable anyway do you rate Government Ministers and Departments on Defence, Nuclear and Foreign Policy?
You can use your electronic ballot paper to vote on these and other questions, including how your choice in the general election may be affected by parties and candidates supporting Trident.
Then you can say: "I voted in the Trident Replacement Referendum Gordon Brown didn’t want to have; you can too! Please RT http://bit.ly/g4W48"
Get the latest on the Trident Replacement Referendum...
The aim of campaigning is winning. Some will think this one on cancelling Trident just can't be won. True? Is winning all that campaigning is about?
(1) You can't win unless you play.
● Believe the outcome you want is possible.
Otherwise, risks include increased disempowerment; apathy; insufficient debate with people not being informed on issues; inadequate challenge and holding to account for power holders; and less free society.
(2) So if you feel strongly and believe that your cause is right then campaigning anyway is doing the right thing even if you don't succeed (like the 1-2m people who marched before the Iraq war).
(3) There are many organisations opposing Trident but they just seem to do their own thing (and put their faith in petitions that Government will ignore) rather than helping push other campaigns like mine. Co-operation and co-ordination between them seems poor and this hardly helps success.
● Surely, a lesson for campaigners!
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