The Nuclear page - news archive

One of the longest demonstrations against Britain's nuclear arms policy comes to an end tomorrow, amid divided opinion over its success. Faslane 365 was intended to disrupt the nuclear submarine fleet by blockading the Faslane naval base, on the river Clyde, every day for a year. Thousands of protesters from the UK and abroad took it in turns to block the gates of the maximum-security defence establishment, in protest against the Trident missile programme.

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and the Ministry of Defence have submitted a planning application for a new nuclear warhead component factory at the Burghfield site in Berkshire, yet the site has been struggling to remedy as many as 1,000 safety defects uncovered by the government's official nuclear watchdog. And it has only been allowed to remain open because the Ministry of Defence says the work it does is vital.

A Hampstead Garden Suburb resident laid bare his opinion on government funding for nuclear weapons last week - exposing more than just a political conscience in the process. Wearing nothing but shoes, socks and a smile, Jesse Schust, 35, stood outside the gates of Faslane naval base in Scotland with three other equally unclad cohorts to protest against the Government's nuclear programme.

More than 100 anti-nuclear activists from six European countries met in Dortmund, Germany, on Saturday (22 Sep) for a uranium conference, reported the Aktionsbündnis Münsterland gegen Atomanlagen on IndyMedia Germany. They were from Russia, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary and Germany itself. The conference was called by more than 40 German and international groups and organisations.

OPPOSITION politicians are to be invited to a summit on the future of the Trident nuclear deterrent in Scotland. The meeting, to be held next month, will discuss UK Government plans for the nuclear weapons system based at the Clyde Naval Base at Faslane. In a letter to groups invited to the summit, Bruce Crawford, the SNP minister for parliamentary business, said he wanted a "balanced discussion embracing different perspectives" on the issue.

A PLASTIC sword-wielding protestor was arrested on Sunday afternoon by police who thought he was a terrorist. Armed police halted Philip McCowen, from Walnut Grove, WGC, after they spotted him with the children's toy tucked into his trousers in Hyde Park, London. Mr McCowen had been on his way to Speaker's Corner to distribute leaflets on a forthcoming planned protest at Faslane nuclear base.

Faslane 365, a year-long protest outside the base that began last autum, will reach its climax with the final big blockade on October 1. By then, thousands will have successfully obstructed the gates for at least half of that time, more than 180 days, upholding their conviction that Britain's nuclear weapons are immoral and break international law. Almost 1000 arrests will have been made, more than 40 protesters will have faced court, and the cost of policing it will have risen to more than £6m. The blockade has infuriated locals unable to get to work or school and angered those who believe nuclear weapons are a necessary deterrent in an insecure world. Here some key voices from each side of the debate explain what the issue means to them and what changes they hope to see after the blockade is lifted.

Today in Helensburgh District Court Anti-Trident activist Brian Larkin was acquitted of a charge of breach of the peace, which has been brought against him in relation to his taking part in a blockade of the Faslane Naval Base, home port to Britain's nuclear weapon submarines, on 8 February this year. Larkin, who represented himself in court, submitted that he had "no case to answer", a plea which is possible under Scots Law. Such a plea can only succeed if there is insufficient evidence to convict the defendant of the offence under which he has been indicted, or of any other offence of which he could be convicted.

A CHEEKY protest against the Trident nuclear programme is being led by a Hampstead Garden Suburb man. Jesse Schust from Ossulton Way joined a group of people protesting against the nuclear system at Faslane naval base in Scotland this week.
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The 35-year-old IT worker said: "We went as a group of cyclists intending to block the gates to the base, however, it ended up with only seven of us, so we had to think of something more dramatic. A number of us had taken part in the World Naked Bike Ride in London so we decided to take our clothes off and stand outside with signs."

An ANTI-nuclear protester from Bath was among four people arrested during a peaceful event at a nuclear missile base in Scotland. Linda Patterson, from Larkhall, was questioned and held overnight at Clydebank Police Station after a silent sit-down protest at the Faslane naval base. The 61-year-old was among 20 protesters who travelled the length of the UK to join an on-going campaign against the government's Trident missile programme.

On the eve of the MoD-sponsored DSEi arms fair in east London, there was one arrest at AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) Aldermaston in Berkshire, where supporters of the Block the Builders campaign had gathered on Monday morning.

THE Scottish first minister Alex Salmond is to issue a direct challenge to Westminster’s control of UK defence policy by seeking to ban the transportation of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil. Salmond aims to use powers devolved to the Scottish parliament to prevent the regular shipment of Trident warheads and components by road north of the border. Convoys of 10 or more vehicles travel the 500-mile route from the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, in Berkshire, to the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport, Argyllshire - where the warheads are fitted to missiles - up to six times a year.

Two demonstrators have been arrested in the latest anti-nuclear protest at a submarine base, police said. Bruce Gagnon, a US protester, and Dave Webb, a British activist, were arrested blockading the entrance to Faslane Naval Base, home to the fleet of Trident nuclear submarines. The two were detained at after Mr Gagnon gave a talk about the increasing militarisation of space.

A summit is to be held next month with the aim of putting pressure on Westminster to scrap plans to renew Trident nuclear weapons. The Scottish Government is organising the event, that will involve civic leaders, church organisations, trade union officials and other interested groups. It follows a vote in the Scottish Parliament in June that called on Whitehall to ditch its renewal plans.

On Wednesday afternoon a group of cheeky protesters demonstrated the naked truth about Trident by stripping off outside the gates of Faslane naval base in Scotland. Wearing nothing but shoes and socks and holding placards declaring themselves “Nudes Against Nukes”, the two women and two men stood motionless outside the base where Britain’s nuclear weapons are stored.

SCIENTISTS at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston are working on a top-secret design for a revamped nuclear warhead, according to a national newspaper. The claim, made in Scottish daily The Herald, was swiftly scotched by the Ministry of Defence, who said the story was “complete rubbish”.

Two pensioners this morning spent over two hours inside RNAD Coulport, where Britain's Trident nuclear warheads are stored. Joan Meredith, who will be 78 next week, and Irene Willis, 62, entered Coulport shortly after midnight and were only arrested at 0230 when they approached police on the main gate from the inside. They were part of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation and Prevention Team, which yesterday conducted two inspections of the neighbouring Faslane Naval Base.

Scientists are secretly working on the design of a revamped British nuclear warhead. The new device, designated the High Surety Warhead is understood to be under development at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire. The top-secret project is being run in conjunction with US efforts to build a range of modernised "failsafe" nuclear firepower for its own submarine-launched Trident missiles.

At 11.00a.m. today, 3 more peace protesters breached security at the North gate of the Faslane nuclear submarine base, entering on bicycles. This second team from the ‘Faslane 365 Serious Organised Crime Investigation and Prevention Team’ follows the earlier arrest of 3 women inside the base. It is understood that they are being charged under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA). The total number of Scottish SOCRAP arrests is now 6.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is among the bidders for the Government's one-third stake in the company responsible for running the Trident submarine nuclear missile programme at Aldermaston. First-round bids for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) stake, belonging to state -owned British Nuclear Group (BNG), are due in this week. Industry sources said it could fetch between £100m and £200m.

Among the biggest Wikipedia timewasters in the UK appear to be MoD employees, who were responsible for more than 4,600 anonymous edits in the past four years.
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MoD computers have been used to edit the entry on the Faslane Peace Camp, claiming the submarine base was vital to the local economy and that if the nuclear base left, the campaigners would find something else to complain about.

GRANNY Annie Tunnicliffe is heading north to take part in a protest at Faslane Nuclear Base in Scotland. Annie, 65, from Crouch End, will wave placards of her two grandchildren to make a stand against the Government's backing of an extension to the country's Trident nuclear programme.

Chris Gwyntopher of Forest Gate, east London expected to be taken into immediate custody and brought before a magistrate for charges relating to non-violent direct actions against the Iraq war and Trident nuclear weapons. Supporting and demonstrating at the court were Chris’s wife Gwyn and representatives from Trident Ploughshares, Wanstead Friends Meeting, London Catholic Worker and the Green Party.

Oswestry Coalition for Peace and its supporters held a stall in Oswestry town centre to mark the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. In just a couple of hours, campaigners collected hundreds of signatures on a CND petition calling for the government to drop its plans to renew Trident.

Members of Wrexham Women for Peace and supporters met at 5pm by the small brook which runs through town below St Giles Church. We put up a banner by the roadside, listened to accounts written by Hiroshima survivors and scattered petals on the brook. The group then made its way over to the Peace Garden for a picnic where our storyteller recounted tales of hope. During commemoration events in Hiroshima yesterday, Mayor Akiba criticised the US government for failing to halt nuclear proliferation. Meanwhile, the Guardian newspaper saw fit to commemorate Hiroshima with an article which attempted to justify the bombing.

Years ago, when Swindon had a left wing labour council, a tradition was instigated of floating lanterns at nightfall on the lake at Coate Water to commemorate World Peace Day, on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb. This has since become a popular part of the calendar, attended by thousands of people every year, bur despite some input from the Peace Pledge Union, it has become largely non-political, and most people attending have no idea that the event is connected with Hiroshima at all.

Green Party leader Robin Harper has demanded an inquiry into roads being used to transport nuclear weapons.
The Lothians MSP has written to the First Minister claiming emergency planning exercises show that government agencies are ill-prepared for an accident. Mr Harper, whose party has a co-operation agreement with the SNP Executive, wants the review to cover the potential effects areas affected by any serious road traffic accidents.

Nine demonstrators were arrested during a protest by school teachers at the Faslane nuclear base on the Clyde today. Police said six women and three men were detained in the peaceful demonstration at Faslane Naval Base, home to the fleet of Trident nuclear submarines, Strathclyde Police said.

FIVE people from Assynt were arrested on Monday for blockading the north gate of the Faslane submarine base on the Clyde, in protest against the replacement of Trident nuclear weapons. The arrests happened after the protesters had organised the "Faslane Highland Games". These included all the traditional competitions, such as tossing the caber, putting the haggis and an egg and spoon race, and concluded with a tug o' peace which blocked the gate to the base.

The walkers were arrested just after lunchtime at the Aldermaston base, after a 10-mile walk beginning in Theale, on the outskirts of Reading. Upon reaching Tadley Gate, the walkers assembled for a vigil when some members of the party decided to sit down and link in front of the gate in order to block incoming and out-going construction traffic. It was a symbolic gesture of defiance against the might of the state and military-industrial complex.

Nine people were arrested early this morning during a Teachers blockade of the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland, home to Britain’s Trident Nuclear-Armed Submarines. Six of those arrested had sat down across one of the main accesses to Faslane, to take a peaceful stand against the bullying approach of the nuclear weapons states. Three supporters were also arrested.

Faslane, 28th July 2007 - eight young people from Wales, Germany and Belgium have been arrested this morning, blockading the gate at Faslane Nuclear Base in a protest against the renewal of the British Trident Nuclear weapons system. The blockade came amongst lively and colourful actions carried out by young people from many countries, from Wales and Germany to Japan and the US. The action takes the number of arrests during the “Faslane 365” year long blockade of Faslane naval base to over 900.

Two 15-year-old girls are thought to be among nine people arrested during a demonstration at the Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Clyde. The protesters were taking part in a year-long campaign against the UK Government's plans to renew the Trident nuclear system.

SURVIVORS of the Nagasaki atomic bomb attack were among those arrested at Faslane naval base yesterday during a protest at plans to renew the Trident nuclear weapon system. The five men, two of whom are A-bomb survivors, linked themselves together with bamboo sticks and sat in the road in front of the base, near Helensburgh in Argyll.

At around 2.30 pm today (July 25), Strathclyde police arrested 10 people, including atomic bomb survivors (‘Hibakusha’) from Nagasaki during a nonviolent blockade of the main gates of the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland, where the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons are deployed.

A group of Japanese atom bomb survivors are blockading a Trident nuclear base, protesting at plans to renew the weapon system. The survivors are from Nagasaki, where more than 70,000 people died after an atomic bomb was dropped on the city at the end of the Second World War. They will take part in a peaceful blockade at the Trident base in Faslane, on Scotland's west coast.

With new administrations in Westminster and Holyrood, there is a historic opportunity to lay different foundations for peace and security in the 21st century and beyond. The tide is turning on nuclear weapons, with several former US Secretaries of State and Defence, including Henry Kissinger, George Schultz and William Perry, now making a compelling case for nuclear disarmament. Scotland can provide the vital first push by refusing to carry on with Trident.

At Helensburgh District Court today two anti-Trident activists were given heavy fines and compensation orders for protests at Faslane and Coulport.

FOUR campaigners from the Weston and Somerset area were arrested as they spearheaded an emotional protest against the Government's use of nuclear weapons. Congresbury GP Richard Lawson was joined by David Parkin from Axbridge and Wendy Cox and Jeff Brewster, both from Shipham, in lying down in a road outside the Faslane Royal Navy base in Scotland.

A group of peace activists called ‘Footprints for Peace’ visited Rolls Royce Raynesway factory in Derby to hold a peace vigil. Footprints for peace are raising awareness and inspiring people to work for a community of peaceful change. Rolls Royce in Derby has been visited by the peace group because of there involvement in the arms trade making the nuclear reactors cores to power the trident submarines which carry Britain’s nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

THE NUCLEAR bomb convoys that regularly pass through Scotland have suffered 67 safety incidents over the past seven years, sparking fears of a "catastrophic" accident. Lists obtained by the Sunday Herald from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reveal details of dozens of mechanical faults and equipment failures since 2000, as well as delays and diversions caused by anti-nuclear protests. Incidents include numerous fuel leaks, a series of broken valves and several instances of engine and brake overheating. In October 2003, an axle began smoking due to "excessive use of wheel brakes" coming down a steep hill.

PUPILS at Chuchfields School put their scientific thinking caps on and wrote to the Prime Minister about nuclear power. More than 20 Year 7 youngsters from the Salcombe Grove school wrote individual letters to Gordon Brown telling him how the energy source will affect future generations.

A WALTHAMSTOW student was arrested as she took part in a peaceful protest against the Government's decision to renew the country's Trident nuclear arsenal. Hannah Schling, 21, a history student at Oxford University, was one of 37 protesters who were held in police cells for 24 hours after being detained on Monday as they blockaded the road outside the nuclear submarine base in Faslane, west Scotland.

Anti-nuclear activists from Universities across the United Kingdom are camping in Peaton Glen, adjacent to the Coulport depot where the United Kingdom's arsenal of nuclear warheads are stored, ready to be loaded on to the submarines berthed at Coulport. The camp, named the Strident Tent State, will be holding workshops, events, and nonviolent direct actions from Thursday June 28th to Tuesday July 3rd.

At 6.30 am, 6 students from Nottingham and Bradford Universities arrived at the North entrance, superglue-ing their hands together to blockade the main entrance at shift change. A large tail-back was caused, distrupting workers from entering the base. After much scrubbing with soap and water, they were all removed after around 40 minutes and arrested for Beach of the Peace. At the same time, 3 more students from Nottingham were arretsed after blocking the South entrance using a concrete blockade.

A CONGRESBURY doctor who believes the Government is acting 'illegally and foolishly' is fully expecting to get arrested at an anti-nuclear protest in Scotland. Dr Richard Lawson, a GP in the village, will be travelling to the base of the Trident nuclear submarines in Faslane, with four members of the Somerset Stop Trident Replacement campaign group on July 6 to take part in the Faslane 365 campaign.

Sir Menzies Campbell will today warn the incoming prime minister not to attempt to woo the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrat leader will distance himself from Gordon Brown's government, claiming fundamental disagreements on issues such as ID cards, Trident and foreign policy make an alliance impossible.

Gordon Brown, the incoming British prime minister, is to put a new focus on the need to secure global nuclear disarmament, amid signs that he is determined to make the issue a strong foreign policy priority.
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He this year firmly backed the retention of Britain’s ­Trident nuclear weapons programme, saying the UK needed a deterrent against states such as Iran.

The publicised reason for Tuesday’s visit was to reveal the new Orion laser building which overlooks Paices Hill and is rising from piles sunk 30 metres into the ground – deeper than the building is tall – with concrete walls that are one-and-a-half metres thick. The obvious, but unspoken reason for the timing of the PR show is that the Government will decide in the next Parliament whether or not to develop a replacement Trident missile and making and maintaining nuclear warheads is what AWE plc in Aldermaston does.

A CHARITY worker from Stoke Newington was arrested after protesting against the £20 billion plans to renew the UK's nuclear missile system. John Rowley, 63, of Carysfort Road, was one of five protesters held last week for causing a breach of the peace outside the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland. The demonstrators laid down in the road and linked arms with each other to block traffic entering the base.

THE Scottish Parliament, including four Labour MSPs, last night voted to reject Tony Blair's plans to replace Trident. It is the first time Holyrood has taken a clear position against the nuclear weapons system based on the Clyde.
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Because of the tight numbers in the new parliament, the motion could only be passed with cross-party support. Therefore it only rejected replacing Trident "at this time" - in line with the Liberal Democrat view that the weapons system could be used in disarmament talks in the future.

An 89-year-old Prestwich woman has been arrested while demonstrating outside of Faslane Naval Base near Glasgow. Betty Tebbs, of Ostrich Lane Prestwich, was among 10 activists from Greater Manchester to be held by police following a successful blockade of two of the base’s entrances at 3pm this afternoon.

Yesterday evening was the launch of Calderdale CND at a crowded meeting at the Methodist Hall in Hebden Bridge. Christine McCafferty was in the chair to welcome Kate Hudson, CND's national chair and Dave Webb of Yorkshire CND. The organisers explained to those present that they had tried hard to find someone to defend the renewal of Trident but had not been successful.

Ten women from the Aldermaston Women Peace Camp(aign) (AWPC) were last night arrested in a blanket action by MOD police just over a week after the introduction of new Bylaws designed to stop the women from their 22 year-long protest against the base which is currently building facilities for the upgrade of the Trident nuclear missile system.

A SEASONED peace campaigner is to spearhead a fresh challenge to ban the bomb - at the age of 89. Betty Tebbs, from Prestwich, will join a group of CND activists from across Greater Manchester in a bid to blockade the Royal Navy Trident nuclear base at Faslane in Scotland on June 12.

Only Fools And Horses actor Roger Lloyd Pack today backed a campaign to stop the replacement of the UK's nuclear weapons programme. The actor, who also starred in The Vicar Of Dibley, spoke out at an organised protest at the Trident nuclear submarine base at Faslane in Argyll. He joined a host of other artists, including author AL Kennedy and folk singer Leon Rosselson, in speaking out against the Government's decision to reinvest in a nuclear deterrent.

New byelaws for Britain''s nuclear weapons factory - AWE Aldermaston - came into force yesterday. This brief article reflects on the implications for campaigners and challenges being mounted to yet another criminalisation of protest ... and invites women to join the peace camp for a fabulous camp birthday cocktail party on 9 June.

A group of trainee priests and ministers, supported by their theological colleges, will risk arrest next weekend as they protest against Britain’s Trident weapons nuclear programme. The group of 28 Anglican and Roman Catholic ordinands, Methodist ministerial candidates and staff from four theological colleges will hold a service outside the Faslane military base in Scotland next Sunday 10 June. This will be followed by a blockade of the North Gate and possible arrest of those participating.

A BRIDGWATER man was among four Quakers from Somerset who protested at the gates of a nuclear submarine base in Scotland last Friday (May 26) and Saturday (May 27).

Around 80 people attended a CND-organised conference to discuss the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system in Glasgow last Saturday.

A series of faith-based protests against nuclear weapons have been taking place at Faslane naval base on the Clyde. They form part of the year-long campaign, Faslane 365, which has seen protesters at the base since October.

As we know from bitter experience it's impossible to separate the new nuclear programme from the military programme. Instead, the new Brown government has already allocated £10 million for the fiscal years 2006-2008 on preparatory work for "future deterrent" capabilities. The annual cost of nuclear weapons in recent years has been between £1 billion and £2 billion. Therefore, it will cost between £50 billion and £100 billion to keep the Trident system from 2007 until 2055.

An 80-year-old anti-nuclear protester who was held overnight in a police cell after being arrested outside Faslane naval base has spoken of her resolve to continue opposing Trident. Barbara Green, from Hebden, Yorkshire, was held for 17 hours in Clyde police station after she was arrested for breach of the peace on Tuesday, May 15 for sitting on the road outside the base at Garelochhead.

Parents were so worried their children would miss out on vital tests they formed their own action group, Peninsula 24/Seven and appealed to Faslane 365 organisers to keep the road free for youngsters travelling to school. And it seems the message has sunk in. Since higher and standard grade exams began at Hermitage Academy earlier this month, protesters have not blocked the A814 outside Faslane during the morning rush hour.

Where will Gordon Brown go on nuclear weapons? Last June, his controversial Mansion House speech was widely interpreted as an endorsement for the replacement of Trident. But could Mr Brown's commitment to a different type of politics: "more open and frank dialogue ... never losing touch with the concerns of people" lead to a new look at Britain's nuclear weapons?

A RETIRED Taunton GP is heading to Scotland on Friday to revisit the scene where he has been arrested twice within the past year. John Anderson is one of four Somerset Quakers off to Faslane Nuclear Submarine base, near Glasgow to protest at the Trident nuclear missiles stored there.

Today, and in defiance of an undemocratic and unreasonable ban imposed by Plymouth City Council, members of Plymouth CND and Plymouth Trident Ploughshares joined in the annual Lord Mayor’s Parade through the streets of Plymouth.

There will be no election discussion before Gordon Brown becomes UK Prime Minister. John McDonnell MP has failed to attract enough support from Labour Party members of the UK House of Commons to qualify as a candidate for the election process. There will be no involvement by individual members of the Labour Party or by the trade unions where John McDonnell has some support. One consequence is that there will be less public discussion on the Iraq war and the renewal of Trident, a nuclear missile system.

Christians from across Scotland will celebrate Pentecost this year with a prayer and hymn gathering at the Faslane nuclear weapons base as part of an ongoing church-wide effort against nuclear weapons. Representatives from all the major denominations will gather together for ‘Tongues of Fire’ on Sunday 27 May to pray against the UK Government’s decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system.

A SHOE firm worker from Bridgwater is hoping to help put the boot into nuclear weapons this month (May). Phil Parratt, together with a group of Somerset Quakers, is off to Faslane Nuclear Submarine base west of Glasgow to protest at the gates on May 25 to 26.

A TRADE union representing 1,500 Barrow shipyard workers is backing an anti-Trident candidate for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party. Jon Cruddas, the MP for Dagenham, wants to become the party’s number two man when John Prescott resigns from the post at the same time as PM Tony Blair in June.

Two peace activists, Morag Balfour and Barbara Dowling, were yesterday convicted for painting slogans including "Trident is Terrorism" and "Trident = Terror" on a railway bridge next to Faslane on Nagasaki Day (9 August) 2006.

A new petition has been placed on the Number Ten Downing Street website, by Jo Jacques, calling for the cancellation of the planned new Trident nuclear weapon system. It reads: 'We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to cancel Trident and spend the money saved making peace.

Twenty-five years ago, campaigners began a two-week sit-in that grew into a worldwide symbol of anti-nuclear activism. But now it is the focus of festering discontent among residents living close to the home of Britain's nuclear submarine fleet, who feel that the daily inconvenience has gone too far. In an attempt to stop work inside the Trident base near

The news that the Royal Navy has had to "mothball" the £359m assault ship HMS Albion pictured for financial reasons is an indication that "Son of Trident" is unaffordable if the senior service is to retain surface ships in sufficient numbers to operate on a worldwide basis.

Activists today expressed their anger that the Ministry of Defence had transported six, fully armed nuclear warheads along the Edinburgh Bypass just the day after the new Parliament was sworn in. Citizens Weapons Inspectors from the Nukewatch network tracked the warhead convoy from the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield (50 miles west of London) to RNAD Coulport (35 miles north-west of Glasgow).

It has come to light that in the early hours of Thursday 10th May a convoy carrying nuclear warheads secretly passed through the Stapleford and Chilwell area of Nottingham. The vehicles were spotted driving into the Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell at 6.30am for a rest stop. Heading for the Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) in Coulport, Scotland, the convoy was spotted along the M1 and also the next day as it continued its route along the east coast and along the Edinburgh Bypass. According to a spokesperson for Nukewatch UK, who keep an eye on nuclear convoys around the UK, the route hasn't been used since the early 90's.

A US company has landed a $14 m dollar contract at Faslane. Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems secured the one-year continued programme management and engineering services deal, in support of the Trident II D5 missile system.

The scale of the parliamentary rebellion against Trident’s replacement on March 14 indicates a significant shift in attitudes on nuclear weapons. Forced to rely on Conservative support to get the vote through, the government faced the largest backbench rebellion on a domestic issue since Labour came to power in 1997. Indeed, the size was of historic significance: it was also the biggest rebellion on defence policy since Labour first entered government in 1924.

THREE people have been charged after protests at Aldermaston’s Atomic Weapons Establishment on Monday morning. Irene Willis, aged 62, Anna Rundberg, aged 26, and Timothy Eastwood, aged 26, were all charged with obstructing a highway. They have all been bailed to appear at Newbury Magistrates' Court on May 3.

From just after 6am this morning three gates of AWE Aldermaston were kept shut by peaceful protesters, determined to disrupt the multimillion pound upgrade of the UK Trident nuclear weapons system.

At Helensburgh District Court today two Trident Ploughshares activists, Sylvia Boyes (63) from Keighley in Yorkshire and Jane Tallents (48), from Helensburgh were admonished after being found guilty of damaging a rock outside Faslane naval base by painting on it. On 2nd August last year, during the Trident Ploughshares disarmament camp at nearby Coulport, Sylvia and Jane painted "Trident is terrorism" on the rock face. The rock has been painted frequently over the years with anti-Trident messages.

On April 30, 2007 Mordechai Vanunu will learn if he will return to jail for speaking to the media in 2004. On Friday the 13th of April, 2007,Vanunu was informed that the Israeli government has continued his house arrest in Jerusalem and has renewed all the restrictions against him, for the fourth time and into third year of captivity in east Jerusalem.

It's all about justice for Mordechai Vanunu, on the 21st anniversary of his incarceration by the Israeli government for blowing the whistle on the country's secret nuclear weapons, and to demand a Middle East and Planet free of nuclear weapons and the threat of their deployment. After receiving a warm welcome at Hackney Town Hall, then completing their civic duties at 10 Downing Street and the Israeli Embassy (or as near as the police would let them go), the freedom riders retired to Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall for refreshments and entertainment from 'socialist conjuror / comic / ventriloquist' Ian Saville

Last year me and my friend Marcus decided to have some fun with some paint we found so we found a big white bridge near a place called ‘Faslane’ which looked like it needed some cheering up - we painted the words “Trident is Terrorism’ in great big letters and some peace signs on it and it really brightened it up all in black and red - then some banana people came to help but we had finished painting by then but they must have had something else to paint because they took our paint and went away. They must have liked our painting a lot because they invited us to the theatre to see a show they were in.

More than fifty Peace Campaigners , including a group from Bristol, decended on the Aldermaston Nuclear Bomb Factory in Berkshire at the crack of dawn. Both main roads around the site were blocked with eleven people locking-on with arm-tubes of various cunning compositions. So cunning in fact that it took two police specialised cutting teams more than one and a half hours to clear the roads and let the rush-hour traffic into the base return to "normal"! The action, the biggest and most successful of it's kind for quite a while, was well reported in the local press.

THREE members of Hexham-based Northumbrians for Peace – two of them grandmothers – were arrested on Friday during a demonstration outside the Trident nuclear submarine base in Scotland. They were grandmothers Caroline Westgate (66) of Hexham and Susan Bennet (59) of Bellingham, and mother of three Rowan Bowman (41), of Blackhill, Co. Durham.

In protests at Vanunu's treatment the participants in the VFR are cycling from Britain's own nuclear base at Faslane, near Glasgow to London. The event will culminate with the submission of a petition to Downing Street and a rally outside the Israeli Embassy. Along the way they are visiting various towns to spread the message. On April 16 they travelled from Sheffield to Nottingham (via Crowford). Initially they made their way to the university where they were met by local cyclists including the infamous four-seated bike of Critical Mass-fame and a soundsystem.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the current naval review of the four main bases around Britain - Faslane, Rosyth in Fife and Portsmouth and Devonport in the south of England - will not mean the removal of the Clyde base. The Whitehall department was responding to a report yesterday that military planners were considering what to do with the Trident submarine base if an independent Scotland insists on the nuclear deterrent being removed from Scottish waters.

"The White Paper extols prudence in the face of uncertainty," observed Prof William Walker, a nuclear expert from St Andrews University who is the leading authority on the political relationship between Trident, Scotland and Westminster. "Is it prudent to advocate spending tens of billions of pounds on Trident's replacement in order to guard against an undefined future threat, when it is uncertain whether the deterrent could be operated reliably out of its base in Scotland and whether the Union will still exist when the new system is due to be installed?"

MILITARY chiefs are drawing up plans to move the UK's nuclear missiles south of the Border as concern mounts that Scotland is heading towards independence. Scotland on Sunday can reveal the Ministry of Defence is so worried about the march of the Nationalists it has closely examined four sites for Trident's replacement outside of Scotland.

Roughly 40 people arrived at the base from various directions with lock-ons ready for a morning of protest. The lock-ons were well made, with lots of different materials to delay the cutting team. By the end of the action the cutting team were visably exhausted after almost two hours of cutting and bashing through the concrete. In the end there was 24 arrests made from 4 groups of lock-ons at all the entrances to the base.

In the light of a recent protest by local residents (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_we... it should be noted that the blockades did not block the A814, the main road providing access to the Rosneath peninsula. As the attached photos demonstrate, the blockades took place well away from this route and only blocked traffic which was trying to enter of leave the base.

In a coordinated action at 7.15 am, the non-violent activists blocked all three gates to the base by locking on to metal and concrete tubes. MoD cutting teams worked for two hours to remove the protesters, while traffic was completely prevented from entering or leaving the base. A group of eleven people blocked the North Gate. Eight blocked the South Gate and three blocked the smaller fuel depot gate, resulting in all traffic in and out of the base being blocked.

I consider a person who whimpers in protest - behind a stockpile of nuclear warheads - that only the UK and its allies and no one else has "the right to bear arms", to be far more of a wimp than anybody who is courageously prepared to stand up for what is morally correct. Oh and by the way, the only flag that I wave is Green and when I do, it is neither to the left nor the right but, as is my party, in front.

At least 11 people were arrested while are attempting to block access to the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire this morning in order to disrupt a multimillion pound development project at the site. Some roads around the site were blocked for nearly an hour. The protesters claim that this development is to develop new nuclear weapons and shows that the decision to renew Britain’s nuclear weapons was made years before the parliamentary vote last month.

Today a 'Post Protest' experiment was i(k)nitiated that established a Nuke Free State/zone at the AWE Aldermaston using woolly boundaries. Police chiefs (and evidence collecting staff) were as well as protesters alike were kindly and warmly warned that on entring this state they could be arrested and ejected IF protest occurred or if low quality authority was utilised. Most protesters and ministry of the fence police wisely kept a wide berth, avoiding any crossings.

At least 5 people were arrested while are attempting to block access to the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire this morning in order to disrupt a multimillion pound development project at the site. Other protesters are still in the road which has been blocked for about an hour. The protesters claim that this development is to develop new nuclear weapons and shows that the decision to renew Britain’s nuclear weapons was made years before the parliamentary vote last month.

Activists staged the protest at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston over plans to upgrade the UK's Trident nuclear defences. A Thames Valley Police spokesman said about 60 people took part in the demonstration at the site. The spokesman said 11 people were arrested after a group of protesters blocked a section of the A340.

Bearing the slogan "No Trident Replacement: turn swords into ploughshares", it has been draped over the church hall as a prominent message to passers-by on Polwarth Gardens. However, residents in Merchiston have complained about the sign, which they claim is out of keeping with both the building and the surrounding conservation area.

The Rev Alan McDonald, moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland and a minister near to Mr Brown's home town of Fife, added that he was "surprised at the ease" with which the Treasury found the £25 billion needed to replace Trident, and the £4.4 billion spent on Iraq. "What could that deliver to the poorest countries of the world?" asked the Presbyterian chief, who with other church leaders across Scotland and the UK has been outspoken on the immorality and waste of nuclear weapons.

Less than a month after Parliament voted to replace Trident, campaigners against nuclear weapons will come to AWE Aldermaston in Berkshire on Easter Tuesday. Using non-violent blockading tactics, they will disrupt the work on building Trident warheads and their successors, and aim to close all access to Britain’s bomb factory for the morning.

Church leaders yesterday accused Gordon Brown and the government of squandering billions of pounds on new nuclear weapons and the war in Iraq, instead of meeting unrealised aid targets to fight global poverty.

Following the TP London Peace camp hosted by the Muriel Lesters on Monday 26th February 2007 two teams of peoples Nuclear Weapons Inspectors investigated the London headquarters of six corporations involved in involved in making Nuclear Weapons Systems.

After months in the planning, over 50 people from Nottingham and Derby headed up to Scotland over the weekend. It was an incredibly mixed bunch of people, aged from 14 to 76, and including seasoned peace campaigners as well as people completely new to protesting who felt impassioned into acting by the threat of new nuclear weapons.

THE man who told us he went to war to destroy weapons of mass destruction (there were none) at a cost of over 100 British solders' lives and an estimated 650 civilians, now says he wants to spend around £76 billion on British weapons of mass destruction with the potential to slaughter 40 million people.

EVEN as the world watches while the US threatens, bullies and blackmails North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons, and does the same with Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons programme, the leaders of the axis of evil, the USA and Britain have unashamedly launched expansive programmes of building new nuclear arsenals for the 21st century. Hypocrisy and naked hegemonic ambitions have, more than ever before, marked the latest moves by the US and its trans-Atlantic partner Britain, the new imperial power and the former colonial one, to design and deploy more deadly nuclear weapons.

A LEGAL challenge to the Government's proposals to replace the Trident nuclear deterrent was launched today. Lawyers for two organisations, the Nuclear Information Service (NIS) and Peacerights, lodged papers at the Royal Courts of Justice in London seeking judicial review, claiming the Government is acting illegally.

A couple of photos from the Oxford Faslane 365 blockaders.

Police have arrested 11 German anti-nuclear protesters outside the Faslane naval base. The group blockaded the main route to the Clyde base, which is home to the UK's nuclear submarine fleet, at about 0700 BST.

Richard Leat, 58, decided to launch the Anti-Trident Party as a focus for opposition to the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, which MPs voted for earlier this month. And he said he would stand as the party's candidate in Mr McConnell's constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw.

Yesterday (27 March), nine activists trundled along to Horseferry Rd mags to answer two charges relating to the blockade of Parliament Square on 14 March - the day of the parliamentary debate/vote on replacing Britain's WMD.

Police have arrested 24 anti-war protesters outside the Faslane nuclear weapons base. The 24 demonstrators, 11 of whom are thought to be French, were held after blocking the Clyde base entrance on Monday.

MEXBOROUGH MP Jeff Ennis has explained his reasons for becoming a Labour rebel over the Government's plans to renew the UK's nuclear submarine system.
...
Mr Ennis, who signed Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett's amendment, said: "I have always been perceived as somewhat of a Blair loyalist and I have only voted against him twice before, on the issues of Iraq and university tuition fees and when I see him, I always tell him he should be listening more."

Twenty Six Apparently. A small group of disarmament activists travelled from Brighton to hold a Tea Party at the Faslane Nuclear Base in Scotland. An invitation was sent out to local residents around the base who have been disturbed by the recent string of road blockades which have been part of the Faslane365 campaign*. The Invitation read "We would like to cordially invite you to a Tea Party full of sophistication, poise and wisdom. We hope to talk with you and test the old english conviction that any problem can be sorted out with a nice cup of tea".

WEST Lothian MP Jim Devine has slammed the Government and the Westminster authorities for not giving MPs enough time to debate the replacement of Trident. The Livingston MP, who quit his post as an unpaid aide to Health Minister Rosie Winterton, said it was "totally unacceptable" the House of Commons spent 800 hours debating hunting with dogs in England and just eight on Trident.

The rebels included government minister Nigel Griffiths and two parliamentary private secretaries, all of whom resigned their posts rather than vote for Trident. But a surprising number of the Labour MPs that backed the government’s line are union members – and voted against their union’s position. Trade unionists in Unison and the T&G should ask loudly why their unions are giving support to MPs that don’t support the union.

The year long ‘rolling’ demo at Faslane Naval Base continues (see SchNEWS 565)... Tworecent examples of escapades followed last week’s govern-mental green light to renew Trident. On Saturday (17) fifteen Spaniards from the AA-MOC group blockaded the main gate and caused a right bloody mess by dousing themselves in red paint, symbolising the loss of blood that nuclear weapons cause. Bemused cops were so hesitant to get their hands dirty they all donned fetching white jumpsuits before arresting the activists. Then, on Monday, it was turn of anti-nuclear Nordic warriors as twelve people from York dressed in full Viking kit successfully blockaded both base entrances, completely shutting down the place for half an hour before they too were nicked.

Peace campaigners from West Yorkshire glued themselves together and blockaded an entrance to the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland on Friday. The students from Bradford and Leeds universities and a lecturer went to the base after the government voted to renew the UK's Trident system.

This morning Bradford students took part in one of the most daring and creative acts of civil disobedience ever seen at Faslane Naval base. Ten of them superglued themselves together outside the North Gate whilst another four chained themselves together outside the South Gate, effectively shutting the base.

Half the Labour MPs in the Commons, including Tony Blair, were in the past members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. But it did not stop many of them voting for Trident. The voting was 413 for to 167 against, with 95 Labour rebels voting against, along with the Lib Dems and some minority parties.

Under Blair, Labour backbench rebellions have been few. Vetting of Labour parliamentary candidates ensures that very few principled opponents of Blair's agenda even get to be New Labour MPs. Most Labour members keep quiet, hoping for advancement in their careers.

TWELVE anti-nuclear campaigners from York were arrested as part of a blockade of the UK's nuclear submarine base. They were part of a group of 25 people dressed as Vikings who "laid siege" to Faslane - the home of the country's Trident nuclear submarine fleet - in Scotland. The protest was part of a rolling, year-long blockade of the base by anti-nuclear campaigners from around the country that started in October.

In a throwback to the French Revolution, many of the women at the protest sat knitting by the gates of AWE. This reference to Les Tricoteuses – the women who sat knitting by the guillotine during beheadings – is meant to highlight what protestors say are “sinister” activities inside AWE.

A call for a vote from the floor produced one individual prepared to support the replacement of Trident, while the only brave soul on the platform to agree was Murdo Fraser of the Tories. That meant every politician on the platform bar one, and every participant in the hall bar one, supported scrapping Trident.

A twelve strong group from York, dressed as Vikings, have successfully blockaded both entrances to the Faslane nuclear submarine base. The coordinated action completely closed the base for half an hour this morning. Four men and eight women were arrested in the peaceful protest.

THE HOUSE of Commons last week approved the government's plans to begin the process of replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. But beyond the vote - which left the government needing support from the Conservatives and having to deal with a large backbench rebellion after being embarrassed by resignations - what was really decided?

Four Spaniards poured red paint over themselves at midday on Saturday 17th March. They chose red to symbolize the pain and suffering and loss of blood that nuclear weapons threaten. The red paint bemused the police who did not want to get their uniforms dirty. After some confusion and a long delay then police dressed themselves up as demonstrators in similar white suits and then proceeded to arrest the four activists.

LAST WEEK, Tony Blair secured the renewal of Trident only because the Conservatives supported him. A total of 95 Labour MPs were unwilling to support their own prime minister on an issue of national security. It was the largest defence rebellion in Labour history. That this went by largely unmarked outside the Westminster village is an indication of how seriously things have deteriorated in the dog days of Blair. There was a time, not that long ago, when it would have been unthinkable for a Labour leader to rely on Tory votes in this way. Failure to carry the Parliamentary Labour Party would have been a possible resignation issue.

Protesters have targeted Faslane, Holyrood and the Houses of Parliament, while dozens of Labour MPs are voting against the government, so should we put plans to replace Trident on hold?

A GENERATION of scientists will be diverted from fighting climate change because the Trident weapons system is being replaced, an expert has warned. Thousands of highly trained scientists and engineers will be required to develop a new nuclear deterrent after a majority of MPs last week backed the government's controversial plans to renew the UK's ageing Trident missiles.

A group of rebel North MPs are facing a rocket from Labour party bosses after voting against plans to renew Trident nuclear submarines. They return to Westminster tomorrow to learn what their punishment will be for defying a three-line whip ordering them to toe the Government line.

Four anti-nuclear protesters who covered themselves in red paint outside Faslane naval base have been arrested. Police detained the group, all from Spain, at the gates of the base which houses the UK's Trident nuclear deterrent, at 1400 GMT.

Campaigning groups and church leaders spoke out this week before the vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday about plans to replace the Trident nuclear-weapons system. An interfaith protest vigil, which included a number of Christian groups, was held outside the House of Commons on Wednesday. On Wednesday evening, the House of Commons approved the Government's plan to replace Trident, by a majority of 248. Labour rebels were unsuccessful in stopping or delaying the action for renewal as the Government and Conservatives put the policy through.

Despite the biggest backbench revolt by “New” Labour MPs since the Iraq War vote, the UK imperial ruling class got the result they were after, courtesy of the warmonger Bliar and supporting Tory detritus: around UKP100 billion will be spent maintaining the biosphere-jeopardising terror weapons till 2050 (at least). And a few thousand people protesting on the day of the vote itself was never likely to change the course of history: in the dog-eat-dog pit of global imperialism, the military intimidation of rival powers still holds sway, and nothing intimidates more than sub-launched multi-warhead ballistic nukes.

After Prime Minister Tony Blair relied on Conservative leader David Cameron to force through the white paper on renewing Trident, MPs from several parties joined protesters outside the Houses of Parliament and vowed to continue the campaign to persuade the government to implement its treaty obligations and eliminate Britain's nuclear arsenal. In rallies in Edinburgh and London, they made clear that this was a long-term security issue, and it would have to be won by long-term, persistent campaigning. Civil resistance at Faslane and Aldermaston is only just getting started, and local and Scottish parliament votes scheduled for May 3 are likely to be viewed as a referendum on Blair's legacy, including his nuclear proliferation policies.

..

As I walked over Westminster Bridge there was the banner flying on the crane in front of the Houses of Parliament, and there were quite a few people stopping to look at it. Later, Greenpeace activists got on their bikes and cycled across Westminster Bridge to Parliament Square, where they were stopped by police and threatened with arrest unless they left the roadway and moved onto the square. After a while they all did, many cycling away after a few minutes to cycle around London before joining the 'fish on a bicycle' Critical Mass that arrived back at the square a few hours later, and got the same 'off your bike' treatment from the police.

At approximately 6pm, 5 hours into the debate, two peace protesters in the viewing gallery stood up holding a peace flag. Though they remained both silent and static they were immediately noticed my MPs, some of whom pointed (and even smiled). The two protesters (one 18 year old girl and 21 year old guy, both students from Berkshire) were jumped on immediately by guards and escorted out. The 18 year old being carried by out security. They received much applause and support from people in the gallery and subsequently a gentleman was arrested for clapping.

An MP who resigned as ministerial aide to cabinet minister Peter Hain over renewing the UK's nuclear weapons says it was a difficult decision to take. Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane was the fourth government figure to step down over the renewal of Trident submarines.

PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice caused the defence secretary to receive a slap on the wrists yesterday after arguing against plans to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system. Mr Prentice, a strong opponent of upgrading Britain's nuclear missiles, told Parliament that he could not trust the case for replacement after he was refused access to the Attorney General's legal advice on the issue.

Several hundred people answer CNDs call for a rally outside Parliament. Meanwhile inside Mr Blair has to rely yet again on the Tories for support in getting the bill passed. This will no doubt please his idol Margaret Thatcher who was previously responsible for wasting billions on WMD.

Contrary to the local rag's assertion today that the Trident decisions was "universally welcomed" in Plymouth, activists from several groups staged a day-long protest outside the Albert Gate on 14th March. Those involved included members of TP Tamarians, Plymouth CND, the STWC, and some non-affiliated others.

A WEST Yorkshire MP led the biggest backbench revolt for four years – but failed to stop a vote to renew Trident. Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Hemsworth, called for more time before deciding whether to replace Britain's nuclear weapons. Mr Trickett slammed the planned debate on Trident as a "fig leaf," as he claimed the Government has already decided to replace the system.

shortly before midday, nine activists surprised police by locking-on in the road to lumps of concrete and a mock trident missile at parliament square today

bianca jagger, vivienne westwood, annie lennox, and anita roddick joined mps jeremy corbin and ian gibson for a photo-call outside parliament this morning.

Individuals and groups from across the country today denounced Trident as illegal and immoral and called for disarmament of Britain’s weapons of mass destruction in concurrent demonstrations at Faslane Naval Base, Scottish Parliament and Parliament Square. Four people were arrested after blocking the entrance to Faslane, where Trident nuclear weapons are based, while nine people were arrested blocking the road in Parliament Square in London. Five were arrested after unfurling a banner which read "Whatever They Vote Trident is Still Wrong" on the Scottish Parliament building.

Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice for the Methodist Church in Great Britain, said: “This [vote] seriously undermines the UK’s commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and the extent of the backbench rebellion demonstrates that many feel passionately that the Government has got this decision wrong." She continued: "The Government promised a full public debate but instead this early vote in the House of Commons has rushed the discussion while crucial questions remain unanswered."

But can somebody tell me, how has our nuclear deterrent made us safer over the last two decades? Is Norway, is Argentina, less safe than the UK? Do you feel safer in London than in Lisbon? The Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne, claimed at the weekend: “It’s not nearly as straightforward as people suggest. They sleep soundly in their beds at night because we have nuclear weapons.” What a pathetic argument; what highly enriched rot.

ANTI-nuclear protesters gathered in Westminster last night in an eleventh-hour demonstration against replacing the Trident missile system. Several hundred people stood opposite Parliament as MPs voted on ordering a new generation of weapons. The demonstration followed a day of anti-Trident protests to vent anger against the Government.

North Wiltshire MP James Gray, who supported the Prime Minister, said it was "quite wrong" to assume the country could lead the way by getting rid of weapons. He said: "It seems to me quite obvious that we are the good guys and they are not and therefore it is perfectly reasonable that we should have these weapons."

Tony Blair has won House of Commons backing for his plans to replace Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent, despite the biggest Labour backbench revolt since the Iraq war. With the Tories backing the Government, a motion supporting Trident renewal was passed comfortably by by 409 votes to 161, a majority of 248. An amendment tabled by rebel Labour MPs to delay a decision was defeated by a similar margin of 413 to 167 - a 246-vote majority.

Demonstrators climbed onto the roof of the Scottish Parliament as part of their protest over the crucial Trident vote in the House of Commons. Five protesters were arrested at Holyrood and another four were detained at the Faslane naval base after they tried to block the entrance.

Not much to say really on what was a foregone conclusion thanks to the spineless toadies who claim to represent us. If Britain wasn't already morally bankrupt as a result of the Iraq war then we certainly are now after deciding to squander 26 billion on dangerous and useless toys for the boys.

They were first with land mines, first with cluster bombs - now Belgium has become the first country in the world to ban uranium weapons! Although the Belgian army does not currently use uranium weapons, the ban will affect US shipments of uranium ammunition and armour plate via the port of Antwerp. The Belgian Chamber Commission on National Defence voted unanimously in favour of banning the use of depleted uranium "inert ammunitions and armour plates on Belgian territory."

CITY MP Nigel Griffiths received overwhelming backing on the streets of his Edinburgh South constituency after his decision to quit his Government job over the replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent.

Today activists from Greenpeace scaled a large crane by Parliament and hung a banner suggesting that our prime minister is rather keen on WMD. Not an unreasonable assumption when you consider that that Mr Blair wants to spend a mere 20 billion of our money upgrading Trident. Anyone wishing to view the clear and obvious benefits of spending this kind of money on nuclear weapons should type 'hiroshima' into google.

Nigel Griffiths, a long-term ally of Gordon Brown, said he was resigning " with a heavy heart but a clear conscience". Meanwhile, whips were urgently calling in Labour MPs and warning them not to allow Tony Blair to be humiliated by having to depend on the Tories to win a vote tomorrow.

The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (SCND) immediately demanded the removal of nuclear deterrent from Scottish lochs and, together, with the highly motivated Direct Action Against Nuclear Weapons (DAC) decided to greet the arrival of the USS Proteus, the American's first nuclear submarine at Holy Loch, with a 1,000-strong march on the base from Dunoon.

Ten days later the group doubled their numbers to 2,000, while on 20 March a small group of protesters attempted to board US boats. The following day their target was the piers used by the submarine crews. It was the first in what would become a long tradition of direct political protest.

EDINBURGH MP Nigel Griffiths today quit his government job to lead a backbench rebellion against the replacement of the Trident nuclear deterrent. The Deputy Leader of the Commons gave up his post to join other Lothian MPs planning to vote on Wednesday against the renewal of the submarine based weapons system.

It's not much of a slogan, is it? "Support Our Boys - Lease Trident D5 from an Unreliable Ally and Fix the Radios Another Day." Cameron needn't take my word for this. He should not ask for a briefing from compromised MoD civil servants, above all. He should make no inquiries of admirals and air-marshals, who always get all the best toys. Ask the generals. Then the officers. Then the squaddies. Then the families. Then ask if Trident is a Tory policy worth defending.

Taking the decision to retain nuclear weapons as a protection against potential future threats is very different from maintaining a deterrent against a specific existing threat as was the case during the Cold War. To do this now, almost twenty years after the end of the Cold War, would be to make a very public admission that the UK does not believe that nuclear disarmament is a realistic goal.

Mrs Snelgrove, the MP for South Swindon, said: "I have been considering the issue very carefully. I have spoken to a number of constituents about the subject and I have been to briefings with the Defence Secretary Des Browne. "Although we should show a clear commitment to arms reduction, from the time scales I am persuaded that the time is right to make this decision and I think people in Swindon will agree in us maintaining our nuclear deterrent." Mr Wills, the MP for north Swindon, said: "In these times of growing global uncertainty and concerns over security, I think it is important that we are able to protect ourselves against potential threats, and if we are to develop a new system for delivering that deterrent then we have to start now."

One Trident submarine is on patrol at all times, in our name, targeting people with nuclear weapons. Thus, we are making enemies of people of whom we know nothing. The Christian viewpoint calls us to love our neighbour and to treat them as we would like to be treated ourselves. Targeting people for annihilation does neither of these.

Despite a predicted rebellion by more than 100 Labour MPs, it looks like the government will carry the vote on the back of Conservative support. CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, is now pinning its hopes on a Liberal Democrat motion to delay the decision and "extend the period of consultation on Trident to allow all points of view to be heard".

The"let's not make our mind up" motion, which also calls for a reduction in the number of warheads aboard each Trident vessel, appears to best capture the mood of the nation. More than 70%, according to a Channel 4 News poll, want next week's decision delayed. But fewer people are outrightly opposed to nuclear weapons. An ICM poll for The Guardian last June revealed that 51% want a new deterrent and 39% are opposed.

WELSH Assembly Cabinet ministers today joined the Labour rebellion against the UK Government’s decision to replace Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent. Education Minister Jane Davidson said she and Finance Minister Sue Essex wanted the Government to abandon its plans. Ms Davidson said she had discussed her views with First Minister Rhodri Morgan, but made clear she was not speaking on his behalf.

At the start of the week that sees a vote on Trident replacement (14 March), Juliet McBride from Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp was arrested after spending over two hours on a high security fence surrounding the new Orion laser at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston.

THE SENIOR Labour MP, Nigel Griffiths, is preparing to quit his job as deputy leader of the House of Commons because he is opposed to the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system. He told a meeting of constituents in Edinburgh last week that he will not back Tony Blair's £100 billion bid to renew the weapon, due to be put to a vote by MPs on Wednesday. He said he would vote "with his conscience" and he expected to be out of a job as a result.

Ministers have said they are confident of overcoming a possible Labour rebellion over plans to replace the UK's nuclear weapons system. A total of 64 out of 101 Labour backbenchers who responded to a BBC survey said they opposed renewal.

Peace activists say they are launching a legal challenge against the Government's plans to renew the Trident nuclear weapons system. Lawyers are set to seek a judicial review over the Government's White Paper on the issue, claiming that parts of it are "incorrect in law".

Anti-nuclear campaigners have begun a legal challenge against the government's plans to renew the Trident nuclear weapons system. Lawyers for the Nuclear Information Service (NIS) have written to the foreign secretary and the defence secretary claiming that aspects of the government's white paper on Trident are "incorrect in law".

If anyone was in doubt that next week's Commons vote will have far-reaching consequences, Albarn and Eno's evocative sound sculpture, performed from the decks of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, will have disabused them of the notion. Albarn's music was adapted from a mediaeval Welsh hymn. The repeated lyrics of "The Clock Is Ticking" drove home the sense of urgency as the choir reel off a series of hard-hitting facts.

The government announced last year its decision to renew Britain's nuclear deterrent. And this week MPs will vote on whether to replace Trident. On the Politics Show this weekend we looked at the technical issues involved, and asked Defence Secretary Des Browne to explain why the Government are so committed to renewing Trident. Here a former Conservative Foreign Secretary explains why he thinks the government have it right, and the Vice-President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament explains why they have it dead wrong.

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev hit out at the British government's "astonishing" intention to replace its ageing nuclear deterrent in a letter to the Times newspaper. Gorbachev wrote that a decision to replace the Trident missile would "be in contradiction to the spirit of the agreements that helped to end the Cold War".

Cardinal Keith O’Brien has reiterated the Catholic Church’s principled opposition to the renewal of Trident. “Far from being weapons which keep peace, nuclear weapons in fact prevent peace,” Cardinal O’Brien told a mass protest in Glasgow’s George Square. "We, the UK and other nations of the world who possess such weapons, are therefore also a stumbling block to peace.”

Almost a week after being impounded following our 'Trident: we don't buy it' protest at Faslane nuclear weapons base, the Arctic Sunrise has been released. At 10 am this morning the ship was towed by two police tugs to the mouth of the Clyde and all the crew members, who had been held by the police for three days, were finally allowed back onboard.

The vigil, which began at noon and ended at 2pm, was part of a national protest against Britain's current nuclear deterrent Trident, which is being groomed for replacement. Jill Blackadder, one of those who took part, said independently-researched costings for the project were set between £50bn and £100bn, not the £15bn to £25bn which was presented as official figures.

THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury spoke strongly against the proposed upgrading of Trident during a debate in the General Synod. Dr Williams said that he did not believe there was a case “for the moral acceptability of nuclear weapons”. He was aware, though, that not everyone in Synod, let alone the Government, would agree. He said the lack of unity of thought in the Church meant that other arguments should be deployed “granting that what we should be working for is ‘less bad’ rather than an ideal outcome”.

Quakers in Yorkshire are going to Faslane this weekend 3/4/5th March, they held a launch event outside Leeds Art Gallery today.

A LEADING peace campaigner urged Falkirk voters to do their bit to "Bin the Bomb". Bruce Kent, vice president of CND, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, visited the town's Falkirk Old and St Modan's Parish Church last week to speak out against the Government's £25 billion plans to upgrade the Trident nuclear missile system. Mr Kent (77) said: "By spending £25 billion on upgrading Trident we are increasing insecurity throughout the world."

MOVES towards Scottish independence would call into question the decision to base the UK's nuclear weapons arsenal north of the Border, a leading think-tank has said.

The Liberal Democrats will join Labour's anti-nuclear MPs and vote against the government's plans to renew the Trident missile system, Sir Menzies Campbell has told the Guardian. "If the government puts a motion embodying the proposals Tony Blair has announced I will lead the Liberal Democrats into the no lobby," the Lib Dem leader promised during an interview in which he also said that all British troops should be withdrawn from Iraq in six months.

The Government has announced it's plans to hold a brief debate and then a vote on the replacement of Trident, Britain's nuclear weapons system on Wednesday 14 March. The parliamentary debate, scheduled to last only six hours, will come just one week after the publication of the Defence Select Committee's third and apparently final report of its inquiry into Britain's nuclear weapons programme. The Defence Select Committee inquiry is the only open form of consultation undertaken thus far on the issue of Trident replacement. It now appears that the full debate promised by the government will not take place.

The Church of England yesterday strengthened its opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent. It follows moves by a number of other Christian denominations who have expressed their opposition to Trident. The Church of England's General Synod ('parliament') voted in favour of a stronger amendment to a motion which already raised "serious questions" about the possible renewal.

On Saturday 24th February many thousands of people gathered in Central London to protest against the ongoing UK/US government sponsored slaughter in Iraq. As ever, there was something of a Carnival atmosphere, with many different groups being present, and the mood was definitely upbeat, despite the miserable weather! There was plenty of creativity on display, with people bringing along their own homemade placards, props and costumes (one of my personal faves has to be "Triplets Against The War"), along with the usual mass produced placards. part 1 / part 2 / part 3

In a day called by the Trident Ploughshares Muriel Lesters affinity group, two groups of "inspectors" spent the day visiting the offices of...

- Serco (part of joint venture company AWE-ml who have 25-yr contract to run AWE Aldermaston, home of Britain's nuclear warhead production);
- Rolls Royce (make nuclear power plant/steam generator for Trident submarine fleet - and the next lot, presumably);
- BNFL (all round bad guys - and Sellafield supplies Pu for the warheads);
- Lockheed Martin (lease Trident D5 missile to the UK government .. and, another of the three comapnies who make up AWE-ml and run Aldermaston);
- Rio Tinto (mine uranium on aboriginal lands, amongst many other generally bad things)

THE Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Rt Rev Peter Price, has condemned Government plans to renew the Trident nuclear weapon system. He told the General Synod meeting in London on Monday that it "is morally unjustified and the very antithesis of the Gospel". And he added that the weapon is anti-God and profoundly anti-human.

It has been 3 days now since the Greenpeace ship ARCTIC SUNRISE was seized by British military authorities and detained at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde. The ship had sailed from Greenock to the base along with a flotilla of small craft, intent on raising awareness of Britain's plans to renew the UK's nuclear deterrent. Protestors were arrested after they breached the security zone and hung banners on the protective boom that surrounds the dock area where Britain's nuclear submarines are berthed.

On Sat 24 Feb 07, scores of thousands of people demonstrated against the war drive of British and American imperialism. Calling for all occupying troops to be withdrawn from Iraq, no replacement of Britain’s nuclear weapons system and no attack on Iran, the demonstration took over one and a half hours to exit Hyde Park, while being entertained by the massed ranks of socialist choirs, including Raised Voices [1] and the Strawberry Thieves [2]. However, since this was yet another march from A to B and listen to speeches event, organised by the left of capital in cooperation with the police, don’t expect a change in imperialist policy in Whitehall. Now just imagine what large scale, effective, direct anti-war action could be created with scores of thousands of people... 1 of 3 / 2 of 3 / 3 of 3

Two years ago, in an almost simultaneous policy turnaround, British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed his determination to develop both a further generation of nuclear weapons and a host of new nuclear power plants--ideally before he left office. Though he made his personal preference (a staunch yes) clear in both cases, he and his government promised open debate and consultations that would involve "the wider public." Thus far, however, the process of consultations has been a sham.

A personal account of the experience of participation in the STW march against the Iraq war and Trident replacement with a critical view on the event.

Photos, videos and a report from the protest held on 24th February

Photos from the demonstration on 24th February 2007

An early-day motion, calling for delay on replacement, has already been signed by 81 MPs from all three parties and a similar amendment should be put before the House. Last week, an unexpected advocate joined in. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, warned that Britain cannot expect other countries to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons if it upgrades Trident.

I need to indulge my innate leftie simmering anti-Americanism. That's a joke. I am marching because I want to send a clear signal that I am opposed to bombing yet more people and I object to my taxes being wasted on purchasing huge Trident bombs which could kill even more people, if deployed, which they won't be, so why not build some hospitals instead? Or prisons. Or schools. Simple, hmmm?

With one thing and another (mainly my missus being in bed with a hangover and me having the childminding job) I didn't get down for 12pm at Hyde Park Corner. However, I've just spoken to Davide Simonetti ( who's met up with Rachel) and he's just, 2 hours after arriving, started moving. This is big, people. Murdoch's minions at Sky News are still reporting 'hundreds' demonstrating, so we'll be hoping to refute that. We'll try and get some pictures sent up here to the orbiting Star Wars Blairwatch mission HQ and I'll put them up as the afternoon goes on.

Anti-war marchers have taken to the streets in London and Glasgow to call for the return of all troops from Iraq. They also demanded that plans to replace the Trident nuclear missile system be scrapped. Organisers from the Stop the War coalition said 60,000 people turned out in London's Trafalgar Square, but police put the figure at 10,000. In Glasgow, around 2,000 demonstrators gathered in George Square for the Bin the Bomb anti-Trident rally.

CND and the Stop the War called the demo with the slogans, No Trident, Troops out of Iraq. Two coaches of protestors attended from Sheffield (while other went by train and other means).

Ministry of Defence police stormed a Greenpeace vessel blockading the nuclear base at Faslane in the Firth of Clyde last night. Around 20 officers with battering rams clambered aboard the Arctic Sunrise at about 5.15pm while it was anchored outside the naval base, protesters on board the vessel said.

STWC said over 100,000 but apparently the police were saying just 4,000 at some point. Personally, bassed on how full trafalgar square seemed I'd guess at something between 50,000 and 70,000. But who can tell, it was certainly big, bigger than any nuclear related marches i've ever attended.

I'm updating this report as fast as I can upload material. First indications is that was about 100,000-strong, which is probably one of the larger anti-nuclear demonstrations that we've had in recent years. I didn't hear any figures for the Glasgow demo, but I'm told it was enormous: unsurprisingly, since Scotland is where the British ruling class likes to keep its nukes. It goes without saaying that most of the media are blacking out the demo, and the BBC gives it only a few inches in a local section (misquoting the figures too). Bizarrely, they actually devote more space to the demonstration in Glasgow which they say was much smaller.

It appeared that Scotland's chattering classes had shelved their differences for the day. Trident, the nuclear missile system which is carried by submarines based in a sea loch 30 miles up the road, was undoubtedly the enemy as thousands descended on the centre of the city.

Ceinwen Hilton will never forget the moment she turned into Shaftesbury Avenue on a cold February morning in 2003 to see a river of people holding banners and chanting slogans in the biggest anti-war march in recent British history. She was one of more than two million people who turned out to join the Stop the War protest in London to march against the Government's decision to invade Iraq. Four years later, Ms Hilton is today set to walk the same route across central London in a Stop the War Coalition march calling on the Government to pull troops out of Iraq.

Forty-five people have been arrested after a blockade of Britain's nuclear submarine base. Seven Greenpeace vessels, including the 164ft former icebreaker Arctic Sunrise, attempted to gain entry to Faslane Naval Base on the Clyde as part of an anti-nuclear protest. With six inflatable speedboats, the vessel breached the base's restricted area at around 8am on Friday, sparking a game of cat-and-mouse with up to 18 police boats.

A boat used by Greenpeace campaigners to blockade the Faslane naval base has been seized after Ministry of Defence police stormed the vessel. Protesters breached the restricted area at the base, which houses the Trident nuclear deterrent, at about 0800 GMT.

Ministry of Defence Police have stormed a Greenpeace vessel blockading a nuclear base. Around 20 officers with battering rams clambered aboard the Arctic Sunrise while it was anchored outside Faslane Naval Base on the Clyde, protesters on board the vessel said. The 164ft (50m) former icebreaker breached the restricted area of the base earlier as part of an anti-nuclear protest, eventually dropping anchor just outside a defensive boom.

RIDING PILLION behind Bush, Blair has embroiled Britain in disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, as part of his 'legacy', he wants to commit us to paying for a brand new Trident missile system. Brown supports this too, and New Labour ministers flock behind them like sheep. Every one of the 160 nuclear warheads will be capable of wiping out over half-a-million people. The bill for these weapons of mass destruction is likely to be around £25 billion for the system. But the total expenditure will be around £76 billion when running costs over 30 years are included. Why aren't Blair and Brown proposing to spend this money on improving health, education, pensions and other vital, life-support services?

For twenty-three years Christian activists and church representatives have come together at the Ministry of Defence in this way on Ash Wednesday to call the Government to repent and reject nuclear weapons and nuclear war preparations, through a powerful liturgical witness and acts of nonviolent civil disobedience which use the traditional symbols of the day - blessed ash and charcoal," explained Pax Christ general secretary Patricia Gaffney.

Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, Ian Brown and Jarvis Cocker have all signed a petition to oppose the British government's nuclear weapons policy. They are amongst the 55 musicians and bands who are backing a CND statement to object to plans to renew Trident. Franz Ferdinand, Jarvis Cocker, Bloc Party, Razorlight and Ian Brown are also opposing the plan, with an anti-nuclear demonstration set to take place in Trafalgar Square this weekend.

In a speech broadcast on state television, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "We say to them [the West]: how can your enrichment factories continue to work when you are asking for a suspension of our activities?" In a lecture at the London School of Economics, Mr ElBaradei said: "They are told nuclear weapons are counter-productive because they do not protect your security. "But when they look to the big boys, what do they see? They see increasing reliance on nuclear weapons for security, they see nuclear weapons being continually modernised."

Here in the U.S., Trident just keeps your breath fresh. For our UK brothers and sisters, however, the only thing Trident keeps fresh is the bleedin' nuclear arms race. Instituted in 1994, the Trident in question today refers to Britain's submarine-housed nuclear weapons system, which the country's Parliament will vote to replace next month. Turns out the majority of the populace-- and a bunch of respected UK musicians-- are none too happy about it.

Iran could be just six months away from acquiring the ability to enrich industrial-scale uranium - a key step in building a nuclear bomb - the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned.
...
However, he said that he believed that Iran was still years away from developing an actual nuclear weapon. "The intelligence, the British intelligence, the American intelligence, is saying that Iran is still years, five to 10 years away from developing a weapon," he said.
...
Mr ElBaradei also said that the efforts of the IAEA to prevent nuclear proliferation were not helped by Britain's decision to update its Trident nuclear deterrent.

PLANS to replace the UK's aging fleet of nuclear submarines drew the wrath of protestors in Ilford Town Centre on Saturday. The south west Essex Greenpeace group joined forces with Redbridge against the war to collect signatures for a petition demanding that Ilford South MP, Mike Gapes, lend his support to their campaign.

A GROUP of campaigning Vikings will represent York as part of a year-long blockade of a nuclear base in Scotland. The protesters will target Faslane, the home of the UK's Trident nuclear submarine fleet, while dressed as Vikings to try to disrupt its operations

Campaigners from Eastbourne for Peace and Liberty will be visiting Nigel Waterson MP at his surgery on Friday March 2, to discuss the government's planned replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system. The House of Commons will vote in March on the government's plans to spend billions of pounds on the weapons, and campaigners across the country are concerned that there has not been time for a proper public debate on a system which may contravene international humanitarian law and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Stephen Hawking, the astrophysicist, is among the prominent figures fronting the campaign, which will strengthen growing demands in Parliament for the vote on the replacement of the nuclear weapons system to be delayed until a full debate on the options has taken place. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Right Rev Rowan Williams, the author Zadie Smith, the actress Emma Thompson, the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the architect Richard Rogers have also signed a statement objecting to a hasty decision.

The development of successive generations of Britain's "independent nuclear deterrent", through Polaris, Chevaline and Trident, has been shrouded in double-speak and dissembling. And so it continues today. In his speech to the Commons in December, the prime minister claimed that the renewal of Trident would comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.After all, it was only the boats which were being replaced, and the number of warheads would be reduced. However, it is an open secret that the government is working on a "reliable replacement warhead" which would breach the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNPT). At the Atomic Weapons EstablishmentatAldermaston in Berkshire, work has already started on testing the new device.This simulates the effect of a thermonuclear explosion, enabling new nuclear weapons to be tested without detonating underground bomb tests.

Howard Andrews of Taunton, Somerset, is England’s oldest surviving Spanish Civil War International Brigader (see Socialist Worker, 18 November 2006). He was to celebrate his 100th birthday this week – and has turned down an offer of a telegram letter from the queen. However, as an active campaigner against replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system, he has written the following appeal to the queen

Seventeen motions on Trident replacement from Constituency Labour Party groups were ruled out of order before the Labour Party conference in 2006. In January 2007 three motions on Trident from members of the Labour National Executive Committee, including CND Vice President Walter Wolfgang, were again ruled out of order. An ICM poll last June showed that 81% of the British Public believe that Parliament should decide the matter. In another poll a month later 59% of the public said that Trident should not be replaced if the cost were to exceed £25bn. Yet 20 motions calling for the Labour Party to debate the matter have been overruled, Blair has expressed his intention to use the Whip to ensure the PLP toes the line and Brown is backing him.

Yesterday's High Court ruling stating that the government's consultation on energy policy had been "seriously flawed" was both extraordinary and totally unsurprising. As with consultation on the possible replacement of the U.K.'s WMD delivery system, it was always clear that the decision had preceded the "consultation". In fact, these consultations were actually government attempts to sell decisions which had already been taken.

The Recorder reported in 2005 how Sarah Hipperson, 78, of Sydney Road, Wanstead, wrote a book about the time she spent at the Greenham Common peace camp outside the RAF base in Berkshire. Now the author of Greenham: Non-Violent Women v The Crown Prerogative has revived the Wanstead and Woodford branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) to rally against government plans to spend up to £76billion replacing Trident - the UK's ageing fleet of Cold War nuclear submarines.

A High Court judge has ordered a rethink of the government's nuclear power plans, after a legal challenge by environmental campaigners Greenpeace. A judge ruled that the consultation process before the decision last year had been "misleading", "seriously flawed" and "procedurally unfair". Greenpeace said ministers should "go back to the drawing board". But Tony Blair said while the ruling would change the consultation process, "this won't affect the policy at all".

A GROUP of elderly peace activists staged a Valentine's Day blockade outside Faslane naval base yesterday. Under the banner of Pensioners for Peace, the group carried out a peaceful blockade at the Firth of Clyde site. The group is the inspiration of Harry McEachern, a Glaswegian now living in Largs. Mr McEachern, who describes himself as OBE ("over bloody eighty") believes pensioners "are the best group of people to make the necessary protest against Trident".

Well-known thespian Emma Thompson and Anglican Bishop of Southwark Tom Butler are among 100 public figures spanning the arts, science, politics, academia, the churches and civic life who have joined together to oppose Prime Minister Tony Blair’s plans to spend vast amounts of money on replacing Britain’s Trident nuclear fleet. Labour and the Tories are officially committed to a new generation of submarine-launched nuclear missiles which will cost £65 billion over a 30 year period of service. Critics say the system is expensive, useless, destabilizing and dangerous in an age of asymmetric warfare and terror.

TWELVE campaigners from Coventry were arrested as they blockaded the Trident submarine base on Monday morning (February 12). The group travelled to Faslane in Strathclyde on Sunday (February 11) to spend 48 hours in a non-violent demonstration against nuclear weapons. But on Monday morning, as seven members of the group chained themselves up across a road leading into the base, police arrested them for breaching the peace.

TWELVE Coventry anti-nuclear protesters, who were arrested in Scotland, have been charged with breach of the peace. The six men and six women were released from prison at 2.45pm yesterday after taking part in a blockade of the Faslane naval base in Gare Loch.

THE chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is in York today to speak about the Iraq war and the replacement of the Trident nuclear programme. Kate Hudson will attend a meeting of York against the War in Priory Street Community Centre. It comes ahead of a national demonstration in London on February 24 against the replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system and the keeping of British troops in Iraq.

Bristol CND sent the BANGER minibus to support the monthly blockade at AWE Aldermaston. We spent Sunday afternoon touring the perimeter of the sprawling site. For anyone who has yet to go it’s worth seeing the multiple fences, razor wire, sensor systems, and legal warning notices that are necessary to keep us out of the UK’s nuke bomb factory. One vast area of the site is a maze of construction cranes and towering concrete buildings rising up out of the mud. This is the Orion laser and super-computer to be used to develop the new generation of battlefield nukes which will replace the current generation of Trident weapons.

From 7am today [12/02/07], a group of around 50 anti-nuclear campaigners participated in blockades and protests outside Britain's nuclear warhead factory - AWE Aldermaston in Berkshire. Using a concrete-filled dustbin, metal lock-on tubes and D-locks, two groups blockaded the A340 on two sides of the base, close to entrances used by construction traffic. Roads were closed for one hour and ten minutes while specialist police teams cut out protesters. Cranes and other construction traffic was prevented from entering the site while the blockade was in progress. Other campaigners used large banners and flags to communicate their anti-nuclear message.

A BANNER the size of a Trident missile is expected to be on display in Minehead's Wellington Square on Saturday.
The banner will form the centrepiece of a demonstration by West Somerset Peace Group against nuclear arms.

TWELVE anti-nuclear protesters from Coventry have been arrested during a protest in Scotland. They were part of a 35-strong group which had travelled from the city to the Faslane naval base in Gare Loch to join a blockade.

From 7am today, a group of around 50 anti-nuclear campaigners from Block the Builders participated in blockades and protests outside Britain’s nuclear warhead factory - AWE Aldermaston in Berkshire. Using a concrete-filled dustbin, metal lock-on tubes and D-locks, two groups blockaded the A340 on two sides of the base, close to entrances used by construction traffic. Roads were closed for one hour and ten minutes while specialist police teams cut out protesters. Cranes and other construction traffic was prevented from entering the site while the blockade was in progress. Other campaigners used large banners and flags to communicate their anti-nuclear message.

Twelve anti-nuclear protesters have been arrested at the home of the UK's Trident nuclear deterrent. The demonstrators from Coventry were taking part in a year-long blockade of the Faslane naval base on the Clyde.

The conjunction of all this nuclear action with wondering what to do about Valentine’s Day gave me a curious thought. If diamonds are actually forever, nuclear waste very nearly lasts that long, so could the Government perhaps save a bit on the cost of burying all that waste by enlisting the help of the man who can sell anything, Richard Branson? To complement Virgin Atlantic’s flights, Virgin Galactic’s near-space travel and Virgin Health Bank’s stem cell storage plan, he could launch ‘Virgin Isotopic – the nuclear option for lovers’.

VETERAN anti-nuke campaigner Bruce Kent was braced for an impassioned debate in the country’s most pro-Trident territory — little did he expect that everyone would agree with him. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament vice-president was hoping for Barrovians to tackle him at his Prepare for Peace: Redirect Trident Money lecture in Kendal on Saturday. But the activist was given an easy ride at Kendal’s Shakespeare Centre as Barrow’s pro-Trident contingent stayed at home.

A veteran fighter has marked his 100th birthday by sending a letter to the Queen protesting against the proposed replacement of Trident nuclear weapons. Howard Andrews, from Taunton, urged the Queen to try to persuade the government against changing Trident.

“Trident is a major concern for many Christians,” said Anthea Cox, the co-ordinating secretary at the Methodist Church. “We want to create a space for Christians to share their concerns about the renewal of Trident. The demonstration is a wider event, bringing together many groups. We want to enable people to put it in a Christian context by coming together for a short service beforehand.”

Out of the mouths of ... retired US officials and generals comes the simple truth about nuclear weapons and the dangers the world faces while its most powerful leaders remain in denial. I would like to think that if Tony Blair had listened yesterday to Robert McNamara being interviewed on the BBC Today programme, the prime minister would now be reconsidering his obsession with "hard power" and Trident renewal - but I very much doubt it.

An audacious blockade today at the gates of the Faslane naval base in Scotland, where the Trident nuclear weapons are deployed, saw the Faslane 365 movement chalk up its 500th arrest since launching the year-long civil resistance on October 1st.

Can anyone see the logic in this answer?

Howells appears to say:
1. We're committed to non proliferation
2. Buying more nukes is cool
3. Nukes make the world safer
4. A safer world means we need no nukes

PEACE activists in Barrow have called on the government not to replace Britain’s nuclear deterrent. The Steering Group of the Barrow Peace Coalition has supported an alternative white paper which promotes reasons not to replace Trident. The paper has been issued by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). It said the £25bn it could take to fund a replacement would be better spent paying for 60,000 new nurses and the same number of secondary school teachers for 10 years.

An anti-Trident demonstration has been organised in London for 24 February, with Christians also being invited to join a service prior to the commencement of the protest. Hinde Street Methodist Church has prepared an ecumenical service on the morning of 24 February to help unify believers prior to the demonstration. “Trident is a major concern for many Christians,” says Anthea Cox, Methodist Church Coordinating Secretary, “and we want to create a space for Christians to share their concerns about the renewal of Trident.”

The Synod debate about Trident will come near the end of the three months’ period of public debate initiated by the Government’s White Paper on The Future of Trident, which will culminate in a debate in the House of Commons in March. The Government is planning the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system. However Christian leaders across Britain have opposed the move.

A LOTHIAN MP is seeking people's views on replacing the Trident nuclear deterrent prior to grilling Defence Secretary Des Browne on the issue next week. Midlothian MP David Hamilton wants opinions on the future of the UK's nuclear force in his role as member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.

When even former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is arguing that Cold War notions of deterrence won't work in today's security environment, the white paper gives the impression of being stuck in a time warp. Instead of addressing the fundamental challenges to nuclear deterrence that Kissinger and others have acknowledged, the British government avoids the question by labelling British nuclear weapons "the independent nuclear deterrent," or simply, "our deterrent." The subliminal message is meant to reassure the British people that this isn't a weapon that might be used, but something more benign, to prevent use.

Eight non-violent peace activists at Mildenhall police station have today been charged under anti-terrorist laws, SOCPA 128,which is the result of an action last October, when the activists entered USAF Lakenheth nuclear base and chained themselves to secure the gates of a munitions storage area to stop the movement of cluster bombs.

Although it now seems that the preferred argument to justify expanding the US-UK imperial slaughter in the Middle East to Iran is the alledged support for insurgents in Iraq, this wasn't the case until recently — the alleged Iranian nuclear weapons programme was the justification, and the nuclear plants the planned targets. But what is the origin of the Iranian nuclear industry? Consider the above advert from the 1970's featuring the Shah of Iran, which was paid for by a group of nuclear industry contractors.

A group of eight activists blockaded the entrance to AWE Aldermaston this morning at 6.45am. Using steel lock-on tubes the group have completely blocked the road. Thus stopping all construction traffic entering or leaving the site. This has called a large tailback and the police turned all traffic away from the site. The road is still blocked at 9.30am and the police have made no efforts to remove them yet. The police had given them an hour to unlock but two and a half hours later they are still there.

Blair has already decided on the Trident nuclear weapons replacement and is spending millions of our money on research faculties at AWE Aldermaston, the nation's nuclear bomb factory, just down the road in Berkshire. These are to develop new battlefield (more-likely-to-be-used) mini-nukes. The foundations of new buildings to house a super-computer and a massive new laser facility are already underway are there to been seen. Just come and have a look and see with your own eyes.

In December 2006 the government published a White Paper in which it confirmed its intention to replace the Trident submarine fleet and outlined proposals for replacing the current Trident D5 missiles. The parliamentary debate on these aspects of Trident replacement is expected to take place in March. However, the White Paper deferred the issue of what nuclear warhead the missiles would carry. Tony Blair's introductory text stated that a decision on warhead replacement could be taken in the next parliament.

Following on from yesterdays protest by academics from across the world and students from Oxford, Cambridge, Sussex and Edinburgh Universities, today seen elected representatives from across the political spectrum converge on Faslane in protest against nuclear weapons.

This year, everyone will be talking about Iran. Whatever the intentions of the Iranian government, Iran's leaders are now in a position where they will find it impossible to halt their uranium enrichment programme in the face of American demands. Unless the U.S. government is prepared to offer concessions of a size that'd make Iran the unambiguous winner of this confrontation, and the Bush administration certainly wont do that, the Iranians will not back down.

Faslane Naval Base (near Glasgow), Tuesday 2nd January 2007 - A group of 25 activists from the Belgian environmental group "Friends of the Earth Flanders & Brussels" have blocked the British nuclear submarine base since 8am this morning. This morning 8 activists were arrested after nonviolently blocking both main entrances to the base. Amongst those arrested were people from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Finland.