IN COMMON with other campaigning organisations, Scottish CND has had to curtail its activities as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

However, through the use of social media we have been able to put out a number of important messages. 

We have also been able to keep up to date with important developments in relation to the struggle to rid our country and our world of the scourge of nuclear weapons.

One of these developments has been the ratification by Namibia on March 20 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Namibia is the 36th country to ratify the treaty, and it is a highly significant move because the country is rich in uranium, an element used within nuclear warheads.

It is really encouraging that the south African country has now signed this treaty, which prohibits involvement in the production, development and testing of nuclear weapons. 

Unfortunately, the British government refuses to give consideration to co-operating with the treaty, so the struggle to change its position must continue.

Scottish CND was also delighted to see a remarkable letter published by the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation on April 1.

In a letter signed by three senior naval commanders, huge questions were raised about the cost and the usefulness of maintaining Britain’s nuclear weapons.

This letter highlights the fact that Trident missiles have been detargeted since 1994 and have been stood at several days’ notice to fire since 1998. It goes on to highlight the colossal cost of £2 billion a year to maintain Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons system.

It makes a compelling case for getting rid of a nuclear arsenal that costs a fortune to maintain, and Scottish CND will ensure its content receives maximum publicity.

Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, Scottish CND was undertaking a lot of public work with our People Not Trident campaign.

This focused on highlighting the vast sums currently spent on nuclear weapons that could be better spent in areas such as health and education. Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and we expect support to grow when public work can resume after the lockdown.

To supplement our work on the economics of nuclear weapons, Scottish CND is also part of the Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland network.

This network focuses on the assistance that banks and other financial institutions give to the production and development of nuclear weapons.

It is deeply depressing that the Royal Bank of Scotland provided £2.5bn to 15 of the world’s top 20 nuclear weapons producers between 2014 and 2017.

The Don’t Bank on the Bomb network has gained widespread support in the wider Scottish peace movement, and work will continue to press the Royal Bank of Scotland and other financial institutions to reconsider their nuclear-weapons investments.

Despite the hard work of Scottish CND, the struggle against the menace of nuclear weapons remains very much an uphill struggle. 

Prior to the lockdown, the Trump administration seemed intent on a massive increase in spending on nuclear weapons. Scottish CND received information that if Donald Trump is re-elected he would propose in 2021 to give the Pentagon nearly $30bn to modernise nuclear-weapons delivery systems. 

His 2021 budget proposals also include an allocation of almost $20bn for the purpose of modernising the US nuclear-weapons stockpile.

The recent revelations by Pentagon officials that Britain has agreed that the proposed new generation of nuclear warheads to replace the Trident system will be based on US technology is also bad news.

This disclosure was made before an official government announcement and angered many MPs and experts.

It also underlines the government’s reliance on the US for a central plank of its defence strategy.

Meanwhile, back in Scotland, it has been revealed that the Ministry of Defence has plans to increase discharges of radioactive waste into the Firth of Clyde by up to 50 times.

The liquid waste comes from the reactors that drive the submarines at the Faslane base and from the processing of Trident nuclear warheads. 

It is proposed that this waste will be discharged from Faslane into the Gareloch nearby via a proposed new pipeline.

This proposed pipeline is a clear illustration of the threat to the environment and community safety that is posed by having nuclear weapons based at Faslane.

In the light of so many negative developments, it is imperative that Scottish CND and the wider peace movement continue to use a diverse range of tactics and activities such as letter-writing, non-violent direct action, demonstrations, leafleting and petitioning to make the case against nuclear weapons. 

I personally find it helpful to remember the words of William J Perry, the United States  secretary of defence from 1994-7, when our task feels overwhelming, as it can at times.

In his 2015 book, Perry made a remarkable statement about the danger of nuclear weapons when he said: “Facing the danger from nuclear weapons is daunting, but we must recognise the threat and devote ourselves to diminishing it. 

“To be sure, as long as nuclear weapons are deployed by nations as a part of their war plans, we can never be sure that they will not be used in a regional war or by a terror group.

He continues: “Even a single detonation would entail casualties a hundred times greater than those suffered on 9/11.”

These words of Perry’s underline the urgent need to rid our country and the world of the scourge of nuclear weapons.

Hopefully, in the light of the Covid-19 crisis, people will start to agree with CND that we should scrap Trident and spend the money on precious national assets such as the NHS.

Arthur West is a Scottish CND executive member and joint convener of the Scottish CND Trade Union Network.