Lobby Parliament against Trident

UNISON is backing CND’s lobby of Parliament on Wednesday, as MPs prepare to vote to waste billions on an unnecessary and immoral system to slaughter millions. The least worst thing that could ever happen with the new nuclear weapon system is that it would never be used, and only be a waste of billions of pounds. Anything worse doesn’t really bear thinking about.

If, like me, you won’t be able to get to Parliament on Wednesday you can check whether your MP has signed Early Day Motion 579. This simply calls for more time for debate, yet Blair wants to press ahead with a decision to replace Trident now. Of course, Gordon Brown supports him. So perhaps those of us opposed to Trident ought to be clear that we won’t be supporting Gordon Brown?

Will the MPs signing EDM 579 nominate a candidate for Labour Leader who opposes Trident or are they content to make a stand now, to lose in Parliament to the combined strength of the Tory vote on the opposition and the Government benches and then meekly to support a leader who will continue with Trident replacement?

Incidentally, it looks to me as if only 17 out of 61 members of the UNISON group of MPs have signed up to EDM 579 thus far, although at least one other member of the group is set on resigning from the Government because of this important issue. That would still leave a large majority of MPs associated with our Union voting against our policy on this key priority for our Union.