Thanks to Jim Dobbin MP for signing EDMs 854 and 855

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group was delighted to see that Jim Dobbin MP has signed Early Day Motions 854 and 855 (see  http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/854  and http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/855 ).


EDM 854 welcomes the statement from 125 states expressing concern about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons at the UN General Assembly First Committee on 21 October 2013; regrets the non-attendance of the UK Government at the governmental conference in Oslo to discuss this issue in March 2013; and urges the Government to ensure that the UK is represented at the new governmental conference in Mexico in February 2014. 

EDM 855 welcomes progress in diplomatic negotiations in the Middle East to eliminate existing stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs); and urges the UK Government to do its utmost to take advantage of positive momentum and ensure a conference supported and attended by all states of the region is convened without delay, so as to apply pressure on all states of the region to dismantle their arsenals of WMDs and make serious progress on a weapons of mass destruction free-zone in the Middle East.
 
These are vital issues and it is great to see that Jim is amongst the MPs in parliament taking them seriously and urging the Government to take actions which will contribute towards making this a safer and more peaceful world.

The Peace Group hopes that he will be joined by other local MPs in these efforts.

Messages of Peace for Littleborough

The Peace Group took their colourful peace cranes and an 'NHS Not Trident' message to the corner of Church Street and Hare Hill Road, in Littleborough on Saturday (14 December 2013).

Local campaigners, Pat Sanchez, Pauline Devine, Patricia and Philip Gilligan asked Christmas shoppers enjoying the carols to join them in signing a letter confirming that they want their taxes "spent on decent health and social care services, not the Trident nuclear weapons system". They distributed not only Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament leaflets asking, "What if we had over £100bn to spend on healthcare, transport, housing, education and energy?" but also samples of folded paper peace cranes and instructions for making these paper birds. The cranes were made by children and peace campaigners from across Japan who had attended this year's Peace March from Tokyo to Hiroshima marking the 68^th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. They have been sent to peace and anti-nuclear groups throughout the world, including Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group by 'Gensuikyo', the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs with a request that they be given as tokens of peace to promote a worldwide message of nuclear disarmament.

On behalf of the Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said, 

“The people of Japan know better than most the horrifying and indiscriminate destruction that the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought in 1945. They do well remind us in Littleborough and elsewhere that nuclear weapons now threaten to destroy our entire planet. We were delighted to receive the gift from Gensuikyo. The cranes symbolise our united call for all countries to scrap their ever-more dangerous nuclear arsenals and inspire us to repeat our demand that politicians in Britain recognise the need to scrap the Trident nuclear weapons system, immediately."

"There are many reasons why our taxes should never be spent on nuclear weapons and amongst them is the fact that scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system would save our country around £100 billion. This is money which could fully fund all A&E services in hospitals for over 40 years into the future or be used to build 150 new state-of-the-art hospitals or to pay the wages of 150,000 extra nurses for the next 30 years. That would save lives, instead of threatening humankind's very existence.", he added.

Cranes fly-in to back peaceful spending

Rochdale shoppers admired colourful paper cranes on the Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group stall in Yorkshire Street on Saturday morning (23 November 2013) where local campaigners were asking passers-by to sign a letter confirming that they want their taxes "spent on decent health and social care services, not the Trident nuclear weapons system" and where they distributed Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament leaflets asking, "What if we had over £100bn to spend on healthcare, transport, housing, education and energy"?.

The cranes were made by children and peace campaigners from across Japan and were some of the millions gathered during the 2013 Peace March from Tokyo to Hiroshima to mark the 68^th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Since 6 August 2013, 'Gensuikyo', the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs has been sending boxes of cranes to peace and anti-nuclear groups throughout the world, including Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group.

On behalf of the Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said, 

“There are many reasons why our taxes should never be spent on nuclear weapons. The people of Japan know better than most the horrifying and indiscriminate destruction that the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought in 1945. They remind us that nuclear weapons threaten to destroy our world. We were delighted to receive the gift from our fellow peace campaigners in Gensuikyo. The cranes symbolise our united call for all countries to scrap their ever-more dangerous nuclear arsenals and inspire us to repeat our demand that politicians in Britain recognise the need to scrap the Trident nuclear weapons system, immediately. This is a campaign which must succeed; for the sake of us all and for generations to come..  At a time when the government claims to have no money, it is spending £95 every second of every minute of every day on nuclear weapons. That's £8 million of our taxes wasted every day on something which former chief of the defence staff, Field Marshal Lord Bramall and Generals Lord Ramsbotham and Sir Hugh Beach denounced in 2009 as "irrelevant" and "completely useless" (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7832365.stm ). Scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system would save around £100 billion. This is money which could fully fund all A&E services in hospitals for over 40 years into the future or be used to build 150 new state-of-the-art hospitals or to pay the wages of 150,000 extra nurses for the next 30 years. That would save lives, instead of threatening humankind's very existence." 

"We and the cranes will be visiting other parts of the borough over the coming months. We trust and hope that many more people will join us in demanding that our taxes are spent on the services we need, not squandered on nuclear weapons”, he added.

Anti-Nuclear Campaigners from Rochdale attend Mayors For Peace reception at Lord Mayor's parlour

The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Naeem Ul Hassan, welcomed dignitaries and anti-nuclear campaigners to Manchester Town Hall on Wednesday (13 November 2013) as part of his role as Vice-President of Mayors for Peace.

Councillor Naeem Ul Hassan presented campaigners Pat Sanchez and  Rae Street from Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group with paper cranes which were sent to Manchester from Japan by Gensuikyo, the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.

The folding of paper cranes is a traditional symbol in Japan used to commemorate the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki since the 1950's. The paper crane has become synonymous with peace in Japan just like the CND symbol here in the West.

The paper cranes were made by children and peace campaigners from across Japan and were gathered during the 201 3 Peace March. The 1,000+ peace marchers started off from Tokyo and finished in Hiroshima in time for the memorial events surrounding the 68^th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city in 1945. Millions of cranes were collected during the Peace March and they have been sent out across the world to the cities represented at the 2013 World Conference Against A & H Bombs which took place in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August.

Rae, Pat and others  will use the cranes in Rochdale by sending them out to schools and faith groups along with instructions on how to make their own paper cranes. The hope is that young people will spend time thinking about and discussing  the meaning of peace.

Rochdale campaigners say ‘NHS not Trident’

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group joined tens of thousands of protesters in Manchester, this afternoon (Sunday 29 September 2013) as the TUC told the Conservative Party conference to stop cuts and privatisation in the NHS.

Greater Manchester Police estimated that at least 50,000 people joined the protest. Hundreds carried ‘NHS not Trident’ placards, while Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group members displayed the same message on their Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament  T-shirts.

On behalf of the Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said,

“In Rochdale and in Greater Manchester; throughout the North West and throughout the country, the government is cutting and privatising essential services. It claims that it has insufficient money to maintain the services we need for decent health, education and social care. But the government is still committed to spending £billions each year on maintaining the Trident nuclear missile system and to spending £billions more on its even more dangerous replacement. This is not what our country needs or wants. It is not what Rochdale needs or wants. The Peace Group will continue to press both the government and all our local MPs to commit themselves to policies that will ensure that the country stops wasting money on nuclear weapons and starts rebuilding the NHS service we need for our future.” 

20 mile Rochdale Peace Walk remembers past campaigners and urges action now

Peace campaigners from across Greater Manchester joined members of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group on a 20 mile walk around Rochdale today (Sunday 22 September 2013). They were marking the 32^nd International Day of Peace and raising funds for their ongoing campaigns for Britain to become a country free from all nuclear weapons and free from nuclear power.

The walk started at the statue of 19^th century peace campaigner John Bright in Broadfield park and continued via Watergrove reservoir to the grave of socialist and women’s rights campaigner Enid Stacy at St James’ church, Calderbrook. From Calderbrook, they walked across to the Pennine Way and eventually returned to Rochdale via Windy Hill, Hollingworth Lake, Littleborough and the Rochdale Canal. On Blackstone Edge, they paused to recall the vast rally held there on 2^nd August 1846, addressed by radical Chartist and poet, Ernest Jones.

  

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group, said,

“We very much enjoyed our long walk and it was good to remember that Rochdale has been home to many campaigners and campaigns that have sought to ‘speak truth to power. In 1846, Ernest Jones, campaigning for the Charter, spoke of the “song of liberty” being a “standard of broad sunlight” on Blackstone Edge, while a decade later John Bright was the most prominent opponent of the devastating Crimea War and an eloquent advocate of disarmament. In the 1890s, Enid Stacy combined the causes of women’s rights and socialism in her speeches at factory gates and her articles in the Clarion newspaper and continued her tireless campaigning until her untimely death in 1903. Such campaigners inspire our campaigns, today. In 2013, their examples help us to reject the rhetoric which so nearly plunged us into another futile war only a few weeks ago and makes us more determined than ever to campaign against the squandering of £billions on ever more dangerous nuclear weapons while cutting essential services.

Peace campaigners from across Greater Manchester joined members of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group on a 20 mile walk around Rochdale today (Sunday 22 September 2013). They were marking the 32^nd International Day of Peace and raising funds for their ongoing campaigns for Britain to become a country free from all nuclear weapons and free from nuclear power.

The walk started at the statue of 19^th century peace campaigner John Bright in Broadfield park and continued via Watergrove reservoir to the grave of socialist and women’s rights campaigner Enid Stacy at St James’ church, Calderbrook. From Calderbrook, they walked across to the Pennine Way and eventually returned to Rochdale via Windy Hill, Hollingworth Lake, Littleborough and the Rochdale Canal. On Blackstone Edge, they paused to recall the vast rally held there on 2^nd August 1846, addressed by radical Chartist and poet, Ernest Jones.

  

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group, said,

“We very much enjoyed our long walk and it was good to remember that Rochdale has been home to many campaigners and campaigns that have sought to ‘speak truth to power. In 1846, Ernest Jones, campaigning for the Charter, spoke of the “song of liberty” being a “standard of broad sunlight” on Blackstone Edge, while a decade later John Bright was the most prominent opponent of the devastating Crimea War and an eloquent advocate of disarmament. In the 1890s, Enid Stacy combined the causes of women’s rights and socialism in her speeches at factory gates and her articles in the Clarion newspaper and continued her tireless campaigning until her untimely death in 1903. Such campaigners inspire our campaigns, today. In 2013, their examples help us to reject the rhetoric which so nearly plunged us into another futile war only a few weeks ago and makes us more determined than ever to campaign against the squandering of £billions on ever more dangerous nuclear weapons while cutting essential services.

So, next Sunday (29 September 2013), we shall be swapping our local moors for the streets of Manchester. On Sunday, we shall be joining the TUC demonstration at the Conservative Party Conference and telling David Cameron as loudly and clearly as we can that we want our taxes spent on decent benefits and public services and not on wars or nuclear missiles. In particular, we shall be reminding the government that we need ‘NHS Not Trident’.”

“We hope that others will join us”, he added. 

So, next Sunday (29 September 2013), we shall be swapping our local moors for the streets of Manchester. On Sunday, we shall be joining the TUC demonstration at the Conservative Party Conference and telling David Cameron as loudly and clearly as we can that we want our taxes spent on decent benefits and public services and not on wars or nuclear missiles. In particular, we shall be reminding the government that we need ‘NHS Not Trident’.”

“We hope that others will join us”, he added. 

Commemorating 68th anniversary of Hiroshima

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group members met at Hollingworth Lake this evening (6 August 2013) to remember all those who have suffered in war and especially the victims of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

They were marking the 68^th anniversary of the first atomic bomb which was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the United States of America on 6 August 1945. They shared readings and floated lanterns on the lake in memory of victims of war.

Pat Sanchez, on behalf of the Peace Group said

“Over 340,000 people have died as a result of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but those who want to continue to squander scarce resources on ever more dangerous nuclear weapons of mass destruction seem to have learned nothing from these tragic events

“Today, Britain has 225 warheads, each with the power to inflict 8 times the damage of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. As well as commemorating those who have died and those who are still suffering from those horrific attacks, we reaffirm our determination that this should never happen again. We call on the British Government to play its part in creating a safer and more peaceful world by scrapping the whole Trident nuclear weapons system, immediately.”

Peace Group at Littleborough Rushbearing

'Stop spying on me from Yorkshire'

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group joined the Campaign for Accountability of American Bases and many other organisations at the Menwith Hill  in Yorkshire on Thursday (4 July 2013). They called for the closure of the communications base in the Pennines which provides intelligence support to the United States military and which  whistle-blower, Edward Snowden revealed last week as a major link in the the 'Prism' project which spies on British people's use of e-mail and the internet.

 

The RAF describes the Menwith Hill base as being “made available to the US Department of Defense (DoD)” (see http://www.raf.mod.uk/organisation/rafmenwithhill.cfm ) and admits that “the administration of the base is the responsibility of the US authorities”, while in July 2007, the then Defence Minister admitted that  Britain had agreed to Menwith Hill being used by US forces as part of its controversial missile defence (‘Star Wars’) system. 

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the peace group said:

“It is outrageous that the US military are allowed to spy on ordinary people in Rochdale from an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Pennines and frightening that they have been allowed to absorb Menwith Hill into their dangerous plans for sending missiles into space. We don't want our countryside used for the Pentagon’s Star Wars fantasies. We don't want our world to be intimidated by US missiles and we don't want people in the Pennines to become a target during a future military conflict.”  

"Such decisions have been made without any debate in Parliament or even the pretence of consultation with the public. There was no chance for MPs, let alone the public to discuss the decision to tie Menwith Hill into the so-called missile defence system and without the bravery of whistle-blowers like Edward Snowden we wouldn't know that they are spying on us every time we send an e-mail."

‘Lego brick poll’ shows that Rochdale wants decent social care services, not nuclear weapons

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group leafleted in Rochdale town centre on Saturday, 29 June 2013. They called for an end to all spending on the Trident nuclear weapons system and for all monies allocated to upgrading nuclear weapons to be transferred immediately to funding social care services. As striking Future Directions workers marched past their stall at the bottom of Yorkshire Street, the peace campaigners said that ‘Rochdale needs decent social care services, not nuclear weapons’. 

In what they dubbed a ‘Lego brick poll’, they asked Rochdale’s Saturday shoppers to choose whether they want their taxes spent on building ‘Decent Adult Care Services’ or on the ‘Trident nuclear weapons system’? An overwhelming majority chose ‘Decent Adult Care Services’. Many also signed postcards and petitions from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament urging MPs to demand an end to Trident and its replacement.   

On behalf of the Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said,

“During recent years, people in Rochdale have been very much on the sharp end of cuts in essential local services. We have lost acute inpatient services across the board at Rochdale Infirmary, while our Council has been forced to slash tens of £millions from planned spending on essential services. Yet, the Government with support from the Labour Party’s national leadership continues to squander £2.2 billion every year on the Trident nuclear weapons system and refuses to abandon plans to develop even deadlier nuclear weapons of mass destruction which will cost an estimated £100billion.

Based on population, Rochdale’s share of the current costs of Britain’s nuclear arsenal already amounts to £7million per year, but the staggering cost to Rochdale of so-called ’Trident Replacement’ totals well over £300million. This is more money than the Council would need to restore and maintain all local services at uncut levels and to ensure that proper salaries are restored to those who provide them. Rochdale’s £300million could and should be spent, on the essential services people need. It is time to tell the government and all those who support retention of nuclear weapons that we want our taxes spent on decent local services not nuclear weapons.

“A nuclear- free Britain would be £billions better off. Trident is a dangerous waste of public money”, he added.

Ground the Drones - Channel 4 News - 27 April 2013

GROUND THE DRONES - Waddington - 27 April 2013

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group travelled to Lincolnshire on Saturday (27 April 2013) to join the national demonstration against the growing use of military drones which are causing civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza and elsewhere. The demonstration at RAF Waddington, near Lincoln was called by War on Want, the Stop the War Coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

 The Ministry of Defence had earlier admitted for the first time that armed drones have been operated remotely from RAF Waddington and used in attacks in Afghanistan (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/25/uk-controlling-drones-afghanistan-britain ).

On 6 April 2013, in a single incident, a drone attack ended up in killing 18 people including at least 10 children in the Shigal district of Afghanistan (http://www.asiantribune.com/node/62242 ).

On behalf of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said,

“It was very important for Rochdale to be represented at this demonstration. We were pleased to join fellow campaigners from throughout Greater Manchester and other parts of the country. We all travelled to Lincoln to make our voices heard against these unacceptable weapons. The killing of civilians by weapons controlled from an air-conditioned bunker in the East of England is not ‘collateral damage’ in a ‘game’ played on a computer screen. Each death and injury is a murderous war crime.

Over the past four years, the USA has launched hundreds of drone strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya. Drones have killed thousands of people, including hundreds of children. They are indiscriminate killers. Drones make the world a much more dangerous place.

In our own country, the government’s willingness to use drones has grown rapidly in recent years without any public consultation or debate. This spring they will double the number of Reaper drones in Afghanistan and begin operating them from Waddington where we have been protesting today.

Drones are killing civilians who play no part in war. They are violating human rights and increasing the risk of conflict. We need to bring their use under control.”

See also http://www.channel4.com/news/drones-protest-at-raf-base-over-behind-our-backs-war

WE ARE ALL DOWNWIND OF A NUCLEAR POWER STATION

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group marked the 27th anniversary of the nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl on Friday (26 April 2013) by calling on local MPs to support the decommissioning of all existing nuclear power stations and an end to plans to build new nuclear plants. They displayed poster and distributed leaflets reminding shoppers that "WE ARE ALL DOWNWIND OF A NUCLEAR POWER STATION".

On behalf of the peace group, Pat Sanchez said,

“The explosion and fire at Chernobyl released vast quantities of radioactive particles which spread all over Europe including the United Kingdom and Rochdale, but Chernobyl is only one of many disasters which have threatened all our futures. Like Chernobyl, the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011 was also classified by the International Nuclear Event Scale as a highly dangerous level 7 event.

In Rochdale, we are very vulnerable to the existing nuclear power stations at Heysham and at Sellafield where there have been successions of accidents, fires and closures which threaten our safety.

Nuclear power is dangerous, expensive, unnecessary, damaging to health and closely linked to nuclear weapons proliferation. An accident or terrorist attack at a nuclear power station could leave large parts of Britain uninhabitable for hundreds of years, but even without an accident, routine releases from nuclear plants lead to rises in childhood leukaemia. New nuclear plants would create vast amounts of nuclear waste for which there is no agreed safe storage solution.”  

SCRAP TRIDENT - GLASGOW 13 April 2013

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group joined a Scrap Trident rally in Glasgow on Saturday (13 April 2013) calling for removal of nuclear weapons from the Faslane submarine base in Scotland, from all countries of the United Kingdom and from the world.

Standing beside a statue of Sir Walter Scott in St George's Square, they heard Scottish trade unionists emphasise that ongoing funding on the Trident project is a waste of public money especially in times of harsh cuts to spending in all areas of the public sector, while convener of the Church of Scotland's church and society council, sent a message asking whether a world burdened with the scourge of nuclear weapons is a place we want to live in and leave behind? (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22134802 )

Philip Gilligan on behalf of the Peace Group said:

"Sally Foster-Fulton reminded us that nuclear weapons are a profound evil and their potential for irretrievable harm is immense.  She and other Scots are demanding a nuclear free future, but this is not just a Scottish issue. Scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system is just as important to Rochdale and to England as it is north of the border. Trident is an expensive and dangerous menace which we cannot afford. It is utter madness that the government continues to spend more than £2 billion every year on these evil weapons and even crazier that it is planning to squander another £100 billion on their successors. It is unforgivable that Cameron and Clegg are doing this at the same time as they are cutting services for the disabled and punishing people for having an extra bedroom. Our taxes should be funding human needs, not being wasted the means of humanity's destruction. It is time to scrap Trident."