'People Not Trident'

Rochdale and littleborough Peace Group joined fellow campaigners from Greater Manchester and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmanent (GMDCND) on the streets yesterday (11 April 2015) urging people to think about the issue of nuclear weapons when they vote on 7 May 2015. They highlighted the fact that current plans to replace the Trident nuclear missile system will cost the country a staggering £100 billion (£100,000,000,000) and noted that the government already spends £6.6 million a day on nuclear weapons. They described this as "an appalling waste" and stressed that cancelling the Trident replacement would release around £100 billion which could be spent on healthcare, education, housing and energy, which they described as "the things we need".

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

"With the final vote on Trident replacement due in 2016, at an estimated cost of £100bn, this is the final election before the decision – and it is one which requires a higher level of debate than we are seeing at the moment. Senior military figures warn that the £100bn white elephant of Trident replacement does nothing to keep us safe. How a blind commitment to squandering our overstretched national resources on an outdated weapon of mass destruction can be touted as being "strong on defence" is beyond me.

It's time to ensure that we vote only for parliamentary candidates who are opposed to so-called 'Trident Replacement'. It's time for the Conservatives and Labour to wake up to the huge public opposition to Trident. It's time to scrap Trident, save £100bn, and spend it on things we really need."

Peace Group marks anniversary of nuclear disaster recorded by Rochdale artist

Members of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group paused during their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday evening (11 March 2015) to remember the ongoing suffering of the thousands of children and families affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. On the fourth anniversary of the meltdown of three of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan on 11 March 2011, they discussed the work of the ‘Strong Children Japan’ project founded by Littleborough-born artist Geoff Read and reiterated their call for a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear power-plants.

On behalf of the group, Rae Street said,

“The stories of individual children affected by the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi bring home very vividly the dangers posed to us all, our children and our grandchildren by nuclear power plants. It is chilling to remember that Heysham is only 42 miles from Rochdale, especially when we know from viewing Geoff Read’s blogs that in Japanese cities like Koriyama, which is about the same distance west of Fukushima, levels of radiation were so high that most parents and schools could not allow their children to play outside at all, even though soil had been removed from many school grounds. In Koriyama, they wear long sleeves and face masks when outside, and avoid the rain. Naoya aged 8 years who lives there and who drew one of the pictures we looked at, said very poignantly "It’s sad for me that there are nuclear plants near Koriyama.", while 6 year old Hanako from Fukushima City drew a picture of the swing in the children’s playground which is surrounded by a barrier to stop the children using it because of the contamination. Hanako’s mother wrote “The earthquake on March 11 caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident and high levels of radiation have been leaking since then. We can still detect cesium in many areas around Fukushima. We all have no idea how Fukushima children’s health will be in the future.”

For more information on the ‘Strong Children Japan’ project, please see http://strongchildrenjapan.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/age%200-5

Betty Tebbs - veteran Greater Manchester peace & anti-nuclear campaigner -

Rochdale peace campaigners help close nuclear bomb factory

Three members of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group travelled the 200 miles to Berkshire yesterday (2 March 2015) to support the blockade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Burghfield, near Aldermaston. Mai Chatham, Pat Sanchez and Philip Gilligan from Littleborough joined hundreds of other anti-nuclear protesters from around the country who blockaded all three entrances to facility which develops warheads for the Trident nuclear weapons system. The blockade started at 07:00 GMT and also included protesters from France and Finland. Action AWE, which organised the "Burghfield Lockdown", said the protest aimed to bring "work on Trident warheads to a halt". Campaigners locked themselves to each other and to concrete blocks and were successful in stopping all traffc in and out of the area where new buildings are being constructed.

Pat Sanchez said " We were delighted to do something to slow down production of these dangerous and evil weapons of mass destruction. They threaten all of us and our planet on a daily basis. If used they will destroy us all. We need to scrap them now. We need to stop squandering £billions on ways to destroy our world and to use these wasted resources for the services we urgently need. We need these £billions for our NHS, to bulid homes, for schools and social care services. We should not be wasting them on nuclear weapons that threaten all our futures. 

Rochdale campaigners join 'peace-knits' to Wrap Up Trident

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group joined thousands of protesters from around the country on Saturday (24 January 2015) to wrap the Ministry of Defence in two miles of the bright pink peace scarf knitted for the Wool Against Weapons campaign. They, then joined a rally opposite the Houses of Parliament, where the crowd carried placards with messages including "A&E not WMD", "Books Not Bombs" "Jobs Not Trident"., "NHS Not Trident" and "Homes Not Trident". They called on the Government to "wrap up" the ever more costly Trident nuclear missiles programme.

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group said “We are here to give the government and our own MPs a very clear message. They need to take the issue of the £billions squandered on useless and dangerous nuclear weapons more seriously. When Rochdale and the rest of the country desperately needs an end to austerity and improved health, education and social services, it is unacceptable for our MPs to remain indifferent and non-committal about plans to waste a further £100 billion on developing an even more dangerous Trident system. We need them to tell us much more clearly what they think about the Trident system and plans to replace it. Last week Simon Danczuk and Liz MMcInnes had a clear opportunity in Parliament to represent the views of their electorates and to vote against so-called 'Trident Replacement'. I am appalled that they failed to do so. Failing to vote and avoiding discussion is not enough.”

Peace Group calls on Rochdale MPs to support diversion of £billions from Trident to the NHS

At its January meeting (14 January 2015), Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group welcomed news that former deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott has come ‘round to the view that the £billions currently earmarked for a new nuclear submarine fleet should be diverted to spending on the NHS.

Peace Group members were delighted to learn that Mr Prescott has suggested a straightforward way of resolving the deteriorating situation in the NHS. In an article in the Mirror, at the weekend, he expressed admiration for hospital workers caring for his sister, but also noted that “councils have cut their care budgets – so more elderly patients have to stay in hospital blocking beds because there aren’t the care packages to help them in the community” and that “A&E waiting times are now the worst since records began”. He concluded that “Crisis hit hospitals deserve our cash more than nuclear submarines”. (see http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/john-prescott-crisis-hit-hospitals-4957260#ICID=sharebar_twitter )

Speaking on behalf of the Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said, "We know that Liz McInnes and Simon Danczuk share John Prescott’s horror at the impact of austerity on our health and social services. What we, now, need from our local MPs are clear promises that, if re-elected in May, they too would support a policy of diverting the £billions destined for a new nuclear weapons system to spending on the NHS. Will they join the former deputy leader of the Labour Party in stating unequivocally that cancelling so-called ‘Trident Replacement’, so that our loved ones can be cared for properly, is “a price worth paying”."

Peace Group asks what Rochdale wants for Christmas

Peace campaigners from Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group donned Santa hats in Yorkshire Street on Saturday (13 December 2014) to ask Rochdale's shoppers what they really want for Christmas. Their giant letter read "Dear Santa, We live in Rochdale and we have tried to be good this year. What we really want for Christmas is to know that the government will stop wasting £billions on the Trident nuclear weapons system and will start spending this money on:" Individuals were invited to write their own suggestions on squares which they added to the board. Many focused on the health service, including requests for better hospital services in Rochdale, nurses and doctors.

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group said “Christmas shoppers in Yorkshire Street were very clear that they think that the £3billion which the government wastes every year on the Trident nuclear weapons system can be better spent on everything from better services for Alzheimers patients to allotments; an end to the bedroom tax to more midvives and from crossing ladies to better mental heath services and jobs for learning disabled people. They are angry that successive governments have continued to squander £billions on useless and dangerous nuclear weapons of mass destruction, but constantly divert scarce resources from the public services we all need. They want the Trident system decommissioned and they want the government to scrap plans to squander another £100billion on even more dangerous and expensive nuclear weapons. They want the money which could so easily be saved to be spent on the NHS, the jobs, the homes and the social and education services we need.”