Peace Group welcomes candidates' opposition to 'Trident Replacement'

At its meeting in Spotland on Wednesday night (10 March 2010), Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group welcomed news that the Labour Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Rochdale has joined local MPs, Paul Rowen and Jim Dobbin and the Liberal-Democrat Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Middleton and Heywood in confirming that he would vote against 'Trident Replacement', if elected as an MP.

Paul Rowen, MP and Jim Dobbin, MP voted against the government's plans to upgrade the Trident nuclear missile system when the matter was debated in Parliament on 14 March 2007, but the Peace Group had, until very recently, been unclear about the views of prospective parliamentary candidates, Wera Hobhouse and Simon Danczuk . The Peace Group meeting welcomed news that Ms Hobhouse had, now, written to say that she "would follow official Libdem policy on the matter which is for not replacing Trident". The meeting also learned that Mr Danczuk, who has previously said that he was "undecided" about the issue and that there were "compelling arguments for both sides" (see http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/community-news/1526/danczuk-happy-to-answer-questions ) had written to Pat Sanchez, saying that he "would oppose the Government replacing Trident" and "that money spent on Trident could be better spent on social and health care" .

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group said,

“We are very pleased to see that our ongoing campaign for nuclear disarmament is achieving positive results, and are particularly delighted that that there now appears to be cross-party support throughout the whole of Rochdale Borough for our view that the government’s plans to upgrade the dangerous and unnecessary Trident nuclear weapons system should be rejected. We hope that this will help persuade other local MPs, like Phil Woolas and Janet Anderson to follow public opinion and to, also, change their positions. We hope that it heralds the day when all our local MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates will join us in calling for the immediate decommissioning of the current Trident system. The existing system already costs the country £2,000,000,000 per year. This is money that needs to be spent on essential services, like social care, not on nuclear weapons.”

Peace Group asks ‘What would you do with Rochdale’s £300,000,000?’

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group were in the town centre on Saturday (6 March 2010) calling for an end to spending on nuclear missiles and an increase in spending on health, education and social care. They invited people to sign the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s petition calling for an immediate end to the government’s plans to upgrade the Trident nuclear weapons system and supporting a global ban on nuclear weapons. The local campaigners included Patricia and Philip Gilligan, Jenny Turner and Pat Sanchez, who was fresh from a visit, last month, to the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment where she lay down in the road in an attempt to halt work on the development of new nuclear weapons. The Peace Group report a very enthusiastic response from local shoppers, including Heywood and Middleton MP, Jim Dobbin who stopped to sign the CND petition on his way up Yorkshire Street and wished the group well.

Pat Sanchez said,

“At a time of economic crisis, when care homes are being closed in Rochdale and services cut, because of a lack of funds, it is scandalous that £billions are being squandered on new facilities at Aldermaston. While health services in Greater Manchester are facing yet another round of cuts, spending on new facilities at AWE Aldermaston has increased seventeen-fold over the past decade, from £24m in 2000 to £420m last year. Trident is a Cold War weapons system which does nothing to protect Britain from any threat we face today, yet it is the only item that was excluded from reconsideration in the government's recent Defence Review. We are delighted to have the support of local MPs like Jim Dobbin in our struggle to halt Trident Replacement, and hope that, eventually, a majority in parliament will wake up to the fact that most people in Britain are opposed to spending £billions on upgrading nuclear weapons of mass destruction. We want our taxes spent on decent public services, not on a means to spread death on a global scale. Nuclear weapons are an immoral, illegal and hideous misuse of public funds. Greenpeace estimates that the true cost of Trident Replacement would amount to £97billion over the next few years. Based on population, Rochdale’s share of even the current costs of Trident already amounts to £7million per year. This is more than 4 times what the Council hopes to save by closing the Meadow View Care Centre in Middleton, but the proportionate cost to our borough of so-called ‘Trident Replacement’ amounts to much more; in excess of £300million. This is money that needs to be spent on essential services, like social care, not on nuclear weapons.”

For confirmation of Pat's figures on spending at Aldermaston, please see http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2005-10-31c.22020.h and http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2010-01-29a.313384.h

Pat Sanchez Stops The Bomb Factory

Pat Sanchez from Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group lay down in the road outside the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire this morning (Monday 15 February 2010), calling for money to be spent on social care not nuclear weapons. She and other women blockaders from Trident Ploughshares, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Aldermaston Women's Peace Camp successfully blockaded the so called ‘Home Office’ gate which is used by contractors working on the development of new nuclear weapons.

Pat a retired school teacher from Blackstone Edge Old Road, Littleborough joined hundreds of campaigners attempting to prevent work on the site, blocking every gate with Ghandi-style sit-down protests from 7am in the morning. They aimed to halt the construction of multi-billion pound facilities designed to allow for the development of a new generation of nuclear warheads. Spending on new facilities at AWE has increased seventeen-fold over the past decade, from £24million in 2000 to £420million in 2009 (see http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2005-10-31c.22020.h and http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2010-01-29a.313384.h ).

Pat Sanchez said,

“We are pleased to have halted work at this evil bomb factory for even a few hours, but we want it closed for ever. The Aldermaston site is being used to develop ever more deadly nuclear warheads. Aldermaston is not just the place where these evil weapons of mass destruction are manufactured, it is the heart of a very dangerous beast; the place the tools for the potential annihilation of millions of people are being developed on a massive scale.

At a time of economic crisis, when care homes are being closed in Rochdale and services cut, because of a lack of funds it is scandalous that £billions are being squandered on new facilities at Aldermaston. Trident is a Cold War weapons system which does nothing to protect Britain from any threat we face today, yet it is the one item that has been excluded from reconsideration in the government's Defence Review. Our politicians need wake up to the fact that opinion polls now consistently show a majority against spending £76billion or more on Trident Replacement. We want our taxes spent on decent public services, not on a means to spread death and destruction across our planet. Nuclear weapons are immoral, illegal and a hideous misuse of public funds. Rochdale and the rest of the country needs 'Nurses not Nukes'; 'Treatment not Trident'.”

Pat is no stranger to direct action against nuclear weapons. She is a veteran of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp which achieved the removal of US Cruise missiles from Britain in 1991. She has been arrested several times for blockading at the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland and was part of an equally successful blockade at Aldermaston in October 2008.

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

“Pat is an inspiration to us all and a woman that everyone in Rochdale should be very proud of. She recognises the cruel reality of the nuclear weapons being manufactured and developed at Aldermaston and takes immediate and direct, non-violent, action to halt this madness wherever she can. Pat and Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group will be in Yorkshire Street, again, on Saturday 6 March 2010 collecting signatures for CND’s petition saying 'No To Trident. Yes to a Nuclear Weapons Convention'.”

For more information about Pat’s previous direct action at both Aldermaston and Faslane, please see

http://www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk/news/s/333/333637_pat_takes_a_dive_to_make_sure_her_protest_sinks_in.html

http://www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk/news/s/519/519872_arrests_wont_stop_me__peace_protester_pat.html

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/2659/three-rochdale-peace-campaigners-arrested-at-nuclear-missile-base

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/8528/peace-campaigner-fined

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/15727/peace-campaigner-halts-work-at-nuclear-bomb-factory

Greater Manchester Peace campaigners join Rochdale and Littleborough’s call for a nuclear free Middle East

Greater Manchester and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament unanimously supported a resolution from Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group at its Annual General Meeting at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel, Manchester on Saturday (6 February 2010) .

The resolution which was supported by CND members from throughout Greater Manchester noted the continuing oppression of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government, the representation of Iran as a danger to the world by Tony Blair at the Chilcot enquiry and the facts that Israel possesses more than 100 nuclear warheads, that Israeli government spokespeople speak openly about the possibility of bombing Iran and that the UK government will not support the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East,

It committed GM&DCND to working with Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others to continue to raise awareness of these issues.

Philip Gilligan, who moved the resolution on behalf of the peace group, said,

“Hypocrites and warmongers like Tony Blair are very quick to threaten the people of Iran, but they maintain a deafening silence about Israel’s huge arsenal of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Gordon Brown and David Miliband collude with those who prevent effective action being taken to deal with Israel’s war crimes. They do nothing to ensure that the recommendations of Judge Goldstone’s report on the brutal attacks against the people of Gaza are implemented. Blair, Brown and Miliband refuse to support the long standing calls at the United Nations for a nuclear free Middle East. Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group will continue to work with its friends in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others to expose the threat posed by Israel’s nuclear weapons of mass destruction and to expose the hypocrisy of those in Britain who support and defend the war criminals in the Israeli government.”

Tony Bliar on Walkabout in Rochdale

'Tony Bliar' goes walkabout in Rochdale

'Tony Bliar' together with his 'Dodgy Dossier' turned a few heads in Rochdale on Saturday morning (30 January 2010). He was accompanied by members of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group who were inviting people to express their anger at Tony Blair's failure to apologise in any way for the deaths of an estimated one million Iraqis and 179 British troops during the invasion and military occupation of Iraq.

Their petition calls for the indictment of Blair at an international war crimes tribunal under both the Geneva and Hague Conventions. It cites fourteen alleged war crimes including, "Deceit and conspiracy for war"; "Employing radioactive ammunition causing long-term destruction of the planetary habitat";"Supporting an ally that employs ‘waterboarding’ and other tortures"; "Using inhumane restraints on prisoners"and "The use of cluster bombs and other indiscriminate weapons including white phosphorous".

Pat Sanchez, on behalf of the Peace Group said,

"Many people were sickened by Tony Blair's appearance at the Chilcot Inquiry and by the failure of the members of the inquiry to question him effectively. I was particularly distressed by the contempt which the parents of the soldiers who he had sent to their deaths in Iraq felt he had shown to them. Instead of apologising for the deceits and lies which he used to make the case for the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, Blair continued his attempts to mislead and to obscure the facts. In doing so, he seemed to be aided and abetted by the members of the inquiry who failed to interrogate him about the use of depleted uranium munitions, white phosphorous and cluster bombs in civilians areas or about the abuse of prisoners. The fact remains that Blair lied and as a result many many people have died. The case for his indictment for war crimes is clear. The case for doubting the truth of anything he says is even clearer."

Trevor Hoyle commented

"Blair isn't done yet. He now wants to repeat the devastation and murder of innocent people he and Bush inflicted on Iraq on the people of Iran. The man is a psychopath, there is no other word to describe him. He feels no guilt, no shame, no remorse. I wonder if the Catholic faith is any consolation deep in his heart. Probably not. He is beyond help."

Peace Group says 'Remember the Children of Gaza ' 16 January 2010

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group marked the first anniversary of Israel's attacks on the people of Gaza, last year, by publicly reading the names of 313 of the hundreds of Palestinian children who were killed during the Israeli assaults on Gaza between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009. Peace Group members gathered in the walkway above the bus station on Saturday morning (16 January 2010) to remind people of the deaths of 1400 Palestinian civilians and 4 Israeli civilians killed during operation 'Cast Iron', and of the ongoing siege of Gaza. .

They asked people to sign a petition calling on the government to exert international pressure to implement the recommendations of the Goldstone Report, which include investigation of war crimes committed during the three week assault by the Israelis and an immediate end to the inhumane siege of Gaza.

Their placard read, "GAZA: Remember The Children Killed. Prosecute War Criminals".

Amongst the many local people supporting the petition was Dr Farrukh Zia. Dr Zia works at the Accident and Emergency Unit at Rochdale Infirmary. In November 2009, he was a member of the Rochdale based Health Aid UK medical team which visited the Israeli Occupied Palestinian Territories and hopes to be speaking about his experiences at a public meeting in Rochdale in the near future.

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group said,

"Twelve months ago, Israel waged an indiscriminate land and aerial assault on the civilian population of Gaza. This included the illegal use of white phosphorus bombs in built-up areas. More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed in three weeks, including many hundreds of children. Since then, Israel's continuing siege of Gaza has left its trapped population with severely restricted access to food, medical supplies and clean drinking water. Dr Zia told us that doctors are prevented from entering Gaza to help people there. The people there, are also being denied steel and concrete. Thry are unable to rebuild their homes or to repair their devastated infrastructure. In September, Justice Goldstone’s report to the United Nations concluded that serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during its military operations in Gaza. Justice Goldstone found that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity, during the so-called operation 'Cast Iron'. However, after almost four months, we are still waiting for anyone to take any effective action in response to Justice Goldstone’s recommendations."

For the names of the Palestinian children killed in Israel's attack on Gaza, see http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/Reports/English/pdf_spec/War%20Crimes%20Against%20Children%20Book.pdf
For more information on the Goldstone Report, see http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/FactFindingMission.htm

For more information on Health Aid UK, see http://www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk/news/s/1116880_mercy_team_on_special_mission

Newsletter January 2010 p1