Press Releases & Updates 2002

The main indoor camp venue is the former MOD building opposite the army recruitment centre on Madden Road off Cumberland Road. (Through the big brown double gates to the right immediately as you turn into Madden Road). We invite anyone who is happy to abide by our non-violence guidelines to join the camp. Campaigners are available at the camp for interview.

Recent disclosures by the Ministry of Defence signal a new and dangerous shift in this nuclear era. Geoff Hoon stated that the UK is prepared to use nuclear weapons against "rogue" states such as Iraq. Thus the UK’s nuclear weapons are no longer merely for deterrence but for war-fighting as well. This clearly contradicts the UK’s previous "no first strike" policy and the principle of proportional response.

Only last week Mr Blair said "With its natural resources, Iraq should be a prosperous country and standards of living should be a lot higher. Those standards of living would be better if money was not being spent on weapons of mass destruction."

It is this kind of blatant and cynical hypocrisy that we are here to challenge.

In February this year HMS Vanguard, the first of four Trident submarines, arrived in Devonport for its scheduled refit. It is expected that refitting the four submarines will take a total of eight years. This poses appalling hazards from radioactive emissions and horrifying danger from an accident or a terrorist attack to everybody who lives within at least a 30 mile radius of Plymouth, adding to the existing grave risk posed by the 12 nuclear powered submarines already sited at Devonport. And all in the middle of a major and densely populated city.

Bishop Christopher Budd, the Catholic Bishop of Plymouth supports Trident Ploughshares and has prepared a message of support to be used at the multi-faith service on Sunday at HMS Drake.

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