The link between nuclear weapons and nuclear power goes back to Calder Hall, which was built to produce plutonium for the bomb, and power generation was an after thought. The CND conference on Feb 4 2005 took place against a background of huge pressure from the nuclear lobby to build new reactors and Tony Blair doing a U-turn over nuclear power, believing it will help combat climate change. CND is challenging the claim of government spin doctors that nuclear power is a green solution to climate change, with its link to nuclear bomb making. CND’s priority is no Trident Replacement.
The link between nuclear weapons and nuclear power goes back to Calder Hall, which was built to produce plutonium for the bomb, and power generation was an after thought.
It’s against the UK’s national interest to replace Trident. Any replacement would cost a staggering £25bn, which would be better spent on improving public services. It would break the UK’s obligation to disarm under the NPT and lock the UK into the role of US poodle for another generation, because the Trident weapon system is not independent of the US.
Gambling billions on new nuclear stations is also dangerous, creating terrorist targets and adding tons of high-level nuclear waste to existing stockpiles. There is no solution to storing waste, which will not be safe for a million years. What we need is a massive investment to boost energy conservation and renewable energy.
The public are behind us; opinion polls show the majority of people oppose replacing Trident and oppose nuclear power.