CND National Conference supports Peace Group’s call for ‘Social Care Not Nuclear Weapons’

Date published: 20/10/2008

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group was well represented at the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)’s national conference at the weekend (18 and 19 October).

The conference, held at the University of Westminster in London, discussed ways to achieve nuclear disarmament in Britain and in the world. It confirmed its clear opposition to the Trident nuclear weapons system and to what it termed 'the warmongering activities of NATO'.

The conference unanimously endorsed Rochdale and Littleborough’s call for CND nationally to remind the UK government of its belief that its citizens need decent health and social care not dangerous nuclear weapons of mass destruction and to suggested that the Government finds the money needed to pay for this by immediately decommissioning the Trident nuclear weapons system and scrapping all plans to upgrade it.

Philip Gilligan, who moved the resolution on behalf of the peace group, said: “In April 2008, the government asked for views on how to pay for essential non-medical care for older people, in view of its claim that there is a shortfall of £6 billion in the funding available. The rest of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has now joined us in giving them a clear answer.

"Adequate social care for older people and other vulnerable groups is essential in a civilised society. As citizens, we rightly expect health and social services to be provided on the basis of need, free-of-charge and paid for by fair and progressive taxation.

"At the same time, maintaining the existing Trident nuclear missile system already costs an estimated £1.5 billion per year, and the government’s plans to upgrade it will cost in excess of £76 billion. We are in no doubt that this is money which should be spent on social care, not on weapons of mass destruction.”