Constituents urge MP to vote no to Trident

people signing postcards to Phil Woolas in Milnrow on Saturday 3 March 2007.

Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group took its ‘No Trident Replacement’ campaign to the shopping precinct on Main Street, Milnrow on Saturday 3 March. They found plenty of support for their view that the tens of £billions which the government plans to spend on upgrading the Trident nuclear weapons system should instead be spent on improving health and social services.

Milnrow’s shoppers signed postcards to be sent to their MP, Phil Woolas, telling him that they want the money it would cost to replace Trident, spent on employing more nurses, midwives, fire fighters and teachers, on improving the environment and on reducing world poverty and not on creating ever more dangerous weapons of mass destruction. 

Philip Gilligan, on behalf of the Peace Group, said: “Parliament will be voting on Trident replacement on 14 March. Local MPs, Jim Dobbin and Paul Rowen have already confirmed that they will be voting against Trident and we are urging Phil Woolas to listen to his constituents and to do the same.”

In December last year Phil Woolas told the media that he had an “open mind” on the future of Trident. He said: “I want to be convinced there is a use in the modern world for the deterrent, that the timetable makes sense and the cost gives value for money. I have received a lot of representations from constituents through letters and advice surgeries in Oldham and will closely follow the debate.” 

Philip Gilligan said: “Obviously, as campaigners for nuclear disarmament, we are already convinced that, seven years into the 21st century, there is simply no need for a costly and dangerous nuclear deterrent. However, even if Mr Woolas is not yet convinced of that, he can be confident that there is still plenty of time for more consultations before any decision needs to be made. In fact, the independent research organisation, the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) recently told the House of Commons Defence Select Committee that a decision as to whether to replace Trident could be delayed at least until 2019. There is, certainly, no need to make any decision in 2007 or even before the next general election and meanwhile the estimated costs of proposals to upgrade the Trident system keep rising, at a time when there seems to be too little money to maintain our health services or to provide decent pensions. The government admits that it will cost at least £20 billion to upgrade Trident, but experts are already suggesting that the costs over the next couple of decades will be more like £76 or even £100 billion once the full maintenance and upkeep costs are factored-in.

“The people we met in Milnrow, like many throughout Oldham East and Saddleworth and a majority of people in Britain, do not think that this is value for money. They want their taxes spent on saving lives, not on upgrading weapons systems which threaten the future peace of the world. They very much hope that Phil Woolas, like his fellow MPs from Rochdale and from Middleton and Heywood, will vote against Trident replacement or at the very least vote for a delay in making a decision which is surely too important to be rushed into with proper debate and consultation.”