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NATO threatens world stability

Labour CND Committee member Rae Street put forward a motion to the Annual Meeting of the National Assembly of Women which was passed unanimously. NATO, they agreed, threatens world stability and agreed to oppose the return of NATO nuclear weapons to Lakenheath.

The National Assembly of Women has always recognised the dangers to world stability of the military alliance, NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.  Since the end of the Cold War it has , contrary to what was promised to President Gorbachev, expanded in Europe to the east up to Russia’s borders.  While completely condemning Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, there is no doubt that NATO expansion and military exercises on Russia’s borders exacerbated the situation.  NATO is now aiming to be global, making bi-lateral agreements across the Indo-Pacific region and even with states in Latin America.  It still holds a policy of not only holding nuclear weapons but using them first.  It also blocked its members signing the UN negotiated Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Two recent events give more concern. 

      • One is NATO’s expansion to include Finland and Sweden, which was accompanied by support for Turkey’s war policy and oppression of the Kurds, and
      • The return of US/NATO nuclear weapons to the RAF?USAF Lakenheath base in Suffolk.

The National Assembly of Women therefore resolves to work with other civil society alliances

  1. to oppose the US dominated militaristic, expansionist NATO, and
  2. to oppose the return to Lakenheath of NATO nuclear weapons and nuclear capable, F-35 aircraft, designed to carry B61-12 nuclear missiles.
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CND at Labour Conference 2022

Jeremy Corbyn was one of the many MPs to joins staff at the CND stand

CND’s Wages Not Weapons theme proved a winner at Labour’s 2022 annual conference, and the CND stand did a roaring trade throughout the four days in Liverpool. Awareness of US nukes coming to Lakenheath had also grown, and it too was a recurring theme of discussion with passers-by.

The number of Young Labour and Labour Student visitors to our fringe meeting was up on previous years, reflecting how the danger of nuclear conflict over Ukraine was driving the issue into people’s consciousness. We were delighted too with the amount of follow up at the CND stand after the fringe meeting.

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Is annual conference rolling back party democracy?

In a personal view of Labour’s 2022 conference, Labour CND Vice Chair Christine Shawcroft suggests it’s slipping back into being a leadership rally

I didn’t have very high hopes for this year’s Annual Conference, but even so I was bitterly disappointed. You’d think that the Forde Report had never even mentioned factional behaviour by Party staff, and certainly not pronounced it completely unacceptable. Several delegates found themselves suspended or even expelled in the run up to Conference, two north London CLPs with very large card votes found that all their delegates were barred from attending Conference, and even a newly elected NEC member found herself suspended. Again.

We campaigned for many years to transform Annual Conference from a leadership rally to a democratic, decision- making Conference. We managed to get rid of the pointless time-wasting videos, the sofa chats, the unamendable Policy Commission documents (not to mention the policy statements which had never been anywhere near the National Policy Forum) and make more time for debate from rank and file delegates. Yet it’s all creeping back – and when there was time allocated for debate, it became clear that PPCs were being called to speak much more frequently than ordinary delegates.

The ‘theme’ of Conference could have been ‘Rolling Back Democracy’. There was an NEC Rule Change for the constituency reps on the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) to be elected by Conference delegates in future, instead of by a ballot of all members (usually called OMOV for One Member One Vote). The proof that this is a really backward step was shown on Tuesday, when the National Constitutional Committee (NCC) reps were elected by Conference delegates. The mis-named ‘Labour to Win’ faction had placed flyers calling for a vote for their candidates on the delegates’ seats. Now, leafletting inside the Conference centre is strictly prohibited by the Rules. Many times, I would try and sneakily give out CLPD leaflets, only to be stopped by Party staff. Putting leaflets out in the actual Conference chamber could not have been done in secret. After protests, there was an announcement from the platform the following day that there was to be no leafletting in Conference – coincidentally, there were no more elections left anyway.

However, the days weren’t all doom and gloom. The fringe meetings were often very useful, informative and inspiring. The CND fringe meeting was particularly good, with brilliant speeches from scientist and campaigner Stuart Parkinson, our dedicated supporter of peace and disarmament Jeremy Corbyn MP, and MPs Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Beth Winter. Our own Kate Hudson had also been due to speak, but had been unable to get a train due to the intransigence and refusal to negotiate of Avanti North West. There was standing room only at the meeting, and many young people, lots of whom made good contributions when the meeting was opened to the floor. The chilling descriptions of what a nuclear war would actually be like exposed all the macho posturing and demands for leaders to say that yes, they would ‘push the button’ if it came to it. What they’re promising to do would destroy civilisation and possibly the human race as well.

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We need socially useful production, not manufacturing of destruction

In her latest climate blog for Labour CND, Sam Mason takes issue with the GMB composite at the forthcoming Trades Union Congress arguing true solidarity with our sisters and brothers across the world means public investment in socially useful production not more weapons of mass destruction

In 2007, Nicholas Stern made this much referenced quote:
“Climate change is a result of the greatest market failure the world has seen. The evidence on the seriousness of the risks from inaction or delayed action is now overwhelming. We risk damages on a scale larger than the two world wars of the last century. The problem is global and the response must be a collaboration on a global scale.”

THIS DEFINITION of “market failure” is said to stem from free markets failing to maximise society’s welfare.  Something which we are witnessing to catastrophic ends in the respective energy and climate crises. Evidence if it was ever needed, free market economics and the privatisation it walks hand in hand with are not the best way to address the global challenges facing us. This includes climate change but also increasing inequality, public health, diminishing social protections, decent unionised work and threats of war and nuclear conflict.

One area which remains free of the market mantra is defence spending, however.  Of course, private sector companies benefit from this but it is through the investment of public money, and for ends that do nothing to meet the needs of workers and people, here in the UK or globally. Something well understood by the former Lucas Aerospace Shop Stewards committee in developing their Alternative Corporate plan for socially useful production in the 1970’s.

The GMB notion, misleadingly entitled economic recovery and manufacturing jobs, is an agenda for warmongering and nuclear weapons

WHILE THE IDEAS of worker’s plans as espoused by the Lucas shop stewards have gained some traction in recent times across the labour and climate movements, unfortunately some industrial unions are still pinning job creation plans to the mast of defence spending. The GMB motion to be debated at the postponed TUC Congress in October under the misleading title of “economic recovery and manufacturing jobs”, is an agenda for warmongering and nuclear weapons, taking us in completely the wrong direction.

Contrary to what the motion says, a lack of investment in defence spending is not the reason for our lack of funding in our public services. The proposals in this motion would further reduce vital monies for these as well as investment in renewable energy, urgently needed retrofit and insulation of our homes and, essentially the creation of many more jobs including in the defence ‘company’ towns of Barrow.

WE HAVE JUST SEEN devastating of floods in Pakistan, said to be one of the “worst climate change-induced catastrophes ever recorded globally”. Pakistan contributes less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, and rightly this ‘event’ has refocused debate on the responsibility of the global north around reparations and loss and damage.

However, Pakistan is also a heavy IMF indebted nation and nuclear weapons state.  None of which helped avert this recent catastrophe or will assist in the post flooding crisis of food shortages, displacement, destruction of livelihoods and health risks.

IF THE GMB MOTION PASSES at the TUC, this will be a catastrophic failure of the labour movement towards the global south. To show true solidarity with our sisters and brothers across the world, it’s time we reassessed our own transition. This includes support for debt cancellation, and a programme of global public investment in socially useful production, rather than collaborating in more weapons of mass destruction.

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All woman panel on women, war & nukes

Join Labour CND Chair Carol Turner and her guests at our Arise Festival session, Tuesday 26 July, part of the Leftie Lunchtime 1-hour events . Register here and find out more

with
— Jess Barnard, Young Labour
— Lindsey German, author How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women & STW
— Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Jewish Voice for Labour
— and a special guest

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Motion for Labour conference

Benners decorating the fence at Lakenheath air base during CND’s first protest

Labour CND’s suggested motion for this year’s annual party conference opposes the return of US nuclear weapns to Britain. It notes that US nukes left Lakenheath in 2008 which was consistent with the then Labour Government’s ambition for a ‘global zero’ eradication of nuclear weapons through multilateral disarmament, and recommits Labour to nuclear disarmament and a world without nuclear weapons. We urge you to ask your local Labour Party to adopt this as policy and put it forward for conference.

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New date set for LabCND Annual General Meeting

Labour CND’s 2022 AGM will take place on Monday 18 July at 7pm, with our guest speaker CND Gen Sec Kate Hudson. If you are a member of the Labour Party and of CND you are eligible to participate and should notify Labour CND of your intention at labourcnd@gmail.com

When you do so, you’ll be sent details of how to make nominations and submit motions, together with a copy of Labour CND’s Constitution/Standing Orders.

TIMETABLE
Motions & nominations open Monday 4th July
Close after 11 days (Monday 11th July
Motions circulated to those who have registered, asking for any proposed amendments by 14th July.
There will be a registration process to indicate eligibility. Deadline to join CND of 11th.

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Remembering Fenik Adham Adwar

Sami Ramadan, pictured above left at a CND conference, is well-known across the peace and anti-war movement as an Iriqi democrat who stood with CND in 1990-91 to oppose the Gulf War and again in the 2000s in oppositin to Britain’s participation in the invasions and wars in the Middle East. His partner and comrade, Fenik Anwar Adham, who died recently was also a strong supporter of CND who participated in many anti-nuclear activities. Fenwick, who worked with victims of torture, believed that nuclear weapons epitomised the worst aspeccts of the international order. Read CND’s tribute to Fenik here.

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Sad death of Bruce Kent

Bruce Kent at Gladstonbury

Bruce Kent
22 June 1929-8 June 2022

The majority of Labour Party members are supporters of nuclear disarmament and will join Labour CND in expressing regret and sorrow at the news of the death of Bruce Kent after a short illness and less than a fortnight away from his 93rd birthday. We recall and celebrate his contribution to the peace and anti-war movements.

Bruce will be remembered as a leading figure in CND over six decades. He joined the newly formed Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1960, served as General Secretary then Chair of CND in the 1980s, and remained a national spokesperson for the Campaign thereafter. At the time of his death, Bruce was a Vice President of CND, President Emeritus of the Movement for the Abolition of War, Vice President of Pax Christi and Patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Less well-known perhaps, as a then-member of the Labour Party Bruce attended annual conference as a CLP delegate in 1989, moving the successful motion to scrap Trident. Three years later, in 1992 he stood as the Labour candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon against Conservative government minister John Paton who retained the seat.

It is a sad irony that, having been a national leader of CND during the protests at Greenham Common against the siting of US cruise missiles in Britain, one of his very last public acts was to support CND’s demonstration at Lakenheath airbase on 21 May against the return of US nuclear weapons to Britain. Unable to take part in the action, Bruce recorded a video urging support for the Lakenheath campaign.

CND General Secretary Kate Hudson described Bruce’s leadership in the 1980s as ‘the embodiment of integrity, creativity and sheer determination’, praising his ‘total commitment to his faith and principles’.

Labour CND Secretary Ruth Brown’s responded to the news of Bruce Kent’s death as many others who knew him will: ‘so sad to hear about dear Bruce, I will miss his constant presence and pep talks at events so much.’

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Labour CND annual meeting postponed

With apologies to those of you who had the date in your diaries, our AGM has been postponed. We’re busy organising for Lakenheath combined with tech problems. We will announce a new date shortly.