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Jobs not Bombs day school – Leeds

Come along to this day school on defence diversification for Labour activists, trade unionists and peace campaigners. The afternoon will be split into two sections, the first featuring expert speakers and a Q&A; the second, parallel small group sessions on taking the ideas forward.

Speakers include Fabian Hamilton MP (Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament) who has been given responsibility by Labour for developing a Defence Diversification Agency; Barnaby Pace (researcher and writer on the arms trade); Ann Feltham (Campaign Against the Arms Trade); Kevin Allsop (Unison) and Julie Ward MEP.

This event is organised by Yorkshire CND and supported by Momentum.

Click here for more information

For any enquiries, contact 01274 730 795 or email info@yorkshirecnd.org.uk

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Motion to Labour Party Women’s Conference

Labour Party Women’s Conference 2018 will take place on Saturday 22 September, the day before Annual Conference opens. This year CLPs and affiliates can submit a resolution for debate by the deadline of FRIDAY 29 JUNE. We encourage all CLPs to submit motions supporting the UN treaty for a global ban on nuclear weapons. Here’s an example from Finchley and Golders Green:

This Labour Women’s Conference:

  1. Welcomes the efforts from North and South Korea to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.
  2. Congratulates ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2017.
  3. Urges Labour women to read and disseminate the Nobel Lecture delivered by Beatrice Fihn and the Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow.
  4. Notes that:
    a.   122 states adopted the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in July 2017
    b.   58 states or more have signed this Nuclear Ban Treaty, including Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa
    c.   Ratification by 50 signatories will bring the Treaty into force; at least 9 have already ratified.
  5. Calls on Labour to support this urgent work to prevent accidental or deliberate use of nuclear weapons by pledging to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.”
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Together Against Trump demo

The date is set. Book the day off work. Trump is visiting Britain and CND is supporting the Together Against Trump national demo on Friday 13th July.

This must be the day we stand up to the nuclear warmonger of our age.

Trump’s torn up the Iran nuclear deal. He’s threatened to kill millions with US nukes in North Korea. Those around him stalled the crucial Korean peace negotiations with talk of “doing a Libya” on North Korea.

One minute Trump’s posing as the peace broker, the next minute he’s preparing for war. His presidency threatens the security of the world and it’s time for our movement to confront him.

Friday 13th July is our chance to rise up and say enough is enough. We reject the collusion of Theresa May and her government with this dangerous US administration and deplore the invitation to President Trump.

Get the word out. Put on transport. Donate to the campaign. Contact us for support and make sure you and your friends are there on the 13th July.

Share the event with your Facebook contacts

Together Against Trump national demo
Gather 2pm BBC, Portland Place
London W1A 1AA
March to Central London
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Support the Ban

CLPs and branches have been passing resolutions supporting the Nuclear Weapons Ban, and a few have been posted onto the Policy Forum. Please get your branch or CLP to pass a resolution.

Then ask your Secretary to post it on the Policy Forum, and email it to your local MP and to our Shadow Minister for Peace & Disarmament: fabian.hamilton.mp@parliament.uk

Also show your individual support: post a submission yourself, or vote for submissions you like at https://www.policyforum.labour.org.uk/commissions/international

Here is an example of a resolution supporting the Ban

passed by Finchley & Golders Green CLP:

This Constituency:

notes with alarm the tensions on the Korean Peninsula;

holds that this underlines the urgency of the nuclear powers’ obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to bring about nuclear disarmament where North Korea and the US are in danger of plunging the world into nuclear war;
supports the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban by taking the following actions:

  • We congratulate CND and the other peace organisations in 100 countries who make up ICAN (the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize was awarded for their role in achieving the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty.
  • We call on Labour MPs to support the Nuclear Weapons Ban by signing Early Day Motion 374, so far signed by at least 35 MPs.
  • We note that our manifesto stated, “Labour will lead multilateral efforts with international partners and the UN to create a nuclear-free world.”
  • We therefore urge our Shadow Minister for Peace & Disarmament Fabian Hamilton to lead multilateral efforts by publicly pledging that Labour will sign the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty.
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London protest at Saudi Crown Prince visit

Saudi Arabia has one of the worst human rights records in the world. We don’t believe Britain should be selling arms to regimes like Saudi. But Prime Minister May has invited the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman to visit Britain. He’s be arriving this week and an ad hoc group including CAAT, Quakers, STW, Amnesty International, Peace Pledge Union, Arab Organisation for Human Rights and many others have organised a protest – see poster below for details.

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LATEST: Defence Diversification Agency

Labour CND committee member Chris Butler submitted a comment on the Defence Diversification Agency to Labour’s Policy Forum website. It’s already sparked a lively exchange, and we hope others will engage – and perhaps consider using Chris’s comments as the basis for a motion to your branch or constituency party.

Support for a Defence Diversification Agency was adopted by 2017 Trade Union Congress, as we reported at the time.

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Labour’s Policy Forum: Speak up on Trident

Checked out the Labour Party website lately? If so, you’ll have noticed that one of the changes takes you to a Policy Forum page where you can have your say about any of Labour’s policy commissions. You can make a submission on a topic of your choice, click on the ‘get involved’ tab at the top of the page  or comment and vote on other people’s submissions.

Continue reading “Labour’s Policy Forum: Speak up on Trident”