This week the government has proposed it will spend between £10 and £25 billion replacing Trident with a upgraded nuclear weapons system in the next decade. This in the same week that American government(the supplier of the Trident system and probably its replacement) along with the British Government denounced the North Koreas development of a ICBM capable of hitting California with a Nuclear payload. This Hipocrocy is also highlighted by the hints that have been dropped by the pentagon that America could use nuclear weapons against Iran to stop them developing nuclear weapons. This all means the issue of nuclear weapons should once more be a major part of the left's struggle.
No doubt if we are going to see moves towards war with Iran (which is still somewhat unlikely) we as a party will rightfully point out that we are against the war but also against the Iranian regieme as well. But if we make the point that we are against Iran's nuclear programme because we are against all nuclear weapons we leave ourselves in a slightly hypocritical position. So far I have seen no articles or mention from AWL of the govenments informal confirmation that it wants to upgrade our nuclear arsenal. We as a group need to make plain our principled opposition to nuclear weapons and our active opposition to any government plan to upgrade their weapons system. It seems obvious to me that the way to do this is to play a part within CND.
The arguments against this will be primarily about the bourgoise nature of CND and single issue politics in general. However it seems to me unless their is a better alternative organisation to be involved with, CND would seem the most useful forum for making a difference. CND already has informal links to many trade unions and student unions as well as the left of the labour party.
A second possible argument to be made against working within CND, would be although we are against nuclear weapons being held by capatalist, islamist and stalinist states would we be against a workers state holding these kind of weapons. Well if we are not against this possibility we should be. If a workers state adopts the methods and logic of the capitalist states war machines, this will lead to a stalinist drift in policy. We must be unambiguously for unilateral disarmament.
A third argument is about CNDs stance against the civilian use of nuclear power. Many comrades may be supporters of the use of nuclear power to reduce green house gas emission's. The problems for comrades who argue for that position is that the nuclear industry globaly is inextricably linked with the nuclear arms industry and uranium is not a sustainble resource. Renewable energy must be the only way forward.
No doubt many comrades do play a role within CND already but I believe now is the time to get involved with this issue as a group. I would be glad to hear any comments on this subject?
