The Reading Critical Will website provides statements from different parties present at the Third Meeting of State Parties on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as well as overall highlights from the conference. To dissect the treaty, its history and current state, here is a small document that provides a brief introduction and summary.
After the TPNW 3MSP, what’s the next move?
Janet Fenton, Secure Scotland, is reflecting on what the UN third meeting of the State Parties to the TPNW will mean for its progress, and what to expect when States meet for its first Review Meeting in 2026.
This May will see the final preparative meeting for the Nuclear Non – Proliferation Treaty (NPT) before both treaties separately are reviewed at the end of 2026, when comparisons and challenges can be discussed by all participants.
Exploring common security and disarmament includes promoting understanding of the complementarity of these two treaties. It is necessary to highlight the need for the UK Government to pay heed to its NPT obligations as one step and then to engage with the TPNW. At present, the nuclear armed states are disregarding the desire for nuclear elimination so strongly supported by so many UN states and their peoples. This disregard extends to the survivors of hundreds of nuclear explosions, including those which have damaged indigenous environments around the planet as well as to the Hibakusha from the Japanese cities attacked by the US nearly 80 years ago. When we hear talk of background radiation levels, these are radiation levels that have not been ascribed to particular events, although they may still be capable of causing cancers and mutations. Scientists now know from examination of icecaps and tundra, that at a certain depth (indicating dating) there is evidence that radiation was not present in the world before the nuclear age. Some refer to this as the start of the Anthropocene, when human behaviour is altering the material and geological properties of earth.
The rationale for disarmament comes through the recognition of the value of human life, human rights and responsibilities towards the planet that supports life. It requires a holistic view of the challenges we face and solutions we can achieve and considers whether nuclear weapons possession or use can ever be compatible with these solutions, or legal under International Humanitarian Law.
The TPNW takes the humanitarian and environmental consequences of the use of nuclear weapons as its starting point which includes a gender-aware and intersectional approach. The recognition of the value of human rights and women’s perceptions and experience must be regularly included, not only in the diplomatic chambers but at every level from the high street to the board room.
The TPNW recognises this and ensures that the evidence is presented by compassionate scientists and academics, and the testimony of the survivors – octogenarians from Nagasaki or the z generation and second, third and fourth generation survivors of Semipalatinsk, Kiribati or Nevada, all present at the 3MSP.
Militarily useless, expensive at every level, dangerous to everyone that comes in contact with them, it should not be beyond our powers to recognise that nuclear weapons are a terrifying liability for any nation state, and even more for any military alliance, including any putative Euro-bomb.
Full implementation of the TPNW is the only sane response to any discussion of nuclear weapons, the most indiscriminate, inhumane and destructive weapons ever invented. There are thousands of these weapons in the world. The threat arising from any use, deliberate or accidental, is of making the planet uninhabitable for human (and many if not most other) beings in a matter of days or hours. Nuclear disarmament requires us to challenge militarism, and confront violent masculinities and gender discrimination as well as to make major changes to prevailing political structure that presently confuse the use of violence and force with any kind of meaningful security.
The issues related to financing militarism, military alliances like NATO and the modernisation of nuclear weapons and technical weapons will come centre stage as European governments adjust their positions in relation to the Trump presidency and the changing ground in the middle east, eastern Europe, the horn of Africa and the Chinese leadership’s responses to a volatile and multi polarised world.
To protect people and planet, securing, prohibiting and eliminating nuclear weapons has never been more urgent, and the part that con be played by co-operative communities, rather than by nation states can never matter as much as they do now..
This is why the two review conferences for the treaties will require all of our support to progress common security for the earth and its people.
Campaigning for the elimination of nuclear Weapons
Lynn Jamieson, Chair of Scottish CND is with the Scottish delegation at the 3rd meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the UN in New York.
“The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s role is to expose the everyday harms of the nuclear weapons in our midst and the reality of their worthlessness for defence despite the mythical status they are given. We campaign for the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland, the UK and the world under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Politicians advocating for nuclear weapons choose blithe disregard for our future that is inherent in threat of nuclear weapons. We call on Scotland’s representatives to retain, or to find, the courage for nuclear disarmament. This would align them with half the countries in the world in support of the TPNW.
Pacifism is not a founding principle of CND but we unequivocally repudiate the assumption that massive force is a solution to fear and insecurity. This view has led to the existential threat of our civilisation ending in nuclear war. There are uses of force that are more genuinely defensive and do not threaten indiscriminate extermination. For example, protecting fishing rights, preventing cyber attacks or being able to contribute personnel to overseas missions which seek to defuse conflict and build peace. These are very different from participating in US led NATO exercises posturing the threat of massive force ending in world war three.
There are very good reasons for suspicion about calls to increase military spending given the relentless lobbying of the arms industries, their unprecedented profits and government failure to prevent the arms trade from enabling the murder of many civilians. A switch in military spending from nuclear weapons to boosting armed-service men and women might be welcome but not if they remain part of the support system that perpetuates a nuclear mentality.”
Ban Treaty Parliamentarians’ Meeting
Rhys Munro’s account of the Parliamentarian’s Conference at the 3rd Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. These parliamentarians (including Bill Kidd MSP) are from states which have not yet joined the Treaty.
As you walk into Conference Room 8 in the basement of the UN Headquarters, the first thing that gets you is the grandeur. It isn’t a big room, but the intricately decorated hard-wood walls and dim lighting create an inexplicable atmosphere. It truly does feel like a room where things get done. I had the pleasure of being in this room while attending the Parliamentarians for the TPNW side event on Monday, March 3rd.
While it was a 3 hour session (1:15-4:15), I was only able to attend the first hour, as after opening speeches the room was open only to parliamentarians their staff.
We first heard a speech discussing general geopolitics; how global conflicts are encouraging nuclear deterrence and hostile posturing. Of course, the doomsday clock was mentioned – sitting at 89 seconds to midnight, it is a powerful reminder of the threat nuclear weapons continue to pose.
The parliamentarians then discussed the threat of new weapon technologies, such as hypersonic missiles and AI, and how they can be used in nuclear delivery, adding a devastating new layer to an already catastrophic event.
Domestic policies were also discussed, in the 2022 Biden Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review, the American Government began looking at including non-nuclear weapons in their deterrent arsenal, which the speaker argued may be a good thing – it could highlight America is shifting away from a nuclear arsenal.
While this is a very, very small step, the speaker highlighted we can find hope elsewhere. Despite Russia and Israel both threatening to deploy nuclear weapons in war, neither has done so. The speaker emphasised that while this could show a waning appetite for the nuclear deterrent, it absolutely should not be taken as a success. Just because the weapons haven’t been used yet doesn’t mean they won’t ever, and the simple threat of possessing the bomb continues to push the world to catastrophe.
We then heard a celebration of New Zealand, who’s support of the TPNW has prompted debate in their Parliament, as well as encouraging other countries to sign, ratify and adhere to the TPNW.
There was a call for all nations and their parliamentarians to find the political will to pursue disarmament. As well as this, it was suggested that parliamentarians should continue to campaign for a Ministry of Disarmament, an idea that could be paramount for tangible nuclear disarmament progress.
Melissa Parke (Executive Director of ICAN), emphasises that the presence of parliamentarians here speaks volumes. She stated the progress is accelerating, there is now an overwhelming support for the TPNW at the local and grassroots level.
“Public desire for nuclear disarmament is higher than ever” – Melissa Parke, speaking on the growing grassroots support for the TPNW
She then highlighted that the entire system built to limit nuclear proliferation and “protect” us is faltering. As the world becomes increasingly multipolar, making it impossible to regulate these weapons. Therefore, multinational institutions need new champions, who can keep them up to date with this rapidly changing world.
We then heard that nuclear weapons are inherently intersectional, their threat intersects with gender, ecology, indigenous lands and rights to name a few. Because of this intersectionality, it was emphasised that parliamentarians are crucial in the campaign for nuclear disarmament, as they can provide a political bridge between these issues.
We also heard a speech from Masako Wada, who represented Nihon Hidyanko during its phone call with the Nobel Committee.
She emphasised that public conscience is essential in in achieving nuclear disarmament, a statement echoed by the Ambassador for Kazakhstan, who emphasised that public engagement is also vital.
It was after this that I was asked to leave, so the parliamentarians could have a private discussion. The enormity of this meeting was evident, the fact that politicians not only came, but cared speaks volumes on the successes of the TPNW, and ICAN.
In this room I saw the best of Politics; parliamentarians coming from across the world and political spectrum working together to protect their constituents, their country, and our world from the continuing threat of nuclear weapons.
Monday with the Ban Treaty in New York
Elena Kerr writes on the events she attended at the 3rd Meeting of the TPNW in New York on Monday 3rd March
Listen to and hear our Anangu Story This side event was hosted by the Nuclear Truth Project where the main speaker was Karina Lester, a second-generation survivor of the British nuclear test at Emu Fields on 15th October 1953, accompanied by her son William Hughes, third generation survivor and grandson of Yami Lester. This nuclear test was the first mainland atomic bomb test in Australia, however the Indigenous communities are still fighting for the Australian government to sign the TPNW, as traditional land is used for nuclear waste dumping. Karina shared her and her father’s story of survival, struggles with the nuclear industry, and resistance from Yankunytjatjara Country in Australia towards the nuclear testing on their traditional lands. The British nuclear test in 1953 had huge impacts on the Indigenous people in Australia where people got sick after less than 24 hours, experiencing skin rashes, vomiting, blindness, as well as other long term medical issues. At the time of the bombing, Karina’s father and their people did not have vehicles to get them to hospitals for treatment. This further lead to the lack of medical records of the impacts of the nuclear test. This became problematic as the Australian and British government were not listening and is still not listening as they have yet to give an apology to the Indigenous communities. Karina’s relatives were digging holes in the ground to protect children and elderly people from the black mist from the bomb. There is not yet any acknowledgement by the Australian and British government of this nuclear injustice, however, Karina and her relatives alongside the Indigenous communities of Australia are working as translators in driving the conversations mobilising action for nuclear disarmament. The poisoning of traditional lands of Indigenous people is a human rights issue in which the story of Karina and her relatives are vital in the recognition of, ratification, and implementing of the TPNW in practice.
Read more about the Nuclear Truth Project: https://nucleartruthproject.org
Impacts of Uranium Mining This panel discussion was hosted by the Nuclear Truth Project including the speakers: Teracita Keyanna, Janene Yazzie, Dr Tommy Rock, and Dr Teresa Montoya, with Petuuche Gilbert as the moderator. The speakers were from tribal nations in Arizona and New Mexico, which are areas affected by uranium mining and nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War. This discussion highlighted perspectives of Indigenous communities, scholars, and policy advocates on the ongoing impacts of uranium mining on their land, health and the environment. The speakers talked about specific impacts on children going to schools where the water contains uranium, and how this leads to autoimmune diseases and cancers. Native Americans are 19% more likely to have plumbing issues, and for those people who lack indoor plumbing systems must collect water from wells which are not safe as they are contaminated with uranium. The radiation exposure dosages do not consider women, children, and pregnant women, as the standard of measure is concerned to a male. As recent as last month the Pinyon Plain Mine started transporting uranium through Navajo Nation. The speakers emphasised the need for policies concerning the public who are affected, the footprints of nuclear energy, and the safeguarding for all lives. The burden of proof is put on Indigenous communities, however, these speakers are providing proof of water samples that contain uranium fighting for justice and addressing harms on the community. When uranium is taken out of the water it leaves the water with other waste materials, therefore the US government’s response in the case of a primary school in Navajo Nation having water with 3 times more uranium than acceptable, was to dilute to acceptable amount. These issues do not only occur from water, but also from wind, soil, and food. For the UN member states to understand that the TPNW must address uranium affected communities, it is essential to listen to the voices, expertise, and stories of Indigenous communities.
Read more about the Nuclear Truth Project: https://nucleartruthproject.org
Creative Resistance: The Arts, Youth Advocacy, and Fashion for Nuclear Disarmament This event was hosted collaboratively between the PEAC Institute, and Fashioning for Social & Environmental Justice (FSEJ). The speakers included: Rebecca Irby, Runa Ray, Brianna Park, Brooklyn Simmons, James Height Jr., Jahrik Browner, Jimmie Henderson, Noah Richardson, Sashasra Sivaraman, Priya Williams, Yusuf AkbarPr, and McBride. The event explored the intersection of youth advocacy, creative expression, and disarmament education in the context of nuclear disarmament. The speakers demonstrated the effect and power of creative artistic mediums as a catalyst and inspiration for peacebuilding. Art brings people together and translates language. It inspires action and advocacy exemplified with the Mexican Muralist Movement and the George Floyd mural in Minneapolis. The speakers explained how art can act as a catalyst for provoking deep reflection along with cultural preservation, storytelling, and building awareness. They discussed the psychological aspect such as the emotional impact of art in terms of emotional connections to impacts to issues of class, labour, and human rights. The power of art can be used as a tool for education and social change by making stigmatised topics approachable, allowing people to look past controversy. The speakers from the PEAC Institute discussed how youth can mobilise public opinion, driving force for movements, being leaders in change. The speakers from FSEJ discussed how one can solve global issues through the lens of fashion. 20% of global wastewater is from textile production. With water scarce there is a rise of conflict due to the utilising of resources. The speakers explored how what we wear is a statement, and how our clothing has hidden costs, and how design is the first symbol of human intention.
“Art is not a reflection of the past but a weapon of the future.” – Yusuf AkbarPr.
Read more about the PEAC Institute and FSEJ here: https://www.peacinstitute.org https://www.fashioningjustice.org
Scottish WILPF at The Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)
Áine Beattie, 1st March 2025.
The Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will convene from 3 to 7 March 2025, with Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin of Kazakhstan presiding. Discussions will focus on advancing the Treaty’s implementation and fostering multilateral cooperation for nuclear disarmament. There is a strong Scottish civil society contingency planning on attending 3MSP this year. Scottish WILPF will be represented by two delegates, Áine Beattie and Janet Fenton. We hope to amplify that there is support in Scotland regarding the effort to eliminate nuclear weapons and recognise their gendered harms.
2025 marks the 80th year since the invention of nuclear weapons and their first use, and the risks surrounding them have grown significantly. There has been a great deal of progress on the Treaty since the last Nuclear Ban Week in New York. The TPNW has grown, with 4 ratifications (Sao Tome, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands) and one signature (Solomon Islands). There has also been a robust intersessional period advancing issues including victim assistance and the security concerns of states party to the Treaty. Yet in the face of rising nuclear tensions and increasing misogyny globally, our attendance has never been more important. This conference is an opportunity to use the meetings, panels, artistic and youth events to draw attention to these gendered risks, and serves as a reminder that there is a solution through the TPNW.
The TPNW is the first and unique treaty that has hardwired gendered perspectives into it. It specifically acknowledges the disproportionate impact on women, girls, and indigenous people in the preamble, including harms from ionising radiation. It recognises that equal, full, and effective participation is essential for sustainable peace and security, and supports and strengthens the participation of women in nuclear disarmament.
In terms of the 1325 Women, Peace & Security Agenda, disarmament lags behind progress made in other fora and pillars. The third Irish NAP is the only one globally to condemn both conventional and weapons of mass destruction. This is a testament to the changes countries can make, but much more must be done to achieve gender equality in disarmament. We hope to see more meaningful, impactful change like this at 3MSP.
Nuclear Ban Week New York, 2025 will kick off with an ICAN Campaigner meeting at the iconic Riverside Church on Sunday 2nd March. At 3MSP, SWILPF delegates will attend a full schedule of side events. This will give us the opportunity to speak to experts in the field, learn from them, and engage whilst sharing a feminist peace perspective on the proceedings and raising awareness of WILPF’s values, goals, projects, and strategic vision.
WILPF rejects militarism in all its forms. Militarism is a destructive and oppressive system that diverts society’s resources towards weapons and war; a mindset and culture that weaponises security and gender relations; and a leading contributor to armed conflict and violence in countries and communities worldwide (WILPF, 2024). Nuclear weapons are perhaps the most obvious manifestation of militarism; seen as a “symbol of masculine strength,” and a political representation of power. WILPF is working to transform attitudes towards militarism and advance intersectional feminist perspectives that promote systems and structures offering lasting peace and security.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ recently stated, “Humanity’s future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war.” (Guterres, 2025), on the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness. As small cogs in the machinery of peace, we at SWILPF hope to advocate for meaningful change and feminist peace this year at 3MSP.
NUCLEAR BAN WEEK IN NEW YORK 2 – 7 MAR
Scottish disarmament campaigners are getting ready for the week of high-level and civil-society events to tackle the urgent threat of nuclear weapons at Nuclear Ban Week New York, 2025. Some will be reporting the events here and on their own websites and in the press, some will be submitting working papers and some will be attending the events, meeting others from around the wold and lobbying the government officials and diplomats. Bill Kidd MSP, Convenor of the Scottish Parliament Cross Party group on Nuclear Disarmament will participate in the Parliamentarians Conference taking place on Day One with global legislators who support the TPNW and there will be an ICAN Campaigner meeting at the iconic Riverside Church just before the third Meeting of States Parties to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (3MSP) starts.
The Third Meeting of States Parties will take place on 3 to 7 March 2025 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, with H.E. Ambassador Akan Rakhmetullin (Kazakhstan) serving as President. There are currently 94 signatories and 73 states parties.
To follow the proceedings, subscribe to the Reaching Critical Will (WILPF Disarmament programme) monitor of events Nuclear Ban Daily – subscribe now to receive during 3MSP, and delegates from Scottish partners in ICAN will be posting blogs here as well.
2025 Doomsday Clock AnnouncementJanuary 28, 2025
In setting the Clock one second closer to midnight, the Science and Security Board sends a stark signal: Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster.
It is no surprise that the clock has been moved nearer to Doomsday. Lets hope that the world will heed this news. At the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists presentation, experts from the disciplines of science and diplomacy were clear that the risks arising from the climate crisis are inextricably linked to the very real possibility of nuclear weapons use or accident, with the inevitable destruction of the known environment and human occupation of it within a very short time as the only end result. With this very urgent and real danger, nuclear weapons elimination is the only sane response, and the Third Meeting of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) takes place at the UN headquarters in March, providing a clear route towards prohibition leading to elimination. Around half of the UN Member States have made the terms of the TPNW binding within their own jurisdiction, and will be represented at the UN meeting in New York. All the UN member states are invited to attend as participants or as observers who can offer evidence, but the UK shamefully refuses to join the discussions even as an observer. This intransigence and refusal to send a delegation means that the UK Government will not be able to properly contribute to the disarmament process which the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty commits them to. Once again, Scotland, where all their nuclear weapons are deployed will have to rely on our devolved parliament and civil society delegation if our voices are to be heard even on the fringes of the negotiations. Despite a clearly expressed position on this topic, our scientists, academics and politicians are denied representation to a treaty process which could rid Scotland, and the world of this imminent risk.
22 January, the day we banned the bomb!
We banned the bomb on the 7 July 2017, the day that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was adopted at the United Nations.
The next step was to get enough UN Member States to sign and ratify it in their own countries,, and when the first fifty states states did that, on 22nd January,2021 the TPNW entered into force, and became binding in those countries. Huge celebrations! Maybe you rang a bell, or displayed a banner,or asked your legislators to join in, or if you live in one of the lucky states that signed up, you may have offered your government congratulations.
Now four years later, half of the world’s states have signed. The irresponsible posturing of the nuclear armed states in ratcheting up the threats and highlighting the risks means that the danger of nuclear Armageddon has never been higher, but the solution to that problem has never been clearer – Prohibition, leading to elimination.! There are many examples of what ordinary people are doing – or have done – to celebrate. Please join in! The 22nd January is a day to mark. Here in the UK, every MP can be asked to insist that the UK Government sends observers to the next meeting of the parties who have signed the Treaty (3MSP) in March at the very least. We can share our commitment to the TPNW. Send us your pictures and statements,, from this year or from previous years so that we can all share them to make the point on social media and for the press Here in Scotland, lets support our our own Government and Parliament and show the UK Government that there is no mandate for nuclear weapons policies in the land where they are deployed.. Bill Kidd MSP, Convenor of the Nuclear Disarmament Cross Party Group will put down a motion to support the 3MSP in its work on 22nd January.
Please copy your images or statements to hello@nuclearban.scot
NOBEL NIGHT – memorable occasion for peace
A meaningful and inspiring event took place on Tuesday, December 10thin the form of a torchlight procession from The Scottish Parliament to Queen Elizabeth House to mark the Nobel Peace prize celebrations in Oslo, and reaffirm Scotland’s commitment to nuclear disarmament.
This year the Nobel Peace Prize was won by Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese Confederation of A- and H- Bomb Sufferers Organizations. Their tireless advocacy for nuclear disarmament, rooted in the lived experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors, resonates deeply with the movement that earned the International Campaign for Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) the same honour in 2017 and nowhere more so than in Scotland, where the UK deploys its nuclear arsenal against the expressed position of the Scottish Government and Parliament and their support forlocal the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons This award is a powerful reminder of the urgent need for a world free of nuclear weapons and it reinforces the connections between global and local efforts for peace.
Our local event celebrated Scotland’s ongoing dedication to peace, and builds on past actions for nuclear disarmament, including carrying the ICAN Nobel Peace Prize torch which was given to ICAN Scottish partners by Nicola Sturgeon when they visited Oslo for the award in 2017. Those participating included members of Protest Harmony, and some campaigners who had attended ICAN’s Nobel celebrations in Oslo, with others who had attended the 2022 ICAN Forum held there in 2022 . Together, they amplified a message of peace during this festive season!
ICAN is a collaboration of partners around the world committed to the elimination of nuclear weapons through the global Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Protest in Harmony led the singing, including the very appropriate songs, Burning for Peace and Another World, and Dylan, from Towerbank Primary School led the procession, carrying with the Oslo Torch. Scottish CND’s Chair, Lynn Jamieson spoke out side Queen Elisabeth house about the importance of hearing the voices of the of all those with lived experience of nuclear weapons; development, testing and use. She highlighted Scotland’s position as an unwilling host of the UK’s nuclear weapons as a unique opportunity, and the evening closed with everyone singing the Freedom Come All Ye, penned by Hamish Henderson in the nineteen sixties in protest at the weapons being brought to the Clyde. A powerful and inspiring moment for peace!
Responding to the UK Strategic Defence Review
“Describe the strategic, threat, and operational context for UK Defence 2024- 2050”
This is the first question in the online survey and in itself it could represent the raw data for a doctoral study on conventional security thinking. The full survey runs on for another 700 words, all of it set within predictably restricted parameters. The word order of the first question implies that you set your strategy before you do a threat assessment. In other words: Get set, Fire, Take aim. Indeed, the consultation does not extend to seeking our opinions about threats. Instead, the preamble to the survey tells us what they are. As Henry Ford may have said: you can have any colour you like, so long as it is black.
“The UK faces threats that are growing and diversifying: war in Europe; conflict in the Middle East; states across the world that are increasingly acting in ways that challenge regional and global stability as well as our values and interests; terrorist groups; hybrid attacks; and instability caused by climate change.”
Instability caused by climate change? Sure. But the box-thinking limitations of conventional “security” discourse ensure that we are not looking here in the round at what climate collapse is bringing and will bring, or what its effects will be across the globe (including within the UK’s borders), we are simply focussing on how the armed forces might be expected to respond. (And ignoring, of course, the significant carbon emission impact of war-making machinery even when not in combat.) No mention of pandemics, nuclear war, mass movements of people, decline in and erosion of democratic institutions, bio-technology gone rogue, AI, chronic and worsening inequality, racism, murderous violence against women, repressions, etc. What is common to that frightening list is that effective responses require a new level of international and transnational co-operation, not the ratcheting up of international tensions or a new arms race.
And instability – a key word in the acceptable security lexicon. One might have thought that the review helmsman George Robertson, a key member of the Blair gang that pushed us into the Second Gulf War, would by this time have had a wee thought of what that special military operation provided in the way of instability, as well as a persisting legacy of chaos. What they really mean by instability is any potential shaking of the foundations of the status quo – a status quo that guarantees for the West a continuing supply of cheap resources and labour in order to maintain our unsustainable lifestyles.
We must shift from the dangerous and limited militarised concepts towards “common security”. That term does at least allow us to recognise that our safety depends on the safety of others, including non-human nature. We are far less likely to feel and be safe in Flat 1A in the block if the folk in Flat 6B are in a pickle. The global version of this is too obvious to underline. We are almost beginning to realise that catastrophic floods in Pakistan will not leave people in the rich north and west unaffected, and that for this challenge the old, sectional and militarised recipes are utterly useless.
It is sadly not surprising that the survey does not raise the question of any prudential, legal or ethical restraints on the UK’s military activities. We recall Robin Cook’s laudable attempt to at least talk about an ethical foreign policy, and now we simply have to grieve for a tragically missed opportunity. Take just two examples screaming for genuine change.
The UK is a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions and rules out the use by its armed forces of this vicious and indiscriminate weapon. But we remain willing to fight alongside other forces who use the weapon and would even call upon fire support in an operation, even when that support is likely to include cluster bombs. Shameful and sleekit as that is we are in another dimension entirely when it comes to the UK’s nuclear arsenal. Possessing nuclear weapons means nothing other than the willingness to commit a hideous atrocity, whether or not that response is in retaliation to a nuclear strike. An atrocity moreover that would bring the roof down on all of us, worldwide.
Given the UK’s almost complete subservience to the US in foreign policy and war-making, all of this is grimly predictable. We must somehow shift from the dangerous and limited militarised concepts towards “common security”. That term does at least allow us to recognise that our safety depends on the safety of others, including non-human nature. We are far less likely to feel and be safe in Flat 1A in the block if the folk in Flat 6B are in a pickle. The global version of this is too obvious to underline. We are almost beginning to realise that events like floods in Pakistan or China will not leave people in the rich north and west unaffected. The old, sectional and militarised recipes are utterly useless in this situation. The box-thinking extends to the whole governmental response, hampered as it is by the ancient departmental categories. That box sits in yet another box – the way everything is assessed from the standpoint of narrow nationalist interests, tied in as that is to the Western power bloc. When it comes to a rational response to what we are facing globally all of that takes us deep into chocolate teapot territory.
There are other territories of course. One example is the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It is based on a realistic assessment of the nature, potential impact and actual risk of nuclear war. It recognises that total elimination of these weapons is the only safe option. As a Treaty it is working to engage with all of the world’s states to that end. So far there are 93 signatories and 70 states parties. There is a growing pattern for large financial institutions to disinvest from nuclear weapon production – a sure sign that the Treaty is moving nukes into their proper category as pariah weapons. One small step by the UK could make a big difference here. If the UK could simply say that it truly recognises the extreme danger and intends to be an observer at the next Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons it would be a hugely significant shift, and give real hope to people across the world. The need to live and act as global citizens is greater than ever.
ELECTION ASK- WATCH A MOVIE BEFORE 4 JULY!
ICAN believes that Nuclear Weapons are a red line election issue, and that our next Scottish-based MPs will represent that view. That is why all candidates must agree to sign the ICAN Parliamentary Pledge for the United Nations Treaty on The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Scotland is the launchpad and the bomb store for all of the UK’s nuclear weapons, despite over 50 years of resistance and opposition here. Nuclear Weapons are the most indiscriminate and inhumane weapons ever created and in Scotland we can choose to vote for candidates or parties that share that view
Scottish Party Responses
The SNP would advocate for the withdrawal of nuclear weapons as soon as can safely be undertaken. All SNP parliamentarians previously elected signed the TPNW. We remain the only political party at Westminster committed to the removal of nuclear trident weapons from the UK.
The ALBA Party calls on the Government of an independent Scotland to endorse the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
The Green Party believes that the UK should join the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and join the majority of countries in committing to work to remove the threat of nuclear war.
Some other smaller parties in Scotland including the Scottish Socialist Party and The STU and Socialist Collective, are supportive of the TPNW
Meanwile, Labour will maintain an unshakeable commitment to NATO and our nuclear deterrent, although there are Holyrood MSPs who disagree with party policy. The Conservative Party has consistently shown support for the nuclear deterrent, and the Liberal Democrats are ‘committed to maintain a “minimal” credible deterrent’, however some of their candidates disagree with the party line on the TPNW, so check yours out.
Some candidates added statements to their promise to pledge:“Weapons of mass murder have no place in Scotland nor in modern warfare,” -Euan Hyslop, SNP, Edinburgh West
“One of my earliest political acts was, aged about 12, writing to my MP to ask them to protest that the French had been testing a nuclear bomb in the Pacific ocean. I was just appalled. I still am.” -Shona McIntosh, Scottish Green Party, Lothian East
“We call for a workers led transition away from production of weapons of mass destruction towards socially useful and renewable technologies” -Jim McFarlane, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, Dundee Central
“I fully support the fundamental objective of unilateral nuclear disarmament”
-James McDaid, Socialist Labour Party, North Ayrshire and Arran
“I don’t believe in nuclear weapons. In the years that followed Hiroshima and Nagasaki many of the survivors would face leukaemia, cancer or other terrible side effects from the radiation.” – Andrew Muir, Scottish Family Party, West Dunbartonshire
“Yes Yes, Absolutely! It is fundamental “– Alexander Martin, Independent ,South Edinburgh
“In this age of nuclear weapons, any war would be like no other before it, threatening all humanity.” – Kenny McAskill, Alba who has already signed the pledge.
Nuclear weapons are the most inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. Scotland is the launchpad and the bomb store for all of the UK’s nuclear weapons.
Approaching the general election on 4th July, the film, A Guided Tour of The Unacceptable has been made available as a resource, free, on line until the election. When the United Nations adopted a Treaty to Prohibit all Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Scotland could not sign it, but 44 out of the 57 Scottish MPs at the last Westminster Parliament signed the International pledge to support it, and every candidates standing for election in Scotland on 4 July must agree to do the same.
Watch the trailer, join SCND and share its heartfelt message from Scotland, that we should be able to choose to be a nuclear free country. Please get in touch if you’d like to host a community screening.
Rhys Munro’s account of the Parliamentarian’s Conference at the 3rd Meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. These parliamentarians (including Bill Kidd MSP) are from states which have not yet joined the Treaty. As you walk into Conference Room 8 in the basement of the UN Headquarters, the…
A meaningful and inspiring event took place on Tuesday, December 10thin the form of a torchlight procession from The Scottish Parliament to Queen Elizabeth House to mark the Nobel Peace prize celebrations in Oslo, and reaffirm Scotland’s commitment to nuclear disarmament. This year the Nobel Peace Prize was won by Nihon Hidankyo, the Japanese Confederation of A- and H- Bomb Sufferers…
“Describe the strategic, threat, and operational context for UK Defence 2024- 2050” This is the first question in the online survey and in itself it could represent the raw data for a doctoral study on conventional security thinking. The full survey runs on for another 700 words, all of it set within predictably restricted parameters.…
NATO and NUKES In recent days there has been a flurry of attacks on the Scottish National Party about a mismatch between its No Nuclear Weapons stance and the proposed membership of NATO if and when Scotland achieves independence. Let’s begin with NATO itself. An independent Scotland which joined the North Atlantic Treaty would be…
The 2nd Meeting of States Parties (2MSP) to the TPNW takes place at the UN in New York from 27 November-1 December. There will be civil society participation, including a number of campaigners from the UK. Against a grim background of unbridled and destructive violence the TPNW is strengthening and growing in credibility. There are…
On Monday 27th Janet Fenton of Secure Scotland spoke to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) with a particular focus on Scotland’s predicament arising from the UK’s nuclear weapons. The text of her evidence is below: “Statement by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear…
“I saw how new ideas often travel from the margins and the shadows to the centre, to the limelight where people – judges, presidents, prime ministers, international bodies – make decisions.” Rebecca Solnit Sunday 22nd January is the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).…
Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the campaign that has worked with the diplomats of supporting states to establish the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)1 which entered into force as a UN treaty in January 2021, is to step down from her role. When ICAN was…
Join Scottish CND for a webinar on October 3rd, 2022 at 18:00BST to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UK’s first nuclear tests. Get your free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/70th-anniversary-of-first-uk-nuclear-tests-tickets-415882635157
From MEDACT Scotland and Don’t Bank on the Bomb Scotland, Dr Michael Orgel has written this commentary published in “Medicine, Conflict, and Survival” Journal.
The nations who gathered for the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) have failed to agree an outcome statement, with Russia shamelessly wrecking any hope of a consensus with its objection to a reference to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ray Acheson of Reaching Critical Will sets that in context in her excellent…
Right now, at the United Nation in New York, a Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) is taking place. These conferences are due to be held every 5 years but this one was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. The Conference has two main tasks – 1) to check on progress (if any)…
Ray Acheson with Reaching Critical Will and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom released four daily rundowns of the events happening at the Nuclear Ban Week running from the 18th-23rd of June 2022, in Vienna. You can read and download these dailies here:
Tim Wallis, ED of Nuclear Ban US reports from Vienna We have just finished the first round of Nuclear Ban Week in Vienna, with two days of the ICAN nuclear ban forum. We have been over 600 people here in Vienna, with 50 events and over 100 speakers over two days. We have heard via…
The First Meeting of States Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) begins on Tuesday in Vienna. Back here in Scotland there is still only a very limited understanding of the huge significance of the meeting and the changing norm around nuclear weapons. Four states which are members of NATO (Germany,…
In the last few days before the United Nations states that are members of the Treaty On The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons meet for the first time in Vienna, and the Scottish Greens have made very clear their support for the Treaty and Scotland’s early accession. This follows the announcement that the Convenor of the…
On 14th June, the 5th day of the FABB camp, Ginnie Herbert entered the naval base at Coulport. She was accompanied by 3 other peace and environmental activists in their single canoes with banners flying. 2 independent press photographers witnessed and recorded the incident. Photos and film were taken of her beaching her canoe inside the base.…
https://www.thenational.scot/news/20210065.snp-msp-take-seat-international-anti-nuclear-conference/ Bill Kidd MSP will be attending the upcoming MSP for the TPNW. Cited in the article above, Kidd said: “Senator McPhedran and I look forward to strengthening the Scottish Canadian joint efforts towards nuclear disarmament, and will be proactively engaged in the 1st MSP meeting at the United Nations, Vienna, next week. We intend…
https://una.org.uk/news/new-report-addressing-british-nuclear-tests-kiribati Check out this new report from UNA-UK regarding the British nuclear tests in Kiribati “The briefing shares lived experience and expert contributions from Kiribati islanders. We hope it will be useful for UK officials, parliamentarians and civil society organisations, and complement work by others on communities affected by UK tests, including work relating to…
In the last few days before the United Nations states that are members of the Treaty On The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons meet for the first time in Vienna, the Scottish Greens have made very clear their support for the Treaty and Scotland’s early accession. This follows the announcement that the SNP Convenor of the…
Russia’s continued invasion into Ukraine has brought the conversation regarding nuclear disarmament into the public consciousness once again. As Putin’s unhindered invasion has proven that nuclear weapons do not serve as a deterrent for war, and instead serve as a deterrent for counter-actions, people are more willing to reconsider their perspectives on the value that…
Janet Fenton, SCND Vice-Chair, on BBC Radio Scotland this morning discussing nuclear weapons, NATO, and the primacy of the Nuclear Ban Treaty for Scotland’s future. Listen here from 34:30: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0c869v6
ICAN Australia discusses the advantageous results of the recent parliamentary election, accessed here: https://icanw.org.au/new-prime-minister-backs-the-ban/ “The election of the Albanese Labor Government heralds a new era in Australia’s approach to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. While the previous government shunned the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the Australian Labor Party has committed to sign…
The nature of disarmament diplomacy is one that is intrinsically tied to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in 1945 and the establishment of Mutually Assured Destruction that heightened nuclear panic throughout the Cold War. It follows, then, that the majority of nuclear disarmament activists are those who have personal experiences with the nuclear panic of…
The First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the United Nations International Centre in Vienna is the first opportunity for countries which have already prohibited any nuclear weapons activity to get together and firm up the blueprint for a nuclear weapons-free world, under the jurisdiction of…
Dr Nick Ritchie, University of York, May 2021 Scotland has an important role to play in the global nuclear disarmament movement in two ways: 1) by reinforcing the web of international norms and law that constrains and delegitimises nuclear weapons; 2) by challenging the nuclear weapons practices and ideology of the British state. Reinforcing nuclear…
“Vienna will be a moment where the world responds and creates the global nuclear disarmament plan. Nuclear weapons impact everyone and that’s why this meeting will be a place for all voices to be heard.” (ICAN’s Executive Director Beatrice Fihn) The First Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons…
Inside the campaign against nuclear weapons the chance to say “I told you so” amidst the ultimate rubble is anticipated with no relish at all. Nor is there much satisfaction these days in saying, in regard to the Ukraine crisis, “We did tell you that the nuclear nightmare had not gone away, that the risk…
A seminal report written by Dr Rebecca Johnson and published by the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy and the Center for Nuclear Disarmament has been published. This report analyses the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and theimplications for UK and global security. It has been updated to reflect recent developments affecting nuclear…
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