UK- Military State.

         The creeping militarisation of our society keeps slithering forward, sometimes they find an excuse, some “terrorist “ event, sometimes it just happens out of the blue. This is the case at the Rosneath peninsular near Glasgow. The area is home to that abomination at Faslane, the Trident nuclear submarine base, and the nuclear weapons store at Coulport. These two weapons of mass destruction sites are policed by the MOD armed military police, who are not under the jurisdiction of the Scottish government, but the MOD in London. They have just announced that they will be widening their sphere of influence, and notifying the local population to expect to see them in a wider role in and around their area. There seems to have been no consultation with Police Scotland, but it has simple been announced as a fête-accompli, a like it or lump it, you’re getting it, attitude. They have announced that they will be doing spot checks, and stopping, at random, cars in certain areas.
         The area is one of beauty, visited by thousands from around the central belt of Scotland and further afield, it is an area visited by thousands of tourists, but the MOD armed military police have asked locals to report anybody they see taking photos anywhere near these two, danger to humanity sites. So if you are sitting with your family at the edge of the Gare Loch, on a fine sunny day, and you decide to take a photo, beware, you could receive a visit from your friendly armed MOD military police. Should we be worried? Well as our lords and masters spout venom at certain states claiming they are not democracies, but despot regimes controlled by the military, yet sit silent when we see the expansion of military control over ever more of our civil society, I think the time for worry is over, and it is time to display your righteous anger. 

       We here in the UK are a country that has been involved in overseas military adventures more or less continuously since the end of the second world war, and we are allowing our society to become more and more, a military controlled entity. When MOD armed military police patrol our streets and do spot checks, the façade has fallen, the gloves are off, the state is sowing its true colours. Gone are the pretences that the civilian police are there to protect us from the bad locals, and the military to protect as from those nasty foreigners overseas. It is simply all about control of the civilian population, to repress dissent, to intimidate those who object to injustices perpetrated by the state. Do you really want armed to the teeth, armed MOD military police swaggering through our streets, when out for a drive with your kids, do you really want to be pulled over by armed MOD military police? The decision is yours, if this is a democracy!!

Read The Herald article HERE: 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Nuclear Weapons Passing By Your Homes.

 

         Warwickshire is a fairly long way from the Clyde, lots of roads winding they way through towns and villages. No doubt the people living along this route sleep easy at night, unaware that rolling slowly past their humble abode are convoys of deadly weapons of mass destruction. Convoys of nuclear weapons for the trident submarines based on the Clyde at Faslane, trundling past homes, schools, and hospitals, unannounced, escorted by police and armed marines. The state doesn't give a monkeys about your opinion on this matter. Your concerns will not be considered, you will not be informed. Some of the deadliest nuclear weapons in the world, being carted the length and breadth of our land, with all the inherent dangers of an accident, and you have no say in the matter. They call it democracy.

       January 9th. 2016, nuclear weapons convoy in Warwickshire transporting Trident nuclear weapons between the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire and HM Naval Base Clyde.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Nuclear, The Certain Death Machine.

      Here in Glasgow, we have nuclear weapons on our doorstep, both in storage and on submarines based at Faslane. An accident at any one of these points would be catastrophic for the surrounding area, Glasgow included. What happens when a nuclear power station has a major accident. Chernobyl in Ukraine was on such accident, it happened in 1986, that was twenty eight years ago, and to this day, the area is still left uninhabitable. They are still recording birth defects and deaths from such diseases as cancer, from the disaster.

Then there is Fukushima, that disaster happened more than three and a half years ago, but still the problem can't be solved.

British Researcher Blasts U.N. Report on Fukushima Cancer Risk As Unscientific

Plan C Also Failed In Plugging Reactor 2 Trench…Now What?

TEPCO to bury Fukushima plant trench with concrete to control radioactive water

Fukushima £11bn cleanup progresses, but there is no cause for optimism

Trace Amounts Of Fukushima Radioactivity Detected Off U.S. West Coast

In Hard-Hit Okawa, Life Remains A Struggle After 3/11

      It is clear to anybody with with any knowledge of mechanics, electronics or engineering, that this go wrong. That being the case, there is no such thing as safe nuclear, the possibilities of catastrophic results in a nuclear accident make it a no-no to any sane person.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Scrap Trident Rally And March, Glasgow.

Scrap Trident Weekend of Action - Saturday, Sunday, Monday

 

Saturday 13th April  - Scrap Trident Rally and March    

 

Assemble George Square, Glasgow 10.15am
March starts  10.45am, Rally George Square 11.45am to 1.15pm

 

The plan is for people to walk in blocs calling for Scrapping Trident and Funding Education, the NHS, Pensions, Disability Benefits, Sustainable Energy and more. We invite you to get together a bloc or group to join us. How does Trident affect you? Whatever your reason for wanting nuclear weapons to be scrapped, get together with like-minded people and join us.

 

SPEAKERS
Sandra White MSP SNP, Patrick Harvie MSP Greens, Dave Moxham Deputy General Secretary STUC

Youth/Student: Stacey Devine NUS Scotland Womens Officer, Suki Sangha STUC youth committee
Education workers: Susan Quinn President EIS
Pensioners: Cathy McCormack Easterhouse Anti-poverty Community Activist and author
Disability Rights: Susan Archibald Disabilities Rights campaigner
Faith groups: Peter Macdonald Leader Iona Community
Health Workers: Judith McDonald – Medact
Welfare: Cat Boyd Youth Young Trade Unionist and PCS Member

And: Krista van Velzen  Former Member of Netherlands Parliament, Marion Nisbet  Bedroom Tax Federation, Leonna O ‘Neill  Faslane Peace Camp

MCs: Pat Smith/Angela McCormick/ Jonathon Shafi

 

More information: http://scraptrident.org/demonstration/

 

Travel from Edinburgh: Meet up to travel through to Glasgow on the 8.45am or 9am Scotrail trains. If you get to the station 15 or 20 minutes before the departure time it’s possible to team up and make use of the 4 travel for the price of 2 tickets. See you there.If you plan to travel by car and can offer a lift, email edinburghstw@tiscali.co.uk to let us know. Similarly let us know if you need a lift.

 

Travel from Aberdeen: Bus eaving from Spa Street (at the back of His Majesty’s Theatre) 7.30am. Return from Glasgow at 4pm arrive back in Aberdeen around 7.30pm. £12 waged / £8 unwaged. Contact Jonathan on 07582-456 233 or email: jhamiltonrussell@hotmail.co.uk

 

ann arky's home.

 

Faslane Update.

ACTION AT FASLANE TODAY:
Peace Activists target UK’s Nuclear Hypocrisy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday 3rd February  

      In the early hours of this morning (Monday 3rd February) two peace activists, Sylvia Boyes and Mary Millington were arrested attempting to enter Faslane home to the UK’s nuclear submarines. Their actions come a week after David Cameron pledged to increase defence spending including investment in nuclear weapons. The Ministry of Defence also admitted that chancellor George Osborne is already signing off millions of pounds worth of investment on nuclear submarines before a parliamentary decision on the issue is to be taken[i].
Sylvia Boyes, a long term term Peace Activist and member of Trident Ploughshares[ii] said:
      “When the government of my country fails in its democratic duty to disseminate the necessary information to initiate real debate on nuclear weapons how can I continue not to act? The building work and development for the Trident replacement at Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment continues unabated despite the government saying no decision is to be made until the next Parliament in 2015. We here in the UK must face up to our role in the silent acceptance of the proliferation of weapons of mass murder and mass destruction.
      I remain convinced that all nuclear weapons are weapons of mass murder and mass destruction and are therefore illegal under international laws of war. This is not a one off action but one of many to create a climate of opinion to enable the government to take part in real disarmament negotiations. My banner ‘Nuclear Disarmament if not now, when?” is asking that question for us all to answer” Large protests are expected in April this year at both Aldermaston and Faslane as campaigners continue to press for a real debate on nuclear weapons and to scrap plans for over £100bn to be spent on a Trident Replacement system.
       On learning of their arrest Dave Webb, Chair of CND[iii], commented:
“At a time when people are suffering the consequences of such brutal cuts to welfare and social services – the government needs to take action on its choices for spending. Why is the government so intent on wasting billions of pounds on useless nuclear weapons while citizens suffer severe economic hardship? It is hardly surprising that citizens like Sylvia and Mary become so frustrated with the lack of progress that they feel they have to personally challenge the tragic waste of money and morally indefensible Trident system.”
For further details contact Dominic Linley at Dominic@yorkshirecn.org.uk or on 01274 730 795 / 07939 143 698  

[i]http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jan/31/trident-uk-military-shopping-list
[ii] Trident Ploughshares is a campaign to disarm the UK Trident nuclear weapons system in a non-violent, open, peaceful and fully accountable manner http://www.tridentploughshares.org/
[iii] Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe's biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org

 

Trident subs, aircraft carriers and drones on MoD's £160bn shopping list www.guardian.co.uk Margaret Hodge raises doubts on whether massive weapons spending has been approved by National Audit... ann arky's home

 

GLASGOW CRANE ANTI-NUCLEAR BANNER.

         For 30 years the Faslane Peace Camp has kept up a steady and relentless campaign against Britain's nuclear weapons of mass destruction and June being the camp's thirtieth birthday they are having a series of celebrations. It started to day with a massive banner being hung from the large crane at Finnieston Glasgow. The crane has stood there rather sad as one of the last remnants of the Clyde's shipbuilding era. Well now it has sprung to life and joined the anti-nuclear movement. The large banner reads, "Nuclear Disarmament. If Not Now, When?"!

        It is typical of the type of society we live in, a millionaire cabinet slashing at the living standards of the ordinary people, shouting "AUSTERITY, AUSTERITY" while at the same time pouring billions of pounds into keeping, developing and upgrading nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Let's all join in the Faslane Peace Camp's thirtieth birthday celebrations by raising our voices against these illegal horrendous weapons and join and support them in any way we can. 

This release from the Faslane peaceCamp:

        A Peace Camp banner drop is currently underway at Clydebank landmark gantry crane in Glasgow

 

 

      In a public display to commence our 30 Days of Direct Action Campaign, three Faslane Peace Campers are currently dropping banners from the Clydebank landmark gantry crane in Glasgow. The banner reads, "Nuclear Disarmament. If Not Now, When?"!
       Planning to make a day of it, they have taken a lovely packed lunch and some literature. However, quite a few police vans were on scene almost immediately and are making efforts to remove them. This is the first of many anti-nuclear actions planned to mark the 30th anniversary of the Camp. In this run up to a Scottish Independence Referendum coupled with the Westminster vote on Trident replacement in waiting, we have a very real chance to affect the shape of the future UK nuclear defence policies. Scotland could hold the key to UK nuclear disarmament.
      Now is the time for a renewed anti-nuclear insurgency. Come to the camp and join in our 30 Days of Direct Action.

Faslane Flossie
e-mail:faslane30@riseup.net

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THE RIGHT TO PROTEST.

Please circulate widely.
Support Barbara in Court - victimised over Scottish census

10am Wednesday

25th January, Dumbarton Sheriff Court, over non-payment of a fine for blockading Faslane

10am Thursday 26 January in Court 16, Glasgow Sheriff Court, over the census.

       Barbara Dowling is being charged under the Census Act, accused of not filling in her census form properly. Barbara will be defending herself.

The trial will be at 10am in Court 16, Glasgow Sheriff Court Thursday 26 January.

SOLIDARITY.

Or come a bit earlier to show your support outside the court

        Bring placards and banners, Please come along and show your support even if you can only spare a short time. Countless Scots have either failed to fill in their census forms or returned them partially completed or improved by critical comments, but have not been prosecuted. Barbara's victimisation is inexplicable.

       CACI, the firm that helped run Abu Ghraib and also helped run Scotland's Census, has so far dodged any accountability in law for its involvement in abuse and torture. It claims immunity in the US as a government contractor. And in Scotland the Crown Office refused to prosecute CACI, initially claiming lack of jurisdiction.

Barbara is the first person to be tried in Scotland over objections to the 2011 census. SHE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT.

      Barbara will also be in court on 25 Jan over non-payment of a fine incurred for blockading Faslane nuclear Base. Barbara is refusing to pay the fine and risks a jail sentence:

10am 25th January, Dumbarton Sheriff Court.

- support in court welcome

      "The Scottish government, and any government with a principled stance, should not be going near any firm with such associations, even indirectly. The government is opening itself up to significant and justified protest. Ordinary members of the public could refuse to have anything to do with the census. A boycott is something to be considered. It would be a legitimate step. We cannot ignore our principles." - Solicitor Advocate John Scott, 2008.

       "Now it seems the Scottish government is already closing its eyes to what is going on overseas. Would we say it was OK if a firm connected to Mugabe was hired to run our census? It is unacceptable that they have been hired. This will horrify most ordinary people It is unacceptable that the Scottish government should be selling its soul to an organisation accused of torturing human beings." - Solicitor Aamer Anwar, 2008

More background and news at ethicalcensus.org.uk
Download a flyer -
http://www.sacc.org.uk/sacc/resources/census-trial2.pdf

More information
07786630764 or 07936432519

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