CND Press Roundup Monday 21st March 2022
Posted: 21st March 2022
War in Ukraine
CND member and company secretary Annie Tunnicliffe gets a mention in the letters page of The Guardian, in response to a recent column by Zoe Williams about growing up in the shadow of the nuclear bomb. The piece mentions the historic Aldermaston marches and Annie is quick to point out that the organisation is not a thing of the past: “CND is still vigorously campaigning against nuclear weapons, as it has since its beginnings in the late 50s. There is a thriving membership, with groups across the country campaigning locally and nationally for nuclear disarmament.”
UK producers of iodine pills have noted a surge in demand as the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompts fears of nuclear war. Bicester-based Oxford Health Company said their website logged a 15,000% increase in page view during March compared to January. The firm said there had been a huge uplift in orders to the EU, as well as inquiries from other companies looking to sell iodine tablets. Oxford Health said any profits from iodine pills to charities based in Ukraine.
64 of the staff members trapped at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant since it was occupied by Russian troops, have been allowed to go home for the first time in almost four weeks. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said around half of the single shift workers had been allowed to leave on Sunday after being replaced by other Ukrainian staff. The defunct facility doesn’t have any proper rest facilities for those employed to manage and monitor the on-site radioactive waste still present there. The IAEA had expressed concerns of a potential accident amid reports of power cuts, and insufficient food and water supplies.
Trident
The Daily Star picked up on a story from Glasgow Live on last weekend’s nuclear warhead convoy from Aldermaston to Argyll. Nukewatcher Jane Tallents told Glasgow Live: “There hasn’t been one since October last year which is a bit strange. But there was a bit of a flurry in the end. There must be some reasoning in their madness but they’d never enlighten us what that is. But yeah this is back to the routine, just refurbishment. They are not arming up to bomb Russia or anything like that, but they could do that anytime.”
Iran Nuclear Deal
The Financial Times has an editorial calling for Iran to embrace a renewed nuclear deal in the wake of the recent release of British-Iranians Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori. While it notes that differences between Washington and Tehran are still outstanding, it calls for both to “display courage” and set aside these differences in the interest of stability: “The last thing the world needs is another crisis erupting. But the risk is that one side miscalculates by betting the other has a greater need for a deal. For Iran’s leaders, there is an opportunity to prove they are willing to act responsibly. It is a moment they should grasp.”
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reports on warnings from Israel that the billions of pounds that would be made available to Iran via the lifting of sanctions would see it pumped back into Iranian-backed militias operating throughout the Middle East. In an interview with the paper, Joshua Zarka, the Israeli foreign ministry’s deputy director general, said the money “could basically be used to allow Hezbollah to have the run of Lebanon,” as well allow Iran to “entrench itself in Syria militarily.”
The Telegraph also runs a piece from former UK defence secretary Liam Fox, who labels a renewed Iran nuclear deal as “an epic mistake.”
Non-Proliferation
Cumbria’s News and Star letters page has a contribution from CND member Philip Gilligan, on the lack of attention given to the “catastrophic – possibly existential – destruction that nuclear weapons could wreak in a matter of minutes.” He argues that by “advocating for a ban on nuclear weapons locally, we can give a clear signal that we do not tolerate the threat of nuclear annihilation.”
The Times has a column from Matthew Syed calling on the need for greater arms control and moves towards reducing (albeit not eliminating) nuclear stockpiles. He writes: “The underlying point is simple: the absence of nuclear war in the postwar period isn’t a vindication of the doctrine of mutually assured destruction but sheer good fortune.” On the ongoing threat of nuclear war in Ukraine he says: “We must bring arms control back to the top of the agenda. It is impossible to design a fail-safe system, but we can at least reduce the consequences of disaster. An arsenal of, say, 15% of its current size would still deter war (hundreds of millions could be wiped out) but it would not liquidate our species, thus handing survivors half a chance to learn the lessons. Perhaps our descendants might even figure out how to co-operate in such a way as to make nuclear arsenals unnecessary.”
UK Nuclear Energy
The Times is conducting a readers poll on whether the British taxpayer should spend billions of pounds on new nuclear power stations. Polls close at 12 noon on Friday March 25th with results to be published in next weekend’s Sunday Times. Get voting!
Boris Johnson is holding a roundtable at Downing Street this morning with leaders from the nuclear industry, on how to increase nuclear power production. The meeting comes amid rising oil and gas prices, exasperated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Johnson is expected to unveil a plan later this month on how to phase out Russian energy and focus more on alternatives to fossil fuels. While nuclear energy amounts to just a sixth of the UK’s electricity production, Johnson said last week that his strategy would include “big bets” on nuclear energy.
The Telegraph reports on arguments between Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak on the Chancellor’s reluctance to free up cash and embrace a “dash to nuclear.” It comes ahead of Sunak’s planned spring statement on Wednesday, where he is to address the cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills.
And the UK government is apparently looking at forming a state-owned nuclear power company that would help finance new nuclear projects. Under the auspices of Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, a plan is being drawn up that looks at luring new investors to stalled nuclear projects, after Chinese investment was ruled out over security concerns.
With best wishes,
Pádraig McCarrick
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament