07 March 2007
Renewal of Trident "unethical"
Following today's report 'The Future of the UK's Strategic
Nuclear Deterrent; the White Paper' by the Defence Select
Committee, leaders from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the
Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church continue to urge
the Government not to replace the Trident Nuclear Weapons
System.
The Churches join the Defence Select Committee in welcoming the
Government's increased openness about the decision making process
and share its hope that this will be the pattern for the future.
They strongly endorse the Committee's call for the Government to
give a clear statement on its plans for nuclear
non-proliferation.
The three Churches made a joint submission to the Committee,
arguing that the Government's White Paper provides no serious
analysis of the security risks associated with a renewal of
Trident. They state that it is vital to control the proliferation
of weapons technology and they raise concerns over the Government's
claim that Trident might provide protection against state-sponsored
nuclear terrorism. The submission also draws attention to the
status of Britain's commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT).
Anthea Cox, Methodist Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and
Social Justice said; 'Renewal of Trident has significant ethical
problems. Its power as a deterrent is based on fear, residing in
the fact that it is designed to cause indiscriminate harm on a
massive scale. It is unthinkable to invest in nuclear weapons when
their use will always be unethical.'
Graham Sparkes, Head of Faith and Unity for the Baptist Union said;
'The Government has declared its commitment to non proliferation
but a replacement for Trident seriously undermines this aim. The UK
government should be directing its efforts towards disarmament if
it is serious about peacemaking.'
Stuart Dew, Secretary for Church and Society, the United Reformed
Church, continued; 'We are called as Christians to be peacemakers.
A decision to renew Trident will be counter-productive in
negotiating with potential new nuclear states such as Iran. We call
on our Government to concentrate on building peace and replacing
Trident is not going to further this cause.'
The government has set March 14th for a parliamentary debate. The
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is organising a rally in
Parliament Square during the debate which will be attended by
representatives from the Churches.