Local candidates agree with Greenpeace position on Trident

Farid Ahmed was keen to stress that the results show that most Walthamstow residents agree with his party’s stance on Trident. He reiterated Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s point that “the case for such a powerful nuclear deterrent in the post-cold war world was a complete fiction.”

Dave O‘Carroll, a Greenpeace volunteer from Walthamstow who took part in the polling, said: “Both local and national polls show the view of the public is clear. When faced with a massive national deficit the last thing they think the next government should be doing is wasting £97 billion on building new nuclear weapons.

“What people on the street care about is the security of essential services, like schools and beds at hospitals such as Whipps Cross.

“Our leaders seem to think they’re still fighting the cold war – it’s about time they woke up to the real challenges facing the UK. We need investment in the low-carbon economy, both to stop climate change and to give us energy security. £97 billion could really give our green industries a boost.

“We need our local candidates to make sure that their parties hear this message and commit to including the plan to replace Trident in the upcoming Strategic Defence Review (2). The fact that an overwhelming majority of the local community and both the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates agree with us is heartening.”

Notes (1) The poll of local residents was conducted in Walthamstow town centre on 27 March. They asked each shopper/visitor the following question – “Do you think the government should spend £97 billion on new nuclear weapons?”

(2) Whichever political party wins the election　 they will hold a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) ,shortly afterwards.　 The review will be the first since 1998 and is expected to assess all current and likely future threats to UK security. In the light of these threats, and available budgets, it will then recommend changes to how UK forces operate and what equipment it requires.

At present both the Labour and Conservative parties plan to exclude the £97bn Trident replacement programme from this review. This is despite the fact it would be one of the most expensive defence procurement projects ever undertaken by the UK.

Greenpeace is calling on all political parties to commit to including a comprehensive reappraisal of whether the UK should build new nuclear weapons within the defence review.