ACT NOW TO STOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

On Monday the government is due to publish a white paper on Britain’s next generation of nuclear weapons. The White Paper will include the government’s proposals for a successor to the Trident warhead system and outline its preferred option.

We haven’t seen the White Paper, but according to press reports, the government will choose between scrapping nuclear weapons, extending the life of the existing system, ordering a replacement for Trident or buying an entirely new system. The most likely option is an extension of the existing system. Irrespective of the options outlined, the government has made repeated statements that parliament will only get to vote on the government's preferred option.

We vote for the the “ no thank you, no Trident replacement” option.

Please write TODAY to Tony Blair – who is determined to get this through parliament before he leaves – and let him know that we don’t want any more nuclear weapons
Please write now and pass this on so he is inundated with letters.

If you celebrate Christmas, send him an early but appropriate card?

Suggestions for letter writing: It’s always best to write your own letter, rather than send a standard letter, but to make it easier; we’ve included some points you could make. You could suggest that Tony Blair:

* Provide enough time for a fully informed public debate on the government’s proposal;
* Provide enough time for the Defence Select committee to conclude their inquiries into "The Future of the UK’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrent"
* Allow a free vote on all the options, including not replacing Trident

# Tell Tony Blair That evidence you have seen with your own eyes at AWE Aldermaston [ or evidence presented to the Defence Select Committee] suggests that the government have already gone ahead - prior to a public and parliamentary debate – with building new facilities at Aldermaston which would enable the UK to test, design and build the next generation of nuclear weapons;
# * To order the Ministry of Defence to halt all building work at Aldermaston, including on the new Orion laser facility, and to stop the issuing of any new contracts and planning applications relating to the new developments at AWE Aldermaston, until such time as there has been an open and transparent public and parliamentary debate;

You could also add:

* *Legal*: Philippe Sands’ recent legal opinion suggests that the development of a successor to Trident would violate the UK’s commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – at the same time as the UK are condemning other countries for their alleged violations of the same treaty;
* *Financial*: the financial argument is won; according to a July 2006 ICM poll, 59% of the British public opposes a replacement of Trident when presented with the estimated cost of at least £25 billion; given the consistent overspend in any Defence Procurement projects, the true costs would be even less likely to receive support;
* * Climate*: experts have estimated that if the money spent on Trident replacement was spent on addressing climate change, it would significantly reduce the threat to the environment;
* * Military*: Trident is completely inappropriate to today’s strategic environment and potential threats to the security of the UK and the world; the money could be spent on addressing real security needs.

Send letters to
* 10 Downing Street, London SW1 2AA
* or email via http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/page821.asp

We will send out a new alert as soon as we have seen the White Paper. It seems that there will be a vote on the White Paper within three months. All Labour MPs will be thoroughly whipped to make sure they toe the party line.
In the next alert we will ask you to write to your MP, and ask her/him – if you had a free vote, how would you vote?