Faslane 365 - sustained pressure at the nuclear chain's weakest link

Rebecca Johnson

Faslane 365 is a grass -roots campaign to mobilise public opinionand action to oppose T rident and prevent any commitmentto further nuclear weapons.
The strategy is to influencethe future decision by raising the political and financial costsof deploying the current T rident system. As we did with cruisemissiles in the 1980s, Faslane 365 plans to combine persistent,nonviolent opposition at the site of deployment with creativeactions, political pressure and wide networking.
It is no accident that Faslane365 will be kicked off on 1 October by a women' s blockadelinking with the persistence, determination and--ultimately--success of the Greenham women's peace camp, whichstarted 25 years ago. This is no time for nostalgia,however. We have to finish the job and make Britain take itslegal obligations seriously and disarm instead of wasting ourresources on a new generation of nuclear weapons.If Britain can be made to see sense, France will find it muchharder to renew its submarines when it faces a similar decision ina few years' time. But if these small islands off the W est Coastof Europe decide that we need a new generation of nuclearweapons to take us into the sec ond half of the century , then wewill signal to the rest of the world that we think nuclear weapons areindispensable--at least for "deterrence", however slippery andunverifiable, and a seat at the top table. If the UK advertises thisview of nuclear indispensability to the world, then small wonderthat further countries, starting with North Korea and Iran,should seek the same. Make no mistake. We are at a nuclearcrossroads even more significant than the 1980s --and look atwhat civil society achieved then!

Statements of intent

Though we don' t underestimate the challenges we face in mobil -ising such numbers, especially in view of the scepticismexpressed by some sections of the peace movement, this initia -tive could help us get out of the nuclear arms race for good.Britain faces a pivotal decision: to accelerate nuclear prolifera -tion for the rest of this century by spending upwards of #25 bil -lion on a follow-on to T rident; or to pursue nuclear disarma -ment, in accordance with our obligations under the NuclearNon-Proliferation Treaty. With public opposition to theIraq war still high, T ony Blair and Gordon Brown have tried topre-empt debate and responsible consideration of the nucleardecisions. They have already committed taxpayers' money tofund upgraded facilities at Aldermaston, including a newlaser and supercomputer.
First Blair and then Brownhave subsequently chosen to declare their own personal pref -erences for carrying on nuclear business as usual. These prema -ture statements of intent are now provoking a wider debate on therationality of replacing T rident, with even some conservativevoices underscoring the expen sive uselessness of weapons thatincrease nuclear dangers while failing to address the major secu -rity challenges identified by the European Union and UnitedNations, not to mention the MoD's overstretch in Iraq andAfghanistan.

Stretching the movement?

Concerted, persistent direct action is necessary to turn these debates into action. Britain' sdecision is part of a push by the nuclear addicts to revaluenuclear weapons and find new , more "usable" roles for them inmilitary doctrines, bringing the threat of nuclear use and warever closer.
    Faslane 365 builds on years ofgreat anti-Faslane campaigning, notably by T rident Ploughshares,the peace camp and Scottish CND, but responds to the needto go further . Inspiring people from all walks of life to impedethe operations of the submarine base and highlight the politicalchoices will intensify the politi cal pressure on both the Scottishand UK parliaments.
    Imagine the impact of hun -dreds of different groups taking action at the gates of Faslane overa two-day period each, making links and calling for a redirectionof resources from the weapons of war to deal with our real securitychallenges, such as climate change, environmental degrada -tion, and poverty , injustice and inequality around the world. Some campaigners worry that Faslane 365 will stretch themovement and detract from other essential campaigns. Expe -rience suggests the opposite: the energy generated by inspiringand successful actions always helps to reinforce other areas ofpeace and justice campaigning, If we can work together on Faslane365 and make it a success, it will revitalise all our work, whether atAldermaston or defending the health service. Maybe we won' tmanage to cover a whole year , but it is vitally important thatwe try. Campaigners that come to Faslane are likely to get moreinvolved in other related actions, such as the AldermastonWomen's Peace Camp(aign) and Block the Builders. The weakest linkTo break a chain, it is necessary to apply maximum pressure atthe weakest link. Britain' s deci sion on whether to get anothernuclear weapon system to give us nuclear "status" beyond 2025 is the weakest link in the world -wide nuclear chain. If we can get one nuclear weapon state to startthe process towards real disar mament, it will have far -reach-ing impact.
    Scotland's role as the site forberthing the submarines weak ens the chain even further . Timeand again, Scottish and W elsh people and politicians haveproved much less supportive of Britain's nuclear weapons andimperial aspirations than the English. As things currentlystand, the Scottish Parliament will not be consulted aboutwhether a new generation of nuclear weapons will bedeployed on the Gare Loch close to Glasgow, but they will beexpected to find the money to support the Faslane base in allsorts of ways. Though the base provides some jobs, they are lim -ited, as attested by the depressed state of towns nearby . Because ofthe base's activities and need for security, the area cannot be sig -nificantly developed for other purposes, and a number of Scot -tish MSPs believe this beautiful area could be revitalised if thebase were closed and the local authorities were free to developother options including leisure and water sports.A big, sustained push at Faslane over the next year willundermine the feasibility of a submarine-based follow-on toTrident. The MoD doesn' t like any of the other options. W ould-n't it be better for the peace and justice communities to worktogether on this and cause divi sions among the government,rather than the other way around?
    Join one of the blocks andparticipate--or better still, organise your own block!

Rebecca Johnson is a member of the F365 Steering Group.
Faslane 365, Valley Farmhouse, East Runton, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9PN (01263 512049; info@faslane365.org; http://www.faslane365.org).
The next issue of PN will carry a "contra" piece.