31 August 2006: for immediate release
On Saturday 2nd September, CND will hold a one-day conference on ‘Preventing Trident Replacement.’ The government has announced that it will make a decision on whether or not to replace Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, before the end of the year.
Speakers at the conference include Edward Pearce; General Sir Hugh Beach; Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading; Jon Trickett MP; Kelvin Hopkins MP; Jean Lambert MEP; Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary; Louise Richards, War on Want; Dr Stuart Parkinson, Scientists for Global Responsibility; Kate Hudson, CND Chair; Bruce Kent, CND Vice-President; Dr Elisabeth McElderry, Medact.
A recent ICM poll shows 59% of Britons oppose replacing Trident, and the conference will discuss ways to ensure the government follows the majority public opinion on this issue. Plenary sessions and strategy groups will take place to help guide the way forward in the movement against Trident replacement. The conference is free and is open to the public.
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said, “The ‘Preventing Trident Replacement’ conference comes at a strategically important time. It will allow us to fully develop our strategy in advance of the upcoming Labour Party Conference. With less than four months until the government says a decision on Trident Replacement will be announced, there is no time to waste.”
The conference takes place on Saturday 2nd September from 10:30 am – 5 pm at TUC Congress House. It is organised by CND and sponsored by South East Region TUC.
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Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Rick Wayman, CND’s Press & Communications Officer, on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859
2. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is one of Europe’s biggest single-issue peace campaigns, with over 32,000 members in the UK. CND campaigns for the abolition of all nuclear weapons everywhere. www.cnduk.org