Against £205 billion being spent on replacing Trident in the wake of education cuts #BooksNOTBombs
This house notes that:
1. The British government intends to replace Trident, its current nuclear weapons system.
2. The cost of replacing Trident will be at least £205 billion over its 30 year lifespan.
3. The economic crisis has prompted massive cuts to public spending, with tuition fees lifted to £9000 and £200 million being slashed from the NHS budget in 2016 alone. Meanwhile, foodbanks provided 1.18 million emergency food supplies to people in crisis from 2015-2016. Government austerity measures aimed at students could be holding back an entire generation.
4. Nuclear weapons are militarily irrelevant in the face of the threats we face today – terrorism, cyber-attacks, climate change and pandemics.
5. A single Trident warhead releases 100 kilotons of energy when exploded; making it eight times more powerful than the bomb that killed at least 100,000 at Hiroshima.
6. The UK is a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT); replacing the Trident system would be in direct contravention of the obligations established under it.
7. The United Nations’ Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, supported by 122 countries, prohibits the production, possession, testing and use of nuclear weapons was adopted in July 2017. The UK government has refused to sign the treaty.
This house believes that:
1. At a time of widespread economic hardship, government spending should not prioritise a weapon of mass destruction that we cannot afford.
2. The money intended to be spent on Trident could be put to better use, for safeguarding our NHS, reducing tuition fees, or funding the construction of new, affordable homes.
3. The next generation of students should not be held back or be reluctant to start Higher Education due to financial reasons, when the government are spending £205 billion on Trident replacement which could be instead used to support the next generation of scientists, writers, engineers and doctors.
4. The use of nuclear weapons in any circumstance would be fundamentally wrong, since their only capability is indiscriminate killing of a civilian population and instilling terror.
5. The UK should fulfil its obligations as a signatory to the NPT.
6. The UK should set an example to other nuclear states by signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and publishing a plan for nuclear disarmament.
This house resolves to:
1. Maintain an active stance against nuclear weapons and the replacement of Trident.
2. Support students taking action against nuclear weapons.
3. Publish a statement expressing this.