Yesterday, outside the Senedd in Cardiff over 150 people came to demonstrate their unease at having Trident nuclear missiles based in Wales.
Three huge dragons played on the steps of the Assembly building, before dismantling a Trident submarine. There was music, street theatre and the singing of choirs. Speakers from five political parties came to voice their deep misgivings regarding the statement from First Minister, Carwyn Jones, that Wales would house Trident if an independent Scotland threw them out.
Said Pippa Bartolotti, Leader of the Green Party in Wales: “Wales is a peaceful country. Weapons of Mass Destruction based in Milford Haven would make Wales a prime target in the event of a nuclear strike. The only reason the UK government wants WMD is to pose as a great power. The vast majority of countries do not have them. We do not need them.
“Trident costs £2billion a year to run; The Trident replacement £100billion. At a time of enforced ideological cuts, diminishing wages and jobs becoming ever more scarce, the Green Party does not see this as good use of taxpayers money. The Cold War is over.
“The First Minister’s announcement has undermined confidence in the existing industries in Milford Haven. He has in effect given private sector jobs the thumbs down, just when we need them most.”
There were performances of excerpts from ‘The Trident Oratorio’ by Camilla Cancantata of Knighton, Powys and other music sung by Côr Gobaith (Aberystwyth) and Côr Cochion Caerdydd.
Messages were read out from the Archbishop of Wales, Dafydd Iwan and Bruce Kent. The event was organised by CND Cymru and Trident Ploughshares.
Each Vanguard class submarine would have 8 missiles and 58 warheads. Each warhead would have 8 times the potency of the Hiroshima bomb. Only 8 states, plus Israel, have nuclear weapons.
http://www.tridentploughshares.org/
Pippa Bartolotti is the Leader of the Wales Green Party