Natalie Don MSP had the honour of speaking at Renfrewshire Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)’s commemoration in Barshaw Park’s Peace Garden this evening to mark the anniversary of the first atomic bombs being dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
The MSP for Renfrewshire North and West joined around 30 people – including cross party elected representatives – enduring thunderstorms and torrential rain to reflect on the value of peace and the importance of working to ensure no one again suffers indiscriminate death from weapons of mass destruction.
Natalie Don MSP said: “The bombing of the two cities in Japan took nearly 350,000 lives as a result of the blasts and radiation in the years that followed. The survivors’ testimonies are harrowing – the white smoke, the mushroom cloud, the loss and devastation of general life.
“It is disgusting that we still hold weapons that could do this kind of damage and are, in fact even stronger, as the warheads at Faslane are more powerful than those used by the US in 1945.
“The thought of the devastation that these warheads would bring to so many people, families and our natural habitat is unthinkable. Who could wish this on any country? How many innocent people would die?
“These warheads are nothing more than a way for the UK Government to flex its muscles on the international scene. If the last 18 months has taught us anything, it’s that the threats our society faces are very different to those in 1945.
“CND estimate the cost for the next generation of nuclear weapons to UK taxpayers could be £205billion, which would be a shameful waste of money when we’ve got food banks just down the road from Faslane. Nuclear missiles don’t feed starving families!
“A worldwide pandemic, cyber-attacks and terrorism are the threats we now face so our money would be better used to increase spending in our health service, improving cyber security and on anti-terrorism measures.
“The SNP Government is firmly opposed to the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons and committed to pursuing the safe and complete withdrawal of all nukes from Scotland.
“Scottish independence, in my view, is the only viable way in the near future that we could say ‘Goodbye’ to nuclear weapons because successive UK governments haven’t been listening to the people of Scotland.
“I thank everyone for attending Renfrewshire CND’s commemoration in the pouring rain, thunder and lightning because events like this are so important for raising awareness and keeping the conversations are nuclear disarmament going.”
180 nuclear bombs, each of which are seven times more destructive as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, are stored at Faslane just over 20 miles from Renfrewshire and, despite the UK signing the United Nation’s nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Boris Johnson announced in March 2021 that he is planning on increasing the number of nuclear warheads to 260.
For information about Renfrewshire CND, email Duncan Macintosh (Secretary) at duncanmac2609@gmail.com