Ritchie says No to Trident
March 12, 2010 9:00 AM
East Lothian Lib Dem PPC Stuart Ritchie
East Lothian Lib Dem PPC Stuart Ritchie has responded to queries from local residents regarding his attitude to Trident.
Stuart says, "My answer is simple - No to Trident, No to son of Trident and No to any so called Independent Nuclear Deterrent. I am opposed to the UK having any nuclear weapons. For me it is simply wrong.
"We are told Trident is needed as a deterrent, although no-one can identify who we are trying to deter. In the past, during the Cold War there was an obvious threat, now there is not. Whatever the arguments about deterrents, the Cold War days of two nuclear power blocks facing off against each other are in the past. There is no such threat today. Having Trident has not deterred other countries from developing their own nuclear weapons.
The UK, and the USA have both, of course, been attacked despite having nuclear weapons; both have been attacked by terrorists. Trident could not be used against those terrorists, as they were not based in one country, one city or one place. One retired General summarised Trident as: "useless, expensive and dangerous".
You may be aware that The Scottish Parliament passed a Liberal Democrat motion to reject the government's plans to replace the Trident nuclear weapon system in 2007. The parliament later passed a further Lib Dem motion calling on the government not to go ahead with the proposals to renew the Trident system."
So to answer your questions directly: If elected, would I vote for or against the replacement of Trident?
"I would vote against any replacement for Trident".
If elected, would I back UK support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, banning all nuclear weapons internationally?
"If elected i would work to rid the world of nuclear weapons."
Stuart continued, "I understand why many people are disillusioned with politics and feel that politicians are far removed from reality. I feel the same which is why I am standing to try and change that. Big decisions will be taken by the next government, especially on issues like Trident. I hope that people do vote in the forthcoming election and keep pressuring politicians to reject the placement for Trident.
What would you like to do next?
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