Activist are cycling from London to Burghfield to protest the UK’s , as part of protests around the Global Day of Action on Military Spending. Here, activist Nikki Ray explains why she’s joining the Wheel Stop Trident cycle.
A few weeks ago I was invited to join Wheel Stop Trident, a group of young people cycling to raise awareness about the amount of money the UK spends on nuclear weapons that we don’t need and how re-prioritising this money would improve vital public services that have been cut by the government.
I decided to cycle because I believe that maintaining nuclear weapons will not make the UK safer, instead what needs to happen is for nuclear weapons to be banned worldwide to achieve real security.
The UK government is planning to spend £100 billion on new nuclear weapons, at a time when so many vital public services are experiencing massive cuts. We think this is completely wrong – so we are cycling from London to Burghfield, near Reading, where the government produces and maintains its totally useless and immoral ‘Trident’ nuclear weapons. We want to raise awareness about this outrageous prioritization of public money and highlight how resources could be better spent.
On our journey we will be stopping off to challenge some of the few companies who profit from the nuclear weapons, and to show solidarity with some of the many who are really suffering because of the unnecessary government cuts.
If the government chooses to buy a new generation of nuclear weapons next year, it will cost £100 billion. This could instead be spent on the common good – on the NHS, schools, and renewable energy. This would help to create genuine, sustainable security, which tackles the roots of the most pressing threats to our society, like climate change.
By physically linking the nuclear profiteers and some of the many badly affected by the cuts (as well as some of the people who are resisting this austerity), travelling by bicycle, we are showing the society we want to live in: a healthier one, with well-resourced free education for all, powered by renewable energy. Getting rid of the UK’s nuclear weapons would be a massive step towards this better future.
You can follow their journey online @braketrident. If you’d like to take action as part of the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, you can read more on the GCOMS website or email outreach(at)caat*org*uk for help organising your action.
