MP urges public to get up in arms about Trident

By Alex Delaney

PEOPLE need to do a better job of lobbying MPs against the replacement of Trident nuclear missiles, according to an Islington MP.

In a public meeting last weekend, Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, said that the debate in Parliament on March 14 would be crucial.

���We need to have support from the public, who need to realise that things are bit more subtle than just voting yes or no to the replacement of Trident,��� she said.

Ms Thornberry called on her constituents to write to her concerning Trident. ���I am immensely proud to be a Labour MP and I think we have done many good things," she said.

"But I have only received around 50 letters about Trident, which means it is hard for me to vote against its replacement on the 14 march.���

The government plans to replace the nuclear missiles based on submarines around the waters of Britain. The costs could rise to as much as ��15 billion, according to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

Sophie Bolt, vice-chair of CND, said: ���Our spending priorities should be for children and social good. These weapons should not have any part in a so-called civilised society.��� Bolt went on say that a recent ICM poll showed that opposition to Trident has reached 59% of the British public.

Mary Edwards from Friends of the Earth argued that the problem of proliferation of nuclear weapons would continue if parliament voted to allow the replacement of Trident.

���Nuclear power is not a God-given right," she said. "We must learn to do without nuclear missiles and nuclear energy if we are to stop Iran and countries like it.���