16.03.1995

War in the peace movement

THIS WEEKEND’S Trade Union Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament AGM promises to be a stormy affair with the leadership, centred around Jimmy Barnes, calling for an agnostic civil nuclear policy and a rival peace movement outside of CND. Anti-nuclear supporters of the campaign are of course outraged.

Behind the storm is the fact that the GMB pulled out of CND last year, largely because of the generally anti-nuclear position, but particularly over efforts to block the development of Thorp. GMB’s affiliation fees were of course very handy, as is the prospect of winning even more pro-nuclear unions to some rival non-anti-nuclear peace campaign.

With CND policy firmly in the anti-nuclear camp (a resolution to that effect was unanimously passed at this year’s conference) and the TUC unable to get enough support to weaken the anti-nuclear policy, a pro-nuclear Trojan horse is just what the GMB and Mr Barnes are looking for.

If it proves impossible to take TU-CND off on the irradiation tangent, there are those who would like to set up a moderate pro-nuclear Labour movement ‘peace’ body. The picture would then be complete. A trade union movement which doesn’t believe in striking, a ‘socialist party’ which doesn’t believe in socialism and an anti-nuclear movement which is sweet on British Nuclear Fuels.

Whatever one thinks of CND, efforts to appease rightwing pro-nuclear bodies by effectively destroying the trade union presence within it ought to be fought tooth and nail.

With comrade Scargill and my good self-representing the NUM’s position the air could get rather hot.

Dave Douglass