Bromley & Beckenham CND Newsletter 2017 p2

Notice from Secretary 
Grateful thanks to those of you who are officers, attend meetings, campaign, give donations and pay their subs.  As usual the newsletter has been reduced to one per year mainly recording our campaigning.  Subs are now due raised to £5 -please send them to Tahrir Swift.[see the last page of this newsletter].   

CND still very much needs support especially with the continued conflicts and civil wars. Our military interventions in Iraq and Syria has made the human rights situation a great deal worse, brought about divisions and more conflicts. It is said that between Iraq, Syria and Yemen there are 24 million children 'threatened by conflict' (UNICEF). There are also concerns regarding the UK's plans for Trident renewal, the use of drones and the dangers from nuclear power pollution from the Fukushima fall out. 

It would be really supportive if local Bromley and Beckenham members could also join National CND, if they don't already belong.

It would be very helpful for our group if you become a CND Company Member for the one time charge of £1

Please also visit our Facebook page

Secretary's Annual Report

   Acknowledgement : Grateful thanks to those who supported the No Trident Renewal lobby and demo, Chilcot Enquiry Report demo, Close Guantanamo demos. The Walk Backwards for Climate Change march and rally, Fukushima rally, march and regular vigils outside the Japanese Embassy and TEPCO office, Conscientious Objector's Day ceremony on May 15th, also for help at last year's Chernobyl Day and Bromley August Bank Holiday Monday stalls. Grateful thanks as always to Wendy and Brian Phillips and their son Bryan for photocopying our newsletter each year. Our press officer Tahrir Swift has covered all our events meticulously, and the local papers have given us very good publicity as a result. She has also taken over as treasurer. Many thanks indeed to David Conway who has retired from the latter after many years. 

    Hiroshima/Nagasaki Events 2016   Leaflets were distributed in Bromley, signatures collected on the petitions. Then we had a silent march through Bromley and walked to the lake in the Library Gardens where we scattered white chrysanthemums.   We read poems and made statements. As usual a very moving occasion, and the silent march was well respected by members of the public. A picnic was held in the Archbishop Tutu Peace Garden in Chinbrook Meadows, Grove Park on August 9th to mark Nagasaki Day. This was supported by Orpington Wilpf and Lewisham and Greenwich CND. We sent our poems and photos to Archbishop Tutu who read and saw them while he was in hospital.   

     National CND AGM 2016    National officers were elected : including  Kate Hudson as General Secretary,Dave Webb as chair and Linda Hugl as treasurer. 

     White Poppy Ceremony 2016    It was heartening to have the attendance of about 20 people - with support from Forest Hill and Sydenham and Lewisham and Greenwich  CND groups. The wreath made by Ruth Fabricant was again bio-degradable  - Ruth also sang peace songs. Poems were read by Patricia McKinnon and Ann Garrett. Speakers included Richard Hart and Geraldine Cowan. 

    

    London Region AGM  January 14th/ 2017   The following officers were elected - Carol Turner [ Chair], Tim Wardle [Sec] and Phil Sedler [Treasurer].   

    Campaigning Activities    We have leafleted in Bromley, Beckenham and Penge, collecting signatures on the Preventing Trident Replacement petition  and outside Bromley South Station against Nuclear Trains. We supported Lewisham and Greenwich CND's  Aug 6th Hiroshima event on Hilly Fields where the Blackheath folk club members sang and the Bromley Peace Poets read. Our banner has also been present at the London anti austerity actions. We marked the anniversary of Chernobyl on April 26th and also the 6th anniversary of Fukushima with a stall in Bromley Market Square. The public response was encouraging and we collected donations for the Chernobyl Children's Project.     

     Nuclear Power/Waste Update    NTAG [ the nuclear trains action group ] and Kick Nuclear have been focusing on campaigning at Brixton, Wembley and Willesden, and also supported us at Bromley South station where the trains still travel through from Dungeness on their way to Sellafield.  We did actions at Bromley South on Nov 5th/16 and May 6th/17. NTAG/Kick Nuclear/ Japanese Against Nuclear reported that the US nuclear business Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy on March 29th/17. This is seen as a big blow to new atomic power globally. Lis Fields of Kick Nuclear organised an exhibition at the Conway Hall  of photos and statements from Fukushima last Autumn called ' 20 Millisiverts'. The film 'Nuclear Japan' was also shown with an introductory talk by Dr Ian Fairlie. Shigeo Kobayashi helped organise the visit of two 'Hibakusha ' Hiroshima survivors, who gave powerful testimonies at Euston Friends Meeting House on March 27th.

    Peace Plays    We joined with Forest Hill and Sydenham and Lewisham and Greenwich CND members to see ' Voices from  Chernobyl' on May 9th/17 at the Brockley Jack Theatre - a powerful verbatim/physical theater production Tenere Arte company. We also saw ' Devils on Horseback ' about the tribunals of conscientious objectors in Deptford Town Hall [ now part of Goldsmiths College ]. The play was performed in the old council chamber where the tribunals took place. 

    International Peace Day Event -2016   This was held again on Sept 21st at Bromley Parish Church Rooms and was organised by Bromley Peace Council. Shigeo Kobayashi spoke about the Fukushima campaign  Music was provided by Simon Kobayashi  Roisin Robertson updated on Greenpeace save the rain-forests campaign Stalls from local groups were present and Richard Hart chaired the evening. Bromley Peace Council is supported by people who aren't all members of CND, so it still functions as an umbrella group for different organisations. 

Meetings continue to be held at The Therapy Centre, 96 Martins Rd, Shortlands - thanks to Paula Lloyd. [ July 16th and October 22nd/2017 at 3.00 pm ]. Sept 21st/2017 Peace Day will again be at Bromley Parish Church Rooms, Church Rd, Bromley.

Condolences

We are very sad to have lost Peter Mullervy in 2016 and Guy Yeates and Theresa Matthews early this year. They were all dedicated campaigners in their time and we will miss them tremendously. Our deep sympathy goes to their families and friends.

Comment

The decision by Parliament last July to renew Trident was extremely disappointing, as was the quality of the debate. We lobbied Bob Neill, Bromley and Chislehurst MP, who gave us half an hour of his time to discuss the issue. He appeared sympathetic to unilateral disarmament but was vague about weapons ban and reduction.

Meanwhile negotiations have begun on an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons. The UN gave the go-ahead for the talks after a resolution was adopted in October 2016 supported by 123 member states. It is appalling that the UK is not supporting the process and actually voted against the negotiations taking place.

Our support will be needed at the Stop the Arms Fair demonstrations in September. We will be there at the Excel Centre on Sept 7th ' Solidarity with Borders' day and the Arts Day on Sept 9th.