‘Morally obscene’ nuclear weapons must be outlawed
The world must commit to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, says Scottish Green Co-leader Patrick Harvie, who has urged the UK Prime Minister to invest in tackling poverty and the climate crisis rather than weapons of mass killing.
The call from Mr Harvie comes on Hiroshima Day, which marks the 79th anniversary of the first atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are estimated to have killed over 100,000 people.
Mr Harvie said: “The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were among the most appalling and inhumane atrocities ever committed. There can never be any justification for such indiscriminate mass killing or the long and brutal legacy that they left behind.
“If we are to ensure that we never see that kind of devastation again then we urgently need to eliminate nuclear stockpiles.
“Yet, it is almost 80 years later and there are far more nuclear warheads in the world than there were then, and the ones we have today, including here in Scotland, are even more powerful. It is a moral obscenity.
“Historically, Labour and Tory governments have been equally committed to pouring huge sums of money into these grotesque Cold War relics
“Labour says they cannot afford to scrap the cruel child benefit cap or keep the Winter Fuel Allowance for millions of pensioners, but they have a bottomless money pit for nuclear weapons.
“The eye-watering sums that are being poured into Trident would be far better spent lifting children and families out of poverty and tackling the climate crisis, which is the greatest security threat we face.
“But even if Trident had no cost implications, it would still be totally immoral to keep it. The best thing that this generation of politicians can do to honour the memory of those that were killed and protect the lives of future generations is to ensure that we finally abolish nuclear weapons for good.
“I truly hope that we soon see the day when Scotland can disarm our waters and join the many other nations around the world who have already signed the nuclear weapon ban."