IMGpapers 1980–83

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1980–83

Fighting nuclear weapons - the lessons of Hillhead

· Socialist Challenge No. 240, 8 April 1982 · p. 6 of the scan · 477 words

The scan: sc-no240a.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

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page 6 of the scan

Led, and that they are con tributing something to the The Rolls-Royce shop stewards Glasgow, have given an excellent lead in this respect. They decided to circulate SCAT's petition round every single worker on the manual side - and ask for donation at the same aime. se resuit a massive shopsoor about Trident discussion and the nuclear weapons POLLS taken during last month's Hillhead by-election showed that nuclear weapons were a crucial issue for voters. especially true plans to site Trident II on the Clyde at Coulport.

The local umbrella peace organisation, the Glasgow West Disarmament Campaign, played an important part in this. It held a series of well attended film shows and public meetings; leafleted every house in the constituency twice; and appeared with propaganda at most of the candidates constantly on the streets up to polling Raising a single issue like this during an election campaign is not easy. legally impossible — as well as politically undesirable — for such campaigns to endorse a particular candidate. But we do wulli (o persuaae people lo make a choice based on the parties' lines on a particular issue. Unfortunately the campaign in Hillhead was not clear enough to do this.

The popularity of the central slogan, to get it!

The slogar polical how to end the arms race.

This Tories' The Wiseman, Trident. But will use our powers meetings and were have been able to It IS tion!

demonstration in Glasgow general election. 'Vote for Peace', could be seen in the number of badges, stickers, and window posters displayed in the area. But at the same time, it let the candidates off the hook. Even the Defence Secretary, John Nott, could and did argue that the Tories wanted peace — you just needed Trident failed to show that differences about nuclear weapons are about what to do here and One poll in the constituency showed 73 per cent against Trident - • including 44 per cent of Tory voters. Even Jenkins won votes by saying he was against it. Less publicised was his qualification that the Alliance would renew progress accor ding to the stage the project had reache when (sic) they assumed power.

Labour candidate, David was unambiguously Labour leader Michael Foot, speaking in the constituency immediately before the poll, avoided committing the party to unilateralism: 'We example and intelligence to see that Britain's influence is used against supporting this madness and to secure independent negotiations to bring this nuclear arms race to an end.' CND's campaign in Hillhead should nail such prevaricaThis could have been done by linking Trident to the whole unilateralist case. All candidates should have been called on to build - indeed head — the 10 April Such an approach will be essential if CND is to have a decisive influence in future polls — most critically in the next

← Trade unionists against TridentVote for a nuclear-fre →

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