March 2021
Tuesday 9th March, 2021 at 7:30pm
Arms Exports and Remote Warfare Bill meeting.
SNP CND is hosting an online meeting with Alyn Smith MP, SNP Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, on Tuesday 9th March to discuss his Arms Exports and Remote Warfare Bill that is scheduled to have its second reading on Friday 12th March.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-arms-exports-and-remote-warfare-bill-tickets-143691323617
Monday 8th March, 2021
To mark International Womens’ Day on Monday 8th March, Jean gave a talk for IndyLive Radio: “The theme for International Women’s Day this year is ‘choose to challenge’. I’d like to celebrate the women who challenged the idea of nuclear weapons and won a Nobel Peace Prize.”
February 2021
Monday 8th February, 2021 at 7pm Attend the online conference: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-nuclear-weapons-ban-the-implications-for-scotland-tickets-137601845825
December 2020
The UN TREATY ON THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS (read it here, it’s very clear) comes into force on 22nd January 2021. Over 50 states have signed the Treaty and ratified it in their own parliaments. SNP CND is collaborating with Scottish CND, Nuclear Ban Scotland and other peace organisations, to publicise and celebrate the day. We are preparing a series of talks online to explain and and discuss the Treaty. See our Facebook and Twitter feeds for announcements of event coming soon. Scottish CND Annual General Meeting 21st of Nov 2020, 10 am The event will be held online and is open to members as well as non-members of Scottish CND although only members or affiliated organisations can vote. We will post more details of our special guests and links to join the meeting. If you are interested in attending feel free to let us know. Meanwhile please make note of the following important dates: ▪ 24 October 2020 – Nominations for Scottish CND Executive Committee & Deadline for AGM Resolutions ▪ 31 October 2020 – Deadline for Constitutional Changes ▪ 14 November 2020 – Deadline for resolution amendments All nominations, resolutions and amendments should be sent to secretary@banthebomb.org More details to come soon.October 2020
Proposed motion to SNP Conference in November 2020Title: Baseline timescale for removing nuclear weapons from Scotland
Conference notes the public endorsement of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, and support for the ratification of the Treaty by an independent Scotland.
Consequently, and in line with the provisions of the TPNW, Conference pledges that a Trident removal timescale of 3 years from a Yes vote on Scottish Independence will be included the SNP manifesto for the election to the first sovereign Scottish Parliament.
Explanatory Note How an independent Scotland deals with the nuclear weapons on its territory will define our international standing as a principled and visionary state or one which yields under pressure. Fortunately we now have an international legal framework within which to act. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons now only requires six more states to ratify it and it then becomes a formal UN international treaty; more states than that are in the pipeline. The Treaty has specific provisions for states which have the nuclear weapons of another state on its territory. On ratifying the Treaty such a state must present plans for the removal of these weapons as soon as possible and their removal will have international supervision. This motion gives a three year timetable for the removal of Trident. Trident is the missile system and the warheads. The removal of the submarine hulks must happen but it is the missiles and the warheads that are relevant to the Treaty. These can be removed well within this time-scale. There are over 200 nuclear bombs at Coulport and these and the missiles are regularly moved and transported for servicing: the warheads to Burghfield in the south of England and the missiles to the US. The technical details and practical time-scales can be referenced in the publication Disarming Trident by John Ainslie. So this resolution is both principled and entirely practical.September 2020
Events 27/8/20 Jean Anderson at SNP Glasgow Kelvin 9/9/20 Bill Ramsay at SNP Glasgow South West 16/9/20 Bill Ramsay at SNP Stirling 8/10/20 Bill Ramsay at SNP Livingston South 5/10/20 Bill Ramsay at Aberdeen CNDAugust 2020
SNP CND conference goes online. On 13th and 20th August we held online debates called ‘Guantanamo on the Clyde?”. The events were really interesting. Speakers were Isobel Lindsay, Scottish CND; Gail Lythgoe, International Law specialist; Martin Docherty-Hughes MP; and our Convener, Bill Ramsay. The panel were pleased by the good questions and we all thought the discussion was excellent. Listen to the recording of the talks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU7olaV5w38&feature=youtu.be These reading materials formed the basis of the discussion:- SNP CND: “Nuclear Guantanamo on the Clyde?: the Plans to keep Trident on the Clyde in an Independent Scotland”
- Scottish CND: “Disarming Trident”
- Trevor Royal, UK Defence Journal: “Leasing Faslane could generate a billion pounds a year”
- Crawford and Marsh: “Defending an Independent Scotland post-Brexit”
Baseline timescale for removing nuclear weapons from Scotland · Conference notes the public endorsement of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, and support for the ratification of the Treaty by an independent Scotland.
· Consequently, and in line with the provisions of the TPNW, Conference pledges that a Trident removal timescale of 3 years from a Yes vote on Scottish Independence will be included the SNP manifesto for the election to the first sovereign Scottish Parliament.
If any SNP Branches (or other groups) want an online meeting we can help set that up and provide an SNP CND speaker. Do get in touch with me if you want to discuss it: snpcndscecretary@gmail.com.July 2020
Our latest report: “Nuclear Guantanamo on the Clyde” is now available.June 2020
See SNP CND’s new YouTube channel. There are some insightful videos and lots of interesting interviews to come!May 2020
New report: Scotland’s Place in the World: An equitable and sustainable approach to the development of the foreign and defence policies of an independent Scotland
“… because of Scotland’s inherently stable geopolitical situation it will able to develop a progressive foreign policy based upon the paradigm of Human Security in which Scotland’s National Security concerns can be given their place, but within an overall Human Security context.”August 2019
Conference: A Roadmap for Trident Removal
28th September, Renfield St Stephens, Bath St, Glasgow. 10:00 – 16:30. Conference registration opens on 16th August. Buy tickets on Eventbrite. Confirmed speakers and discussion leaders: Bill Kidd MSP; Bill Ramsay, SNP CND; Dave Webb, CND UK; Isobel Lindsay, Scottish CND; Jean Anderson, SNP CND; Robin McAlpine, Commonweal; Ronnie Cowan MP. Conference themes:July 2019
Roadmap for Trident Removal discussion paper published
Read the full ROADMAP FOR TRIDENT REMOVAL article.
Key points:
- The key technical steps as described in the Disarming Trident report by Scottish CND
- The looming redundancy of submarines as a platform for nuclear weapons
- The transformation of the international mood with the adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- How it fits neatly into current SNP policy for Scotland’s future defence forces
- The need for an agreement with the remaining UK to safely dismantle the hulks at Rosyth and Devenport
- The credible nature of a distinctive Scottish, as opposed to British, defence diversification strategy
- Addressing for the first time the issue of the seven nuclear powered, but conventional tasked Astute Class hunter killer subs based at Faslane
- Looking at the prospect of NATO membership as a negotiating tool to rid Scotland of nuclear weapons, rather the binary in/out perspective
April 2019
ROADMAP TO NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT ADOPTED AS SNP POLICY
The resolution as passed:- Conference welcomes the continued support for nuclear disarmament and, with the impending inevitability of independence, we need to set out a clear timetable for removal of nuclear weapons from Scottish soil and waters.
- Conference believes that we need a practical description of the process and timescale to safely remove nuclear weapons at the very earliest opportunity on Scotland regaining our independence.
- Conference therefore agrees that we should develop a credible road map that has at its end point the removal of the Royal Navy’s nuclear armed and nuclear powered submarine fleets from Scottish soil and the repurposing of related support bases on Scottish soil.
- Conference calls on the Scottish Government to work with the STUC to undertake a diversification study that will set out the positive contribution the skilled workers of Faslane and Coulport can make to the Scottish Defence sector free of nuclear weapons.
February 2019
A ROADMAP FOR TRIDENT REMOVAL
Our resolution is number 2 in the draft agenda for the SNP Conference, April 2019. Supported by SNP Kelvin and SNP Maryhill and Springburn. The proposed resolutionDecember 2018
A ROADMAP FOR TRIDENT REMOVAL
A proposal by SNPCND Draft Resolution for SNP Conference April 2019 Conference recognises the need for a Trident Removal Roadmap in:- developing the case for the reemergence of an independent Scottish state
- developing the case for nuclear disarmament both domestically and internationally
- developing a framework by which an independent Scottish state could fulfil its obligations when Scotland becomes a signatory to the 2017 Treaty On The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- developing SNP Defence and Foreign Policy.
4th November 2018
SNPCND AGM and Conference
The Lesser Hall, Albert Halls, Stirling 10:00 – 11:00 AGM for SNP and CND members. AGM 2018 agenda SNP CND Treasurer’s Report 4th November 2018 CONSTITUTION SNPCND Nominations for the Executive Committee are as follows: Convener – Bill Ramsay Treasurer – Ron Dickinson Secretary – Jean Anderson Committee members – Brian Quail, Drew Kyle 11:00 – 16:30 Conference Ticket sales on Eventbrite, “Scotland After Trident: A Defence and Security Strategy for an Independent Scotland” This one day conference will examine and debate the issues raised and the suggestions made in the Commonweal White Paper “A Defence and Security Strategy for an Independent Scotland”. You can read or download the paper from Commonspace. Programme Chairs: Isobel Lindsay and Jean Anderson Speakers Douglas Chapman MP, the SNP Defence Procurement Spokesperson. Garry MacDonald, analyst and the author of the Commonweal White paper. Robin McAlpine, Director of Commonweal. Lt. Col. Stuart Crawford, former army officer and Scottish military affairs commentator. Bill Ramsay, Convenor of SNPCND.____________________________________________
December 2017
ICAN receives 2017 Nobel Peace Prize
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was presented to ICAN at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on 10 December in recognition of our work “to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons” and our “ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”.
This means that if you are a member of Scottish CND then you are a Nobel Peace Prize winner! Scottish CND is a part of ICAN. The Prize has brought a lot of much needed media coverage and attention from members of the public and governments.October 2017
The Scottish National Party Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Annual General Meeting will take place in the Renfield St Stephens Centre, 260 Bath St., Glasgow G2 4JP, at 13:00, on the 29th October, 2017 The formal business of the AGM will be followed by a talk by the SNP Spokesperson for Defence in Westminster, Stewart McDonald MP for Glasgow South. There will then be a general debate on the role of the anti-nuclear movement in the next independence referendum. Nominations for the executive committee should be sent to snpcndsecretary@gmail.com by the 8th October 2017. Nominations should be seconded by another member of SNPCND. Resolutions and agenda items should be sent to snpcndsecretary@gmail.com by the 8th October 2017. The agenda, the minutes of the last AGM and a copy of our constitution will be sent to you soon.September 2017
“Two Men and a Bomb” conference and debate on the current nuclear arms situation between the USA and North Korea. 13:00, Sunday 10th September, 2017 in CCA Sauchiehall Street. Tickets from Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/two-men-and-a-bomb-tickets-37157020649#Treaty on the Prohibition of nuclear Weapons
“On 7 July 2017 – following a decade of advocacy by ICAN and its partners – an overwhelming majority of the world’s nations adopted a landmark global agreement to ban nuclear weapons, known officially as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. It will enter into legal force once 50 nations have signed and ratified it. At the time of writing (April 2018) 54 nations have signed and 7 have ratified the Treaty as part of their law.- The full text of the Treaty http://www.icanw.org/treaty-on-the-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/
- Status of signature/ratification http://www.icanw.org/status-of-the-treaty-on-the-prohibition-of-nuclear-weapons/
- Government position http://www.icanw.org/why-a-ban/positions/
- Photographs of the negotiations http://www.icanw.org/photos-of-the-negotiations/
The local elections are on 4th May, 2017.
Read the SNP Manifesto at https://snpforglasgow.scot/manifestoMarch 2017
A Japanese survivor of the atomic bombing and a second generation sufferer are visiting Scotland. Read their stories here.



SNP Conference, March 2017

October 2016
John Ainslie, 1954 – 2016, RIP
SNPCND 2016 Annual General Meeting
Saturday the 5th November, 10:30am to 1pm.
It will take place in the Albert Hall, Dumbarton Rd, Stirling. Doors open at 10am. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be supplied at the 11:30 break. For directions see: http://my.stirling.gov.uk/events/location/4 The formal business of reports and elections to the executive committee will be in the first hour. Resolutions and nominations for the committee should be sent to the Secretary, snpcndsecretary@gmail.com, by the 15th October. Nominations should be from two members and the person nominated should indicate their acceptance of the nomination. Nominations are now closed. The current executive officers have all been nominated and are elected unopposed as there are no other nominations for the posts. There has been no nomination for Vice Chair and nominations will be sought from the floor. There have been 10 nominations for 6 ordinary committee members so there will be elections at the AGM. Statements from members standing for election. The AGM papers are here. The Agenda may be updated so check back. Agenda. Minutes of 2015 AGM. Constitution.

Saturday 3rd September
Foreign Policy and Defence (a conference for SNP members)
On Saturday 3rd September SNPCND held a conference to discuss:- Scotland’s future relationship with other countries,
- what our foreign policies should be,
- what our defence strategies should be,
- what ‘independence in Europe’ means to us.