[Education For Tomorrow: No 100, 2009]War and peace our overriding concern'Every gun, every warship, every tank, and every military aircraft built is, in the final analysis, a theft from those who are hungry and are not fed, from those who are naked and are not clothed. Some day the demand for disarmament by hundreds of millions will, I hope, become so universal and so insistent that no man, no nation, can withstand it.'Dwight D Eisenhower, US President, 1952 — 60 'The central and most burning question of our day is the problem of war and peace. And until the problem be solved . . . this will continue to be so . . . overriding in urgency and importance every other concern . . . of all human society.' Editor, Education Today and Tomorrow (ET&T) 34.1 Autumn 1981 Why do we have articles about peace and disarmament in an educational journal? The question was put to the EfT Editorial Board recently. The answer is provided in the above quotations. Remembering Ian Gunn Ian Gunn (EfT's first editor and prior to that editor of ET&T for over 30 years) was always a keen participant in the peace movement, recognising the key importance of the worldwide movement for disarmament and peaceful co-operation between nations. Innumerable articles in ET&T assisted in building support from within the NUT for union recognition that children's lives and education demanded peace and disarmament. In the 50s and 60s speakers at Annual Conference were more than likely to be ruled out of order if they made any connection between education and peace and disarmament. Ian was closely involved over many years in formulating resolutions at all levels in the union which eventually put peace and disarmament alongside salaries at the top of conference agendas. It was Ian who encouraged me to write on peace and disarmament for EfT. Focusing on peace The importance of giving these vital issues daily attention is a political requirement that we are still a long way from making a reality. To actively mobilise public opinion against the continuing slaughter of British soldiers and civilian population in Afghanistan, to apply pressure for the release of the Palestinians from the murderous oppression by Israel and to demand of MPs changes in government policies — including ending support for UK arms manufacture and subsidies for the arms traders — are just three urgent peace and disarmament issues. New impetus The current economic situation should give new impetus to the demand to cancel the £78 billion Trident replacement programme alongside the ending of plans for new nuclear and conventional weapons. The transfer of these resources to housing, social services, education and health should be part of the way out of the crisis. EfT and the peace movement Looking back over past issues of EfT we should be proud of the coverage given to detailed commentary on the agenda of the peace movement. The titles alone, many still fit for the present situation, are most instructive: Time for Britain to give a better lead Disarmament proposals for the 21st century NUCLEAR FREE WORLD or nuclear free for all? EARTH: a more dangerous place than ever The unfinished disarmament agenda and the General Election In the post-USSR world WHO is now the bulwark for peace? Nuclear weapons Of all the issues covered none is more urgent than that of nuclear proliferation. The world now has a stockpile of 27,000 nuclear weapons; 25,000 in US and Russian armouries and the rest in China, Britain, France, Israel, Pakistan, India and North Korea. The US and Britain are planning to modernise their weapons. There is now a grave risk of terrorist groups acquiring nuclear weapons. This has become a key factor in getting nations to give them up. There are now 429 civil nuclear reactors in 31 countries with no safe disposal route for nuclear waste which is a major health hazard. The nuclear power states have no moral right to deny other states the right to acquire nuclear weapons. Failure to implement Clause 6 of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty has resulted in nations like Pakistan, India and Israel becoming nuclear weapon states. This clause places the responsibility of moving towards planned nuclear disarmament upon Britain, France, US, China and Russia. The danger from nuclear weapons is now greater than during the Cold War period. With Pakistan destabilised by the war in Afghanistan, and the weapon and missile tests by North Korea being met by threats of sanctions by the western powers, the situation calls for urgent action by the peace movement to work for the success of the 2010 Nuclear Proliferation Review Conference. Gordon Brown and Barack Obama have stated they are committed to advancing nuclear disarmament. This is welcome as far as it goes. The acid test is provided by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation which has launched an appeal calling for the President of the United States to: * de-alert all nuclear weapons * commit to no first use * ban nuclear testing for ever * control nuclear materials world wide * uphold nuclear weapon conventions and * reallocate these resources for peace. Will Brown and Obama sign up to this as a first step towards nuclear disarmament? We will continue to comment on what is required of the peace movement and work for its growth and success. The WDC/ActUN Conference Beyond Obama — Priorities towards Nuclear Abolition will examine key issues in relation to nuclear disarmament and global security in the run up to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York in 2010. It takes place on July 20 at the House of Lords (Room 4A) 2 — 4.30pm and 6 — 8pm. Tony Farsky |