Call to action on military spending
Northern Friends Peace Board signs up to a Call to Action on military spending
The Northern Friends Peace Board has signed up to a Call to Action on military spending. It follows the announcement that the government ‘has revealed how it intends to spend £160bn over the next decade on new weapons systems, including a fleet of Trident nuclear missile submarines, two large aircraft carriers, helicopters, armoured vehicles and unmanned drones’.
The Call is part of the build-up to a global day of action on military spending on 15 April.
The text of the Call to Action, which is supported by a wide range of peace and justice groups and by many Quakers throughout Britain, says: ‘In the latest figures, world military expenditure reached an all-time high of £1,082 billion. The UK ranked fourth, spending £39 billion. The government protects the military budget, while subjecting vital public services to drastic spending cuts.’
The Call argues that Britain has lived for too long with the myth that high military spending maintains peace, creates jobs and combats terrorism. This myth, it asserts, is promoted by governments and by multinational arms companies who benefit from the global arms trade politically and economically.
The Call says that this ‘prevents the money being spent on tackling real challenges such as relieving poverty, improving health and protecting the environment.’
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