Letter opposing government renewal of Trident
Nov 2006	Letter
	Dear Sir/ Madam, Re. Opposing Trident Weapons System Replacement I wish to bring to your attention the fact that my family and I are passionately against the renewal of the Trident Nuclear Weapons System. I disagree that the answer is to encourage other countries (Iran, for example) to halt the development of nuclear arms lies in setting the "big bully" example. I believe that many more people feel the way I do, but are not necessarily able to make their views known. Some of these include our own children... I expect their classmates too will have an opinion on the matter. If the government goes ahead with updating the Trident Nuclear Missile system without consulting the people who will be living as adults in the next ten years and more, I believe that public confidence will be very low with regards to the government. I also feel, living in this time of manufactured war, that it would mark the beginning of a slippery slope to our social annihilation. We, the public, need to be able to feel that the powerful bodies of this country are not running away like madmen and women with their power. The production of nuclear technology creates potential disasters in itself, and the wastes produced - what of those?! Cannot we find that human (Homo sapiens sapiens) evolution results in a more holistic approach to maintaining peace? (Homo sapiens sapiens = wise, wise man). The proposed consultation which the government is promising to have regarding whether or not this is the correct route should include a survey of public opinion - a referendum - including the children whose futures these decisions will affect! In the playground children are best taught to be kind, respectful and objective, and not by bullying. Instead, an example which highlights the correct path to take is essential to ensure long term considerate behaviour. This is my analogy. But why listen to me? I'm only a parent. I'm just one little person who feels that the world is going to the microbes (cause that's all that will be able to survive in a radiation wasteland). But I am one of the people who you're supposed to be representing! Please consider what I have said. My opinion is of value. I have learned that everyone's is. That is why we should all have a say in this. All that has been said above goes for other potential nuclear investments. My family, the children especially, are horrified to learn that THEIR government is planning to condone unspeakable future ruination of their planet by means of more nuclear power plants. This decision is not a sustainable one, ie one that the planet will sustain, whatever the government decision.... Allow yourselves some credibility in our eyes! The duty to protect means precisely the protection from all the possible ravages of such a nuclear future. Give us something to look up to. Yours faithfully,