Ten members of Trident Ploughshares met together in the Central Lobby at Westminster as Prime Minister’s Question Time was held on 16th May, 2018. Some of us managed to bring in then display t-shirts produced by Yorkshire CND with the clear message: UN Global Ban on Nuclear Weapons UK Sign Now. Other t-shirts were confiscated at security but they did not prevent us from entering.
Holding a banner that carried the names of all 58 signatories at that time, the group spread out in a circle, surrounded by about 15 police and security officers who only intervened when anyone attempted to photograph the action.
With clear conviction each person read out the name of one of the signatories and the chorus responded ‘Has signed the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty’. After each ten countries the shocking proclamation was made:
“You did not sign, shame on this government
Promised us all global disarmament
United in the Kingdom of nuclear terror
And yet there is time for changing this error
Rid yourself of all the powers malign
Give us a sign! Give us a sign!”
As well as handing out leaflets to those attracted by the action, we sang the simple message
“Sign the Treaty, Ratify, That’s the kind of Safety Money Can’t Buy” by Penny Stone,
A song by Jane Lewis celebrating the 7th July 2017, called “Never Again”, followed by the 1958 H bomb’s Thunder. One of the security guards commented that she usually ignores chanting, but hearing women’s voices sing she wants to pay attention to the words!
As we left the Central Lobby holding our banner and singing we were allowed to film. see here
While we then stood on the grand stairway down into Westminster Hall we performed the complete cycle of “Name and Shame” again and a school group from Harrow came with their teachers to discuss ‘democracy in action’ with us. They were a very multicultural group and some were able to say “Yes, my country has signed”. It was a discussion that would probably not have happened in another setting: preparing the policy makers of the future! They took leaflets enthusiastically and may well be writing up the experience in their classes already.
Outside the gates of parliament the Mad Hatters’ group were leafletting passers-by and encouraging them to sign the pledge postcards. On the verge opposite a group of disabled activists were campaigning against the inhuman assessments and reapplication for benefits that people with progressive, degenerative illnesses are being subjected to. How can our government continue with austerity measures while continuing to fund the illegal weapons of mass destruction?