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Harper calls for nuclear weapons road risk probe

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Published Date: 05 August 2007
By NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN
GREEN party leader Robin Harper has demanded an inquiry into roads being used to transport nuclear weapons.
The Lothians MSP has written to First Minister Alex Salmond claiming emergency planning exercises show that government agencies are ill-prepared for an accident.

Harper, whose party has a co-operation agreement with the SNP government, wants the review to cover the potential effects in areas affected by any serious road traffic accidents.

He also wants current safety planning by civilian organisations studied, as well as any suggested measures for coping with the effects of a major disaster.

Harper said: "Weapons of mass destruction are a danger to the Scottish people and the environment and risks are taken almost daily with the transport of deadly cargo up and down our roads.

"Although the political majority to block these transports is not yet readily available, at the very least the public should be aware of the dangers and the emergency planning system should be opened for clear inspection."

In a letter to Salmond, Harper claims nuclear weapons are regularly transported between military bases in Faslane and Burghfield in the south of England.



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  • Last Updated: 04 August 2007 6:01 PM
  • Source: Scotland On Sunday
  • Location: Scotland
  • Related Topics: Green Party , Nuclear defence
 
1

Colin B,

Bearsden 05/08/2007 00:14:25

A bit rich coming from Harper (and indeed Salmond) whose supporters and fellow protesters ( many imported form abroad )actions cause danger outside Faslane daily (and misery for local residents ) and live in a squalid peace camp - maybe the money saved on policing these left wing idiots could be spent on matters such as safety

2

Boaby Dazzler,

Glasgow Airport 05/08/2007 01:38:03

The danger to the public from these convoys is no longer merely from accidents but their frightening vulnerability to suicide truck bombers.

Get this useless expensive nonsense off our roads before the terrorists realise what an easy target they are missing.

3

Conan,

Here 05/08/2007 07:53:53

Stupid story - there is absolutely no possibility of any nuclear weapon going off 'by accident', or by truck bomb, Kamikaze attack, rust, lightning, termits, the gout, syphillis, or anything else.

These are the very safest devices ever made by man.

'Greens', on the other hand - now there's real danger.

4

Boy Wonder,

05/08/2007 08:01:11

Harper .... I mean come on. You got to laugh really! Who ever thought this wee faker would ever get a sniff of political power? Alex is just playing with him, isn't he?

5

Charles MN,

05/08/2007 12:34:37

For 60 years nuclear weapons have been transported around the world. Live armed weapons have been on aircraft that have crashed and ICBM's that have exploded. Yet they have never been a danger to any members of the public. To suggest that weapons being transported in a disarmed state pose a danger to the public is just a lie.

6

Pilar la Guapita Escocesa,

never a dull moment in Langholm 05/08/2007 13:13:26

#1 Coaly B ...wash the great unwashed o' th' bourgeoisie.
In fact lets hose them doon wae some liquidized dug-food.
But then I suppose Faslane Police Camp simply serves to remind you Yorkshire folk that the Middle Classes are pure dead Rad 'n'at.
Noo afore ye splatter mah recently laundered mini skirt collection doon wae yer instant veggie-burger mix (jist add water (a.k.a. H2O)).
If they Middle Class eejits camped ootside the Base did wash ... how wid the polis find them?

7

Pilar la Guapita Escocesa,

never a dull moment in Langholm 05/08/2007 13:21:06

Suppose they would go doon tae the "Teak and Ash" pub in Helensburgh ... that's where yon hippie numpties usually hing aboot efter they huv their annual 'free-shower' and dae their laundry at the Helensburgh swimming baths ehh?

8

Pilar la Guapita Escocesa,

never a dull moment in Langholm 05/08/2007 13:25:14

(thumbing through pages of "Whit" by Iain Banks oan her knee as her marido drives oor Chelsea Tractor (a.k.a. the Ford Fiesta) tae the shoaps in Lockerbie)
It says here ... she grins as hubbie swerves to avoid sheep oan road ... Iain Banks characters were based oan folk he once met in the Tenants Bar in Byres Road

9

Pilar la Guapita Escocesa,

never a dull moment in Langholm 05/08/2007 13:43:15

(Telling hubbie tae gob oot th' windae oan yon Crustie hitch-hiking oan the A7 ... as oor Ford Fiesta crawls past)

Jings crivvens help mah stereotypical tartan Boab ... huzz oor wee Gordie Broon (the Furrin Meenister) no fun a war yet?
A wee bit slow Gordie ... yer "honeymoon period" is runnin' oot.

10

Hadrian,

05/08/2007 14:23:09

Sorry guys, this one is no joke.

The average nuclear weapon packs a fair quantity of conventional explosive as a trigger for the nuke.

http://www.user.dccnet.com/welcomewoods/Nuclear_Free_Geor...

If the link doesnt work, just google "lost nuclear weapons" and frighten yourselves silly.

Have a good day !!

11

Pilar la Guapita Escocesa,

never a dull moment in Langholm 05/08/2007 14:33:37

Hadrian baba ... huv you been up aw night an could sleep even efter eatin' aw they veggie-burgers and yon soya milk?
Whit kinda pussy wussy pish is this pal?

12

Charles MN,

05/08/2007 16:23:43

#10 Wikipedia has a better list of nuclear incidents: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_acc...

You will notice that none of these incidents involves weapons being transported by land. You will also notice that the number of incidents has fallen significantly over the last couple of decades.

13

Hadrian,

05/08/2007 19:33:27

#12 . I havnt checked wiki yet but I will. Thanks for the link. You think they tell us about all the incidents? " Oops, we dropped a Polaris missile off the truck in the city last night, but dont worry , it didnt explode!"
And they do go through cities.Incidents have dropped off since the 80's because the yanks, for one, apparantly just dont report them. Its all on the web.

#11. Hey pal, what you think I am, a green??
I just dont like the idea of a suicide jockey going bang in the vicinity of probably better than a couple of ton of high explosive and maybe me or my family, maybe even your family being in the vicinity.

14

Pilar la Guapita Escocesa,

Langholm, Escocia 05/08/2007 19:51:07

come oan Hadrian matey such such a doon in the mooth pessimist ... lighten up Checkov

15

Hadrian,

05/08/2007 20:14:03

#Pilar la Guapita Escocesa, Langholm, Escocia .

No, not doon in the mooth, or a pessimist either.
As one guy put it, the best place to be in a nuclear explosion .......is ground zero.!!!
It just struck me that the flippant comments previously gave the impression , perhaps wrongly that the comenters didnt understand that the trigger for these things is a large amount of conventional explosive,capable of leaving a very large pot hole in the road by itself.
By the way, veggie-burgers, soya milk???? no bl@@dy chance, Im a carnivore!! And I like whisky(when I'm not driving).
See you again ....!

16

57Nomad,

california 06/08/2007 04:03:23

The risk of a nuclear explosion in your backyard caused by Islamic fanatics or North Korean loonies is what you should be worried about.


 

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