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Scrapping Trident Is Now A Part Of Plymouth's Culture.
Sandra Leslie
With this year's Trident Ploughshares Devonport Disarmament Camp and all the
ideas and enthusiasm that came from just a few people (and in spite of the
relentless storms), the Scrap Trident Campaign has now become a significant part
of Plymouth culture. This was due to the successful occupation of
Drakes Island, The Regeneration Carnival at Camels Head, as well as the joining
in of the Lord Mayor's Procession through the city centre on Saturday with the
Banner saying 'Trident Is Terrorism'. And it was thanks to Peter Le Mare of
Penzance CND that we got permission to join the procession rather than tag along
on the periphery. However, all of this together meant that there was constant
media attention on TV and in the newspapers along with debates on the radio and
so on throughout the period
from the 13th May to 22nd May - and beyond!
Most of this success was down to the deliberate sharing and dispersal of power
within Trident Ploughshares at a local level. This is the 'will to power' that
generates more and more power exponentially - particularly because the media had
not had me pinned down as Ms. Scrap Trident this year, so many others made
decisions and had their fifteen minutes instead which is only right and
proper. Of course, and like any other organisation, Trident Ploughshares has
its control freaks at national level who have caused trouble here since the
outset in 2002. But this has almost become a joke now since I am no longer an
official member of TP and have not made any major decisions here for months and
haven't needed to either. So these people can get their knives out for me all
they like but it won't get them anywhere at all. Such control freaks need to
bone up on their existentialism with reference to Sartre's concept of Bad Faith
(as well as Nietzsche's 'Will To Power').
The objective element is to Scrap Trident (to turn it into ploughshares) rather
than to fight for elite power and control which is why we have such weapons as
Trident in the first place. We all have our roles to play in this world one way
or another so it's about time these control freaks stopped being so predictable
since it is they who break all the rules rather than me. And they fall into
their own traps while huge changes for the better take place all around us.
June 2005
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