France.
the attendant radiation hasards. Dangers Radio-biologists & ecologists who opposed Windscale at the Public Inquiry headed by Justice Parker, pointed out the lethal dangers contained in such fast-breeder reactSince the first accident reactor blew killing three US GIs, there have been a further 2,000 recorded accidents through a failure of the cooling system, 'meltdowns' and radiation leaks.
These accidents were 'minor'. One scientist recalled the US Atomic Energy Commission Report as early as 1957 which predicted that in a really serious explosion, over 50, 000 people would be effect ed by radiation sickness. would die instantly and an increasing incidence of cancer would develop over the next 10 years, leading to another 45, 000 deaths.
The Atomic Energy Commission was talking of explosions of 1000 megawatts capacity. Windscale is proposed as 1300 megawatts. Waste It is not just danger from major accidents which makes these reprocessing plants a potential time bomb. Scientists at the Inquiry gave evidence that normal working would dramatically cancer risks among employees. As Dr Alice Stewart reported, a 26% increase in cancer had been detected among workers at Hanfold Atomic Energy Works in Teachers London against the siting of a nuclear re-processing plant at Windscale. The demonstration - called by Friends of the Earth - shows the mounting concern at the spread of nuclear energy programmes which already seen mass opposition develop in countries from Australia to Such concern is no accident. Windscale symbolises the fears for a future geared to a 'plutonium' economy, fast-breeder reactors and all Washington State.
More important still, the disposal of atomic waste creates even bigger problems. It has been estimated that the annual waste from a re-processing plant like Windscale is 1000 times the radioactiv ity of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
While Justice Parker accepted that windscale would mean more "discharge into the sea and atmos-. phere, more material for burial at Driggs, more dumping in the deep oceans, and more storage of highly active waste", he thought such problems could be solved.
As some scientists have pointed out, however, some forms of this waste remain radioactive for up to half a million years. Creating greater storage dumps of lethal material creates a huge since what would happen if natural accidents 'disturbed' the nuclear graves?
Motive The obvious question is - why should capitalist governments be so intent on introducing an energy source which poses such a threat to human life & the environment?
The answer, of course, is simple: profit.
Having squandered many of the increase earth's fossil fuels - such as oil, natural gas and coal - they are now desperately seeking alternative fuel sources. the forms such as solar & wind power, geothermal & tidal power, has environment, return on investment.
is literally Democracy programme, 'hush up', attendant risks. risk edience, Such contempt for transporting it.
Other energy which rets Act. offer the prospect of a safe & clean are ignored by them because they offer no immediate What this shows most clearly is the increasingly irrational and action. destructive nature of capitalism which - in its search for profitswilling to build trolled A-bombs in our midst.
In order to push ahead with their they are forced to as far as possible, the The accidents already associated with nuclear plants are kept under lock and key and when they are raised - as at the Windscale public inquiry - ignored. The scientists and ecolog -ists who gave evidence there noted the clear biais of Justice Parker in collecting material & declared support for a policy of civil disobdemocracy will dramatically increase if a nuclear energy programme goes ahead. The NCCL has already pointed out that to 'protect' the plutonium a massive police sur- A system veillance will be needed not only on workers in the plants but also on those involved in shipping and Preventative measures would The also be needed to keep information about it secret. These would include greater press censorship to supplement 'D' notices and increasing use of the Official SecThe use of these laws already applies to workers empl oyed in nuclear power plants who are thereby denied all protection under the Health & Saftey Act and who can be prosecuted for strike Campaign It is for these reasons that the opposition growing up to Windscale (like that internationally) is anticapitalist and should be supported by socialists, Such opposition is reacting to the irrational nature of a system which, having squandered the earth's resources, is now unleashing a destructive timebomb in their thirst for profits.
It is quite clear that alternatives to nuclear energy are, with today's technology, quite feasible. By husbanding existing resources & searching into alternative energy sources, a safe and clean environment can be assured.
It is clear, however, that this can only be achieved by removing the present irrational systen: and creating a planned, rational economy which places human need before profit to a select few.
• in which co - operatior: replaces competition; in which homes, hospitals and schools are given priority rather than nuclear death-traps like Windscale.
building of a mass - action campaign against the spread of nuclear energy plants is a key issue today. Such a campaign should fight within the labour movement to win its leaders to opp ose all forms of nuclear energy A. The STA, in particular, has