Protest And Survive

PROTEST AND SURVIVE

Almost immediately upon coming into government, the Conservative Party gave the green light to not only maintaining Britain's independent nuclear deterrent but to upgrading it from Polaris to the even more powerful Trident system. The Labour Party had fought the General Election on a policy of unilateralism and although this hadn't won them the election, it didn't mean there wasn't a lot of opposition to Trident. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) had been steadily fighting their corner for some time but it wasn't until the election in America of Ronald Reagan as President that support for CND began to really grow.

Reagan came across as a homely, simple type advocating uncomplicated and very general political objectives aimed at the reassertion of American self-confidence. This primarily meant the recovery of the American economy through tax cuts for the rich and the revival of American power by means of a massive defence build-up. Reagan's political views chimed almost perfectly with Thatcher's and she very quickly became his principal cheerleader, particularly when it came to his anti-communist stance.

Reagan saw Russia as nothing less than an Empire of Evil whose ultimate, insidious goal was world conquest and domination. To counter this and to stave off any attack from Russia upon Europe or the United States it was proposed that 572 American-owned and - more controversially - American-controlled Cruise and Pershing missiles be sited throughout Europe. These nuclear warhead-carrying weapons would be capable of flying extremely close to the ground so as to go undetected by radar and if required conduct a first strike upon the enemy. In one fell swoop Reagan with the full backing of Thatcher was escalating the arms race to an unimaginable and unprecedented level and in effect turning the whole of Europe into a potential nuclear battleground - a theatre of war.

Britain's allotted amount of 144 missiles was accepted immediately by Thatcher and when Germany requested that they reduce their allotted amount by 16, Thatcher readily accepted these too, bringing the total amount of Cruise missiles to be based in Britain to 160. All to be sited at Greenham Common in Berkshire and Molesworth Common in Cambridgeshire.

When discussing civil defence, Cruise missiles or the Cold War, Thatcher's eyes would harden. It was apparent that her support for Reagan's arms race and her total backing of Cruise missiles in Europe wasn't being done so much for the defence of Britain but for her hatred of communism. So fierce was that hatred she seemed quite willing to have Britain (and the world) destroyed in order to save it.

Reagan on the other hand, when discussing the same subjects would always appear the proverbial lonesome cowboy - and a stupid one at that. How could, everyone wondered, such a cretinous, second-rate, ex-Hollywood B-movie actor become one of the most powerful men on earth, with his finger on the nuclear button? The point was, however, that people who were as mad as Thatcher and as stupid as Reagan could well be mad and stupid enough to destroy the world in an all-out nuclear war.

Suddenly it seemed a little inappropriate to paint a white stripe across your nose and dress up as a pirate whilst dancing to Adam And The Ants. In the face of world destruction it didn't seem quite enough to dress Mod and groove along to Secret Affair, or indeed to pose as a New Romantic whilst getting down with Spandau Ballet.

A generation had been and was continuing to be radicalised by a cocktail of Sixties idealism, Seventies desperation and Eighties anger.

Radicalised by the Sex Pistols and The Clash.

Radicalised by Punk Rock.

Radicalised by Crass.

To protest and survive was where it was now at.