How Mrs Thatcher related to CND
1980s anti-cruise missile protest
I don’t mind a fair political fight but that is not what CND got from Margaret Thatcher’s government, says Kate Hudson.
As anti-nuclear protest rose across Britain in the early 1980s, against cruise, Pershing and Trident, support for CND grew exponentially. Thatcher’s government carried out its own attempts to counter the growing strength of CND and anti-missile opinion. During 1981, this was more or less confined to encouraging the media to limit CND’s access and coverage. But as public support increased, she put more energy into the anti-CND campaign, much of it focused on suggesting that CND was funded by the Soviet Union. Bruce Kent’s response was to offer a prize of £100 to anyone who could produce evidence of Soviet funding. Needless to say, no one came forward to claim the prize, but wild and baseless accusations abounded in the most disgraceful way, designed to drive people away from campaigning on the basis of sheer lies.
From the beginning of 1983, Thatcher appointed Michael Heseltine as defence secretary who established DS19, a team within the MoD, to organise the campaign against CND. Attention also came from MI5, as subsequently revealed by whistleblower Cathy Massiter. A number of attacks came from an organisation called the Coalition for Peace through Security, which disrupted events, sent a spy into the CND office and tried to link Bruce Kent with the IRA. The Coalition opted for slogans like ‘Disarmament equals surrender’, and was endorsed by leading Conservative politicians, who were at pains to make out there were links between CND and the Soviet Union. One of its multicoloured brochures featured the CND symbol blending into the hammer and sickle, with CND spelled out as communists, neutralists and defeatists. Every effort was mobilised to silence CND and undermine its mass popular support in the most unprincipled fashion.
Her support for escalating cold war nuclear tensions was mirrored by her gung-ho military posturing over the Falklands war with its tragic loss of life and her backing for the Gulf War. She was keen on military action and made it clear that the British government would not be limited by any UN decision that fell short of war.
How then would I summarise Mrs Thatcher’s period in office, from a peace movement perspective? No justice, no peace, no freedom, no democracy. Only war, weapons and lies.
5 comments
5 responses to “How Mrs Thatcher related to CND”
Left Unity is active in movements and campaigns across the left, working to create an alternative to the main political parties.
About Left Unity
Read our manifesto
Left Unity is a member of the European Left Party. 
Read the European Left Manifesto
ACTIVIST CALENDAR
Events and protests from around the movement, and local Left Unity meetings.
Saturday 17th May: National Demonstration: Nakba 77
Free Palestine: End the Genocide
12 noon – central London
More details here
More events »
GET UPDATES
Sign up to the Left Unity email newsletter.
CAMPAIGNING MATERIALS
Get the latest Left Unity resources.
I agree-in total she ruined mills/mining/steel/privatisation of water/gas/electricity/railways and we are now paying the price. She thought London could be the finance capital and look what the bankers have done-what I cannot understand is the fact that I have never been in dept in my life but I am now being told I am in debt to the tune of £16,000 as is everyone-how can that be?
It is somewhat disengenious to claim that CND had nothing to do with funding from the Soviet Union – the Morning Star/CPGB was a big part of CND and its no secret that they got a big portion of their cash from the USSR. I’m quite sure there was no ‘secret slush fund’ but without the practical and ideological commitment from the CPGB, CND wouldn’t have had the punch it enjoyed.
Lefties have always looked to some foreign state to bolster their position. Today the SU has gone, but Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Palestine remain.
Speaking of which, how does the current CND obfuscate over a nuclear armed Iran again, Kate?
It is not disingenuous Jimmy – it is just a fact. I refer you to our statement on this issue in 2009 on the basis of advice from our lawyers:
Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said “There have been a number of allegations made recently which have asserted that the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has in the past been in receipt of financial support from the former Soviet Union. These allegations repeat false statements from the past. Neither then, nor now, have our accusers provided any evidence to support their allegations, even when repeatedly challenged to do so. I am not surprised by this, because the allegation is totally untrue and so no evidence exists.
CND never received money from the Soviet Union and I am not prepared to allow these baseless allegations to continue. CND is happy to have open political debate about its anti-nuclear positions, and to engage in hard-hitting policy disagreements. But I do not find it acceptable for individuals or organisations to attempt to make political points based on false information. I have made this public statement to put CND’s accusers on notice that I take personal responsibility for its accuracy.”
Well said Kate. There are obviously a few Tory Trolls amusing themselves , and wasting our valuable time, by entering into our debates with bogus and deliberately contentious posts. I suggest “Jimmy” and his ilk return to the Daily Telegraph’s rabidly right wing , spittle flecked, comment blogs, where they will feel much more at home !
Sorry to disappoint you John, I’m not a ‘Tory troll’ – I joined the Young Communist League aged 13, same time as I joined CND. A lot of people would admit their was certain symbiosis between the orgs in the 1980s. Yeah sure their were probably Tory members of CND but probably less than you can count on one hand.
There was a certain misty eyed affection for the good ol’ soviet union on the Left. You still see it in the pages of the Morning Star and blogs like Socialist Unity to this day.