The Labour Party in Scotland fully backs the UK Government plans to build new nuclear power stations in Scotland, regardless of widespread opposition to the idea among the population and UK research linking these installations to a range of cancers, but especially breast cancer, thyroid cancer and child leukaemia, in surrounding areas.1
Meanwhile, in Australia, the Labor Party is campaigning against plans there using research by the former GP now Melbourne University lecturer, Dr Margaret Beavis, who argues:
“There are definite increases in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with nuclear power. With renewable energy we have much safer alternatives,” she said.
“From a health perspective, nuclear makes no sense.
“There are significantly increased rates of cancer, heart attacks and strokes among the workforce in the nuclear industries … it’s very clear that working with radiation has no safe lower limit.”
Dr Beavis said the cancers caused by radiation were different to typical cancers such as those caused by asbestos, rather, they “blend in with the other cancers that happen”.
The former GP turned Melbourne University lecturer said nuclear power plants “definitely increased” childhood leukaemia.
“It’s more than doubled for families living within 5km of a nuclear power plant … there is increased risk for at least 50 kilometres from a nuclear power plant,” she said.2
Dr Beavis has written extensively on these health risks3 but also on the risk of nuclear war resulting from cyberattacks.4
There has, of course, been a backlash against Dr Beavis, at times both misogynistic and ageist, but remember these three things.
First, the onus is not upon us to prove these installations are dangerous but upon them to prove they are not.
Second, the backlash often comes from those with a vested interest, including university researchers dependent on government grants.
Third, when reacting to accusations of scaremongering and as we see in Australia, suggestions that Dr Beavis is ’embarrassing’ remember –“First, they will ignore you, then they will laugh at you, then they will fight you, then you will win.” – Mahatma Gandhi5
Sources:
- https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=nuclear+cancer
- https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/labors-latest-nuclear-scare-campaign-warns-coalitions-energy-proposal-causes-cancer-strokes-and-heart-attacks/news-story/48b063d15ac87ca9b290515653b29d5a
- https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/labors-latest-nuclear-scare-campaign-warns-coalitions-energy-proposal-causes-cancer-strokes-and-heart-attacks/news-story/48b063d15ac87ca9b290515653b29d5a
- https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/49c14d/contentassets/aef72d5456134ec69e185007b16c44f5/mafpw_dr_margaret_beavis_qons_1_redacted.pdf
- https://inc.in/congress-sandesh/opinion/first-they-will-ignore-you-then-they-will-laugh-at-you-then-they-will-fight-you-then-you-will-win-mahatma-gandhi
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
There was a case many years ago, about a woman scientist who lived in Cumbria in England, she was murdered in her cottage it was thought she had some intel on dangers of nuclear power far as I can remember. Not sure re details but it was another mysterious sinister case, anyone else recall that?
Looks like England’s government with their Labour party are determined to plonk these dangerous extremely costly ‘power stations’ in Scotland, as far away from south of England as possible.
Can Scottish government block them re planning or is that to be overridden as well…
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The woman to whom I think you are referring was Hilda Murrell. She was a rose grower, not a scientist. However, she was a vocal opponent of nuclear power stations and had written extensively against them, identifying the dangers. She appears to have been a formidable person. She ran a successful rose growing business, but was also a committed naturalist.
Tam Dalyell, MP took up the case of her abduction, sexual assault and murder. Her nephew had been a Royal Navy Commander who knew the circumstances – still secret – about the sinking of the warship, General Belgrano during the Falklands War. Dalyell, who was a dogged opponent of Mrs Thatcher tried to show that her murder might also have been related to the Falklands War.
Nearly 20 years after her murder a local man was convicted of the crime. He claimed that another person, his brother, had also been involved, but this case was rejected.
Ms Murrell’s nephew believed the case against the convicted man was ‘unsafe.’ He also referred to suspicious actions against his own home and alleged interference with his phone.
Whether there was a conspiracy or not to silence Ms Murrell is difficult to ascertain, but her case against nuclear power stations on the grounds of danger to public health was a strong one.
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Well , you would expect an Aussie GP who is NOT in the pockets of the Nuclear Industry to state the facts about dangers to the public , wouldn’t you ?
Whereas , here , we have the likes of Brian Wilson championing the use of nuclear at every opportunity , supported by the Labour Party , ignoring the uncomfortable facts about health concerns ( never mind the exponential costs of nuclear waste disposal ).
Starmer’s Party is quickly proving that they are the best politicians money can buy !
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“The Labour Party in Scotland fully backs the UK Government plans to build new nuclear power stations in Scotland”
Indeed as the Labour Party in Scotland do what they are telt !
Currently the media in Scotland are circling the wagons to try and protect Labour in Scotland and they will also back the Labour UK party in their plans for more Nuclear power Stations in Scotland, our health be damned !
The Scotsman (misnamed) has a front page headline that is equal to many a ridiculous front page headline in The Daily Star where they are asking the public in Scotland to believe that there is a supposed rift between Sarwar and Starmer over cash for WASPI women.
This should be translated as ‘Starmer’s actions are impacting Sarwar’s chances of becoming the next FM of Scotland and he, Sarwar, is P’d off oh and WASPI women be damned’.
We also have the client media of the Labour party in Scotland , as in The Daily Record, with a front page headline that is also currently attempting to deflect attention away from Labour’s WASPI women scandal, where their headline is:
“Driving Miss Crazy” which is a story about Angela Constance using a ministerial car to attend the Celtic & Rangers cup final which they also state is “another SNP football limo scandal”.
Obviously The Daily Record are trying to convey that this as a story, as in something that they are headlining on their front page as being another #SNPBAD scandal , is far more serious and significant than the Labour’s party’s WASPI women scandal, as in WASPI women be damned.
The Herald are also doing their bit in ‘Operation deflection’ as their front page has a headline “Regulator raises concerns at ministers Calmac plans” as apparently the Watchdog wants explanation of value for public money in rejecting privatisation”.
I wonder what Watchdog is monitoring what the new Labour UK government are doing in trying to ensure that they, as a UK government, are giving “value for public money” in their current terrible actions and cruel decisions that exceed anything the Tories ever done, or at least are matching their actions and decisions when they were in power. (also known as being no “change” now with Labour in power)
The media can attempt to deflect on behalf of the Labour party as much as they want in respect to Labour’s betrayal of WASPI women, indeed even try to reinforce that the real issue on this subject for Labour is that they cannot justify using tax payers money to pay compensation to WASPI women.
However we all know that the actual real issue with this controversial , scandalous and fiasco of a decision is that Labour supported and campaigned for WASPI women to get compensation from the previous Tory UK government and now that the ‘boot is on the other foot’ and they, Labour, are the ones in power , they now want to do the exact same as the Tories, as in not pay out compensation to these women.
How many WASPI women voted for Labour in the last GE with the false hope that with Labour in power , they as WASPI women, would finally get the justice that they deserved, as in get compensation, as that was what both Starmer and many of his Shadow ministers , MP’s and MSP’s promoted should happen.
Obviously Labour’s (current) other media friend in Scotland the BBC are also promoting this nonsense that The Scotsman are promoting as their TOP story on their Scottish Politics page is:
“Starmer wrong to deny Waspi women payout – Sarwar”
“Asked if he supported the UK government’s decision, Sarwar told BBC Scotland News: “I think they’re right in the apology, I think they’re right in recognising injustice, I think they’re wrong on the compensation.”
So they, Labour UK “recognised the injustice” but are doing nowt to right that “injustice” ? (that seems so like Labour).
An apology ? Once again words are cheap but also once again that’s all you get from Labour when they are either in opposition or in power.
Sarwar also said (as Labour UK’s man in Scotland”) that “he recognised the difficulties the government was facing with public finances”.
Oh I seeso Sarwar recognises that the UK government has “difficulties” with “public finances” meanwhile the same Anas Sarwar fails to recognise that the Scottish government also have “difficulties” as well, as he thinks the Scottish government has ‘loadsa money’ to spend on public finances as a devolved government with no borrowing powers and who are confronted with various hostile UK governments who, as UK governments, do their best to try to undermine and control everything that they as a Scottish government do .
Now we the people in Scotland are also supposed to embrace Labour UK’s “nuclear energy proposal that causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks” and not see that as a “Scandal” or as being “Controversial” or as being a potential “fiasco” as far as Nuclear being promoted as ‘Green energy’ and the reality is our health will be at risk.
Duck Labour and duck all of the media who are doing an excellent job at NOT serving the people of Scotland but they are doing an excellent job at trying to duck us (the people of Scotland) over.
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Since we are talking “Nuclear” there is now another Labour party scandal with their Treasury Economic Secretary, who is responsible for tackling corruption in UK financial markets while maybe she is ignoring what could be her won and also her family’s alleged potential corruption in another potential #LABOURBAD breaking news story.
Tulip Siddiq is reported in some newspapers as “having been named in an investigation into claims her family embezzled up to £3.9bn (Tk 590 billion) from infrastructure projects in Bangladesh” .
This was in relation to her , Siddiq, allegedly having ” brokered a deal with Russia in 2013 for a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh that saw £1bn siphoned off into private hands”.
The Labour Party has declined to comment.
Wow , like the previous Tory party and government, it seems that with Labour in power that ‘History is repeating itself’ .
As when the Tories were in power we had a succession of scandals , cruel decisions and bad policies and now Labour are nowt but a carbon copy of the Tories .
OMG, to think that some (naïve) people voted for Labour just to oust the Tories as they, as voters, were under the false impression that Labour would really be a “Change” and not simply a ‘Continuation’ (as has happened) of what we were all witness to via the Tories when they were in power.
Also let’s not forget another scandal of the now suspended Labour MP ,Mike Amesbury, after CCTV footage emerged appearing to show him punching a man to the ground.
There is an awareness project called ‘One Punch UK’ that exists to raise awareness of the dangers a single punch can cause as many young men have died as a result of being hit by ‘one punch’ and then falling to the ground and suffering either lifelong consequences or death.
So if any Labour politician or their client media tries to excuse this apparent violent behaviour by him, then let’s remember what the risks of him apparently doing this could have been. Labour minister Pat McFadden said “the CCTV footage was “very graphic”, but he wanted to “let the police do their job and reach a conclusion before I say I anything more”.
“Before he (McFadden”) says anything more” ?
Well if he, McFadden, witnessed the footage as being “graphic” then surely he should and could have just condemned it as an action. So just like the Tories if no action is taken by the Police then Labour will , just like the Tories, sweep this under the carpet and then reinstate him, Amesbury, as a Labour MP ?
Does anyone wonder when all of the scandals, cruel policies, bad decisions, U-Turns, right wing ideology and awful media coverage connected to the UK is all going to all end ? (Rhetorical Q).
My guess is never so perhaps ‘Now is the Time’ that more people in Scotland should now be seriously considering that an alternate path is best for Scotland where we, in Scotland, could and probably would be Better Together with the rest of the EU, who may not be perfect, but then neither is the UK and the UK establishment that includes their politicians, their media and their scandal ridden Royal family.
Vote SNP and Support, campaign for and vote for Scottish Independence.
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Anonymous @ 11.08am
* won
own (first paragraph).
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Aside health issues, three small clarifications John –
Opposition to further nuclear power plants is in the majority across the entire UK, only in Scotland has a particular focus been given by the Tory and now Labour Party to railroad it through against SG policy, the last by the State of a Secretary for Scotland Ian Murray – The feck-affs were reported in Irish media, not in Scotland by HMS James Cook, that bast… of impartiality.
There are a large number of wind turbines still being commanded off in Scotland with new turbines going live at dramatic pace – Despite the last minute HVDC cables being put in to deliver power to bottleneck England, they are insufficient for the existing let alone future capacity, thereby the practice of ‘offing’ turbines is with us for the foreseeable future. The installers’s can’t lose as the standby price is locked into the contract, they can’t lose…
I can’t recall when or where I posted the link to the expert international report on ‘green’ energy, but I do vividly recall the conclusion for the UK was that there was no benefit whatever to consumers in pursuing nuclear, only higher bills.
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Westminster decommissioning nuclear £13Billion a year. Over ten years £130Billion. Increasing all the time. Trident illegally dumped in Scotland by Kennedy and MacMillan. A danger to Scotland. Wasting £Billions.
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