In this week's Reader Rant opinion column Greenpeace activist Camilla Berens gives her argument against renewing the Trident nuclear missile programme. Join the debate by adding your comments below.

EACH day we hear the Cameron and Brown bickering over how they would sweeten the pill for future cuts in public services. But they seem to be ignoring the elephant in the room.

Both the Conservatives and Labour have committed to renewing the Trident nuclear missile programme.

Research carried out by Greenpeace has revealed that the cost to the public purse for this commitment would be somewhere in the region of £97 billion.

That’s over half the UK’s current national fiscal deficit. If the renewal programme was scrapped, we’d be over halfway to solving our debt crisis – and we’d save money for things that really matter like schools and hospitals.

This view is also a vote-pleaser. I and other local Greenpeace activists recently carried out street polls in Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark to find out if the public thought updating our nuclear weapons arsenal was a good idea. A total of 95 per cent clearly stated that they wanted services not bombs.

The £97bn could replace all of England’s 3,500 secondary schools twice over, fund all student loans for the next 17 years or buy 13,230 offshore wind turbines which could power 29 million homes.

To me, the deterrent argument doesn’t wash. Anyone releasing a nuclear bomb would know they would almost certainly trigger World War 3.

The current political approach smacks of bullying - along the lines of "we’ve got a bigger bomb than you, so do as we say."

That’s no way to carry on in the 21st century. Tackling climate change and world poverty must be top of the agenda now.

This column is produced by an independent writer and in no way reflects the official position of News Shopper or its parent company. Camilla Berens is area co-ordinator, Greenwich and Lewisham Greenpeace Active Supporters Group.

What do you think? Do you agree with renewing the Trident nuclear missile programme? Could and should the money be spent on other things? Add your comments below.

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