Anti-Nulcear Monologues

Anti-Nuclear Monologues.
A play by Paula Boulton and Jack BoultonrRoe. Written especially for No Nukes Northants Blockade on 2nd April 2007.
Peformed by the writers, Emma BoultonRoe, and Sami Scott.

THE ANTI-NUCLEAR MONOLOGUES for Angie and Faslane365

Paula

Nuclear weapons got me an english “o” level
So I suppose they are good for something!

I'd been to see the War Game with my dad when i was 14
To an illegal showing in Wellingboro- a nearby town.

The year? 1970

The War Game? An attempt to warn people of the devestation there would be
if we had a Nuclear War.

Banned? BBC refused to show it. “too disturbing”

Not nearly as disturbing as the end of the fucking world!

Well...that was me.................. hooked!

The english “o”level?

Well my essay was about the pilot who dropped the bomb.
Leaving for work on the morning of august 6th 1945
Kissing his wife and child goodbye
then hours later it was him with his finger on the button.

Sami

I revised for my GCSE's at Greenham Common
So, I suppose Nuclear Weapons are good for something.

My mum had taken me and my 14 year old sister with her on one of her trips to Greenham

We got arrested up the watchtower

The year? 1990

Greenham Common? Where the American Cruise missiles were

Arrested? We'd broken into the base and the American soldiers were none too pleased

Those cruise missiles were meant to keep us safe.
Could be deployed from the back of a lorry in the event of a nuclear war
And they were out practising all hours of the day and night

Practising to blow up the planet!
I don't think so!
That was me hooked

The GCSE? Human Biology...................All about preserving life.
Made me more determined to do my bit to save it!

Emma

“Can i have some more please Lady?”
Me doing my Oliver Twist impression at Lakenheath Families Against The bomb Peace Camp
I was 4 years old. Pet goats, a great swing and lots of kids to play with.
No idea what Nuclear Weapons were.

But my mum and aunty knew what they were!They were off at Greenham and
Molesworth all the time protesting!

And me...........singing”Carry Greenham Home” and “Four minutes to Midnight” alongside “Somewhere over the rainbow” and nursery rhymes.

The year? 1984

Molesworth? A second American Base near Corby..
Part of Cruise deployment plans

Protesting? Huge CND demo's, lots of smaller non violent direct actions at bases
and Nuke Watch!

I suppose it's in the family.
My Grandad was chair of Corby CND in the 50's and he took my Aunty on the first Aldermaston March in her pushchair

I knew they all wanted a future for me and my brother to grow up in.
And i trusted them to sort it!

Jack

Lying in an abandoned church on a floor made of headstones.
What a poetic setting to learn just how bad things really were.

The year? 2007
That weekend was a blur.
Most things are when you're 14 years old.
Living quite peacefully in your very own adolescent bubble,it's hard to imagine anything too much bigger

To say i was ill would be a gross misrepresentation of how i felt that day.
I thought it was the plague.
But exaggerations aside it was merely a severe cold.

My aunty had begun to regale us with the horrors of Trident with much Gusto.
One thing i do remember was a sum i did.
Sadly i can't remember the exact outcome,
but it was a clear cut cold logic attempt at understanding how many people would die if Trident was detonated
The bubble burst. My safe existence shattered. Of course I'd never seen the world through the eyes of naivety.

But that number was one hell of a shock to the system.
It was sung to the tune of 3 times the total global population.
And people worry about Bird Flu!
“TRIDENT MISSILES! EXTERMINATION FOR THE NATION!”
Paula

And then Angie rang. June 2006 . And asked me to organise a meeting so she could drum up support for Faslane 365.

Too busy – I thought!

In the middle of my play about the demise of the steel industry 25 years ago.

But I had been on the Iraq demos, and I knew it was important, and connected.

“OK” - I heard myself say

“First week in August?”

The least I could do. Organise a meeting.

Contacting all the usual suspects – old comrades, Corby Wimmin for Peace – and telling people.

I felt – as usual – like the thorn in the side.

Bearer of doom and gloom.

No-one wanted to know.

“You did this 20 years ago, Paula!”

And then I had Max for the week-end.

The newest family addition. Not quite one.

Max Stanley Boulton............................

Named after his Grandad, my dad, who took me to Aldermaston in my push-chair when I was two.

And I felt betrayed.

And a cold clear anger.

Sami

And then my mum told me about a new peace group that had got together to try and do a “Greenham”, in Scotland.

Been there! Done that! What's this about!

Now I work with teenagers the age I was when I was active at Greenham.

So I went to a meeting.

Sounded like a well worn record. ........................

Hiroshima, warheads, nuclear war, deterrence

And then one man said,

“Does any cause merit the death of a child?”

And it all came flooding back.

My bubble burst. Here we go again!

And I felt betrayed and a cold clear anger.

Emma

And then I listened to Angie talk about Faslane 365 and watched a dvd of a Big Blockade.

And that was me – hooked!

Surely this was sorted by my mum and aunty on all those demos when I was growing up?

To find we have weapons of mass destruction capable of destroying the planet -
my planet.

I felt betrayed and a cold clear anger.

Jack

Something may be left over from my childhood said that this can't be right.

Grown ups wouldn't do this.

Me and my friends may never amount to anything.

But it would be nice to be given a chance.

Then they voted to replace Trident.

And I felt betrayed and a cold clear anger.

All

Betrayed and a cold clear anger.

Why are we here?

Why are they here?

We are here because they are there!

We will stay until they go.

Fuelled by this cold clear anger.

Voice 1

How dare our leaders vote to build replacements for these monsters.

Voice 2,3,4

Slogans from banners around

WPC Jobsworth

All leave was cancelled and we were told to be on standby to go off up to Faslane.

I'd no idea where that was – but I knew it would be double time – so I was OK.

We were driven to the woods in the back of beyond and then told to walk up to the North gate. I just followed the rest. Crack of dawn, October the 3rd, misty, and a bit nippy.

There we were, marching along, down this road. Loads of us.

Well! We were expecting those women from Greenham Common. Hundreds of them.

We passed a few tanks by the side of the road. Opposite a cemetery. Wouldn't
fancy camping out there.

There was already stuff cracking off. One woman being marched along by 4 officers.

“I was arrested for carrying a cup of tea!” she said loudly, over and over again.

I took my place at the gate. Massive place. Something to do with nuclear submarines. I don't agree with them. But this is my job.

So I stood there, looking at this handful of women – all ages – who were trying to tell us it was wrong. And I wanted to say “I agree!”

Next thing you know, this one woman struck up a tune on her fiddle, and the daft buggers started to do a conga across the road. Before I knew it I was told to arrest them.

Never done it before – and I was dead nervous.

I was struck by the woman's calm and dedication.

I wanted to be out of my uniform and to stand with her.

In the police van – when no-one was in ear shot – I told her what I thought.

It would be my kids that died as well as hers in any conflict.

So next month, I'll send them a donation.

But meanwhile, I'm only doing my job.

PC Plod

When I signed up for the Force, I thought, “I'm on the up now. A well paid, sensible job. Even my dad couldn't argue with that.

But I never expected Faslane 365. I'd probably have a better shot at normality
if I joined the circus.

If I'd ever have thought I would have to arrest a tray of bananas for protesting,
or a group of old ladies for knitting, I would have been an accountant.

I was telling a friend of mine about the Spaniards soaked in red paint. I shudder to think what the missus would have said to my newly decorated, freshly cleaned uniform. But I'd rather that than having to forcibly remove Dutch nudists like my mate was doing.

I've had trouble sleeping since I cut up those kid's teddy bear. Serves then right for locking on to it I suppose.

There's been some stupid bloody lock-ons, a huge CND symbol, tambourines, there was even an angel!

Don't get me started on religion though. Around Christmas I had to cut up Mary, Joseph, and the Donkey. I think I'll be OK though. I've shaken hands with the Bishop of Reading since then. Oh yeah! He's been on it too.

Respect for your elders, a principal I always held in high regard. It was hard to exercise it when Golden Oldies against Trident turned up! I mean, there was a 99 year old German War vet – at least they were only connected by string.

The one thing I could depend upon in all this was a Greenpeace appearance. Of course they did not do it normally. The road was too conventional for them. So there
they go sailing up the loch in the Arctic Sunrise.

Stopped the traffic without being anywhere near it they did. Once the Captain dropped anchor in the base the whole place got shut down. Bandits indeed.

So, here we are, just over 6 months into Faslane 365 (does that mean it is now Faslane 182 and a half? Hmm doesn't quite have the same ring).

Between 68 groups I haven't had a single boring day.

4 voices in turn

Greenham Women
Women in Black
Sheffield
Assynt
Seize the Day
South West
Cyclists
Edinburgh
Green Party
Nordic Group
Galloway One
SNP
Glasgow
White Van
Eastern
Quakers
Cumbria and North Lancs
Clergy/Iona
CND
Stop the War
Manchester
Palestinian Solidarity
London
Armistice Day
White Poppies Northern Friends
Y Draig Goch
Gogledd Cymru
Leeds and Bradford
Bucks Buddhists
Tyneside
Sussex
Prayer I 158
Power of the Word and Song
Irish Make Trident History
Trident Ploughshares
Luciataget
Leicester
Staffordshire and Stoke
Scottish Students
Christmas Crackers
Benelux
Oxford Students
Academics
Elected Representatives
Lawyers
Dundee
Kathleen's Birthday Party
Kirkland Run
Health Professionals
Cambridge
Coventry
Pensioners for Peace
Christian Block
Greenpeace
Di and Nick
Quakers
Clergy against Nuclear Arms
Leeds University
Alternativa Antimilitarista
York Vikings
Bradford
Tea Party
Oxford
French
German
Nottingham Robin Hood
Clowns
ALL shout

No Nukes Northants.