Get Up Stand Up! Glorious Gala Edinburgh Fringe 2011

Tuesday 16^th August, 10 – midnight, ₤14   Edinburgh International Conference Centre

Get Up Stand Up! back for a 6^th year with a glorious gala performance of comedy and politics featuring a whole host of top comedians: Mark Thomas, Josie Long, Robin Ince, Isy Suttie, Gordon Southern, Phil Nichol, Patrick Monahan, Paul Sinha, Craig Campbell, Shazia Mirza, Markus Birdman, Andrew Bird, Imran Yousef and ‘The Noise Next Door’.  Where else could you see so many fantastic comedians in one place!!!!!

PLUS – 3 short satirical films starring Alistair McGowan, James Redmund, Katherine Ryan and star of ‘Don’t Panic’,  Heydon Prowse.

The Fringe as it should be – sharp, edgy and brilliant value!

Tuesday 16^th August, 10 – midnight, ₤14

Alistair McGowan stars in our new film!

Thank you to everyone at the NASUWT Conference who made our stand so successful. Thanks especially to those who took our new trial materials on Global Citizenship, Talking Peace. It would be great to get your comments on the six lesson plans and to have your advice on how to develop these further.

For those who didn’t get a chance to pick them up, download the lesson plans from here and let us know what you think. We invite you to help develop new creative ways to discuss conflict and peace in the classroom through global symbols, myths and legends.

For more information contact Carol Naughton on carol@wmdawareness.org.uk

Dr Elbaradei in discussion with Jon Snow at the Hay Festival

The WMD Awareness Programme was once more proud to work with the Hay Festival to host the Joseph Rotblat Memorial Lecture.

Dr Elbaradei, beamed in live form Cairo by satellite, was in discussion with Jon Snow. They discussed his book, The Age of Deception – Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times, a very undiplomatic book as Jon Snow described it, as well as the ‘Arab Spring’ and the forthcoming election in Egypt and Dr ElBaradei candidacy.

Dr Elbaradei spoke very warmly of Sir Joseph Rotblat and referred often to the need to implement Jo’s vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.  An excellent event that, despite being conducted by satellite, was exceptionally lively with Dr Elbaradei giving forthright and hard hitting answers to both Jon and to questions from among the 700 folk in the audience.

Thank you to Hay Festival and to the wonderful Jon Snow yet again for all the support they have given us in making this a successful event and to Dr Elbaradei for giving his time to take part in this wonderful annual memorial to the Nobel Peace Laureate, Joseph Rotblat.

Carol Naughton pays tribute to the Nobel Peace Laureate, Sir Joseph Rotblat at the Hay Festival

Dr Garwin and his wife Louis attending a lunch in their honour

It was therefore with great pleasure that we were able to set up a series of meetings and interviews for Dr Garwin to explore further areas where the life of the subs can be extended and potential alternatives to ‘ like for like’ replacement. He met key government figures,  members of the Top Level Group, scientists, academics, analysts and media. However the MOD and FCO declined to meet him.

The visit was well worth while and most of these meetings have led to follow up sharing of information and further meetings and articles.

President Gorbachev speaking at the launch of WMD Awareness Programme

All of us at the WMD Awareness Programme will never forget the amazing moment when, not one but TWO Nobel Peace Laureates, our founder, Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat and President Mikhail Gorbachev, launched the Programme in 2004.

Both gave passionate speeches about the need for public awareness about nuclear weapons and for public engagement on abolishing them.

“So again it’s very important for public opinion to act and to push the politicians.  The view of the public, the view of the world public opinion should be expressed and it should be known to the world and I believe it could have an impact on political leaders.”

Mikhail Gorbachev, Launch of the WMD Awareness Programme, London, September 2004.

President Gorbachev and Programme Coordinator, Carol Naughton

The WMD Awareness Programme has gone from strength to strength since the launch in 2004 and continues to find intriguing ways to raise awareness about WMD issues and to engage the public.

We wish the President a very happy birthday and thank him again for the inspiration he continues to give to so many of us.

The full text of the speech in 2004 by President Gorbachev.

Full text of the speech in 2004 by Sir Joseph Rotblat.

Women now have a greater voice than ever on matters of national defence. No longer a realm exclusive to “old white guys”, women can be found not just protesting against war and nuclear weapons but in decision making and influencing roles at all levels of Government and the media.

Defence issues concern us all – especially at this time of instability and increased religious and political polarization. It was inspiring to hear directly from these key women, each speaking from very different perspectives.

The event was chaired by Baroness Morris of Bolton. It was truly inspirational to hear the contributions from each of the speakers and Baroness Morris particularly, when interrupted by fire alarms, they simply continued the event in the gardens of UCL amid chaos.

Erin Harbaugh, Public Diplomacy Advisor, Bureau of International Security & Nonproliferation, US Department of State, spoke of working to implement President Obama’s vision of “peace and security in a world free of nuclear weapons”  and why women are the right people to be leading on international diplomacy.  Erin speech can be viewed below.

Professor Eve Mitleton-Kelly, Director, Complexity Research Group, London School of Economics and advisor to 6 Governments on governance and complexity theory, led a lively discussion on complexity theory.  Marie Colvin, War Correspondent, the Sunday Times, described what it is like to report from places of conflict around the globe, and Terri McNally spoke very much from personal experience as the mother of a serving soldier.

We would like to thank all the speakers and to Baroness Miller for chairing, but especially we would like to thank Women in Public Policy for teaming up with us to put on this inspiring event.

***

Erin Harbaugh’s speech

Good evening and thank you for inviting me to share a great story- and that is the role of women in leadership in fulfilling President Obama’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons.  I’d like to thank Liz St. Clair from Women in Public Policy for organizing this event, Baroness Morris of Bolton for moderating, and Carol Naughton for helping to bring me here this evening.

Women have long sought to influence American policy as far back as colonial times.  Abigail Adams, wife of the American “Founding Father” John Adams, expressed in a letter her support for his efforts to establish an independent government, stating “I long to hear that you have declared an independency.”  But went on to add

“… [a]nd, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.  Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.”

Forty-two presidents and 234 years later, I’m sure Abigail Adams would be ecstatic because the role of women in the conduct of American foreign policy has never been greater.  This evening I plan to discuss President Obama’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons, the women leading the implementation of this vision, and how their leadership styles embody the Administration’s approach to managing global problems.

During the past 18 months the world has witnessed a number of changes in the U.S. foreign policy agenda, especially in regards to international security issues and managing nuclear dangers.  In April 2009, during his first major international speech as President, Barack Obama outlined the U.S. national policy agenda on nonproliferation and disarmament in Prague, declaring America’s commitment to “seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” setting forth an ambitious plan for disarmament, nonproliferation and promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

These issues are visibly atop the President’s international agenda – which has garnered much attention from the global media outlets, civil societies throughout the world, and of course other governments.  Naturally, such a robust set of international security foreign policy goals and objectives requires a sustained, ongoing effort by everyone in the Administration who is charged with making President Obama’s vision a reality.

Led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Department of State’s team charged with implementing President Obama’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons is dynamic, determined to succeed, and largely led by women.
Secretary Clinton affirmed her approach to tackling tough international security issues in May 2010, stating

“two inescapable facts define our world. First, that no nation can meet the world’s challenges alone. And second, that we face very real obstacles that stand in the way of turning commonality of interest into common action. Thus, leadership means overcoming those obstacles by building the coalitions that can produce results against those shared challenges.”

In addition to the Secretary, there are many dynamic women at the Department of State leading the team implementing President Obama’s “Prague Agenda” at the Department of State.  Overseeing the Department’s arms control and nonproliferation efforts is Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher, who has referred to the team as “all star”.

Leading our bilateral disarmament negotiations with the Russians is Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller.  Susan Rice is the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Laura Kennedy is the United States’ Representative to the Conference on Disarmament.

And leading our efforts in nuclear nonproliferation and global threat reduction are two special envoys; Ambassador Susan Burk, Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation (who I have had the great honor and privilege of supporting in her efforts leading up to the 2010 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference) and Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Coordinator for Threat Reductions Programs.

Of course I’d be greatly remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that there are a number of other women in leadership positions throughout my Department who are all working on fulfilling Obama’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons, as well as women from the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Department of Energy, and other agencies across the federal government.

These women’s leadership styles exemplify and personify the Administration’s emphasis on building and investing in relationships and working to achieve consensus, including working multilaterally and through international institutions such as the United Nations, the Conference on Disarmament and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

While the road to achieving a world without nuclear weapons is a long and challenging one – we’ve already managed to make tangible progress.

Let me share with you three specific examples of our successful efforts to implement critical elements of President Obama’s “Prague Agenda.”  Each is global in its significance, and each reflects the determination of the State Department’s diverse foreign policy team.

The first of these three achievements was the complex and lengthy negotiating process, led by Rose Gottemoeller on the American side, which resulted in the New START treaty, which will achieve verifiable reductions of deployed strategic nuclear warheads by the world’s two largest nuclear powers.  The commitment included in this important new treaty clearly reflects the United States’ obligation to take concrete, measurable steps toward nuclear disarmament.  Rose’s team is now fully engaged in securing the Treaty’s U.S. Senate ratification.

The second significant event of 2010 occurred in April, when the United States hosted a global Nuclear Security Summit, which resulted in another solid step forward, an agreement among 47 governments on the critical importance of securing all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years.  Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins’ dedication and extensive outreach and travel were instrumental in achieving this agreement.

And finally, in May the 2010 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference concluded with a consensus Final Document, calling for substantive measures to strengthen the global nonproliferation regime.  The NPT remains the most widely accepted arms control agreement ever signed and this year’s Review Conference ensured it will remain an essential component to international security by establishing critical benchmarks for future progress.

While the United States was only one of over 170 delegations participating in the Review Conference, under the deft management of Ambassador Susan Burk, it played an influential role in achieving consensus and reaffirming the international community’s strong support for the Treaty as the cornerstone of the international nonproliferation regime.

I think it’s important to ask why these women have been so successful. The Washington-based organization Women in International Security recently published the “Progress Report on Women in Peace and Security Careers.” Their findings, based in extensive interviews of women in the American executive branch of government found that the establishment of credibility, the ability to build strong relationships, and the ability to balance decisiveness with inclusiveness and consensus, were key attributes among successful women in government.

In looking at the women advancing President Obama’s vision for a world without nuclear weapons, I believe they’ve demonstrated credibility among their peers, which is earned only through experience.  Coupled with that credibility I believe each of these women understands the inclusive nature of diplomacy. They have been able to effectively utilize outreach, as well as communications tools to promote better awareness of U.S. policies and positions, which bring about greater understanding and increased transparency into why we are doing what we are doing.  As a result, the United States is also strengthening its relationships – indeed, its credibility – with governments and civil societies around the world.  And that improvement will continue paying dividends for many years to come.

In support of this new level of engagement with the world we at the Department of State are participating in outreach opportunities whenever it is possible to do so.  We are using new media tools such as blogging, Facebook, and digital video conferencing to expand our reach and engage in substantive discussions with foreign and domestic publics. This outreach builds trust and relationships built on trust are far more durable and sustainable than those where trust is lacking.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Secretary Clinton’s 1996 book It Takes a Village, which focuses on child development and education.  In speaking about the book some years later, Clinton said, and I quote

“talking about It Takes a Village, I’m obviously not talking just about or even primarily about geographical villages any longer, but about the network of relationships and values that do connect us and binds us together.”

Fulfilling President Obama’s vision of a world without nuclear weapons and tackling the world’s toughest security challenges will indeed “take a village”. It will take not only the shared responsibility and cooperation of all nations, but the support and engagement of civil society.  I believe we have a foreign policy team who is up to that leadership challenge, and it is a true honor to consider myself a part of this team.

Thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to share some thoughts with all of you, and at this time I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

Monday 9 to Sunday 29 August 2010
The Jazz Bar 5-7pm every day

Comedy, music and politics with 4 top comedians, live music and an award-winning short film. And a different line-up for every show! Plus free nibbles at your table. Just £4!

We now have the wonderful line-up (see below) for the Get Up Stand Up show at Edinburgh. The show takes place each day from 5-7pm at The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street from 9-29 August. Thanks to the brilliant work of Rich Batsford at Mirth Control we have fantastic shows to look forward to!Mon 9: Dan Antopolski, Stephen Carlin, Chris Ramsey, Helen Arney
Tues 10: Susan Murray, Vladimir McTavish, Stuart Goldsmith, Wouter Meijs Al Shields (acoustic)
Weds 11: Andi Osho, Ronnie Golden, Chris Martin, Sam Gore, Something Relevant (live band)
Thurs 12: Simon Munnery, Keith Farnan, Andrew Bird, Max Dickens, Andi Neate (singer/songwriter)
Fri 13: Paul Zenon, James Dowdeswell, Aaron Counter, Daniel Simonson, David Ferrard (folk/country)
Sat 14: Lucy Porter, Ian D Montfort, Dan Willis, Julian Deane, Samba Sene & Diwan (live band)
Sun 15: Robin Ince, Paul Sinha, Seann Walsh, Dunbar Telly Stories
Mon 16: Dave Johns, Will Hodgson, Aidan Bishop, Elis James, Al Shields (acoustic)
Tues 17: John Moloney, Shazia Mirza, James Redmond, Bridget Christie, Stormy Seas (live band)
Weds 18: Tony Law, Carey Marx, Matt Green, Tom Allen, Pete Wylde in the Aisles (live band)
Thurs 19: Andy Zaltzman, Toby Hadoke, Andrew O’Neill, Joe Rowntree, Dan Abercrombie (acoustic)
Fri 20: Mick Ferry, Simon Donald, Mike Keat, Sarah-Louise Young, All at Sea (live band)
Sat 21: Isy Suttie, Phil Nichol, Nathan Caton, Nick Helm, After Me, The Flood (live band)
Sun 22: Patrick Monahan, Gary Delaney, Yianni Agisilaou, Ivo Graham, Miles Mayhem (live band)
Mon 23: Norman Lovett, Bennett Arron, Paul Ricketts, Roanna Bond, Your Boy Blair (singer/songwriter)
Tues 24: Reginald D Hunter, Pete Johansson, Tiffany Stevenson, Ray Green, Rich Batsford (pianist)
Weds 25: Gordon Southern, Tim Fitzhigham, Michael Fabbri, David Whitney, Andi Neate (singer/songwriter)
Thurs 26: Alan Francis, Geoff Whiting, Tiernan Douieb, Pat Burtscher
Fri 27: Phil Cornwell, Rob Rouse, Chris McCausland, Luke Benson, David Ferrard (folk/country)
Sat 28: Ivan Brackenbury, Seymour Mace, Ro Campbell, Danny Hurst, Your Boy Blair (singer/songwriter)
Sun 29: Miles Jupp, Janey Godley, Steve N Allen, Paul McCaffrey, Deserters Deserve Death (live band)

Get Up Stand Up! are on Facebook – see photos from Edinburgh and more.

Despite the hundreds of other bands playing around the site (not to mention the football on at the same time) a large crowd gathered. We got off to a flying start this year as Isy Suttie (the wonderful Dobby from ‘Peep Show’) got things under way with a hilarious set.

Marcus Brigstocke followed attacking all areas of life – and he even managed to keep his clothes on! The previous day, he had ended up with very little on at the Early Edition due to the heat. Tony Benn then gave a passionate speech against nuclear weapons and received a huge standing ovation – a real Glastonbury legend. The show ended with a stunning set from The Beat that had the whole audience dancing. All in all, a wonderful day.

Massive thanks to Marcus Brigstocke, Isy Suttie, Tony Benn and The Beat for making it such a fantastic show. Thanks also to Jess and the Blazing Saddles crew for all their help and to Chris, Jetske, Haggis and all at Theatre & Circus.