Nuclear power

A debate has sparked in the UK earlier this year to build new nuclear powerstations. I think that is a supremely bad idea. Although nuclear power does not contribute to greenhouse gases, it is just as harmful to the environment.

After they have outlived their useful life, nuclear elements have to be disposed of. By the laws of physics, some of the radio-active isotopes contained in the elements have a halflife of thousands of years. This means that it takes that length of time for HALF the radio-activity to dissipate. This means that the nuclear waste has to be stored somewhere where it will be safe for thousands of years.

In the UK, a government agency called Nirex has been scanning around for suitable dumping sites. Two of them in the Western Isles (where I am) - the islands of Fuday and Sandray (near Barra). A storm blows up every time a site is shortlisted, and the jury is still out on the issue.

The point that I am making is: if the issue of nuclear waste has not been resolved, we should not go forward and produce even more.

A second issue has arisen on the international scene. Iran has recently slipped the UN leash and is proceeding with a uranium enrichment programme, which could ultimately lead to the building of a nuclear weapon. The Iranian government has vehemently denied that this is their objective, and stresses that its nuclear programme is purely peaceful and for civilian benefit.

The Iranian president, Mahmood Ahmedinajad, is on record as wanting to destroy the state of Israel. This is in contravention of international law. If this is government policy in Iran, I think we have a problem. Because the nuclear programme could be used to make a nuclear bomb for dropping on Israel.

Six other Arab states, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, have also shown an interest in nuclear power. Although none of these states have expressed an overt interest in wiping Israel off the map, I would say that the political situation in the Middle East and North Africa is not exactly one of rock-solid stability. Certainly Algeria has had some horrendous episodes of civic unrest, and things rumble on under the surfaces of Egypt and Saudi.