Panel followed by discussion

Jill Evans – CND Cymru

Andrew Draper – Palestine Solidarity Campaign & Cuban Solidarity Campaign

Roy Jones – PARC against DARC 

Geoff Ryan – Anti Capitalist Resistance 

The meeting will be recorded for posting to the Cymru’n Codi website and social media. 

Welfare not warfare – Cymru’n Codi workshop

Time: Mar 2, 2026 07:00 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84158545026?pwd=LDRIfakLwWaW54apdbj25M2SH9fNik.1

An arms race even more dangerous than at the height of the cold war is upon us. 

The defence chiefs of the UK and Germany, have joined with that of France, to warn that families need to prepare their sons and daughters for war and the state needs to up arms spending and invest in the arms industry. 

The stage is being set for an imperialist global confrontation over who, and what capitalist system controls the world economy and the profits that can be extracted.

Internal repression of protest and continuing austerity is accompanying this dash for war. 

Workers in all countries are the first to suffer and will have to pay the cost while the rich just get richer laughing all the way to the bank: it really is warfare not welfare.

In Cymru, the DARC radar system is part of this build up, as are some of the 13 new weapons factories announced by the government. 

Our economy and society is being militarised.

How should socialists respond to this new arms race to achieve ‘welfare not warfare’?

These are other questions will be raised by the panel and in the discussion:

• Does the peace movement provide the basis for workers internationally to oppose this arms race?

• Is pacifism a basic tenant of being a socialist?

• How do we link the campaigns against rearming, genocide in Gaza, attacks on Cuba, Venezuela, Ukraine, countries in the middle east with stopping the arms race?

• How do we reconcile the dangers of militarism and the need to preserve jobs?

• How do we square support for armed national self defence, with these campaigns?

This online workshop intends to explore these issues with the intention of reviewing the extent to which our current Cymru’n Codi statement on peace may need updating:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z-WEE4NDsOIsGogpW4UZLIoRc02TVQ-lB0Gj223m7pY/edit?usp=sharing