Iona Soper

I have been an active member of the Scottish anti-nuclear family since studying the movement for my MA. I have spent a number of years as a resident campaigner of the Faslane Peace Camp, and helped to build the profile of the camp through outreach and press appearances. I was proud to facilitate the role of the Peace Camp for the Peace Training Academy in 2018, as well as the Nae Nukes Anywhere rally the same year.

Since moving to Glasgow I have campaigned locally on a number of issues including illegal evictions, capitalism and climate change, and the British arms trade. I went on to work with Scottish CND, managing the exhibition project 'A Peace of History', for which I directed and produced a film in which you can spot at least one familiar face! I spent a year as Coordinator for the Peace Education Scotland charity, and developed my skills as a School Speaker.

Secure Scotland is the next step in my exploration of this movement. Having worked closely at the grassroots, community and education levels, I'm excited for this chance to take the next step, and learn about engaging with these themes at the policy level. Having focussed professionally on issues surrounding nuclear weapons, I also believe this work will help me to develop my understandings of the many other cross-cutting issues found within defence rhetoric and policy. I hope that my experiences will prove me to be an asset to this project, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress!