[StopTheWar] FW: Afghanistan: the war that won't go away

[Lambert, Emily]

STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 1153
12 May 2010
Email off...@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) AFGHANISTAN: THE WAR THAT WON'T GO AWAY
2) A WELCOME TO CAROLINE LUCAS MP
3) NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PALESTINE
4) ISLAMOPHOBIA CONFERENCE TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
5) STOP THE WAR'S FINANCIAL APPEAL

***********************************
1) AFGHANISTAN: THE WAR THAT WON'T GO AWAY

The war in Afghanistan hardly featured in the election and the
new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government will want to
continue avoiding the issue, except to insist nonsensically
that withdrawing the troops would bring the Taliban to
Britain's streets.

In this they will be joined by the Labour opposition, but
there is a dilemma facing all three parties: the majority of
people in Britain do not agree with them and want the troops
withdrawn within a year - one recent poll showing that 77
percent want an end to the war now.

Most people question the purpose of the war. Few believe it is
really making Britain safer, and the suggestion that it is
improving human rights or women's rights is clearly refuted by
the reality of deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan.

We have seen in the past year how the war can suddenly push
itself to the top of the news agenda, as it did last Summer
when a US-led offensive in Helmand province brought a sharp
increase in British casualties, and for weeks soldiers'
funerals at Wootton Bassett were featured prominently in the
media.

With an assault on Kandahar -- Afghanistan's second biggest
city -- apparently imminent, we may be about to see this
futile and unwinnable war moving again to the centre of the
political stage.

As we face severe cuts in public expenditure due to the
economic crisis, the call for the troops to come home will be
strengthened by the argument that cuts should not come from
services like health and education, but from scrapping Trident
nuclear missiles (projected cost £100 billion) and ending the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (currently costing many billions
every year).

Last December, David Cameron told The Sun newspaper, "I will
never cut and run from Afghanistan", meaning he would rather
send soldiers to kill and die in a war which has no purpose
other than to save the face of the warmongers who took us into
it in the first place.

Now David Cameron is prime minister, it is the task of the
anti-war movement to help end the pointless waste of Afghan
and British lives, by maximising the pressure on him to cut
and run, not just from Afghanistan, but from Britain's
continual subservience to American war policies.

***********************************
2) A WELCOME TO CAROLINE LUCAS MP

They were some encouraging signs in the election that the
anti-war cause is popular among the electorate.

Candidates who had for years been highly vocal and visible
opponents of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who had
campaigned for Palestinian rights and against the replacement
of Trident nuclear missiles, often bucked the national trend
against the Labour Party, by getting re-elected with an
increased share of the vote -- among them John McDonnell and
Diane Abbott, who have often spoken at Stop the War events,
and Jeremy Corbyn, who is an officer of Stop the War.

The Respect Party leader Salma Yaqoob, who is also chair of
Birmingham Stop the War, was not elected, but achieved a very
impressive 14 percent swing from the sitting MP to take second
place.

Sadly, George Galloway, a vice-president of Stop the War, was
not re-elected. However, he will undoubtedly remain one of the
most inspiring and resolute campaigners for the anti-war and
Palestinian causes.

Caroline Lucas -- a long-time supporter of Stop the War and
tireless campaigner for the Palestinian cause -- triumphed to
become the first Green Party MP. She immediately gave notice
that she will be indomitably anti-war when sitting in
Parliament, campaigning, she says, "for withdrawing the troops
from Afghanistan -- that's a majority view among the British
public".

How potent an anti-war voice Caroline will be at Westminster,
is clear from the video of the speech she made at Stop the
War's national demonstration in Trafalgar Square in March
2008, which can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/bf21q6

***********************************
3) NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR PALESTINE

A national day of action for Palestine takes place on Saturday
15 May, including a demonstration in London:

DEMONSTRATION SATURDAY 15 MAY
FREE PALESTINE: END THE GAZA SEIGE
12-2PM, OPPOSITE DOWNING ST, LONDON SW1
Organised by: Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim
Initiative, Stop the War Coalition, CND, Palestinian Forum in
Britain

NOTE ON BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT & SANCTION CAMPAIGN:
When Elton John gives a concert in Tel Aviv on June 17 --
thereby breaking the boycott of Israel for its war crimes and
violations of international law -- he will not be singing this
song for his Israeli audience: http://bit.ly/bsaCvS

***********************************
4) ISLAMOPHOBIA CONFERENCE TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

The one-day conference on Saturday 5 June, titled Stop
Islamophobia: Defend the Muslim Community, is already
attracting considerable interest, with many organisations now
added to those supporting and an impressive list of speakers
announced.

Organised by Stop the War and the British Muslim Initiative,
the conference will bring together a wide range of opinion
united in concern over the escalating demonisation of Muslims
in our society.

Advance booking for the conference is advisable, as tickets
for the conference are already selling briskly.

FOR FULL DETAILS, LIST OF SPEAKERS AND TICKETS, GO TO:
http://bit.ly/9CqCUP

***********************************
5) STOP THE WAR'S FINANCIAL APPEAL

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed in the first week
of our Summer financial appeal. If you have not yet made a
donation, please consider doing so now.

Stop the War relies entirely on contributions from its members
and supporters to fund our small office and all our
campaigning activities -- which over the past nine years has
seen us organising hundreds of events, including some of the
biggest demonstrations ever held in this country.

HOW TO DONATE:
* ONLINE: http://bit.ly/APlKX
* BY PHONE: Call 020 7801 2768
* BY CHEQUE: Made payable to "Stop the War Coalition" and sent
to:
Stop the War Coalition
231 Vauxhall Bridge Road
London UK, SW1V 1EH

***********************************
--
To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-uns...@lists.riseup.net


The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Stop the War Aberdeen" group.
To post to this group, send email to stopthewa...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to stopthewaraberd...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/stopthewaraberdeen?hl=en.