Fwd: Don't they know there's a war on?
John Connon
>>> "Stop the War Coalition" <off...@stopwar.org.uk> 06/04/2010 18:27
>>>
STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 1148
6 April 2010
Email off...@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) DON'T THEY KNOW THERE'S A WAR ON
2) DEBATE: SHOULD THE TROOPS BE IN AFGHANISTAN?
3) HOW TO ASK CANDIDATES WHERE THEY STAND ON THE WAR
4) ELECTION SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
5) JOE GLENTON'S APPEAL AGAINST HIS JAIL SENTENCE
6) CORIN REDGRAVE 16 JULY 1939 - 6 APRIL 2010
*********************************
1) DON'T THEY KNOW THERE'S A WAR ON?
The main political parties in the coming general election
don't want to mention the war in Afghanistan. They all
support it, but they know it is opposed by the majority of the
electorate, who want all the British troops withdrawn.
The Afghan war has led to the deaths of 280 British soldiers
and an estimated 30,000 Afghans. As the death toll and the
levels of expenditure rise, the politicians' silence is
matched by a consensus between the three main parties over
proposed savage cuts in public services.
This year the government will spend £3.8 billion on the war in
Afghanistan, almost the same amount it plans to cut from the
National Health Service.
We have now had nine years of wars that the British public did
not support, and Stop the War is asking its supporters and
local groups to take every opportunity to make sure the issue
is not ignored by election candidates seeking our votes.
*********************************
2) HOW TO ASK CANDIDATES WHERE THEY STAND ON THE WAR
On Stop the War's website from Wednesday 7 April, you will be
able to email the election candidates in your constituency on
where they stand on the war, either by using our model letter
and questions or by writing your own text.
As the election campaign progresses, we will publish replies
from candidates and list those who have not replied.
The questions to candidates in Stop the War's model letter
are:
1 Do you support the immediate withdrawal of British and NATO
troops from Afghanistan?
2 Did you support the war in Iraq?
3 Will you oppose any military attack on Iran by the United
States or Israel?
4 Do you support the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay
prison?
5 Are you opposed to the renewal of Trident nuclear weapons?
6 Do you oppose the attacks on Muslims and the growing
Islamophobia in British society?
7 Do you agree that the use of anti-terrorist laws to
restrict the right of protest is an attack on civil liberties?
We are encouraging all our supporters to use the online
facility to contact their local candidates and to report back
to us the responses. We need to know from people seeking
election as our representatives in parliament, what their
views are on all the key issues of the day.
You can also telephone or write to the candidates by letter.
If you plan to go to hustings meetings, ask the candidates to
give their views on the war. Please let us know of any
responses you get, as we will be collating all this
information into our survey of candidates' attitudes towards
the war.
If you would like to help a Stop the War group in your area
campaign to make the war an issue in this election, contact
the national office: off...@stopwar.org.uk or 020 7801 2768
*********************************
3) ELECTION SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
Stop the War has produced Cost of War Briefing cards and a new
pamphlet on Afghanistan, both of which will be available to
order from the Stop the War website or by calling the national
office from Wednesday 7 April.
Stop the War is also launching an election special petition:
Don't They Know There's a War On: Bring the Troops Home.
*********************************
4) LONDON DEBATE: SHOULD THE TROOPS BE IN AFGHANISTAN?
WEDNESDAY 14 APRIL 6.30 PM.
OLD CINEMA LECTURE THEATRE
WESTMINSTER UNIVERSITY
309 REGENT STREET, LONDON W1B 2UW
Stop the War has organised a debate in London, titled Should
the Troops Be in Afghanistan, on Wednesday 14 April, at which
arguments for and against the war will be presented.
Participants include Mehdi Hasan from the New Statesman,
Professor Christopher Coker from the London School of
Economics, Martin Cakebread from the National Defence
Association, and Lindsey German, Convenor of Stop the War.
Leaflets publicising the debate are available from the Stop
the War national office.
*********************************
5) JOE GLENTON'S APPEAL AGAINST HIS JAIL SENTENCE
Joe Glenton, the soldier imprisoned for opposing the war in
Afghanistan, has an appeal hearing against his sentence on
Wednesday 21 April.
Joe was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, despite the
fact that he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that he
alerted his superiors both to his medical condition and his
growing concerns about the war,
Stop the War has called a protest at the court on the day
Joe's appeal is heard, calling for his immediate release.
WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 9.30 AM
ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE
STRAND, LONDON WC2?
*********************************
6) CORIN REDGRAVE 16 JULY 1939 - 6 APRIL 2010
Stop the War Coalition is saddened to learn of the death of
Corin Redgrave. Corin was a stalwart supporter of the work of
the Coalition from its founding in November 2001. Over the
past nine years, Corin attended, performed and spoke at many
Stop the War events.
At our national demonstration on 24 October 2009, he was one
of the platform speakers in Trafalgar Square, when he spoke
powerfully against the war in Afghanistan, and expressed his
support for Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, then facing court
martial for refusing to fight in Afghanistan.
We send our deepest sympathies to Corin's family.
*********************************
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