Stop the War
The large scale of the anti-war protests this week shows that we are in the process of building a movement that will stop the war in Iraq and bring about peace in the Middle East. In Yorkshire over 1000 people took part in a wide and imaginative variety of activities.
The next Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams, has warned that a pre-emptive strike against Iraq could "rapidly and uncontrollably spiral down into chaos." He feels that the war could escalate to a nuclear conflict with hundreds of thousands of casualties. Given Israel's increasing reliance on nuclear weapons, due to the conversion of its army into a glorified police force, these warnings from Dr Williams have to be taken very seriously.
The campaign against the war is having a considerable effect. The Guardian/ICM weekly tracker poll shows that only 32% of people approve of strikes against Iraq with over 41% opposing. Similar polls in the US show considerable opposition but with a majority in support of Bush; however pollsters are warning that this support would evaporate if the attack was launched without United Nations backing. That is why Blair and his cabinet are scurrying around to help Bush out by building support for a new United Nations resolution.
The war on Iraq has already started and the build-up has begun. Our former Harehills comrade Hoon spent considerable time this summer in the US being programmed to follow through the Bush line. However with Brown finding that capitalism is a system of crises there is no longer enough money for the proposed expansion of public services never mind finding billions of pounds to fund a war in Iraq. Brown has asked Hoon to find a way of invading Iraq that doesn't involve ground troops. Hoon is ignoring this and is preparing to follow the instructions of his American controllers by calling up 10,000 reservists.
Of course, as I've previously mentioned, MI6 agents of influence in the very top of the Bush administration are relaying to their UK masters with increasing desperation the complete lack of principle and consistency inside the White House. Blair just ignores these hard-won reports.
One example of how out of control they are is the murder in the Yemen of al-Harethi, who was supposed to be responsible for the killing of 17 US sailors on the USS Cole. Now there will be no trial and no drawing out of his links with bin Laden. Al-Harethi was supposed to have been killed by a CIA Hellcat missile fired from a Predator drone. This had to be done because it was impossible to have him arrested because of the wild and dangerous nature of the countryside. However my uncle spotted a helicopter in the area just before the explosion and the Yemeni police were examining the wreckage within a few minutes of the explosion so it looks like a good old-fashioned car bomb was used. However the myth of drones firing off super-accurate missiles is a good for the CIA.
Below I have tried to round up those ant-war demonstrations I took part in or know about. The Left Alliance would be grateful for any further reports.
Leeds
The events of 31st of October in Leeds opened with cycle rally organised by Critical Mass, which slowed traffic down considerably in the centre making it safer for all of us.
This was followed up by a witness demonstration of various Christian groups including Quakers on the Headrow.
Then there was a large demonstration of over 400 in front of Yorkshire Television. The aim was to influence those attending Question Time. The demonstrators turned their attention to blocking Kirkstall Road in the most peaceful of ways. Four demonstrators were arrested including that modern-day prophet the Reverend Ray Galston. Once in the police cells he asked for a Bible but apparently the Gideon people only supply hotel bedrooms.
Sheffield
The anti-war protesters brought rush hour traffic in Sheffield to a standstill in the morning when around 60 cyclists of Critical Mass blocked the inner ring road. The morning commando raid had the effect of gridlocking the entire city. Over a dozen events took place in Sheffield, including a rally in the Peace Gardens outside the Town Hall. They were addressed by journalist, broadcaster and former Sheffield student Yvonne Ridley who spent 10 days in captivity while working undercover for a national newspaper in Afghanistan last September.
Later on the protestors were led by a samba band through the City centre.
Sheffield Hillsborough's Helen Jackson is the only South Yorkshire MP to back a motion in the House of Commons marking "deep unease" at the threat of war with Iraq, supported by 161 others including ten from the rest of Yorkshire.
York
In York the peace campaigners unfurled anti-war banners on York's medieval city walls to protest against British and US plans to attack Iraq. They pinned their individual messages of hope to a "peace tree" in Parliament Street. Earlier in the evening nearly 200 protesters joined hands in symbolic protest and then lit candles outside the gates of Imphal Barracks, Fulford. The demonstrators consisted of trade unionists, Councillors, students from York University and Christian groups including Quakers. They marched down Fulford Road to a Total filling station, where they staged a short and silent sit-down protest in the road. There were chants of "No blood for oil".
Bradford
Members of the Bradford Stop the War Coalition held a lively demonstration in Centenary Square. Some lay down in the Square while others chalked round their outlines to demonstrate the fatalities of war.
This is being followed up by weekly vigils on Thursday afternoons outside the Alhambra.
The legendary entertainer and songwriter Karl Dallas organised a fundraising night on Bonfire night, with singers, musicians and poets including Professor Roy Bailey at The Love Apple in Great Horton.
Barnsley
Demonstrators brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill by activating pelican crossing lights at one of Barnsley's busiest roundabouts. The Stop the War Coalition members gathered at the main town end roundabout as workers headed for home just after 5pm and repeatedly activated pelican crossing red lights on roads leading to the junction. This action, which went on for 30 minutes, kept the red lights continually turned so helping to slow the traffic and cut accidents. Eventually eight police officers came to stand guard over the crossings to end the chaos. However unlike Leeds no one was arrested.
Hull
Over 100 Stop the War campaigners gathered outside Paragon Station, Ferensway, to show their opposition to an attack on Iraq. They have been raising a petition against the war, which has been widely supported.
There were also demonstrations in Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield and at Menwith Hill.
Palestine
On the Tuesday there was lively and peaceful demonstration of over 200 at Elland Road, Leeds. This was against Shauf Mofaz, the extreme former rightwing general in charge of the Israeli Defence Force responsible for the ferocious assaults in recent months on Palestinian civilians. The demonstrators faced 153 police with dogs and horses. The police continuously videoed the protestors and kept them some considerable distance from Mofaz who was attending a fundraising dinner organised by the Leeds branch of the United Jewish Israel Appeal. The dinner was supposed to raise over £20,000 towards the appeal's annual target. This sum was easily surpassed according to our friends who were observing at the dinner. This was despite the general atmosphere of fear at the event, blamed on the demonstration, and that Mofaz left half way through to go to Manchester to fly back to Israel. The money was obviously no problem given that 90% of the audience came in Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes and huge gas-guzzling four wheel drive monsters.
There is however some mystery over why Mofaz left so early. One explanation was that he had been called back to Israel to become the unelected Defence Minister in Ariel Sharon's disintegrating right-wing government. However he had already accepted the post before the dinner started, according to one of my sources at the dinner who was able to talk to him. There might have been a certain element of funk as the large demonstration organised by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign had succeeded in severely disrupting his meeting in Glasgow. He is after all used to attacking unarmed Palestinians with tanks. There is also the story that my good learned friend Imran Khan had put together a lengthy dossier for the police accusing him of war crimes and he did not want to be interviewed by the police. This dossier has been reinforced by the Amnesty International report on the behaviour of Israeli troops in the occupied areas, which finds prima facie evidence of war crimes. This report names Mofaz as the person in charge and has also been handed to the police.
Mofaz's main contribution to the peace process has been to change the Israeli Army into an armed police force for the West Bank. This has involved a major reorganisation and some purges of experienced senior army officers who tried to maintain the level of conventional defence without having to resort to their illegally acquired nuclear weapons. Mofaz has been replaced by another extremist Lt General Moshes Yaalon who has called for military victory over the Palestinians. Given that Israel has now more combat-ready nuclear weapons than France and Britain and that Sharon is saying he will immediately retaliate against Iraq if it launches any missiles at Israel, Dr Williams' warnings of a nuclear war have to be taken very seriously. Sharon has already called for the war to be expanded to include Iran.
To coincide with the start of the invasion of Iraq the United Jewish Israel Appeal has invited the former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani to speak at the end of January 2003. This cynical political manoeuvre to exploit those murdered in New York and to cover for the invasion of a country which had nothing to do with the crime will be met by huge protests.
The Israeli economy is now completely in crisis and even the 15 million pounds the United Jewish Israel Appeal is sending to help out is only a drop in the ocean. Unemployment is rising and many are looking for another country to move to. The Israeli state is becoming increasingly subordinated to its military needs and inevitably the country is heading for a military dictatorship. Some of the opposition in the Knesset are already saying that Sharon's government is sliding towards a military junta.
Students at Leeds University organised a large and successful meeting in support of the Palestinians.
Snippets
Humber Bridge
The hospitals in Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Hull are run as a single unit. This means that patients are regularly shunted from one to another. They are often directed to hospitals on the other side of the Humber River. Each time they cross on the bridge they have to pay the toll. This is a direct tax on health. However the local councils and the North Lincolnshire Primary Trust has refused to provide funds to help the sick pay the £5 return toll.
The Humber Bridge is massively in debt to the Government and they cannot afford to scrap tolls for patients.
The Humber Bridge is an early example of the Private Finance Initiative. It was built in the late 1960s to win an important by election in Hull for the Wilson Labour government. However it was always supposed to cover its debt charges as well as its day to day costs. Thirty years on this method of financing public facilities is still gouging the public of Humberside and the costs look like continuing to rise. North East Lincolnshire £70 million in debt. North East Lincolnshire Council covers Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham. Its debts have gone up by 10% over the last year and now the total debt stands at £70 million.
The Council cannot even plan ahead because it has no idea how much the government will give it in grant. The tax payers of the towns face both increased bills and less services - no wonder their MP has changed his name to Austin Haddock. The Tories response has been to campaign for the selling off of the council houses to a private company. The New Labour council following its instructions from its political masters doesn't need to be told by the Tories what to do; it is already consulting with tenants on the possibility of selling off the council homes. Austin Haddock meanwhile appears to have changed his name back to Austin Mitchell and is campaigning against the Government support for Hull's new Fish Market.
Monsanto and genetic crops
Tony Blair has been a long time supporter of genetic crops, mainly because the Americans have asked him to help open up the European agricultural industry to the giant American seed companies. What this means in practice can be seen in how Monsanto, one of the leading US purveyors of genetic seeds, has decided to ruthlessly prosecute a small Canadian farmer called Percy Schmeiser. Schmeiser had been growing rapeseed for 40 years. However Monsanto discovered that some his crop was derived from their "patented" seed. He said it must have reached his land by wind. Monsanto took him to court. If you buy their seed you have to buy from them every year. The company allegedly trespassed on his land to collect evidence against him.
Monsanto are seeking damages of $400,000 from this small farmer which would bankrupt him.
Controlling the Internet
An unlikely sounding body, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is the ultimate controlling body of the Internet. The US government created this body. It has now voted to exclude its five members who were directly elected through the Internet. Instead everyone will now be chosen through a nominating committee and just three affiliated organisations. This tightens the US and big business control of the Internet.
There has been no response of course from the New Labour poodles in the UK. Their interest in the web has always been a matter of spin. A survey by Porter Research has found that three-quarters of the main Government web sites are appalling. The worst been Blair's own No 10 site and that of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The DVLA is severely understaffed but No 10 has special advisors spilling out into the street. The No 10 site is slow, it doesn't work with some browsers and there is of course no way of contacting No 10 directly.
Sheerman of Huddersfield
Barry Sheerman is Chair of the Commons Education Select Committee. In a recent meeting he called upon the Chief Inspector of Schools, David Bell, to speak out to Blair about the dangers of "over-testing and over-inspection." However Bell defended the tests. Apparently Sheerman and his committee had visited New Zealand where they had been warned of the dangers of too much government interference in schools. Of course Sheerman could have visited a few schools in Huddersfield to find this out and save us taxpayers some money. However the discovery does give Sheerman the chance to speak out against Blair and Clarke himself, instead of encouraging the servants. When he was younger and working as Clive Jenkins's research assistant he wouldn't have hesitated to speak out.
Mary Taylor
Mary Taylor was Charlotte Bronte's best friend and an important early feminist. Her life story will be told at her former home, the excellent Red House Museum in Gomersal. on Sunday 10 November at 2 pm. The speaker will be Joan Bellamy, author of the recently published biography More Precious Than Rubies (Paperback, 174pp, April 2002; Highgate Publications (Beverley) Ltd; ISBN: 1902645286)
John Lambert
My £1000 bid for the portrait of John Lambert, Oliver Cromwell's second in command at the Battle of Preston and one of my favourite people. failed to procure this wonderful miniature at a recent auction
A true Yorkshire person born at Skipton he refused to take an oath of loyalty to Cromwell when he became Lord Protector. He also organised the final attempt to stop the restoration of the monarchy. His spirit is with us as we begin to demolish this completely arrogant and morally corrupt set-up as exposed through the limited glimpses we were allowed during the Burrell trial. Only Tony Blair deliberately fails to see the whole cesspit. His gloss over the facts of the case is "The Queen acted in my view entirely properly throughout. I don't think it is right that we change the rules in relation to the Queen giving evidence in court." In other words he defends a system where the Queen is above the law. This no different from the King of Swaziland.
New Labour Councillors
This is a tense time for many New Labour councillors. Over the next few weeks they have to convince their tiny ward parties that they can continue to be the party's candidates and continue therefore to have their noses in the increasingly lucrative trough. However before they even get as far as their local ward they have to pass a selection panel.
Councillors Steve Walmsley, Eileen Hoban and Anthony Craggs of Thornaby Ward, Stockton failed to get through because of their opposition to the closure of a local school. They are appealing to the New Labour Party's regional board backed their MP Dari Taylor.
I understand that some Councillors in Leeds are going through the same process, although this seems scarcely believable as none of them had the guts to support Leopold Primary School during the campaign to keep it open. There will be more on the Leeds situation in a forthcoming column.
Councillor Neil Taggart
The former Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority has not been sighted in Chapel Allerton over the last few weeks. This is due to his long autumn holiday.
-- Half-Celestial Khan
