From: "Adrian Wilding" <adrianwilding-AT-blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: RE: AUT: RE: Research towards an anti-militarist project
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 11:06:31 -0000


Hi Dave
Glad to hear there is such a big response from your area going to
London. My question to the guy Rob who you quote will probably open up a
whole new - or old - can of worms (e.g. the popular front debate that
happened a few months back). Yes, there seems to be an element in the
popularity of the UK anti-war movement which is simply pro-nationalist,
or at least pro-UK sovereignty: it merely doesn't want to see a UK
government as the 'poodle' of Bush. There may also be a - much smaller -
element which links on an unconscious level Iraq with asylum-seekers and
wants no part of either. However, I think the size of this constituency
could easily be over-estimated; I think in fact more people are now
realising their affinity with 'old Europe'.
It is also true - and banal - that much of the Stop the War Coalition
and affiliated groups are not anti-capitalist, and have no class
analysis (probably because they are themselves 'middle class'...) But on
Saturday would Rob rather have a march of 50,000 anti-capitalist
anti-war protestors or 1 million anti-war protestors? I suspect most of
us, whilst remaining critical and wanting to argue with those going for
their various 'parochial' reasons, would go for the latter. And this
because the main aims of this march seems to me 1) getting this war
stopped (did we somehow forget this?) 2) showing the government that it
is not supported by the people, 3) changing public opinion 4)
galvanising anti-imperialist feelings, however diffuse and mis-directed.
The third point is not unimportant, and doesn't always happen only on
marches or through internet discussion lists. The many millions who
watched the 2 hour debate last night on the BBC will have seen Jack
Straw skinned alive and lucky to leave the auditorium in one piece, the
overwhelming consensus coming out anti-war. That from a reactionary
national broadcasting corporation. These things can have an effect. Even
if not in stopping this current war, but in making sure no future
government gambles its electability on a policy such as Blair's. Already
here in Scotland we are seeing a dramatic drop in Labour support ahead
of elections in April and a shift towards anti-war parties such as the
Scottish Socialist Party and Green Party. With proportional
representation, as exists here, these trends are not insignificant. In
purely party politics terms, these are eventful times. Now, of course we
must look beyond party politics, and that is why point 3) can be such an
important after-effect of Saturday. I don't agree with one contributor
that this sentiment will be soon forgotton. To Rob and his ilk I would
say: less sectarianism and less fatalism, and lets see what we can
achieve in the next few weeks.
Adrian

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
[mailto:owner-aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu] On Behalf Of Dave
Graham
Sent: 13 February 2003 08:43
To: chris wright
Cc: aut-op-sy
Subject: Re: AUT: RE: Research towards an anti-militarist project

Dear all

Following the contribution from the OCAP member here is something from
another list I belong that chimes in and will hopefully provoke more
'joined up thinking' along the same lines - actually this is the
beginning
of a 'composition' analysis that I thought Autopsy was supposed to be
about
[that was for Nate]

_________________________________________________________

I think around 25 coaches are going to London for the Stop The War March
from Nottingham area. Look's like it's going to be a big one. Me I'll be
in
Amsterdam. . . there's a big event organised there too!

ITMT [e-mail for in the meantime?] a thought.

There's two active campaign type groups in Nottingham at the moment: one
is
stopping the War,and the other is working around asylum/anti-deportation
etc.

A majority of people oppose the war; nearly half even if there's a
second
security council resolution. A much bigger majority oppose asylum
seekers
[altho' slightly contradictorily not necessarily the principle of
asylum].

Putting aside the organising 'cadre', within the Stop the War 'movement'
is
a large dose of parochialism: not a principled opposition to war / US/UK
intervention but a fear of getting involved with anything East of
Europe.

It would be perverse wouldn't it if the effect of StheW was to actually
help further construct a popular Fortress Europe?

To clarify: this doesn't mean I'm not 101% in opposition.  

It might mean that darkness all around is getting to me.

Interested to know what people think.

Rob




--
Dave Graham
<davgraham-AT-merseymail.com>

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