p. 132 Lindsey German of the SWP is the convenor of the STWC, and John Rees, also of the SWP, sits on the STWC’s steering committee. The most egregious by far are by John Pilger. But any war will simply add to the numbers of innocent dead, cause untold suffering, political and economic instability on a global scale, increase racism and result in attacks on civil liberties.[1]. Stop the War Coalition and the IFTU . the Vietnamese intervention which toppled Pol Pot in Cambodia). Is that an impossible notion by definition? They are certainly no friends of the Syrian Democratic Revolution. The issue is what is tactically appropriate for the real people fighting fascist tyranny NOW in the area – not fitting everything that occurs into a rigid , pre-set ideological narrative – based on entirely bogus soviet era “Stalino-Marxism”. (November 2003) George Cross: George Galloway MP. Actually, in 1917, Lenin’s home was Switzerland. Since then the STWC has enjoyed occasional mild resurgences around such events as the Hutton Enquiry and George W. Bush’s visit to London , but in general the trend is one of an organisation in decline, destined to remain stuck in an extreme left/Islamist ghetto. The Respect Coalition appear to be belatedly discovering that socialist and Islamists don’t necessarily believe the same things, and at some point will probably have to decide whether to retain the support of the Muslim Association of Britain or whether they want to undertake any meaningful campaigning on gay rights or women’s rights. But he is nevertheless right, of course, to say that it is important to hold the government to account on the use of the military. I think that intelligent debate starts with the assumption that people, including oneself, can reach wrong conclusions for plausible and well-motivated reasons. They only lead this so-called movement because they managed to reduce the anti-Iraq war movement down from three million to 250 pro-Assadists protesting outside the Embassy alongside his thugs. Undoubtedly there would have been extremely angry marches organised by the Stop the War Coalition and much else. I suggest that if we are to make something of the opportunity provided by Corbyn’s election then we will have many very difficult debates to go through on a wide range of topic. Thanks for your reply, Andy. '[6], Also prominent in the Stop the War Coalition leadership were the activists of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), a Trotskyist organisation wedded to the principle of protest politics. No response yet to my question: how come StWC has appointed as its Chair someone who *supports* the bombing of Syria? As such, it was hugely successful in mobilising hundreds of thousands around a simplistic , but essentially accurate “It’s all about oil” and associated anti US Imperialism mantra. Why We Need an Anti-War Government. What amazes me is that someone with a PhD which would indicate the smarts should show such a remarkable lack of intellect in mis-reporting not only the historical facts, but should be so careless with the observable truths as to take both out of context and into Alice in Wonderland territory. The Stop the War Coalition grew at an unprecedented rate as grassroots organisations developed local networks, and its spokespersons and events became increasingly prominent. You can become a member of Stop the War for as little as £2 a month. By becoming a Stop the War member today, you’ll be part of a mass anti-war movement. Part of the national Stop the War Coalition But I think you are rather missing the point, then he wouldn’t care of the German I know precisely what I make of those that have gleefully and disgracefully joined in such a witch hunt. David – some fair(ish) points. James – you should stop your witch hunt against decent socialists in the Labour Party like what I am….sorry, I couldn’t resist. Phil Doré is a former activist in the Stop the War Coalition and author of the Stop the Stop the War Coalition website. Around the time of the huge demonstrations of February 15 th 2003, the Stop the War Coalition had emerged as one of the biggest protest movements in British history, yet it failed to achieve its goal of preventing war in Iraq. He starts of with three assertions about the wisdom of STW on three issues (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya). A consequence of this is that the same old faces seem to continually pop up in its various incarnations. Stop the War Coalition demonstration in Central London against military action in Syria. A few thousand people, mostly a lot younger than me, united in their opposition to bombing Syria. Alliance for Workers Liberty (October 2003) Briefing on the Muslim Association of Britain . 1 Campaigns 1.1 Obama administration 1.2 Wars on Iraq and Afghanistan Had the arguments by the STWC not been so incoherent and badly argued, it is conceivable that the Commons rebellions over Iraq might have been much larger, and just might have caused Britain not to participate in the Iraq War. Not quite the same thing. Balloons [credit] and crowd scene [credit]. What “supporting evidence” do you require, David? We are not here talking about a closed academic debate in which all the participants can be assumed to have broadly the same background knowledge. Murray had dismissed as “hack propagandists” those who “abominate the name of Stalin beyond all others.” These comments drew particular criticism from Observer journalist Nick Cohen, a left-winger who argued in favour of war on humanitarian intervention grounds. House of Commons Library. And in response to your: “No to Washington, No to Moscow, No to Islamic fundamentalism, No to free market fundamentalism”, fair enough, that’s your opinion and, like PhilBC, you’re fully entitled to it. Andy lists different interest groups in STW from pacifists to those who believe that British troops can justifiably be used to “protect and promote British territory, citizens and interests”. Anybody who gives it political cover has some of the blood on its hands. And even at its formation, Stop the War barely condemned the murder of 3000 innocents by Al Qaeda in 1998 and 2001 which provoked and triggered the whole failed “War on terror”. 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