> STOP THE WAR COALITION Newsletter No.1167 18 August 2010
> Email office@stopwar.org.uk
> Tel: 020 7801 2768
> Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/STWuk
>
> IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
> 1) £4.6 MILLION CAN'T WASH TONY BLAIR'S HANDS CLEAN
> 2) MPs INUNDATED BY AFGHANISTAN E-LOBBY
> 3) BUILD NATIONAL AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO GO DEMONSTRATION
> 4) ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO SUPPORT STOP THE WAR
> 5) NEW LOCAL STOP THE WAR GROUPS
> 6) REALITY RADIO LAUNCHED
>
> *************************************
> 1) £4.6 MILLION CAN'T WASH TONY BLAIR'S HANDS CLEAN
>
> Tony Blair has accumulated an astronomical fortune since he left
> office in 2007 -- by some estimates it will soon reach £45
> million (SEE http://www.bit.ly/9RxYik)
>
> If Tony Blair thought donating the proceeds from his soon to be
> published memoirs to charity would absolve him of his Iraq war
> crimes, he's very much mistaken.
>
> The £4.6 million that will go to help build a rehabilitation
> centre for seriously injured soldiers is very welcome, but no
> amount of money can buy innocence or forgiveness for Blair.
>
> Peter Brierley, whose son was killed in Iraq, welcomed the
> donation but added his aim is still "that one day we will see
> Tony Blair in court for the crimes he committed."
>
> Stop the War is mounting a campaign to get Waterstone's bookshop
> to cancel a book-signing it is hosting for Tony Blair on
> Wednesday 8 September, for reasons given by writers Iain Banks,
> John Pilger and AL Kennedy, composer Michael Nyman, ex-soldier
> Ben Griffin and others who wrote in a letter to the Guardian:
>
> "This event will be deeply offensive to most people in Britain. A
> large majority of the British public say Mr Blair told lies and
> fabricated evidence to take Britain into a war with Iraq that he
> knew to be illegal under international law... The consequences
> for the Iraqi people has been hundreds of thousands of killed, 4
> million more driven from their homes and the destruction of their
> country." (SEE http://www.bit.ly/aYOz3l )
>
> In the first instance we will be encouraging as many people as
> possible to write to Waterstone's asking the company to
> reconsider hosting Blair's book-signing (see below). But if the
> event goes ahead, Stop the War will organise a protest at 12.30pm
> outside Waterstone's in Piccadilly, London, to ensure that the
> voice of Britain's anti-war majority is heard loud and clear as
> Blair signs his book.
>
> WHAT YOU CAN DO:
>
> * EMAIL WATERSTONE'S NOW USING OUR E-LOBBY TOOL
> It takes a couple of minutes using our model letter to send an
> instant message to Waterstone's urging them to cancel Tony
> Blair's book-signing. GOTO
>
> * JOIN THE PROTEST AT WATERSTONE'S ON 8 SEPTEMBER
> If Blair's book-signing is not being cancelled, Stop the War
> will organise a protest at 12.30pm outside Waterstone's in
> Piccadilly, London. Please join us, if you can.
>
> *************************************
> 2) MPs INUNDATED BY AFGHANISTAN LOBBYING
>
> Stop the War has organised a public meeting in Parliament on
> Wednesday 8 September. This is the day before MPs are due to
> debate Afghanistan in the House of Commons and vote on the war
> for the first time.
>
> In the run up to the debate in parliament, MPs are already being
> inundated with emails calling on them to vote in the debate on 9
> September to bring the troops home. Within the last few weeks,
> people using Stop the War's online e-Lobby feature have sent
> emails to over one third of the total number of MPs. We need to
> ensure that every MP is lobbied on this issue, which is very
> simple to do using our instant message e-Lobby feature.
>
> * LOBBY YOUR MP WITH AN INSTANT EMAIL MESSAGE
> MPs are obligated to reply to all communications to them, so if
> you haven't e-lobbied your MP yet, we urge you to do it now. It
> takes less than two minutes to send an instant message. GOTO:

> * PUBLIC MEETING: 08 SEPTEMBER 7.00PM
> AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO GO
> HOUSE OF COMMONS, LONDON, RIGHT SIDE ENTRANCE
> (Ask for Stop the War meeting)
> Speakers will include anti-war MPs and members of military
> families.
>
> *************************************
> 3) BUILD AFGHANISTAN: TIME TO GO DEMONSTRATION
>
> The more obvious it becomes that the war in Afghanistan is
> pointless and being lost, the more the politicians and generals
> insist "progress" is being made. (SEE http://www.bit.ly/9JSN1A )
>
> General David Petraeus, the commander of the US forces in
> Afghanistan, now says that, despite President Obama's declaration
> that US troops would start withdrawing in July 2011, any serious
> reduction may well not start for years.
>
> Whatever David Cameron's claim that British troops will be out of
> Afghanistan by 2015, the British government remains slavishly
> subservient to US foreign policy and there can be no guarantee
> that this will be implemented.
>
> In this context the national Time To Go demonstration called by
> Stop the War, CND and the British Muslim Initiative, will be a
> vital protest expressing the view of the vast majority in Britain
> that the troops should come home now.
>
> Stop the War is urging all its local groups and supporters to do
> all they can to publicise the demonstrations by:
>
> * Spreading the word to your friends, work colleagues, fellow
> students, trade union branch, faith organisation, community group
> etc.
> * Distribute leaflets in work places, colleges, schools,
> churches, mosques etc ( download leaflet for printing here:
> http://www.tinyurl.com/355lpda )
> * Put up a window poster in your home, workplace, college etc
> (available from Stop the War office: office@stopwar.org.uk, tel:
> 020 7801 2768).
>
> Hardly a day passes without more catastrophic news from
> Afghanistan dominating the news media. We need to make 20
> November a demonstration the politicians can't ignore. Please
> watch the Stop the War website for Time To Go updates:
> http://www.stopwar.org.uk
>
> *************************************
> 4) ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO SUPPORT STOP THE WAR
>
> Stop the War Coalition is the largest and broadest anti-war
> movement in Britain. We are a grassroots movement that relies
> entirely on the active participation and ideas of our members and
> supporters in all our campaigning work.
>
> By becoming a member of Stop the War you can directly contribute
> to our campaigns by helping to provide a steady financial basis
> for our small national office and the wide range of activities we
> organise.
>
> Becoming a member can cost as little at £2 a month (we appreciate
> more if you can afford it!).
>
> As a member you will receive a newsletter every three months, a
> weekly email update, membership card, logo badge, a current Stop
> the War pamphlet and an activist's pack that includes a contact
> for your local group and information on how to get involved in
> some of the many Stop the War campaigns.
>
> Becoming a member will give you representation to help shape and
> direct Stop the War's campaigns. It will entitle you to attend
> our national annual general meeting, at which you will have
> speaking and voting rights in the debates formulating our
> policies and future campaigns. This year's AGM takes place at
> London's Conway Hall on 30 October.
>
> BECOME A MEMBER OF STOP THE WAR NOW
> * ONLINE: http://www.bit.ly/11eQoy
> * BY PHONE: 020 7801 2768
>
> *************************************
> 5) NEW LOCAL STOP THE WAR GROUPS
>
> Three new local Stop the War groups have been formed recently --
> in Guildford, Hitchin and Bournemouth. Contact details for these
> new groups and Stop the War groups across the country are here:
> http://www.bit.ly/3cPI3i
>
> If there is no local Stop the War group in your area and you
> would like to be put in touch with people who may be interested
> in starting one, contact the national office:
> office@stopwar.org.uk, tel: 020 7801 2768
>
> *************************************
> 6) REALITY RADIO LAUNCHED
>
> The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has launched its own online
> radio station, Reality Radio. The first programme features Stop
> the War's national convenor, Lindsey German, interviwed by CND's
> chair, Kate Hudson. LISTEN HERE: http://www.bit.ly/dbsPiJ

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