Our World Our Say
17 Jun 2007
Dear Friend
Tony Blair is
stepping down this month, but tragically for millions of people the decisions he
took will have repercussions for years to come. The authors of a study in The
Lancet estimate that at least 650,000 Iraqi people have died since the invasion
of Iraq. Britain's involvement in the "war on terror" has not made the world any
safer - on the contrary, it seems it has radicalised a whole new generation of
people throughout the world. Do we really believe, for example - as Tony Blair
always insisted - that the London tube bombings had nothing to do with our
involvement in this "war" or our occupation of Iraq?
And now that
we are in this "war", just how do we get out? With no definable enemy, it seems
we are "at war" with potentially millions of people.
Blair's
legacy of foreign policy misadventures have gone hand in hand with a systematic
destruction of our hard-earned democratic freedoms and fundamental rights. No
longer do we have the right to protest outside parliament... or the right to
silence. We can be put under house arrest with no evidence of our having
committed a crime. Thousands of people have been detained under the Terrorism
Act without any reasonable grounds - including two grandmothers who were
protesting outside an American military base and a heckler at the Labour Party
Conference. And all offences are now arrestable - including minor
transgressions that were previously punishable by fines, such as dropping
litter. It seems the police now have powers to arrest any British citizen they
don't like the look of - for example, police arrested six people on "suspicion
of conspiracy to commit criminal damage", because they were wearing orange
boiler suits and carrying a giant ID card.
Welcome to
our June newsletter with details of the campaigns we are running and important
actions you can take. Tony Blair will soon be free to work the lecture tour and
take up lucrative directorships - and it will be up to us to try to undo the
damage he has done.
Campaign News
ID Card
Free Zones
You may have
seen our recent ads about the ID Cards scheme and the new e-Passports. We have
sent out hundreds of information packs to let people know exactly what these
schemes will mean for all of us. Not only will it fail to keep us safe from
terrorism, but many experts and law enforcement officers, including Acting Chief
Constable Colin Langham-Fitt, believe ID cards will make us much more vulnerable
to identity theft. Whilst recently the price of passports has risen again to
cover the costs for ID cards and the National Identity Register.
We’re about
to launch a major appeal to fund more adverts with the aim of reaching at least
4 million people about this campaign. If you receive a letter or an email later
this month then please respond.
OWOS
ACTIONS
* If you
haven't already done so, declare yourself an ID Card Free Zone at http://www.ourworldoursay.org/id_card_free_zone_take_action.php
Download the
poster at the same time and display it in your window.
*
Spread the word. Forward this email to friends who you feel
would be interested in joining the campaign. Or download an information pack to
pass to family and friends at http://www.ourworldoursay.org/id_card_free_zone_tell_a_friend.php
* Wear the
T-shirt. ID Card Free Zone t-shirts cost £12, including postage to mainland
UK. To order, please call the office on 01273 357694 – or use the order form in
the download pack.
*
Make a donation right now to help fund more adverts via
http://www.ourworldoursay.org/donate.php
The "War
on Terror"
The people of
Iraq have now suffered over three years of military occupation, continued
'insurgent' attacks and widespread abuse. Now that we have illegally plundered
Iraq's resources, caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people and
created a fragmented and dangerous society, a disgusting new refrain is being
heard: that the Iraqis are "ungrateful" and no longer "deserve" our
help.
In
Afghanistan meanwhile, neither the Taliban nor the occupying troops are
showing much regard for the "rules" of war - launching attacks without due
regard for civilian life and, in the case of the Taliban, deliberately targeting
civilians. Southern Afghanistan has degenerated into open warfare (Human Rights
Watch). "Numerous cases" of detainee abuse by US forces have not been properly
investigated or prosecuted. And now we have got into bed with Afghan warlords -
who use murder and violence to intimidate and control their regions and
illegally grab land from citizens. Despite widespread complaints leading up to
the Afghan elections, not only were these warlords never prosecuted, but very
few of them were even banned from taking part in the election
process.
And of course
our soldiers - many of whom are young men and women from poor areas with few
other work prospects - are fighting not, as they believe and no doubt signed up
for (and as Tony Blair had them believe with his absurd '45 minute' claim), in
defence of the British people, but to safeguard multinational corporations' oil
supplies… and profits.
OWOS
ACTION: Write to Des Browne and
join the Virtual Lobby calling for a withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq at
http://www.ourworldoursay.org/afghanistan_iraq_action.php
Iran
Attack
OWOS
campaigners once got Tony Blair to pledge not to support an attack on
Iran, however we cannot become complacent. Many in the US are still talking
about (possibly nuclear) strikes against Iran - and the rhetoric on both sides
is increasingly belligerent.
OWOS
ACTION: Please continue to put pressure on America and Iran to settle the
issue without recourse to war, which would have horrific ramifications for the
entire region. You can take action now at
http://www.owos.info/no_iran_attack.php
Your
Voice
Our World Our
Say came into being in large part due to the Government's refusal to listen to
the majority of people who opposed the war on Iraq and the flouting of
international law and due parliamentary process. From those roots OWOS has
developed into a significant campaigning presence - a non-aligned voice on
world-changing issues, for a wide range of people. As OWOS campaigners, we have
all consistently shown that we can overcome any differences between us and unite
on key issues that concern us all - making positive contributions to the debate
and to the general democratic life of the UK and further afield.
All
campaigners and supporters have the right to suggest campaigns - to be
considered by the OWOS campaigns group. There are certain criteria that
campaigns need to meet. Please view these at http://www.ourworldoursay.org/about.php then email your suggestions to campaigns@ourworldoursay.org
Please
help
If you would
like to write an article for our online newsletter, please email your
suggestions to simone@ourworldoursay.org
We urgently
need volunteers to:
* help with
office administration (you must be able to come into our Brighton office about
once a week)
* research
our campaigns (this can be home-based desk research)
* help with
web editing and programming
If you can
get more involved with OWOS by volunteering, please email volunteering@ourworldoursay.org
Thank you for
taking the time to read this newsletter - and a big thank you for continuing to
campaign to make our views count. With so many attacks on our liberties, and the
ever-expanding "war on terror", there are many more campaigns you can take
action on. Please visit www.ourworldoursay.org for further
details.
All the
best,
Simone, Rob,
Emily, Tim, Mike and Ros - The OWOS team
To make a
donation to OWOS please go to http://www.securegiving.co.uk/donate_to/owos_donate.html
If you longer
wish to receive OWOS newsletters please send an email to nonewsletter@ourworldoursay.org
If you wish
to unsubscribe from all OWOS emailings please send an email to unsubscribe@ourworldoursay.org
Our World Our
Say works to give people a voice over major and world-changing issues. Through
reconnecting ordinary citizens with their elected representatives and giving
them a voice, we aim to give people power over their own future.
Our Vision is
of a world in which all people have power over decisions that affect our
future.
