Protesting didn't stop the invasion of Iraq but that is no reason to get downhearted and let apathy take control – it is important to maintain a long term perspective. I believe the Newbury bypass protestors are a good example and source of inspiration - although they did not manage to stop the road being built their protest has had a significant impact on future policy decisions and their actions helped to politicise countless people. The anti-war protests have also helped politicise countless people and I believe they will also help shape future policy decisions. Despite the statistics that the government bandy about Blair knows that there is a seriously large percentage of the nation (and the world) who are seriously pissed off about this war. Blair (and wannabe PMs) must be well aware that wars will no longer win elections, and that the majority of people are not prepared to vote every few years then just shut the fuck up. It is our democracy and the MPs are our representatives – it is important we make them listen to what we want and act accordingly. Protesting is as important now as it has ever been – it is important that the government is not allowed to forget the level of opposition that this war has generated. We may not have managed to stop the Invasion of Iraq but we may have the power to stop any other invasions that are currently being considered
Nat, ignore grumpy old who are nothing more than a sad remnant of the ‘half the world was pink’ generation. The sum of your efforts may not be noticeable today but will become sooooo apparent in the future
PS: It has occurred to me that the Tories may have decided to vote w/ the government because they knew public opinion was strongly against the invasion of Iraq and they cynically realised that an unfavourable war would give them a chance of sneaking the next election - bastards
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