30 March 2007

5. No to war & occupation

Three amendments were proposed.

a) That we take out the demand for immediate withdrawal of the troops and replace it with a call for a phased withdrawal.

b) That we include opposition to all deportations to Iraq

c) That we put the demand for troops out lower down the list of demands and make the demand for socialism our primary demand.

The first amendment (amendment a) fell.

The second amendment (amendment b) passed.

The third amendment (amendment c) fell.

The motion was passed with amendment a).

Proposed by Bristol ISR

ISR notes

That a report published in the Lancet estimates the death toll in Iraq at over 600,000 and the UN recently calculated that over 34,000 Iraqi civilians died during 2006.

That despite the presence of over 150,000 troops, the US-UK occupying forces have been incapable of achieving stability or of beginning any meaningful reconstruction.

That opposition to the war and occupation continues to grow in Britain and internationally.

That the US has been preparing the ground for some sort of attack on Iran but that they are enormously overstretched militarily and have had trouble recruiting to the army.

That the impressive demo on 15 February and demos subsequently have been important shows of opposition to war but have failed to stop Blair.

ISR believes

That the US-UK led war and occupations have brought about a situation of chaos and brutal sectarian violence.

That while it's unlikely the US will attack Iran and a ground attack is almost certainly ruled out because of the strain the US military is under it is not impossible that there may be some bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities.

That it's hypocritical of Bush and Blair to attack Iran and North Korea for developing nuclear weapons while turning a blind eye to Israel and encouraging Pakistan and India to do so and that no country should develop nuclear weapons because of the massive threat to the lives of millions they represent.

That Bush's "surge", of 18,500 troops will not provide a solution to the civil war that's opening up.

That this was a war for oil, profit, prestige and power.

We support the slogan of "troops out" and call for the immediate withdrawal of the troops. However this slogan alone is insufficient as, while many people understand that the occupation has made the situation worse, they also fear a further worsening of the situation if the troops withdraw.

That the only solution to the bloodshed and destruction lies in the Iraqi working people building their own democratic, multi-ethnic defence forces to counter ethnic and religious clashes, and to kick out the occupying troops.

ISR resolves

To build the anti-war movement in England and Wales and to stand in solidarity with anti-war internationally.

To raise the need for a socialist alternative based on independent action of the working and oppressed people in the war-torn areas within the anti-war movement.

To link the anger people feel over the war to the anger over the attacks on the NHS and education and over privatisation of public services and to call on the unions to call action over these issues as the best opportunity to inflict a defeat on the government and show that ordinary people can have a say in how the world is run.

To put the case for a socialist alternative to war and terror at local and national Stop the War events and in our own meetings and protests.