30.04.2003

London's unlikely champion of dissent

A successful and positive launch of the Greenwich Stop the War Coalition put paid to those pundits who say the anti-war movement has evaporated with the conquest of Iraq, says Marcus Ström

More than 200 people packed into the Greenwich Forum to hear Tony Benn, Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui (Muslim Parliament), Kate Hudson (CND vice-chair) and Lindsay German (Socialist Workers Party and STWC national convenor) argue the case for continuing with the anti-war movement. A steering committee will be established. The mood was that now more than ever deepening our organisational abilities was the order of the day - this would allow us to fight the battles ahead.

As comrades gathered for the meeting, I enquired of Lindsay German if I too would be barred from attending, as Anne Mc Shane had been removed from the STWC steering committee as an observer. I was greeted by an uncomfortable, stony-faced silence. Lindsay is normally very friendly to me. The chair of the meeting, another SWP member, combined with comrade German's filibuster, also ensured I was excluded from speaking from the floor.

Tony Benn, obviously tired from his barnstorming during the anti-war campaign, argued forcefully for the need to combat the emergence of a new American century. Saying this movement was "the most important political movement of my lifetime", comrade Benn said we should not be surprised by the military outcome of the war. What is important is that Iraq is now a US colony and the Americans are the new barbarians. The initial street looting in Baghdad after the collapse of the Ba'athist regime is nothing compared to the US looting of the oil, natural resources and cultural treasures of Iraq.

Comrade Benn said that renewed internationalism, not a new 'Euronationalism', was the antidote to US aggression. However, these sentiments were tied to the need to respect "international law" and a defence of the UN system - illusions in bourgeois legalism we have come to expect from the veteran socialist campaigner. Displaying a tendency to anti-Americanism, Tony Benn said the only regime change he wanted to see was in Washington. What about London? This was clearly an oversight.

Dr Siddiqui - perhaps surprisingly - made the most politically astute argument of the night. He said that all that had been learnt during this war is that countries down the imperial pecking order actually need to build weapons of mass destruction to avoid being trampled on by the US war machine. So North Korea claims to have nuclear weapons to avoid being swamped by Washington's doctrine of "full spectrum dominance". Most importantly, Dr Siddiqui said that our main task was to get rid of New Labour. He said to do this our People's Assembly needed to become a standing assembly for the movement to debate and discuss. Our movement was for democracy; further, it needed to be generalised nationally. Organising against the pro-war party included ensuring that the warmongers do not get re-elected, he concluded. Kate Hudson concentrated on the "illegal" nature of the occupation and on the development of weapons of mass destruction by the United States.

Lindsay German spoke last. She urged those gathered not to doubt that our movement has had a massive impact - in the UK and internationally. Across the world, she said, demonstrators talk of "Hyde Park" as a touchstone. Quoting from recent newspaper reports, she said that our movement almost forced Blair and his closest cabinet colleagues to resign. We may not have stopped this war, but we have made it more difficult for them to fight the next, she claimed.

Comrade German defended George Galloway. Her only criticism was that he has two houses. While of course we must demand that Galloway is given the benefit of the doubt and defend him against the Telegraph's witch-hunting, that does not mean being uncritical. Tying our flag to his mast is a tactical error, to say the least. According to comrade German, "an attack on George Galloway is an attack on our whole movement". While there is an element of truth here, we should not let Galloway be the defining figure of the anti-war movement. Comrade German claimed that the most likely explanation is a forgery by British intelligence. A possibility.

However, what about the money received from reactionary governments such as Pakistan and a pro-Ba'athist Jordanian businessman? Do we want to be associated with that? Ironically, Lindsay defended the right to dissent and argued that we must continually fight for that right. It is a pity she does not seem to want to uphold this right within the movement.

Without transparency and democracy, our anti-war movement cannot achieve the task suggested by Dr Siddiqui - a thoroughgoing democratic regime change in the UK. Without democracy in the movement, we cannot achieve a democratic society. Marcus Ström * Movement needs openness