Shoulder to Shoulder with George Bush
20 April 2008 - The Stop the War Coalition
Source:STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No. 1040 20 April 2008
As Gordon Brown returned from genuflecting before George Bush and confirming that he, like his predecessor, stands shoulder to shoulder in the continuation of war crimes which have slaughtered hundreds and thousands and driven millions from their homes, the British army spokesman in Basra reported with undisguised fervour that, "British artillery and US planes conducted a firepower demonstration to the west of Hayania, to give a demonstration of the firepower available."
Gordon Brown's promise last Autumn that British troop deployments would be drastically reduced during 2008, have proved to be worthless. Security and the death toll in Iraq have worsened sharply in the past two months, with the rate of civilian deaths doubling and the US military admitting to a "spike" in attacks on its forces and in American fatalities. British forces -- attached to the coat-tails of the US military facing the reality of a failed "surge" - are becoming increasingly active in attacking Iraqis.
Yet again, in contrast to the supine reporting of the mainstream media, the anti-war movement has been correct in its portrayal of Iraq as a disaster for the Iraqi people which can only begin to be resolved by an end to the occupation and the complete withdrawal of all foreign troops. The blank cheque that Gordon Brown gave to George Bush for British troops to stay in Iraq for as long as it suited America's imperial purpose, showed that the anti-war movement's task remains as urgent as ever - to mobilise the widest possible support for the demand that all the troops come home now. Over the coming weeks and months, Stop the War will announce a series of activities and campaigns aimed at doing just that.
