Workers' unity against war and terrorism

For a national trade union-led demo
Troops out of Iraq

TONY BLAIR sent British troops into Iraq with the words that it would make the world a 'safer place'.

Judy Beishon

Yet in just the last few weeks there have been horrific terrorist attacks in London, Turkey, Egypt and in Iraq itself.

Now, there are few places in the world where people feel completely safe.

Blair and Bush also claimed their invasion of Iraq was to defend us from weapons of mass destruction, which didn't even exist!

Now, Blair's second major lie is to tell us that the London attacks have nothing to do with his foreign policy, but stem simply from the "evil ideology" of a small minority of Muslims.

Even the pro-Iraq war Economist magazine, which backed Blair at the recent general election, felt driven to comment: "It is absurd to deny even the possibility of a connection with Iraq.

The invasion could well have been the trigger that turned four British Muslims into suicide-bombers".

Blair's own intelligence services put it more concretely when they reported that: "events in Iraq are continuing to act as motivation and a focus for a range of terrorist-related activity in the UK".

Denying the link

Blair is now almost alone in denying any link, with even fellow cabinet members deserting his position. Foreign secretary Jack Straw said that "it's impossible to say for certain" that there is no link.

With a recent Mirror/GMTV opinion poll suggesting that the overwhelming majority of people - 85% - believe there is one, government ministers are increasingly realising that their position is untenable.

Socialists totally condemn the terrorist attacks.

Unfortunately, one of the consequences of the terrorist attacks has been that Blair has temporarily increased his ratings, by leaning on the shock and horror people feel and trying to appear to be giving leadership during a period of crisis.

But as his security forces struggle to catch the perpetrators and to prevent further attacks, killing an entirely innocent man in the process, there is increasing unease and questioning of his position.

It is unlikely that Blair can escape for long from a resurgence of anger being directed at his support for US imperialism's aggression in the Middle East, and also at his domestic policies of privatisation and cuts.

Now, with the danger of further terrorist attacks, it is even more urgent that workers' unity is developed against terrorism and war. A national demonstration should be called by the trade unions, with the immediate withdrawal of the troops from Iraq as one of the central demands.

Workers' unity is also essential against poverty, exploitation and oppression which set the underlying conditions for a more dangerous and unstable world.

This means that while building a movement for the removal of Blair, we must also fight for an end to the capitalist system itself, which is responsible for all these nightmares, and for the goal of socialism, to give everyone a safe and decent future.

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Workers' unity against war and terrorism

For a national trade union-led demo

Troops out of Iraq

Judy Beishon

Denying the link