Pacifism discussion on Radio 4

It was good to hear Albert Beale, of Peace Pledge Union and Housmans on BBC Radio 4's "Saturday Live" this morning. A very interesting and intelligent discussion with Fi Glover and other guests. Listen to Albert again here.

Swords, ploughshares, R & D

Further to my earlier post, I notice that Scientists for Global Responsibility have plublished an update to their report "Soldiers in the Laboratory" [also known as SITL] ... Simply entitled "More Soldiers in the Laboratory" its author, Chris Langley, concludes:

"It is clear that since we published the SITL report, the military has put in place plans to expand and strengthen its involvement with and influence over the UK science and technology sector with significant emphasis on building and further consolidating links with universities.Yet it is also increasingly clear that the narrow, high-technology, weapons-based aproach to tackling international tensions and conflicts is failing in many situations."

So that's swords and ploughshares...?

Ten years ago, some of us were eagerly waiting to see what the new Labour government was going to do about its manifesto commitment to defence diversification. We found out later that the Defence Diversification Agency (DDA) was mostly about spin-ins and spin-offs - i.e. technology transfer between defence and civil sectors in order that both may thrive. The vision of arms conversion that some had in the 1980s - and then reawakened with the possibility of a peace dividend after the cold war - was quietly abandoned.

Now the DDA has been closed, though the government's objectives don't seem to have changed - spin-ins and spin-offs through other means. One of these other means goes by the extraordinary name of Ploughshare Innovations Ltd. This is a 'technology transfer company' set up by The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory "to actively pursue the commercial exploitation of publicly funded research for the benefit of all". Now, my understanding is that this 'all' means that the defence industry benefits still more, as it sells its technological expertise to a wider market. How about dispensing with the swords altogether and just focusing on the ploughshares?

The vision of arms conversion, rather than diversification, still has an important place and is promoted again in a recent CND report, Trident and Employment, in which the writer Steven Schofield says:

"Rather than follow this course [of building a replacement to the Trident system at Barrow in Furness], the UK could adopt an arms conversion policy that sees the savings from the cancellation of FOS [Follow-on System to the current generation of Trident] used to support civil R&D and production. In this way the UK could satisfy 50% of its electricity generation needs from a multi-billion pound investment in offshore wind and wave power, providing 25,000 to 30,000 jobs, that would more than compensate for lost military employment, while significantly reducing carbon emissions and enhancing security of supply."

Swords... who needs 'em!?

Burma

As the world watches to see how the situation in Burma develops ("Burma monks maintain nonviolent resistance in the face of attacks") ...

Here's a useful analysis on Open Democracy.

The Burma Campaign UK has a number of action suggestions

and AVAAZ has organised an international petition, " Stand with the Burmese Protesters"

Finally, an inspiring poster apparently being carried by protesting monks

Hopeful words?

I've just read the BBC news item about UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband's speech at the Labour party conference in which he said:
"... while we've won the wars it's been harder to win the peace.
"The lesson is that while there are military victories there never is a military 'solution'. [my emphasis added]
"There's only military action that creates the space for economic and political life."

I will be very interested to know what his colleagues in the Government have to say on this matter. And if they agree, whether this statement means anything in practice. I can't quite see the use of Trident nuclear weapons as a particularly useful tool for creating 'space for economic and political life' - any thoughts on how that might work?!
And if there is government unity behind these sentiments, what are the non-military solutions that the UK will now be investing in, given that it has realised the limits of militarism as a tool for building peace? Do you think we might be told?

Warning about war and warming

Alan Greenspan's comments on the real reasons for the Iraq invasion (oil) and the build up to military action against Iran (oil again) could easily be seen as 'stating the blindingly obvious'. Andrew Murray, of Stop the War Coalition, trying to move beyond the 'we told you so' response that would be so easy to make, concludes in his Guardian comment piece
" .... Greenspan's uncharacteristic glasnost is helpful at a time when the campaign for a further war against Iran appears to be gathering significant momentum. ....... Every time a politician tries to convince you that the next war in the US campaign to run the Middle East is unavoidable for this reason or that, just remember Alan Greenspan. Let's not wait five years for some other ruling class Grand Vizier to reveal the blindingly obvious. It's about the oil, stupid, and it should be stopped before it starts."

Bringing the twin issues of war and oil dependency together is a US campaign, No War No Warming, which is planning a nonviolent demonstration in Washington DC on 22 October, stating on their website...

We need to take immediate action…
…To end the war in Iraq and all future oil wars
…To halt the impending climate crisis
…To end the US addiction to oil and other fossil fuels
…To rebuild New Orleans and all impacted communities
…To end racism and corporate greed
…To promote green jobs in a clean energy economy

HOW MANY TIMES
DO WE HAVE TO SAY NO?

Quakers? Peace?

If you're not a Quaker, are wanting to know a bit more (perhaps even meet some) and are in Britain during the last week of September, did you know that it's the first ever national Quaker week? There will be events around the country over the period (and for some weeks after, it would appear) to raise the profile and provide opportunities for finding out a bit more about Quakers. I've not yet spotted a website that lists all the events that are taking place around the country, but the main site for the Quaker Week is at http://www.quaker.org.uk/sing, complete with video contributions from three different Quakers and an easy way to find your local Quaker Meeting. See also the NFPB introductory page, with a bias towards Quakers and peace.

And if you're not a Quaker or that interested, have you remembered Peace Day, this Friday, 21st September?

Watching, waiting and ...?

The International Atomic Energy Agency began its 51st general conference today, with Iran high on the agenda. The noises from the US and France (aren't they nuclear weapons' states?) are discouraging, and a news report recently from the BBC quoted the UK Foreign Secretary as warning Iran not to develop nuclear weapons, or to act in a way that destabilises the Middle East. And whilst we might scoff at the apparent hypocrisy of a nuclear weapons' power whose invasion of Iraq has been massively destabilising and destructive making such pronouncements, a small piece in the same report about the importance of diplomancy might offer a glimmer of hope. I believe (call me naive, if you like) that the UK really does want to resolve this by diplomatic means, as they say they do. They need every encouragement to resist pressure from the US to be involved in more disastrous military folly.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation has put together a useful briefing (updated just last week) on the issue ... "The Anatomy of the U.S.-Iran Dispute: Why War Is Not the Answer". This is written for a US audience, but is a handy and up-to-date paper for those of us in the UK and elsewhere. The regular updates from BASIC are also key resources for anyone wishing to keep abrest of these matters. It's also timely to post a reminder about the Crisis Iran report "Time to Talk"

There may not be 2 million of us demonstrating in London, but I can't believe many of in this country would support any UK involvement in military action against Iran. The ongoing shock and awe in Iraq is about as brutal a warning as we'll need, isn't it??

Visions of Peace

We received today DVD conversions of the NFPB video - Visions of Peace - that we made more than 10 years ago. We were keen then to make a resource that wouldn't date too quickly, and since we were still able to make use of it a year ago, we seem to have managed that. We already have a good number of requests to use it during the first National Quaker week - starting on 22nd September and I shall be posting these out tomorrow. Let me know at the NFPB office on nfpb (at) gn.apc.org if you'd like one.

The meaning of peace?

'Peace Mission 2007' - sounds good eh? But this mission seems a very long way from the kind of peace-making that many of us recognise. Rather, it is the just-concluded joint military exercises of the SCO. The initials here stand not for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, but the Shanghai Cooperation Council, the security alliance forged in 2001 by Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Read here an interesting account both of the Mission and of SCO and its growing role in challenging the US spheres of influence around the globe. And a New Statesman piece focussing on the summit they are just beginning

Another bit of heavy-duty military-based "peace building". This time in the form of a massive commitment (30 billion US dollars) by the Univted States to continue providing military aid to Israel. According to a BBC report
[US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns] called the aid package an "investment in peace", saying "peace cannot be made without strength".
"Needless to say, given Israel's predicament, living in a region that is very violent and unstable, its military edge is of interest to our country, and we've committed to that," he said.
The money must be used to purchase military equipment from the US defence industry, although Israel will also be permitted to use 26.3% to buy equipment from local companies.


To be honest, this really sounds more like an investment in the US weapons industry than an investment in peace. Now what would $30 bn buy in non-military peacebuilding capacity? If only someone with access to that sort of money asked themselves the same question.

A loss for South Africa

I was sorry to read in the press today that Quaker politician Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge has been sacked from her post as deputy Health Minister for South Africa (see Independent article). Apparently there was some mix up about her attendance at a conference on Aids in Madrid. But many people are particularly distressed about her departure as she had been a well-placed critic of President Thabo Mbeki's ostrich-like approach to Aids, which is having such a devastating effect on southern Africa. I hope she will find some other outlet for her obvious political and moral contribution - read an interview with her here, for instance.

DESO - reasons to be cheerful?

In an earlier entry, I expressed scepticism about the planned closure of the Defence Export Services Organisation, DESO. The fact that the arms industry is so upset about it (Fury as DESO is scrapped - Telegraph) is perhaps an encouraging indication that, although the government will continue to promote arms exports (along with other exports through its "UK Trade and Investment" agency), they won't be given the massive helping hand that has been so disproportionate over DESO's 40 years of operation. I note that CAAT will be having a celebratory party, and quite right too, but I hope they will also keep a close eye on what happens next.
Some useful links:
UK's DESO Done In
Faith and peace groups wecome DESO closure
Export department closure leaves defence firms out in the cold

Of missiles and Menwith

The decision, noted in an earlier entry, of the UK government to give the go-ahead for the US to use Menwith Hill as a component in its missile defence system is generating a growing amount of disquiet and concern. The system as a whole is damaging international relations, is costly and doesn't seem to work very well. But more than that, in spite of the UK parliament's own defence committee criticising the government for the way in which it mishandled the earlier decision on Fylingdales, the current ministerial team seems to have learned from that only that it may be simpler (for them) to avoid consulting parliament at all. Now 20 or so MPs have signed a letter criticising this decision, and comment has come from CND (as well as a useful briefing from them) and BASIC , amongst others.

The latter commented:
'The decision in December 2002 to accede to a US upgrade at Fylingdales set a poor precedent in terms of process, transparency and accountability. The Defence Committee "strongly regretted the way in which the issue had been handled by the Government". This latest announcement is a further escalation in Britain's missile defence commitment without public debate or parliamentary scrutiny.'

MPs may be enjoying a recess from parliamentary duties, but perhaps this will give them more time to deal with correspondence from constituents on the matter. Can't find a pen and paper? Why not contact yours via WriteToThem.org.uk

One small step...

As David comes to the end of his epic cycle ride, I received an email today reminding me of the extraordinary walk for peace being undertaken by Canadian Jean Béliveau, who set of from his home in Canada on 18^th August 2000. He passed through the UK not so long ago, and I was sorry not to have a chance to meet him. The latest news is that he is walking through Iran. His purpose? … is to walk around the planet to promote "Peace and non-violence to the profit of the children of the world" and aims to complete the entire walk within 12 years.

Another venture just reaching its conclusion is the Footprints for Peace interfaith walk from Dublin to London, which has stopped at Faslane, Menwith Hill and Aldermaston - amongst many other places - along the way. A number of Friends have met with and joined the walkers for different stages of their journey. This group says that … "Through our actions we create the opportunity for multi cultural interfaith prayer and ceremony to deepen our spiritual, cultural and environmental awareness and understanding that All Life is Sacred. To empower, raise awareness and inspire individuals and community. Creating peaceful change through action."

Walking and making journeys in this way seems to be both an outward and an inward act – I recall many years ago hearing about Satish Kumar's long Ghandi-inspired peace walks in the early 1960s, and he is certainly one who sees such initiatives in this way. It seems to be about making oneself vulnerable and open to being in contact both with the earth but also a wide range of people in many different circumstances. An antidote to sitting on air-conditioned high-speed trains with head phones plugged in as I was just last week, and perhaps a simple reminder of our need for one another, our common humanity.

Give an inch or two

Interesting report in The Guardian today, on the expected cost of widening the M6 motorway - could be up to £1,000 per inch, with the total likely to be double the UK's annual aid budget to Africa. David's cycle ride from the toe to the tip of the UK meanwhile (and what a good read his blog is!!) was set to raise just over £2,000 by the time he started his trip, towards high efficiency heating for Friends House. Perhaps the M6 widening project could be shortened by two inches to help him double that? And couple of miles could fund a lot of peace education projects around the country. I'd be willing to sit in a traffic jam for that.

Summer Gathering thoughts…

Just back yesterday evening from a very interesting and varied week based at Stirling University for the Quaker summer gathering.

The theme, Faith into Action, was explored in a linear fashion as the week progressed, beginning with sessions on waiting and discernment, through preparation and planning to action and then nurturing and sustaining our witness. There were gems in many of the contributions from the platform, but also in the numerous conversations and encounters with people in the course of the week. Recordings and transcripts of the presentations are being made available on the gathering's website here.

In the middle of the week I joined two coach loads of Quakers to Faslane, where we had a Quaker Meeting for Worship, met with a group of visiting Japanese peace activists - some being survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs – and then witnessed a tremendously moving act of nonviolent action by some of them at the gates of the nuclear weapons base.









Origami paper cranes being tied to the fence at Faslane...

... and laid in the entrance to the accompaniment of Japanese singing

Meanwhile, back in the wider world, I’ve been deeply disappointed to learn of the decision by Defence Secretary Des Browne to allow the US to use Menwith Hill for its Missile Defence system. I had understood that the government was at least intending to consult Parliament about this. Can it be a coincidence that the announcement came just as parliament went into its long summer recess (back in early October)? The earlier decision about Fylingdales came just around a Christmas recess – there seems to be a pattern emerging. There has been some rejoicing about the planned closure of DESO, the Defence Export Services Agency, though the cynic in me is inclined to think that this may be more about public relations than a real change in policy and practice. I’ve not had a chance to read much about this yet, so perhaps I will have the pleasure of being proved wrong on this one.

The NFPB display during the 'fair' at the gathering

And what about the weather…!? In Stirling, the marquee we used for our sessions kept us protected from some very heavy showers and strong wind. News from elsewhere in England was worrying, with flooding widespread. Many assume that this is a clear evidence of climate change. Whether or not that’s right, the theme of treading lightly on the world (in terms of size of ecological footprints) was woven through the gathering, as was that of community. I am reminded of the wording on some of our NFPB resources … “We must re-learn the ability to live together in harmony in this fragile and endangered world.”

Faith into action

I'll be joining other Quakers from around the land next week for their Summer Gathering, this year at Stirling University. I've popped into a couple of the earlier SGs but never yet participated in a full event. I'll be facilitating a workshop on Speaking our Peace on Sunday, visiting Faslane and exhibiting our wares at a market-place type event on Wednesday maybe doing another mini-workshop on Thursday. And lots of meeting, talking and being with others throughout the week, all around the broad theme of "faith into action". And maybe I'll find a computer somewhere to share thoughts on this blog while I'm there.

Pedalling for the planet

David Gee, from Quaker Peace & Social Witness, is spending his summer do a Lands End to John o Groats cycle ride, all in aid of a CHP boiler at Friends House, which is apparently extremely energy efficient. He's been having a wet time of it so far, not yet a week into the trip, but is keeping a highly readable blog along the way and no doubt would still welcome sponsorship. Follow David's progress at: sorebottom.blogspot.com

Parliament and Trident

"On Thursday 14 June the Scottish Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to call on the UK Government not to go ahead with its plan to renew Trident.", reports Scottish CND. Further details of the debate are also available from the Acronym Institute as part of their interesting new coverage of parliamentary activities in relation to disarmament etc. If this vote was significant, you'd hardly know from the very meagre coverage in the mainstream press. With new deputy Labour Party leader, Harriet Harman, having suggested a review of the decision to replace Trident was in order, perhaps there may be some scope for change in the Westminster as well as the opposition from Hollyrood.

What!?

Apparently,

"prospects in the Middle East [are] much healthier than they were five years ago."

Who says so? Looking at news headlines over the past month, you'd be hard pushed to find many people who would agree. But, it all depends on your perspective. The sentence above is quoted from a news item about the booming UK arms export business.

And just in case you thought enough was enough, (best year in almost a decade apparently, at $10 billion in 2006 and second only the US) we read that ...

"Britain [is] looking to Asia to grow its export footprint".

Not the kind of impression that many of us would like to see our country making in the world, I feel.