End all wars

This week in the Senedd the Conservatives held a debate calling on the government to plan a commemoration of the start of world war one in 2014. This was my contribution to the debate, from the Assembly's Record of Proceedings:

Leanne Wood: This debate is timely, given that there will be many families remembering past and present wars, and the loss of their loved ones at remembrance services throughout the country this coming Sunday. Those who have lost their lives in the conflicts of the twentieth century, and the more recent ones this century, will all be remembered. As they are remembered, I hope that there will also be time for reflection on the war that sparked remembrance Sunday. That war, which ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, started almost 100 years ago. Let us not forget that that was meant to be the war to end all wars.

The last known survivor of that war was the late Harry Patch. I will take some time to remember Harry’s words; words that, in my view, powerfully sum up the dark reality of what war is all about. When he was 107, Harry Patch said

'We’ve had 87 years to think what war is. To me, it is a licence to go out and murder. Why should the British government call me up and take me out to a battlefield to shoot a man I never knew, whose language I couldn’t speak. All those lives lost for a war finished over a table. Where’s the sense in that?’

Later, he said

'Too many died, war isn’t worth one life’

He said that war was 'calculated and condoned slaughter of human beings’. I know from my involvement in the recently formed Justice Unions all-party group, which I have helped to set up, that the wars ongoing today are creating big problems that are impacting on families and communities up and down our country. Physical injuries are visible, but mental problems and, in particular, post-traumatic stress disorder, is all too often not dealt with. In many cases, it is not even diagnosed. Work carried out by the corresponding Justice Union group in Westminster and research carried out by my Plaid Cymru colleauge Elfyn Llwyd has uncovered the vast numbers of ex-service personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder in the prison system or living on the streets. Elfyn Llwyd has led the way in campaigning for better services for mentally and physically injured service personnel. We are hoping that the Wales all-party group can do something similar at a Welsh level. For everyone who has contributed to this debate today, and who is interested in being involved in that all party group, please let me know.

In remebering the first world war, and all other wars, I hope that we can also remember all people affected: soldiers and civilians on both sides. We must learn the lessons from the past wars? Will we heed the words of Harry Patch?

To conclude, I support the amendment put forward in the name of Jocelyn Davies, which calls for an exploration of the idea of setting up a peace institute. I ask people to look at what peace institutes do in other countries: in Norway, Finland, Catalunya, Ireland and Germany. We have the powers to do this here. A peace institute could be an important educational resource and a vehicle for bringing together peace-related research; for example, on conflict resolution and arms conversion. The majority of peace institutes elsewhere in the world are self-financing, so it need not be something that requires any major financial commitment. All of the existing peace institutes enjoy academic independence. The setting up of a Welsh peace institute, working with other peace institutes around the world, would be a good way for Wales to commemorate the first world war, by making a contribution to a project that aims, finally, to end all wars.

AM says leave Afghanistan

From yesterday's Wales on Sunday

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Minister David Miliband have reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to keeping troops in Afghanistan. But in the face of one of the bloodiest weeks for our Armed Forces in recent memory, LEANNE WOOD AM argues it’s now time to pull out of the war-torn country...

I THINK we need to rewind a bit and remember the reasons we were given for going in to Afghanistan in the first place. People will remember that it was about Osama Bin Laden, who was supposed to be hiding there. At some point, the reasons changed. It became an issue about regime change. It was the same for the case given for the invasion of Iraq. It was originally about weapons of mass destruction, and the threat of Saddam bombing “British interests” in 45 minutes. The reason then switched to regime change. Saddam Hussein had to go, and we hear the same about Taliban. Both were terrible regimes but is it really our government’s place to decide what regimes people in other countries should live under?

I heard a top military officer on the radio recently saying they had reached a stalemate in Afghanistan, so will putting more troops in take them beyond stalemate? What is progress? How is success going to be defined in Afghanistan? How many more people have to lose their lives before the “coalition” concedes that enough is enough? Are UK troops going to be in Afghanistan for years?

I joined the anti-war movement at an early stage and, while Afghanistan was always part of the debate, Iraq was the main focus. But now, of course, Afghanistan is where the blood is being shed.

I understand that more heroin has been coming out of Afghanistan since the conflict began and that is a serious problem. Efforts have gone into controlling that in recent years but how can occupying forces and war help? With the economy in ruins, people will be desperate to make money, and if opium farmers can make more money growing poppies than by other means, they’ll inevitably opt for poppy growing.

Meanwhile, the number of soldiers getting killed there now is increasing. Is this going to turn into another Vietnam scenario? As well as the lives lost, there are many other casualties. I know of families, in the Valleys for example, where young people have come back from Afghanistan with post traumatic stress disorder. We need to be talking about making sure that our young people are properly cared for. Apart from the deaths, which leave unimaginable pain for the families, there are also other consequences of war which are less talked about, particularly on the mental health side, but also physical injuries.

The Westminster government should now accept the situation is unlikely to move beyond stalemate. They should cut their losses and pull all of the troops out of there. They should instead be putting their resources into making sure troops who have fought are properly looked after on their return. There are questions to be asked about compensation for injured troops, about what benefits they are entitled to, whether they can get work, what their pensions are worth. I’m sure many people would be shocked to hear the answers to some of those questions.

A common response for anyone unable to get help while suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or other mental health problems is to self-medicate by taking illegal drugs. That can all too easily lead to a cycle of shoplifting, for example, to get enough money for more drugs, and of course it isn’t long before someone who should have been helped has ended up in the prison system.

If we really cared about people and their welfare, then shouldn’t we be putting the vast resources being spent on keeping troops and arms in Afghanistan into the welfare of the people the Government of the UK has responsibility for?

Guantanmo detainees in Cardiff on Wednesday

Cageprisoners Presents:

WEDNESDAY 4 FEBRUARY at 7 PM
THE GREAT HALL
STUDENT UNION BUILDING
PARK PLACE
CARDIFF

ADMISSION- FREE

TWO SIDES - ONE STORY: GUANTANAMO FROM BOTHS SIDES OF THE WIRE

SAMI AL HAJ (Ex Guantanamo Detainee and Aljazeera Journalist)
CHRISTOPHER ARENDT (Ex-Guantanamo Guard)
MOAZZAM BEGG (Ex-Guantanamo Detainee, Spokesman for Cageprisoners)

Guantanamo Bay stands as one of the most potent symbols of unlawful detention in the world today. The detention of suspected terrorists as the prison camps has evoked emotion from those seeking its closure and continuance. Cageprisoners presents Two Sides – One Story, a tour of the UK that brings those on opposite sides of wire at Guantanamo together for the first time. Chris Arendt, a former guard at the base has agreed to speak about his experiences in detaining suspected terrorists and bring new insights into the way the US administration carried out policies against them. Also for the first time the detained Al Jazeera journalist Sami El Haj will be speaking with Moazzam Begg as they both reflect on life at the prison on the opposite to Chris. This unique tour is a historic moment in the continued War on Terror and will be launched on 11th January 2009, exactly seven years after the first transfers to Guantanamo Bay.

Update- Gaza Protests in Wales

As I write this I have recieved a growing amount of e-mails and letters from my constituents who are outraged at Israel's ongoing offensive against the Palestinian people. I have written to the Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and am also signing a Statement of Opinion at the Assembly that has been put down by Bethan Jenkins AM. Hopefully this will register the Welsh Government's calls for an end to the violence in the Gaza Strip.

In the next week we can make our opposition to Israel's attacks clear by attending the following demonstrations in Wales:

Cardiff
Every Tuesday 12 - 1 p.mVigil
Nye Bevan statue, Queen St, Cardiff

Cardiff
Protest March
Friday 9 January
Assemble 2 p.m. outside Cardiff City Hall, Cathays Park

Cardiff
Two Gaza Emergency Appeal Fundraising events:
I.Wednesday 7 January
Benefit gig for Gaza in aid of Middle East Childrens Alliance
with Frankie Armstrong - Cath Little - Bob Evans & Mary Ann Roberts -Imran Khan - Shanee Taylor - Guto Dafis - Stefano GiaconneCôr Cochion (Cardiff Reds Choir) and poems by Patrick Jones- stories by Amanda Rackstraw Tickets: £5 or donation, Available at the door: 7:30-11 pm in Dempseys, Castle St. Cardiff - tickets £5 or donation

Coaches from Cardiff to Saturday's Demonstration in London
EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION - Please Forward to as many People as Soon as Possible!Saturday 10 January, Central London
Coaches leave at 8 am, Museum Steps Cardiff and 8.30 am Bus Station, Newport
Contact cardiff_troopsout@hotmail.com to book a seat asap!
Tickets - £16 waged / £10 unwaged asap


In the north:

Wrexham
Vigil and protest against the Israeli invasion of Gaza
Saturday 10 January
Midday, Queens Square, Wrexham
Bring placards and banners to show your feelings




"Israel is committing a shocking series of atrocities by using modern weaponry against a defenceless population - attacking a population that has been enduring a severe blockade for many months."

The UN Human Rights Council

A few hundred people turned up on a freezing cold New Years Eve in Cardiff to protest against Isreal's atrocities in Gaza. Plaid Cymru's Jill Evans MEP spoke on behald of CND Cymru and Plaid Cymru. There are plans for more demonstrations. One has been called for tomorrow in London and is supported by more than 30 organisations including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign , Stop the War and CND For regular updates, you can join this or this group on Facebook.

There have been demonstrations throughout the week including this one against biased media coverage at the BBC Wales studios reported here and here.

One of the BBC protestors said:

"While we hear about rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, we rarely hear that this is Palestinian land stolen by Israel. Since Saturday, Israel has killed more than 350 civilians in response to the repeatedly reported 4 deaths amongst the Israelis. The hugely disproportionate response by the Israel is not highlighted."

This article in the Times gives a good perspective on the media reporting of the situation.

"...while the horrific scenes in Gaza and Israel play themselves out on our television screens, a war of words is being fought that is clouding our understanding of the realities on the ground... The Bush-Blair response to the Hamas victory in 2006 is the key to today's horror. Instead of accepting the democratically elected Government, they funded an attempt to remove it by force; training and arming groups of Fatah fighters to unseat Hamas militarily and impose a new, unelected government on the Palestinians. Further, 45 Hamas MPs are still being held in Israeli jails."

I agree with Tony Benn, who says "The Israeli Government, armed and supported by President Bush, with its savage attack on the people of Gaza now represents the greatest threat to security in the Middle East and the world peace movement is mobilizing on a massive scale to defeat this aggression. I appeal to everyone who can possibly do so to attend the many demonstrations that are being held here so that the British government is left in no doubt as to the strength of opposition there is to this war."

If you can't attend any of the demonstrations, you could write to your MP, urging them to insist on an immediate end to Israel's bombardment and blockade of Gaza and to call for an urgent debate in the house of commons on Israel's actions.