A deep shift is occurring in the nation’s psyche, when exactly it occurred cannot be said exactly. For different people it has come at different times. Countries all over the world live with corrupt governments where the veil of democracy is thin, tattered or torn. Where everyone takes the lack of control and say they have in the future as granted, they joke easily about their governing representatives but expect absolutely nothing from them. Upon a friends visit this weekend a close friend of his from Central America commented on how the prospect of the war seemed to be really getting him down. She had encouraged him to "live", yes "protest against the war" and what have you but not to forget to "live". Not that she’s against the protest at all, on the contrary, but she found it difficult to understand why it affected him so deeply. This was not at all unfamiliar to me, I had received the same message from my wife, she herself being South American from a country where only trouble is expected from the government. I later noticed this malaise in others as well. A malaise born from 70% of the country being dragged into a war which it does not want. That after ample discussion the people are unmoved or quite arguable more sure that this war is not of there wanting. Yet it has become evident that the wishes of the people are not of importance. We know our government would do worse than flatten a city if it had the opportunity, but there was a naïve faith that should a vast majority of people be against such a critical decision such as war. With all the destruction and terror war brings to those abroad and don’t forget quite possibly at home then the voice of the people would be heard. But it appears not. So what democracy are we being asked to be fighting for? A two party state where the right wing opposition applauds the speeches of the left wing leader. At least the propaganda machine of the US has done a good enough job to ensure proper democratic backing from the US people for their war. That cannot be said for this country. The British are said to be an arrogant race and indeed it’s true. We are so filled with pride that we enjoy self effacement and do ourselves down. We have a long history which we understand to be less than glorious but indeed we were gentlemanly in aspects and we believed in fair play, at the very least at home if not abroad. At the heart of that was the belief that in the last wars we played a "just" role – even as recently as Kuwait, "oil" indeed was the reason for our government but for the public was satisfied with the independent idea that they were kicking an invading country out of an independent nation state. Now our government is helping another belligerent nation achieve it’s economic aims by doing the very same we fought against a few years ago – this time there is nothing to satisfy public opinion that this is a "Just Cause". Now I happen to think the individual British are very fair minded, I think we do have morals and we believed that we had a democracy to be proud of. I think most people can put themselves in the position of the average family sitting in Baghdad. Yes they may think their government is an evil dictator who they wish they could get rid of, don’t we all, but even so; would you wish the bombardment of your city by the greatest military power in the world? Would you welcome an invasion of their city by the most hated foreign troops when this is the most likely trigger for your leader to actually use chemical weapons – right in the city once the troops had arrived, when the game seemed all but over as your women and children huddled in basements waiting for the end… maybe then he’d release the nerve agents? Maybe if the war propaganda had primed you to fear the enemy enough you’d wish he would. If it was your family would you welcome an invasion or fight and fight and fight, resist and resist and resist for your own home and land? I think the Iraqis will have as much pride as we would. If they do and this war continues, in or out of the press then the fight will be brought to our doorstep as it is the only way they will have left to fight. In terror actions that won’t touch the protected lives of the rich and powerful of this country who sanctioned this war in the first place, but may hit the commuter, the tourist, the secretary, the kids, your kids…. But not Tony Blair’s kids.

The British believed they had a democracy but it is all shown to be a lie - the prime minister in nothing but a pawn in the American game. So where is our pride now? We look now at the French with envy, yes we are an old country, an old power but our power lies in the people not in Mr Blairs words and he should take care to remember it, especially as the peace movement gathers. The darkness that invades the mind of the British peace movement is what will happen when the war starts? Does Tony really think we’ll become quieter? Hasn’t Tony noticed that it’s not really young students with not much to do who form these demonstrations but older people with responsibilities and respectable jobs? This group will remain peaceful, but what if they are pushed? Anger is bound to spill if he continues to ignore the people? What will he do if this happens? Do we trust the government to treat people here ‘justly’? What do I do if they don’t?
The change in psyche is that in some of those questions we find answers which we would not like to find. These questions are being asked by all those who act against the war – and I mean normal people not anarchists. It comes from asking yourself the question which everyone asks at the thought of war, what would I fight for? “Family and Friends”. Tony Blair has forgotten that not only 70% of us, but 70% our friends and family don’t want his war and we’re on their side, not his.

Yes we are nation in retirement as is France and Germany, but we are as strong a nation as we ever were, we are a nation made of the sum of the will of each individual and as a nation we seek justice. The culture in which we have grown and which is part of each of us is old enough not to expect a perfect world but we are also old enough to see the error of blatant disregard for the sanctity of life and this nation will not accept it. Yes we are shocked that our government is out of our hands but we shall reign it back in. If Mr Bush wants to go to war he can go to war with Tony Blair, but he isn’t going to war with the British nation. Mr Bush may one day regret his utterence, ‘if you’re not with us you’re against us’, because any which way you cut it; 70% of this nation ain’t with him.