We wanted to see if they had changed their mind. So we agredd the following text at our AGM - attended by 23 people.
I am writing to you both as a constituent and as secretary of Swindon Stop the war Coalition.
It is the policy of Swindon Stop the War Coalition to campaign against the election of MPs who support the war and the continued military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. We therefore intend to make a great deal of publicity over the issue during the next general election, urging people to vote for anti-war candidates. We will of course not be endorsing, either explicitly or implicitly any other party or candidate.
Nevertheless we recognise that people do change their minds, and should you have now reconsidered your position with relation to the war on Iraq, then we will not campaign against your re-election.
We do not wish to polarise personal relations with you or other members of the Labour Party. Particularly as Swindon Stop the War Coalition includes a number of activists who are also involved in other campaigns, and who therefore wish to preserve a fraternal working atmosphere. We have invited Alan Simpson MP, the Chair of Labour Against the War to speak in Swindon on 5th July, which we hope will demonstrate that the Coalition is not opposed to the Labour party as such, just against the specific policies related to the war.
Can you confirm whether you would have voted for the war last year had you been aware of the consequences, and had you been aware then of the facts which are now in the public domain?
Please bear in mind that no WMD have been found, there is an increasingly virulent popular insurrection in Iraq, and the road map for peace in Palestine has been wrecked by Israeli intransigence. In Afghanistan the aid that was promised for reconstruction of the country has not been given, and much of the country has reverted to warlordism.
Opinions differ within the anti-war movement about whether or not to call for an immediate withdrawal of British and American forces from Iraq. The Stop the War Coalition's view is that there can be no peace until all foreign forces withdraw, and that the conduct of military operations by the occupying forces is in fact making the situation worse. We therefore would like the British government to follow the example of the Spanish in effecting an immediate withdrawal of troops. We would be very interested in hearing you own personal views on how Iraq can be restored to peace and stability.
It is the policy of Swindon Stop the War Coalition to campaign against the election of MPs who support the war and the continued military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. We therefore intend to make a great deal of publicity over the issue during the next general election, urging people to vote for anti-war candidates. We will of course not be endorsing, either explicitly or implicitly any other party or candidate.
Nevertheless we recognise that people do change their minds, and should you have now reconsidered your position with relation to the war on Iraq, then we will not campaign against your re-election.
We do not wish to polarise personal relations with you or other members of the Labour Party. Particularly as Swindon Stop the War Coalition includes a number of activists who are also involved in other campaigns, and who therefore wish to preserve a fraternal working atmosphere. We have invited Alan Simpson MP, the Chair of Labour Against the War to speak in Swindon on 5th July, which we hope will demonstrate that the Coalition is not opposed to the Labour party as such, just against the specific policies related to the war.
Can you confirm whether you would have voted for the war last year had you been aware of the consequences, and had you been aware then of the facts which are now in the public domain?
Please bear in mind that no WMD have been found, there is an increasingly virulent popular insurrection in Iraq, and the road map for peace in Palestine has been wrecked by Israeli intransigence. In Afghanistan the aid that was promised for reconstruction of the country has not been given, and much of the country has reverted to warlordism.
Opinions differ within the anti-war movement about whether or not to call for an immediate withdrawal of British and American forces from Iraq. The Stop the War Coalition's view is that there can be no peace until all foreign forces withdraw, and that the conduct of military operations by the occupying forces is in fact making the situation worse. We therefore would like the British government to follow the example of the Spanish in effecting an immediate withdrawal of troops. We would be very interested in hearing you own personal views on how Iraq can be restored to peace and stability.
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