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Ten things a new government could do to make the world a safer place

10_things_safer_worldHere are ten things a new government could do to make the world a safer place, from Stop the War:

1. Ban the sales of arms to anti-democratic and authoritarian regimes. Britain is currently the second biggest exporter of weapons globally. Britain regular sells weapons to many of the countries on the Foreign Office’s own list of countries with “the most serious wide-ranging human rights concerns” including IsraelLibyaPakistan and Saudi Arabia.

2. Commit to end the cycle of foreign interventions that have caused such damage and chaos in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. Withdraw all British military personnel including trainers from the theatres of war in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

3. Abandon plans for a new British navy base in Bahrain. The permanent Western military presence in the Middle East causes deep anger and resentment across the region.

4. End political, diplomatic and military support for Israel in protest at its repeated attacks on Gaza, its illegal settlements on the West Bank and its refusal to allow Palestinian statehood.

5. Demand that the US closes Guantanamo Bay and allows the immediate return to Britain of Shaker Aamer. Insist on an end to extraordinary rendition, torture and illegal detention by all Western governments in line with international law.

6. Scrap plans for Trident replacement and start a programme of nuclear disarmament. This would free up more than £100 Billion that could be used for a programme of investment in health and education.

7. Insist that the Chilcot report is published immediately. Ensure that Tony Blair is never offered another official role. Legislate to allow war crimes proceedings against British politicians where applicable.

8. Ban the armed forces from visiting schools to recruit.

9. Support the international calls to make drone warfare illegal.

10. Exit Nato and demand an end to its expansion. Support calls for a negotiated settlement to the crisis in the Ukraine.

8 Comments

  1. Jium Denham says:

    Anyone who takes anything stated by the ‘Stop the War’ apologists for islamo-facism seriously, needs their head examined, especially if they think they’re a “socialist”.

  2. Robert says:

    Will never happen who would Blair go to so he can make money, whom will our companies sell to 10,000 jobs could be lost .

    It would be nice, but will never ever happen.

  3. J.P. Craig-Weston says:

    But above all else never ever forget that Tony Blair was once an active and passionate member of the CND, whose first published article for the Guardian was on the of topic unilateralism.

    The be violently sick.

  4. gerry says:

    Stop the War must think we are all fools – their recipe for a “safer” world would reduce the UK to nothing more than the local province of the Islamic State: why don’t they simply just pledge allegiance to the caliphate and have done with it….

    Why this nonsense is printed in Left Futures is also hard to fathom unless Left now includes hardcore and hard line religious fundamentalism?

    Memo to STW: even countries who have never been involved in foreign wars in the middle east are themselves facing a massive jihad and extremist problem – Norway, Sweden, Nigeria, Thailand, India, China, Switzerland to name just a few.

  5. Barry Ewart says:

    Perhaps the problem with STW is that hey may be dominated by middle class liberals who may be a bit politically pure and pacifist although I do have some sympathy with some of the points.
    But the real question is why do countries have armies?
    To really protect capital and big business and elites?
    Were the real winner for example in Iraq and Libya western multi-nationals who now own a significant part of the oil.
    In the US (Republican and Democrats) it could be argued really rule for big corporations and when I hear Leaders of countries talk about ‘National interests ‘ I always substitute this for ‘Capitalist interests’ or in Russia ‘Oligarch interests’ or in other less developed countries the interests of elites.
    I have a simple solution – let every country in the World join NATO to make it a WATO so there would no longer be a need for wars and to spend trillions on arms and we could use this money in long-term state-led public investments to meet global human need.
    Of course it would help if we had democratic socialist Governments in every country of the World (and need a US Labor and a China Labour) but of course we would have to start seeing people as global working people.
    It is interesting some left wing authors argue there have been 3 stages of capitalism.
    The first was rival national capitalisms and markets (lead to WW1), then Imperialism and Colonialism – lead to anti-colonial struggles and now we have Globalisation and as Jameson in the latest New Left Review argues, “Billions of real people now exist, and not just millions of your own nation and your own language.”
    We should work with our sister parties in every country in the World for peaceful, grassroots, bottom up, participatory democratic types of socialism, in a World where tragically we almost daily hear about acts of barbarianism.
    “The death of a single human being can mean a great battle lost for all humanity.”
    The democratic Left offers a Global Vision to unite Global diverse working people – black & white, young & old, male & female, LGBT, disabled, of all religions and of none.
    Yours in peace and hope!

    1. gerry says:

      Barry – thats a new one: every country in the world should join NATO – it might actually work and stop wars!

      But Stop The War is not “politically pure” or “pacifist”, quite the reverse in fact – it is a sinister coalition of religious fundamentalists and extremists with a few far-left people sprinkled on top, and its ” programme” or manifesto reflects this mix: Quaker or CND style genuine nonviolent pacifism they are most definitely not.

      1. Robert says:

        Bit like Governments then.

  6. Barry Ewart says:

    Gerry lot of strong opinion and certainty with no evidence. Your comments are like the name you give here, half complete.
    Until this democratic left site has a policy that people on here should post their real and full names I will not in future respond to any of these.
    Now back to sensible comments, back to Michael’s.

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