We Are Many.

The power, and therefore the demands of the people, whether it’s through the ballot box or a street protest, tends to be completely ignored by the politicians. The same politicians that we the electorate vote into parliament every five years. Here in Scotland 50% of those eligible to vote voted for the Scottish National Party, which meant that Scotland sent 56 SNP MP’s to the Palace of Westminster which hopefully will give the Scottish Parliament more devolved power and also enable them to fight the worst ravages of the Tory governments austerity programme.  I for one have confidence in these 56 men and women to battle for the very things the electorate voted them in to do – but – and that’s a big but – the record of the British establishment does not fill me with confidence!

 

War Criminals.

After watching Amir Amirani documentary We Are Many (2014) about the global protest against the Bush/Blair illegal war on the Iraqi people and how the UK and the USA completely ignored the wishes of the people from some 72 countries - who it must be said have been proved right exposing the terrible lies that these two war criminals told the public– has underlined the fact that when a government is elected, even in so called democratic counties like America and Britain, when self interest comes first the will of the electorate will be ignored.  Oil is a powerful motivator!

The people of 72 counties marched in protect against the illegal war which was to kill many thousands of human beings.....

Even according to the BBC News, 6 to 10 million people took part in protests in up to 60 countries, on every continent, over the weekend of the 15th and 16th of February 2003. Other reports estimated that 72 countries and 789 cities were involved and that the actual number of global citizens that took part was closer to 30 million. Protesters from Tasmania to Iceland, New York to Sydney, and London to Rome, marched against the impending war in Iraq. Even at the McMurdo base in Antarctica, 
more than 50 scientists staged a half-hour rally. It turned out to be the biggest and most globally widespread demonstration in human history but still the USA and the UK governments ignored the will of the people.

 

....including thousands of children.....

Although Amirani’s film superbly puts together all the aspects of the planning of the demonstrations and shows the marches, speeches and public comment and testimonies from those involved including the late Tony Benn, Clare Short, Labour leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn, film director Ken Loach, actor Mark Rylance and author John le Carre it left me with a feeling of despondency because of its underlying sense of failure, but the strength of the peoples voice, which was raised so loud in February 2003, is credited with stopping the UK and US governments invading Syria and we were told that our own government could not afford to ignore a demonstration of people power ever again – if that the case why were the austerity marches through out Britain last weekend ignored by the Tory government?

 

....all for oil blood money!