A matter of weeks ago it looked like we were poised to start
world war three. There are so many weapons stockpiled around the world, that if
we start fighting we are almost bound to wipe ourselves out. Every time we collectively
saunter up to the edge of total international disaster, it remains possible
that someone will decide to fire the first shot and plunge us over the edge.
Peace is an international political issue, one we need our
governments to take seriously. However, what the last few weeks have shown is
that public opinion does still have real power. If we collectively refuse war,
those in power are a lot less likely to try and start one. Peace is everyone’s
business, and something we can all make a meaningful contribution to.
Peace does not mean tacitly supporting abusers, dictators
and criminals. It does not mean ignoring crimes against humanity. It does mean
recognising that war itself is a crime against humanity and a lousy way of
trying to tackle most problems. We need to stop posturing, start talking, and
start looking for real solutions.
We’ve had a number of peace vigils in Stroud over recent
weeks, and there is a will to get a proper peace movement going. I’ll put more
information here about how that’s progressing, just as soon as I have any.
No comments:
Post a Comment