Organising Action - Appg Strategy

Organising Action A strategy to end and prevent Britain’s involvement in war

“Humanity has paid a heavy price for the lesson that nothing is more tragic and cruel than war. I believe that we have as our first priority an obligation to our children to open a clear and reliable path to peace in the twenty first century.” Daisaku Ikeda

Make Wars History “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing”

Governments cannot reform themselves; they must be persuaded to do so by constant and inexorable pressure from the media and the electorate. As 50 years of demonstrating, protesting, petitioning and marching have had no affect whatsoever on British Government policies, we need to adopt a different approach and use political, financial and legal sanctions to force Parliament and Government to uphold and enforce the laws of war. Since 2001 Britain has spent £400bn on unlawful armed attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq, killing 1m innocent people, including 300,000 children, injuring and maiming 2.5m and driving 5m into exile and destitution. None of our victims was allowed to plead for their lives in court or was shown any mercy before they were killed. These massacres of defenceless civilians are the worst atrocities in British history and they must be stopped. To this end Elfyn Llwyd MP [Plaid Cymru] is setting up a new All Party Parliamentary Group to take daily action in Parliament to halt the indiscriminate killing of civilians, stop the illegal war with Afghanistan, end the occupation of Iraq, prosecute Britain’s war criminals, increase understanding of the laws of war and bring a permanent end to Britain’s unlawful involvement in warfare and armed conflict.

A different approach In contrast to the many groups and committees in and outside Parliament that talk about the issues but fail to hold the government to account for its performance, this APPG will take daily political, legal and financial action in Westminster and Whitehall to uphold and enforce war law. Once the killing has stopped, the armed forces have returned home and criminal proceedings have begun, it will work to prevent Britain from ever again waging unlawful war.

We can end the killing within days It takes less than ten minutes to issue the orders that start or end a war. If Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Queen or our military commanders had wanted to stop the wars or halt the indiscriminate killings of innocent Afghan and Iraqi civilians, they could have done so at any time. Their collective failure to act in compliance with war law is the greatest failure of government of modern times. This APPG will cut through the apathy and indecision that grips our political, civil and military leaders and compel them to end the war and obey the law. We will tackle this project in two phases. In Phase 1 we will concentrate on stopping the war, ending the killing and bringing the troops home. Then in Phase 2 we will focus on identifying and eliminating the deep-seated corrupt practice within Government, Parliament and society that causes Britain to so readily wage war and replace it with new systems, structures, laws and procedures that will create a permanent culture of peace and reconciliation.

Phase 1 - Ending War

“War is essentially an evil thing; its consequences are not confined to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression therefore is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.” Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal

Some of the actions that the APPG will consider include :1. Educating Parliament in war law. There is widespread ignorance in both Houses of

Parliament and the media of the laws governing warfare and armed conflict and the prohibitions that they contain. The APPG will organise briefing meetings, publications and advice to Parliament and the media on the laws of war and how to uphold them. 2. Voting for an end to the war. Parliament is the sovereign governing body in Britain

with the ultimate power to stop the war and end the killing. The APPG will work to persuade every MP and Peer and both Houses of Parliament to make a decision acknowledging the unlawful nature of the war in Afghanistan and demanding a ceasefire and a recall of the troops. 3. Obtaining Declaratory Judgements. For more than fifty years Parliament has been

repeatedly misled by Government lawyers over the laws of war. The APPG will organise applications to the Supreme Court for declaratory judgements on the laws that govern warfare and the use of armed force in international affairs. 4. Diverting military funds into an escrow account. One way of ending war is to stop

the funds that pay for it. The APPG will ask 350 MPs to sign and vote for an EDM ordering the diversion of all military appropriations into escrow accounts to be withheld from the MOD, the armed forces and suppliers until they can prove to a court that the wilful killing of men, women and children in Afghanistan has stopped and that all their activities are peaceful and accord with the laws of war. 5. Diverting taxes into escrow accounts. The APPG will call for national support from

the public and businesses to divert all tax payments into escrow accounts to be withheld from the Government until it can prove to a court that the killing has stopped, the unlawful wars have ended and that safeguards are in place to ensure that Britain can never again participate in the unlawful use of armed force. 6. Persuading the Armed Forces to obey the laws of war. Since WWII Britain’s

armed forces have been repeatedly misled by Government lawyers over the laws that govern war and the use of armed force. The APPG will organise meetings with the

MOD and military commanders to brief them on war law, persuade them to stop the killing and establish the unlawful nature of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. 7. Arresting and prosecuting UK political, civil and military leaders. Although war

laws are breached and crimes are committed on a daily basis no-one has been held to account for their offences in court. The APPG will arrange for MPs and Peers to require law enforcement authorities to arrest and prosecute the political, civil and military leaders responsible for crimes committed against Afghan and Iraqi citizens. 8. Setting up public meetings in the regions and constituencies to brief the electorate

on the laws of war, explain how Government Law Officers deceived everyone over the legality of the wars with Iraq and Afghanistan and inform them of what they can do to stop the killing and prevent future violations of war law. 9. Approaching every MP before the election to establish their knowledge of the laws of

war, their stance on ending or continuing the war with Afghanistan, their understanding of the personal implications and criminal liabilities of continuing the killing and their willingness to endorse and support the activities of the APPG. 10. Approaching prospective MPs before the election to discover their knowledge of the

laws of war, their understanding of the personal implications if they breach them, and their stance in relation to the war with Afghanistan, the occupation of Iraq and the prosecution of British war criminals. Publish candidates’ responses on the internet to help voters to judge the quality of every candidate before they cast their votes. 11. Holding an independent Inquiry into the false legal advice on the legality of war.

Approach the Foreign Affairs Committee to discover why the committee has failed to take any effective action to expose Government breaches of the laws of war, and ask them to conduct a fully independent inquiry into the Government’s violations of international treaties and the use of armed force in Iraq and Afghanistan. 12. Persuading political parties to obey the law.

Approach all the political parties to discover why they are failing to uphold or enforce the laws of war and arrange for them to insert policy statements into their manifestos explaining carefully what they will do to stop the killing, end the war with Afghanistan and ensure that Parliament and the British Government upholds international treaties and enforces the laws of war.

Phase II - Preventing War

“I deeply believe that no individual can experience true happiness or tranquillity until we turn humankind away from its obsession with war. War has held us in its irrevocable grip throughout history; it is the source of all evil. War normalises insanity, destroying human beings like so many insects, tearing all that is human and humane to shreds.” Daisaku Ikeda

There is something seriously wrong with a system of Government that enables the Prime Minister and Parliament to renege on treaties, violate international law and wage five wars in five years killing a million people without having to answer for these war crimes to a court, the electorate or the international community. If humankind is to flourish and Britain is to take its part in the development of a just and peaceful world, we must introduce safeguards to ensure that British governments abide by the rule of law and never again wage illegal war. The solution is in our hands. We must reform our system of Government and the way we handle international affairs. In Phase 2 the IPPG will pinpoint dysfunctional, outdated or faulty procedures, practices, laws and traditions in use in both Parliament and Government, and suggest modern efficient democratic decision making processes and safeguards to ensure that our representatives in Parliament enforce the laws of war and uphold the human values of compassion, honesty, brotherhood and co-operation that underpin civilised society.

The causes and sources of war in Britain An initial analysis of the systemic and structural causes and sources of the wars with Iraq and Afghanistan suggests the following causal factors:• • •

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The unlawful ‘life and death’ decisions by the former and current Prime Ministers to join the USA in the illegal invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. The automatic appointment of incompetent, inexperienced politicians lacking moral, ethical or legal values to positions of immense power as Cabinet Ministers. The failure by politicians, the Monarch, civil servants, military officers and law enforcement officers to uphold their oaths to govern according to law. The false, misleading legal advice provided by the Attorney General and Law Officers on the legality of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Government Law Officers’ failures to advise political, civil and military leaders on their duties under the laws of war and their criminal liability for failures to obey war law. The failure by the media to remain independent and report the unbiased truth and consequences of the war rather than publishing government propaganda. The false legal advice passed to the Chiefs of the Defence Staff. The false, deceptive and misleading legal advice provided to the armed forces by the MOD law officers and the Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict. MPs, Peers, civil servants and military commanders’ lack of knowledge of war law.

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Government control of Parliamentary appointments, Parliamentary committees, the parliamentary timetable and debates Corrupt outdated government systems and failures to innovate, update and improve. The overweening power of the Prime Minister. No-one should have the power to decide whether another human being lives or dies. Deep seated ‘obedience syndrome’ culture ensuring that officials and the public obey superior orders regardless of their moral, legal, ethical or criminal consequences. The imbalance of the £50bn pa ‘defence’ budget for planning to kill and killing people against the £4bn pa in the ‘aid and development’ budget to help them. Incompetence and corruption in the FCO. Party politics and the practice of ‘whipping’ party members to follow unconscionable, unlawful party ‘orders’ The spin, propaganda and lies emanating from the Downing St propaganda unit. Outdated and inappropriate governance processes. Faulty decision making processes in Government and both Houses of Parliament. Professional Armed Forces - ‘standing armed forces’ trained and raring to fight. Inappropriate departmental objectives. Failures of war law enforcement by Police, CPS, Judiciary, MOJ and Law Officers. Misunderstanding the role and requirements of government and political leadership The unofficial ‘special relationship’ with America. Faulty decision making by the Foreign Affairs Committee. FCO, MOD and Cabinet Office failures to consider peaceful options and alternatives. Structural conflicts of interest for MPs - putting their electorate’s interests last. Lack of structures, safeguards and systems to prevent unlawful war. The absence of checks and balances on and within government An unelected House of Lords in contravention of the Human Rights Act Lack of accountability of MPs, Peers, Law Lords, Ministers and Civil Servants to the law and the electorate

Organisation If the APPG is to be effective it will need to be organised in a similar manner to a commercial project management or lobbying company. To that end we intend to :-

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Build up a membership of about 25 MPs and Peers who are willing to take daily direct action in Westminster and Whitehall between now and the general election to coax, cajole or coerce their colleagues in the House of Commons and the House of Lords to push Parliament, Government Departments and Law Enforcement Authorities to take political, financial, educational and legal actions to uphold and enforce war law.

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Simultaneously build up a group of peace activists, parliamentarians, journalists, NGOs and lobbyists to provide support, administrative assistance and help to the APPG to ensure that it operates effectively, efficiently and with public support.

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Set up a staffed and equipped office within the Parliamentary estate through the auspices of the Clerk of the House, the Department of Chamber and Committee Services and the Departments of Facilities and Resources, or if this is not possible through delegating the administration of the project to a lobbying company or NGO.

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Raise funds, assistance and administrative resources from: (i) MPs and Peers; (ii) the ‘Conflict Prevention’ budget; (iii) charities, trusts, ngos and wealthy individuals; (iv) NGOs by obtaining the services of competent individuals or employees seconded to the APPG, and (v) volunteers.

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Delegate the work to project groups. For Phase 1 we will need to set up:

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a Commons group to work with / support / persuade MPs to sign EDMs etc; a Lords group to work with / persuade Peers to join / support the project; a Military group to work with / persuade the Armed Forces to support the project; a Legal group to obtain Declaratory Judgements, apply for Judicial Reviews, organise the arrest and prosecution of UK war criminals and confirm war law; an Education group to brief parliamentarians, military commanders, civil servants and journalists on war law, the false legal advice, war crimes committed against the Iraqi and Afghan people, and what to do to avoid prosecution;

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Set up an organisation and administration group leading and managing the project, obtaining and co-ordinating support from ngos and the public, raising funds, running a dedicated web-site, formulating a schedule of events and meetings, keeping a tally of the results of MP and Peer contacts, accounting for costs, and keeping the media informed of progress, news and events.

Chris Coverdale

Make Wars History

November 2009

“If you don’t stand up now, when will you ? If you don’t exert yourself now when will you ? How many decades do you intend to wait before you take your stand ? There is no telling what condition you will be in then. You are in the prime of your life. It is a precious time in this finite existence. I say this because I want you to have no regrets.” Daisaku Ikeda