Up And Atom - Spring 2006
Campaigning For Peace and
Disarmament
There are various campaigning tools for trying to bring about change.
Unfortunately there is no manual that will tell us exactly what is the
best thing to do. The government is supposed to be in control of the U.K’s
military affairs.
A lot of our work therefore concentrates on government policy. There
are several ways to do this:
- Through Parliament: the House of Commons and the House of Lords are
supposed to hold the gov’t to account and represent the opinions of
the people. This is often done through committees that reflect the work
of government departments. The Foreign Affairs Committee studies Foreign
Office policy and the Defence Committee examines the work of the Ministry
of Defence. The committees have some power to put pressure on the gov’t.
Parliament is theoretically very powerful and can change Gov’tpolicy.
In practice though parliament is generally dominated by party politics
(but not always.).
- The Media: some people believe that the media is a good way to reach
the general public.
- Demonstration and Protest. The object of demonstration is to reach
the public directly (often with leaflets as well) and to collectively
demonstrate our views to gov’t.
- Non-violent Direct Action (nvda) – Some people prefer to intervene
directly to prevent crimes against humanity. Sometimes that means blockading
WMD establishments or trying to disrupt the workings of a military base.
Often this involves breaking minor laws in order to uphold higher principles
of justice and morality. You don’t have to break laws to practice nvda
and there are often many support roles to be filled.
- Information: making information available to people is fundamental
to campaigning and political change. Stalls, leaflets, newsletters,
websites and posters all have a role to play.
Ask Eastern CND for leaflets etc