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We have to carry out non-violent direct action, because the democratic
channels are blocked; the PM is not listening to our concerns, and
Parliament is lucky to be given the chance to discuss the matter.
I personally have already started; since early March, I have been
on strike from 9-9.15 AM. A token effort, but then, I am a GP, and
it would be counter productive to affect patient care in a big way.
So far my patients have been overwhelmingly supportive.
I go to the village cross - a monument by the market place - and
meet up with a few other dissenters - a cross section of society,
not your usual leftist suspects - and we talk about things for a
while. It is good to talk at times like these.
Mark Levene a Southampton University academic is also on strike.
It is called a counter strike, where the University, after some
pressing, agrees to send the value on one hour's work to Asylym
Aid - a charity - as his protest against the war.http://saw.port5.com/counter_strike.htm
I hope you will consider joining the strike for the following reasons:
1 It is easy for anyone to do. The margins between a coffee break
and a 15 minute strike are ill defined. Anyone can strike up a conversation
with their neighbour: "I'm on strike because of the war".
By the time they've finished, 15 mins have passed, and not one,
but two persons have not worked.
2 So it is an easy action, with no risk of arrest. Anyone can take
part. If a supervisor asks what is going on, another 15 minutes
is lost in the explanation. It can spread. It can be carried out
on an individual basis, (Mark and me) but also by a group.
3 Once we have a critical mass, employers will start to get worried,
and will pass the worries on to Govt.
HMG may be deaf to reason, but is acutely sensitive to the noise
of industrial unrest. A 15 minute stoppage, once established among
a sizeable minority, is the seed that could grow into a National
Strike - and that is something which Government fears acutely.
4 Monday morning is the critical time to do it because it is the
start of the working week, the time when we take a deep breath and
buckle down to it. And when we most feel like going on strike.
5 I have had coverage in local papers and radio.
6 Homeworkers and people in the informal economy can express their
dissent/strike by gathering in community centres.
So I commend to you the idea of a weekly, 15 minute strike on Monday
morning, with associated gatherings at village centres - NOW. We
must not wait until the attack. Support is liable to melt away after.
We have possibly 3 weeks to get this thing going.
for peace
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