[Marxism] Peter Tatchell: Is he "pro-war"?

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> The provided link is helpful. The style of argument which
> Peter Tatchell practices is sardonic but is this a DEFENSE
> of Tony Blair? Calling for a Vietnam-style Guerrilla war?
> —Walter

At this point I agree in the main with Walter. However, I think that  
Tachell's argument was probably sincere although off-kilter, rather  
than sardonic.

Much of what he says uses some of the rhetoric that prevailed at the  
end of the 1st Gulf War. The point was made that if Saddam was to be  
overthrown it should be by the majority of the people, including the  
Kurds, who were fighting for independence from Turkey, Iran, and Iraq  
as well. However, the vast majority were the Shias, who were also the  
poorest stratum of the population. The possibility of their  
succeeding in ousting Saddam, had the U.S. aided them, which would  
have resulted in a "blow-back" similar to that in Iran was feared by  
the first Bush, so he pulled back.

Of course, experienced opponents of imperialism would not presented  
their ideas in this fashion.

Much of this is not that dissimilar to the kind of language that I  
recall from the early 1960s, when our formulations were also directed  
rhetorically against rulers urging them to arm the people to  
overthrown colonial regimes. We learned that this was a little  
demagogic and simply wrong. Demagogic because we tried to use the  
language of the rulers against themselves and wrong because not an  
inch should be given to the concept that there was any genuine  
"democratic" content to their rhetoric.

Brian Shannon

Here is the link again:

JOHANNES SCHNEIDER provided the link, calling Tatchell's views:

"An outright attack on the Stop the War Coalition."
http://www.tribweb.co.uk/tatchell07032003.htm




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