May/June 2008

April 30th, 2008

As we approach what is for many the most beautiful season of the year, we cannot fail to be aware that

Editorial As we approach what is for many the most beautiful season of the year, we cannot fail to be aware that the inequalities and injustices in the world seem to be increasing: in our own country and in the world as a whole the poor are getting poorer and the gap between “the haves and the have-nots” is widening. For those of us who are concerned for justice and peace, however, this is not a time for discouragement and despair, but for renewed effort and commitment. Following our May meeting at which Bruce Kent is our speaker we have our annual prayer walk with a theme of Light. Further details relating to this are to be found at the end of this issue. In the March issue we asked readers to get in touch with suggestions or comments as to how the Commission could become more effective. To date we have only had one reply, maybe this just reflects a general lack of interest in the matter. But we remain convinced that as Bishop Terry wrote: “No-one can take the Gospel to heart without acquiring a taste for justice and peace. Nor can this ever be merely an academic exercise or remain in the realm of theory.” So we still await your ideas as to how we should do this. Please do write to your MP to ask that the UK government makes an effort to get an international ban on the use of cluster weapons at the May conference in Dublin. (see below) Sr Mary Walmsley has been unable to attend meetings due to new commitments so she has had to resign. We are very grateful for all her valuable work and commitment. Fortunately Kate Ward has very kindly agreed to take on the work as Secretary. And finally, may I apologise for two mistakes in the March/April Newsletter. First, the Inaugural Anthony Storey Lecture at the University of Hull, Lindsey Suite, Staff House Cottingham Road will be from 10.30am till 1pm not 3pm on 17th May. And our September meeting, that will celebrate the contributions to our society from those seeking asylum in the Tees Valley, is not on September 10 but September 20th. Chris Dove Note: the views expresses in this newsletter do not necessarily coincide with those of the Commission

Law not War March 2008 marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the invasion of Iraq. On Remembrance Day 2007 Baroness Helena Kennedy QC gave a lecture at the Imperial War Museum. In it she said: “I believe the Iraq war to be illegal and immoral. I have no doubt that Saddam Hussain and his oppressive regime were responsible for egregious crimes against the people of Iraq. I signed petitions against his dictatorship and met with some of his victims who sought asylum here. I am sure many Iraqis, particularly the Kurds who suffered so monstrously at his hands must feel a degree of elation that he is gone, but I reject that war was the only means to securing Iraqi freedom. In addition to not having been authorised by the United Nations, the war was opposed by world opinion and especially by the people of the Middle East. It was also based on widespread deception by government and officials here and in the USA as to the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. By its actions our government violated the right of all of us citizens in democratic society to trust in the integrity of leaders, especially in matters of war and peace. By what right can we visit war on a country that was not threatening us; by what right can we ignore the laws of war, by what right do we tear up the international conventions painstakingly under construction in the hope of creating a world ordered upon respect for humanity and a desire for peace? Those who supported the war on the basis that legal niceties should be forgotten when we have the opportunity to remove a dictator should consider the precedent set and the implications for the rule of law in such a course. There is undoubtedly a need to reform the Security Council with its byzantine, undemocratic workings but it is worth remembering the impulse which created the UN, which was a desire to avoid wars and at every turn to wage peace. Respect for the rule of law and a workable democratic structure of international law will be a far greater guarantor of peace and security than displays of power and might. Law is one of the keys to any new order. Otherwise in our rush to win the so-called war against terrorism we will unleash an even greater terror.” Source: Pax Christi.
We remember

* 1.2 million Iraqi people have been killed directly or indirectly. As a result of the destruction of infrastructure tens of thousands experience malnutrition and disease.
* since 2003 there as been a mass exodus of people fleeing from the ongoing violence and occupation. More than 4.4 million Iraqis have left their homes. Some 2.2 million are displaced internally and more than 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
* the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that one in five Iraqi refugees registered in Syria is the victim of violence. 10% of the young children of these refugee families are working for a living.
* tens of thousands of Iraqis are detained, many without trial. A UN Human Rights report in June 2003 expressed concern about the Multinational Force’s detention practices, and in particular the internment of suspects for prolonged periods without judicial review of their cases,
* according to the MoD the UK has spent £5 billion on the war in Iraq over and above the UK’s defence budget. Source: Christian Peace Witness for Iraq

Cluster weapons [yet again] In our May/June 2007 newsletter we reported some good news, that the UK government had agreed to “join a fast track process to negotiate a ban on cluster bombs.” Sadly this seems to be no longer the case. In 2006 the MoD called the Hydra CRV-7 system a cluster weapon. In July 2007, the Armed Forces Minister. Bob Ainsworth, said they did not after all fall within the government’s “understanding of a cluster munition”. So it is the same weapon causing the same lethal destruction; the only difference is that the name has been changed Source: The Guardian Weekly 21.09.07 In the latest Amnesty magazine Martin Bell pleads for a ban on the use of cluster bombs to be agreed at the next meeting of the international group which takes place in Dublin in May. He writes “A treaty banning cluster bombs can be a reality in 2008. Such a treaty will not only protect future generations – it will also provide assistance to the victims of these weapons and mobilise more support for the work of removing the millions of explosive devices already littered round the world. The legacy of such a treaty will be lasting and tangible. Multilateral action is being made to work. People will live who would otherwise die. Our government is still dragging its feet on the issue – supporting aspects of the ban but wanting some of its own cluster bombs to remain in service. Let’s change this.”

Cluster weapons [latest update]

Factfile

* One cluster bomb container will typically spread submunitions over an area the size of 2-4 football fields, effectively carpet bombing that area.
* Unexploded submunitions remain from attacks in 1970s and still kill people.
* One third of reported cluster bomb casualties are children. In Southeast Asia at least 60% are children.
* In February 2007, 46 states agreed in Oslo to conclude in 2008 a treaty prohibiting cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. * In May 2007 68 states participated in a treaty preparation meeting in Lima. In December 2007 in a meeting in Vienna 138 states joined in and in February 2008, in Wellington New Zealand, a further 103 states, but still not Britain Can we hope that the UK will join the others in making the treaty a reality? I feel it is most important that as many people as possible write to their MP and/or David Milliband urging the government to support the Oslo Process to negotiate a new international instrument to ban the production, sale or use of cluster weapons. The UK must stop trying to get exemptions for types of cluster weapons that they argue are “safe”. This only risks creating loopholes that other nations will seek to exploit.

The push for more military spending The past few months have seen the beginning of an unprecedented campaign to raise military spending. A new organisation called the United Kingdom National Defence Association (UKNDA) was launched by a group of former military chiefs and politicians. A few weeks later, during a debate in the House of Lords, five former defence chiefs condemned the government for failing to fund the armed services “adequately”. All five happened to be patrons or vice-presidents of the UKNDA.

The UKNDA argues that while the Defence budget was 5.3% of GDP in 1984, it is now down to 2.2% and their demand is for this to increase to at least 3% – an increase of 35-40% over current levels, and the Conservative Defence Policy calls for a 50% increase. To support their arguments for these increases proponents point to the injuries and fatalities suffered by the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and claim this is due to ‘inadequate resources’. They also call for increased spending on forces’ housing, education facilities and better medical care for those injured on active service. However, the UKNDA and Conservatives are choosing to compare today’s military spending with that of the height of the Cold War (1984).

The reality is that under the Comprehensive Spending Review of July 2007, the Defence budget for 2008-9 would be £34 bn, rising in 2009-10 to £35.3 bn and then to £36.9 bn in 2010-11, an increase of £7.7 bn over the three years. On top of this, by July 2007, we had spent £6.6bn on the Iraq and Afhganistan wars according to MoD figures . In fact the UK has the highest per capita spending on the military in Europe, second only in the world to the USA. Then, according to the National Audit Office report in November 2007, investigating new weapons systems on order for the MoD, the current top ten (by spending) military projects are currently estimated to cost just over £36 bn – more than the entire MoD budget for 1 year! And that doesn’t include the projected cost of replacing Trident – £20-25 bn. The obvious way forward is to call for the reallocation of the huge sums spent on military equipment into more productive areas. In fact there are plenty of security issues it could be spent on – countering climate change and conflict prevention are just two examples. If we are serious about peace and security we need to spend our money wisely. Rather than defence being too low on the list of priorities, war is far too high up on the list. Source: Fellowship of Reconciliation peace by peace Spring 2008

Depleted Uranium [DU] DU is nuclear waste left over after enrichment activities in the nuclear weapons and nuclear power industries. DU is chemically toxic and radioactive. It is used in armour-piercing munitions because of its very high density – 1.7 times that of lead. It is also used as armour in battle tanks, as ballast in some cruise missiles and in small amounts in some types of landmines. Why hasn’t the case for banning the use of DU ammunition been successful? It was easier to make a case against landmines, and similarly now against cluster weapons – the horrific results can seen wherever they have been used. But the remnants of DU weapons are less visible; it is a much slower story of toxic and/or radioactive poisoning, the long-term effects of which may not be known for generations. It is also dangerous because no-one fully knows what lies in store for future generations.

There are alarming signs from the ailments of people exposed to DU and from the bewildering disorders being shown in some of their children. But they are chronically under-researched. Doctors don’t know how to explain them. The governments that use these weapons and who claim they are safe don’t seem particularly bothered. In March 2007 two Australian soldiers active during the Gulf War of 1991 tested positive for DU contamination a full 15 years after their return from Iraq. The US and UK forces discharged an estimated 280 tonnes of DU ammunition in the first Gulf War. The US Army knew of the dangers six months before the war, in a report that detailed the risks of DU use, including cancer and kidney damage to both ‘natives and combat veterans’, it called for ‘public relations efforts’ to stave off the ‘potential for adverse international reaction’.

Basra Teaching Hospital reports on “a range of cancers increasing exponentially throughout the 1990s”. In July 2007 Iraq’s Environment Minister Nermin Othman called for international assistance following research linking a sharp increase in cancer to 350 DU-contaminated sites across Iraq. Source: New Internationalist November 2007 May 3 Bruce Kent ‘Movement against War’ English Martyrs York. July 19 Prayer Walk Osmotherley. Sep 17: ‘Enriching Our Communities’ - a Celebration of the contributions to our society from those seeking asylum in the Tees Valley. Middlesbrough.

Programme for 2008

Inaugural Anthony Storey Memorial Lecture, Sat 17th May 11.00a.m. – 1pm Lindsey Suite, Staff House, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull. “How to effect real change in the real world – the G8, Geldof and the grassroots” Speaker: Paul Vallely, Associate Editor of the The Independent, former chair of Traidcraft and Progressio. Chaired by: Professor Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity, Magdalene College, Cambridge Everyone welcome

Commission contacts Barbara Hungin Chair 01642 784398 KateWard Secretary 01642 781676 Nan Saeki Treasurer 01904 783621 Chris Dove Editor 01947 825043 email: dove.whitby@phonecoop.coop or 22 Blackburns Yard Whitby YO22 4DS website www.middlesbroughjp.org

Please …. Our postage costs have increased yet again so if you find this newsletter of some use to you or your church, perhaps you would consider sending a donation to the Treasurer: Nan Saeki 55 Moorgate York YO24 4HP. It would be very much appreciated.

LIGHT on our SPIRITUALITY DAY This year our Spirituality walk on Saturday 19 July will focus, through the kindness of Fr Damian, on the Lady Chapel at Osmotherley. We start at Cod Beck Reservoir car park at 10am. and the whole walk will be about five miles. There is some uphill walking but nothing very strenuous and we should easily reach the Lady Chapel by noon. At the Lady Chapel there will be a short service, to which everyone is invited to bring a piece of writing on the theme of Light which they find significant. Then we will have our picnic (please bring your own!) which we will have outside unless it is too cold or wet. Fr Damian has kindly arranged for tea and coffee to provided. We will then complete the walk by travelling northward through woodland and back to the car park. If anyone prefers not to walk so far they could meet up with us at the Chapel at noon. So that we do not start without anyone, please let Annie know if you are planning to come on the walk, on 01947 825043 or by email to dove.whitby@phonecoop.coop May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you. Thessalonians 5:24

A Prayer