Manifesto for Manchester Withington Constituency in the 2005 U.K. General Election

GREATER MANCHESTER DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST ALLIANCE

No real democracy in Iraq while occupation continues

The war on Iraq was mainly to maintain and increase Western control of the massive oil resources in the Middle East. There were big demonstrations calling for elections in the immediate aftermath of the war and in January 2004. The elections were delayed another year, until after Bush’s fraudulent election victory and the vicious assault on civilians and insurgents alike in the city of Fallujah, guaranteeing huge tensions between the different national and religious groupings within Iraq (a common technique of US and British imperialism).

Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq are opposed to the occupation, the main political parties will continue to support it and therefore act as puppets for imperialism. Even if the Shia forces genuinely wanted to end the occupation, the Iraqi army and police force are too weak to deal with the ‘resistance’ of predominantly Sunni Muslims. We support the right of occupied people to fight back, but oppose suicide bombings, beheadings and murder of foreign journalists, etc., which alienate genuine working class people.

The overwhelming majority of Kurds are in favour of independence and, since they are concentrated in the north of Iraq (South Kurdistan), that is a realistic prospect. However, their main parties are linked to the US, and NATO includes Turkey, whose regime oppresses the Kurds within its borders. Dividing Kurdistan into regions of different states was part of the general carve-up by the British ruling class of the Middle East in the days of the British Empire, with artificial borders as a policy of divide-and-rule to maintain control of the region by big business.

We should all support the unity in Lebanon, between ordinary people of different races and religions (including Islam) in mass demonstrations against the Syrian occupation and for democracy throughout the country and particularly in its capital Beirut, which was the worst place to live in the world for many years. Unfortunately, the situation in Lebanon has been deteriorating since a huge pro-Syria demo provoked by a hypocritical speech by Bush, with a series of bombings; hopefully the country will not descend back into civil war. Mass united demonstrations in Lebanon and elsewhere can inspire similar activities in Iraq.

Steve Wallis has consistently campaigned against sanctions, which killed over a million people, and wars against Iraq – since the run-up to the original Gulf War in 1991. He played a key role in forming and leading the Coalition Against Sanctions and War on Iraq, and later got involved in the Greater Manchester Coalition to Stop the War. He consistently opposed Saddam Hussein and his Ba’athist regime, advocating ordinary people rising up and overthrowing them (which was prevented by the day-to-day struggle for survival under sanctions). The Liberal Democrats claim to be anti-war, but would have supported the war if it was backed by the United Nations, mainly made up of representatives of Western countries and dictatorships. Very few Lib Dems protested against the war, and they supported the occupation as soon as it finished and still do now!

No country can be truly democratic while it is occupied by foreign powers. These powers must be forced to withdraw by pressure from anti-war activists in the West, including mass demonstrations and electing anti-war activists like Steve to parliament, and by united movements of ordinary Iraqi people.

Visit www.socialiststeve.me.uk for this manifesto in large print.

It is available in large and small font sizes, in Word and HTML formats, for reading on-line or printing out.

Blind voters can get programs to read the contents out of web pages (including my manifesto). Automatic translators can convert it, or specific words, into other languages (see www.socialiststeve.me.uk/tran.htm).

2: PFI/PPP, Health, Education & Tax	3: Lib Dems, Democracy & Pensions	4 & 5: International & Green issues
6: Torture, Civil liberties & Crime	7: Racism, Football & Immigration	8: Steve’s profile & Conspiracy views

To be printed on recycled paper.

Printed & published by Steve Wallis, Flat 12, The Deansgate, Whiteoak Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6WT.

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