Why you should be a member of Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT)

I joined CAAT some years ago, when it became clear that Labour's 'ethical foreign policy' was clearly not amounting to much. Our governments, whether Labour or Conservative, have not only supported the aggressive foreign policy of the US, but also bend the rules to make sure they can sell as many arms as possible, regardless as to there 'end use'.

As the Arab Spring unfolds, and enters a rather hesitant Arab Summer, it is clear that our government had a hand in arming the despots. The April-June edition of CAAT's news letter tells me exactly how much money was made in arms sales to Libya, Algeria etc, and how British made weapons have been evident in use from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.

If we give a damn about the millions of people who are risking their lives to non-violently resist the authoritian of North Africa and the Middle East, then the most powerful thing we can do is to highlight the abuses of our involvement in the arms trade.

Nowhere is that more evident than the 'Defence & Security Equipment International (known as DSEi) bi-annual arms fest held in London this September - the world's biggest arms fare. I'll be blogging a lot about it in the months to come - because I'd like to see as many people down there as possible. This unacceptable trade must be exposed and resisted.

If you're not sure about it, then please consider joining CAAT - they do their homework, give us the facts and figures, plus opportunities to put that information into action. Put it in your diaries 'Day of Prayer, 11th September, Day of Action 13th September - lets stop this arms fare, lets stop arming killer regimes!

If Germany can shake the nuclear habit - so can we

The announcement that Germany is to shed itself of nuclear power is a relief to many. It is an important step, because, if they can do it, anyone can. Germany has a 23% reliance on nuclear fueled electricity, so how can they manage withdrawal?

Firstly, they have a belief that new technology can reduce energy consumption, and secondly they are prepared to put a huge investment in renewable energy sources. It is the only sane thing to do after Fukushima.

On the surface, the Japanese nuclear catastrophe appears to be a freak accident, triggered by the devastating tsunami that followed the huge earthquake. Analysts though have been warning of similar disasters that could follow accidents at nuclear plants for a whole series of reasons, and the old German reactors were beginning to creak.

Germany is also the most financially savvy country in Europe. It knows that the nuclear figures just don't add up. The energy is only ever affordable with massive state subsidies, and the cost of safe disposal of nuclear waste is phenomenal.

Germany also knows that it will be impossible to ask the Polish government not to go ahead with two new nuclear power plants if they did not take this decision soon.

The UK, France, Japan and the rest of the world needs to learn from Germany's decision. It may be tough, but we have to rid ourselves of the nuclear option once and for all.

Prayers and action for the people of Yemen

The capital of Yemen, Sanaa, has been the scene of terrible battles over the last few days. 124 people have been killed by government forces, as they protested against the despotic rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh has been in charge since the ending of the civil war in Yemen in 1994, and has ruled with a iron fist.

Before he came to power, South Yemen had been a bastion in the Middle East of progressive secularism for almost 20 years. But a progressive, Marxist government that had enhanced the life chances of women, had tackled poverty and inequality, was not to be tolerated in the 1990's. The West supported the warlords of Northern Yemen in the civil war, and allowed Saleh to come to power. In the years after the 'peace agreement' in 1994, thousands of 'leftists', academics and trade unionists were 'disappeared' or exiled by the Saleh regime, but human rights abuses were ignored by the West.

What a mess it all is now, having given Saleh the weapons to keep the population subdued, Western governments do not know how to respond. And yet, still the people bravely rise up, despite the bullets and the sniper fire. Yemen, alongside all the nations of the Middle East need our prayers. And prayers need action. Protest at the DSEi Arms fare in London this September, lets stop arming the killers.

2 women and 12 children murdered in the South West

If it were bombs dropping on Bristol, we would see things very differently. The news that 14 people, 2 women and 12 children were murdered by a US/NATO attack should make us all very angry. The two houses in the South Western area of Nawzad of Afghanistan were bombed in response to an attack on US marines by rebel forces. Revenge, the strategy of 'an eye for an eye', has become NATO policy

The US clearly believes it can get away with murder. Saying sorry for when these air strikes goes wrong is not enough. It happens all the time, week after week, and barely registers on the news channels of the countries that do the bombing.

Drone attacks, missile and air strikes, are a daily occurrence in Afghanistan and Pakistan - there is not even any concerted effort to count the number of people killed, let alone make accurate distinctions between 'insurgent' and 'civilian' casualties. Each death results in greater hatred for the occupiers in particular and the West in general.

If the money spent on bombs and weapons used in Afghanistan had been spent on waging peace and bringing prosperity to the country - then the world would be a much less dangerous place than it is.

We have to be angry, and it shouldn't matter whether the victims are in Helmand or Bath. When one innocent victim is killed by our government's policy - we have a duty to hold it to account.

For the sake of each murdered child, resist this evil war with every fibre in your being.

Gaza celebrates as 4 years of imprisonment ends!

The opening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Palestine hopefully ends one of the worst human rights abuses in modern history. One and a half million people have been imprisoned in the Gaza strip for 4 years, denied access to medical aid and basic goods. The easing of the restrictions were welcomed throughout the Arab world today.

Israel sealed the borders when Hamas were elected by the people of Gaza, and did not have any problem persuading the then Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak to support their policy. Collective punishment has been a tool used by the Israeli state for far too long, and the international community has not reacted to it with any conviction.

The struggle for freedom of movement is far from over, and the Palestinian people are still denied the right to trade. But as women and children could finally cross to Cairo for much needed medical care, and families were reunited, it is clearly a great day for the people of Gaza.

It is also proof that real change is being felt in Egypt. Finally, the government is beginning to respond to the will of the people. Today there is hope for at least one part of the Middle East.

Mladic and bin Laden. Spot the difference

They had both been on the run for ten years. They had both gone into hiding with a network of supporters to sustain them - they had both been responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. They both had a loyal group of followers, mostly trained in combat. They were both two of the most hunted men in the world.

But it is in the capture that any similarities end. One will go to the European War Crimes Tribunals and be held account for what he has done. He will face a trial, and the victims of his crimes will be able to put their case, and he will be judged on his actions, probably facing a jail sentence til the end of his days.

The other was executed by a kill squad, getting out of his bed, in front of his wife and one of his young daughters. Unarmed, he had a high calibre weapon placed near to his head, and half his head blown away.

Yes, bin Ladens execution was efficient, his body swiftly sunk beneath the waves - but I believe that Mladic's arrest and trial witnesses to a deeper justice than the barrel of the gun. Bin Laden will always be a martyr to his followers, killed by the evil empire, but the trial of Mladic will weaken his following as his crimes are exposed and he is finally made responsible for his barbarism.

rekindling interest in Liberation Theology!

I discovered today that my book is now available on Kindle, 'the electronic book'. That's great news for those who have now got their new Kindle device, though I'm personally keen on a 'hard copy' that's easy to share and can be bought in a local shop!

The great thing is that the publishers have put it on Kindle because of the demand for the book. I don't believe that it's because I'm a great writer, I'm a community activist at heart not a professional author, but it shows that there is a huge appetite for a theology that is liberating. People long for a theology that they can relate to, and makes sense of the world around them.

For too long, theology has been lost in archaic academia, struggling for relevance. But it seems to me that if God is God, the way we talk about God (Theology) must be relevant. It must help build the kingdom of God, and it must help us to find  new ways of communicating God's love for the world.

I really hope that when people read the book, they don't just stick it on a shelf (a least that's not possible with the Kindle version!) but dare to use it as a model for making their own local church a beacon hope in their community. They might even begin to go to church again, knowing that it can be part of 'the movement of movements' that will be make 'another world possible'.