Occupy against Greed!

The wave of occupations against greed that have sprung up since the first 'occupation against Wall Street', are heartening indeed.

They come out of a simple truth; we are fed up of being ruled by the interests of a tiny capitalist elite. The 1%, made up of corporations, bankers, financiers, political elites, should not be able to rule over the interests of the other 99%.

As modern day capitalism continues to squeeze the living conditions of the bulk of working people, and drive to destitution some of the most vulnerable in society, we need to collectively say 'enough is enough'.

We need politicians both locally and nationally to represent the needs of the people, not just those who can pull the financial strings.

Let us see this movement grow. We must do whatever we can to build a society based on the needs of the many, not the greed of the few.

A view from DSEi: "War is normal"

On the first morning of the arms fare in the Docklands, a group of us tried to obstruct the main bridge entrance to Excel. We sang peace songs and tried to engage with the delegates. Most just kept their heads down, and tried to ignore us. One though, was keen to talk.

"War is normal" he said in a plummy accent "Just like death, and birth. War is a perfectly normal part of life"

He smiled, he meant it from the bottom of his soul. War is normal. And for this reason, it is perfectly possible to justify the actions of 25,000 men (very few women) in suits going about the 'normal' business of buying and selling arms.

The smell of money was palpable. This is big, big business. The wealth that comes along with the arms trade is formidable. It must be intoxicating to those who want it.

But war is not normal. Most people, most normal people do not want war. Throughout history, war has been the tool of the few. The few who desire more land than they need, the few who desire more wealth and power than they need. War is the opposite of normal - it is sick and the product of greed and cruelty. In the powerful words of the CAAT slogan "This is not OK!"

Disarming DSEi! Do all that you can to stop this evil trade!

Hats off to the hundreds of folk who have been working hard to shutdown 'Defence and Security Equipment international' (DSEi) the worlds biggest arms fare, being held this week at the Excel centre in the docklands. I was able to join in for the first few days of protests and it was a privilege to mix with such a diverse and determined group of people.

This arms fare has been particularly repugnant due to the number of oppressive regimes invited to the event, especially ones still involved in repressing the Arab Spring (Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain)

Even worse, has been the desperate attempts to sell the new UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or 'drones'), inflicting death to civilians at an alarming rate from control desks on the other side of the world.

I have so many tales to tell, from gaining entrance to Excel after saying I was there to perform the official exorcism, to being part of some extraordinarily brave actions to block the entrances to the event.

I even managed to get myself ejected from the National Gallery in protest at the meal they put on for senior arms dealers. Eventually, SERCO (nasty, nasty privateer company) even banned me from using the DLR,  (Docklands Light Railway) though I never once blocked the way of passengers on the actual stations.

So many stories, watch the blog site in the coming weeks, but now is the time to say: DSEI is still on! If you can get down there in the next few days, be brave, sit down in the road, sing peace songs, do all you can to say to our government: control arms sales, don't gratuitously promote sales no matter what the human cost.

The Arms trade is not normal, in the words of CAAT (Campaign Against The Arms Trade) 'THIS IS NOT OK!' Make your voices heard.

Thoughts on September 11th

It is hard not to think that this is the defining moment of the century so far. We all remember exactly where we were ten years ago. I was in a bookshop in Knutsford, the owner had turned up the radio for us all to hear. America was under attack. When I got to a television, the images dug deep into the memory, a horror made for TV.

Those pictures; the impact of the planes on metal and glass; people leaping to their deaths; the fire officers struggling in the dust; the lines of shocked people walking away from Manhattan.

But it is the response to the violence of those 19 suicidal extremists that has sadly defined this last decade. Revenge on nations, invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Over a million killed. The US could have pursued those responsible in such a different way. They choose retribution and violence, and now there are at least 19 suicidal extremists every month in Iraq and Afghanistan. Vicious and endless circles of violence.

Let us pray, that the next ten years will see nations refusing to follow the logic of violence and revenge, and instead, doing all they can to foster real justice and peacemaking in our troubled world.

Let's stop kidding ourselves about Libya

Up until 6 months ago - we were arming Gaddafi to the hilt. Now we are apparently sending in our SAS snatch squads to bring him to justice. We are trying to make ourselves and the Nato Allies into the heroes of the hour, when in fact it was us who had strengthened this dictators grip of power of the people of Libya.

In the years following his renunciation of nuclear technology, we happily gave him whatever weapons we could sell him, to help him torture and suppress the Libyan people.

And by encouraging a 6 month civil war, we have helped again to destabilise an oil producing nation, hoping to put in compliant new rulers.

The world was told that Nato's weapons would only be used to 'protect' civilians from Gaddafi's troops. The extensive bombing of Tripoli and now of Sirte shows this to be a complete fiction. As with Baghdad, the civilian infrastructure has been devastated, leaving millions without electricity, water and basic supplies.

Perhaps as many as 50,000 are dead.

There must be better ways of getting rid of dictators than this? O, I know, lets resist the urge to sell them whatever weaponry they need to suppress their own people in the first place!

Be down at the DSEi arms fare in London docklands, 13th September. Let's not allow some companies to get filthy rich with the blood of so many people on their hands

'A Just Church' at Greenbelt 2011!

What a weekend! Greenbelt is an incredible experience, and sums up for me all that can be wonderful about Christianity in the UK. It can be poetic, mystical, adventurous, challenging, inclusive and prophetic. The scriptures can come alive and faith can become a joyful explosion of experience and relationship. 25,000 people camp in Cheltenham Racecourse and share food, music and stories. It is awesome.

It was spoilt a bit by the fact that I was speaking. This made me extremely nervous, and I spent far too much time worrying about it. On Sunday evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see a huge line of people developing outside the tent I was speaking in. It turned out to be the queue for 'Pie Minister', a food stall. Never mind.

The first talk was a bit rambly, but it was certainly a good introduction to my book, and I hope that it encouraged a few to flick through it at the bookstall. My second talk, on the Monday, went much better - mostly because I decided to listen to the voice of Paulo Freire, (Brazilian radical educationalist), and be as dialogical as possible. I spoke for only 30 mins, to allow for 30 minutes of discussion. This was a wonderful chance to be more spontaneous and hear from some of the extraordinary people who had come to hear the talk 'Dancing in Millbank'.

The plea was that Christianity must be visibly present in the modern struggles to protect the welfare state. We must demonstrate the reign of God's love and peace, even in uncomfortable places that involve protest against war, environmental degradation and devastating inequalities. I think it struck a chord, and certainly the questions and statements were helpful.

Thank God for Greenbelt, and all who make it possible. Thanks to Billy Bragg, and Mark Thomas and the myriad of contributors and campers who made Greenbelt 2011 so memorable. Thanks also to all who came and encouraged my quest for a more 'Just Church'!

Big Society = Big Riots

Don't get me wrong - I'm angered and outraged by the violence and looting of the past few days. I want those who set fire to buildings brought to justice. They do not care if people die through their actions, and they need to feel the full punishment of the law. Those who attack shops and restaurants, deliberately wanting to terrify customers, deserve whatever we can throw at them legally. These people do not give a damn about the family of Mark Duggan, they care about the thrill and profit of the riot. But if we simply leave all the blame with the rioters, we are making a huge mistake.

If you allow massive youth unemployment to go unabated, (Tottenham having one of the worst levels in the country) if you take away the opportunities for people to go on to further and higher education (and the massive increase in fees has certainly done that) and if you treat the young people of the black community with contempt (of which the stop and search policy alone gives clear evidence) then you are creating the conditions for a riot.

Criminality is not a condition people are born into. It is created. The policies of this Government, especially the cutbacks to local authority spending, but also the whole 'big society' agenda, is slowly eroding the civil life of this country. If you suddenly slash funding for youth groups, educational opportunities, local amenities - and add to that virtually no prospect of getting a job - then you create a ticking time bomb of crime and resentment.

I'm fearful that there is much more to come in the months ahead. Other cities and towns are bound to follow London, Birmingham, Manchester etc. It does not take long to create the right conditions for a riot. It will take many years to rebuild our fragmented society, and it has to start by challenging policies that tear down the fabric of local communities. Lets make sure we hold to account all those responsible for the terrible scenes we have seen on our streets, from the arsonists and looters to those whose policies are wrecking our society.