this was a great little action, well-targetted and planned and exactly what I felt I needed to do to get a little in the way of the military machine using our money to kill our brothers and sisters. But what I don't understand is why there were only dozens of people there, not the hundreds needed to make it into a great big action - and much more effective.

I don't blame anyone for not making it to Northwood, when my alarm went at 6 am this morning it was cold and dark and my bed was warm and cosy. I very nearly didn't make it too. But then I thought about Afghan refugees in far colder, darker places, bereaved families and maimed children and the unbelievable arrogance of our governments and I knew i had to at least show my face in active opposition to this stupid greedy war.

So that was what got _me_ moving, anyway. and now that I'm home and warm I'm wondering - why didn't so many other people go? Was it the time of day, the location, not being bothered, the threat of arrest, the prospect of being with a lot of peace activists, something else? Or maybe you didn't know about it?

If the peace movement in this country is going to be as effective as it really badly needs to be, we need to know what is stopping people participating, and what they _would_ be willing to join in. maybe actions need to take a different form, be advertised in a different way, include a lot more dancing, gadgets, or coffee and cake? If you have a thought at all, do tell the world what might have made you come, please.

thanks, love and peas...

I would have come today, but yes it was cold and dark and also I've got the flu. But really the main thing that stopped me is the continual lack of media coverage of these sort of actions. I went on the Downing Street sit-down against the war - that was on a cold and astonishingly wet day (so I'm not a total wimp), and despite stopping the traffic down Whitehall for a couple of hours and risking arrest, there was hardly a peep from the media. I went on both main London anti-war protests and although the first got a little bit of national coverage, the second one (the biggest demo in decades) was played down and the figures manipulated. On Saturday, a local North London march attracted about a hundred protestors despite carpet-leafleting around the area in the run-up. No chance of any media coverage on this other than to perhaps point out it was a wash-out.

I wrote to the Stop The War Coalition with an idea I want to share with you too. The other night I was watching the Channel 4 news and they showed film of 2 CIA men 'interrogating' a prisoner of war. They were clearly shown threatening that unless he co-operate, they would not allow the Red Cross to him and that he would die. This was a clear breach of the Geneva Convention as far as I understand it, but the report didn't comment or criticise this aspect at all.

I immediately foned the C4 newsdesk and made an official complaint. Now my idea is that in a situation like this, the Coalition mobilises through its e-mail list and perhaps hundreds or even thousands of complaints are received - the media would (hopefully) not be able to ignore this level of complaint, and the complaint itself would make the news. If we were still ignored, then instead of blockading a military base without press coverage, how about blockading the ITN studios and stopping their national newsreaders from getting in or out - this would surely create some press!!

Things will only change if we can get the 'silent majority' on our side, and we can only hope to do that if we can get media attention in a peaceful but forceful way.

Anyone else think these ideas are worth spreading and trying to make happen, or anyone got better and more creative ways in which we can get some control of the airwaves? Indymedia is great, but to some extent it preaches to the converted. We have to get these ideas out into the mainstream and the public gaze, otherwise stuff like Northwood today ultimately seems a little futile ( and I don't mean to denigrate those that took the trouble to get out of bed and go there, for whom I give total support and a load of respect).

Yes, it was dark and cold. It's hard to spread ourselves thin. Thank-yous for what you've done.

One the groups I take part in got an e-mailed invite to the protest, but I dunno... people didn't feel they could make it.
We did DSEi on the 11/09 and then local and national anti-war marchs, some of us are putting our energy into supporting Hackney library workers and some of us are planing to go to Brussels to demonstrate against the EU on the weekend and... so many reasons but please know wherever yous are we are with yous in in spirit - by your actions you are with us in our hearts, ...inspirational.

I do think that there is a certain amount of anti-war fatigue going around - something which goes beyond the 'usual suspects' wearing themselves into the ground pulling actions - a lot of the engey of the anti-war mobilisation in Britain ( including our own) has gone into the Stop The War Coalition (StWC)meetings / marches - however this group, whilst giving lots of mouth, promotes no forms of mass direct action aganst the war .
Call me an old cynical anarchist / autonomist, but I think it's unlikely that the StWC will take up Rikki's proposal (comment above) to bombard with complaints or otherwise pressurise the mainstream media for their support for the war beacuse basically the members of the SWP who hold the key posts in the StWC will not want to promote any form of autonomous actions within what is basically meant to be a recruiting platform for the Socalist Workers party -
Anyway I digress - many thanx to the people at Northwood toady -like I said inspirational -
I guess the question isn't why the usual activistsdidn't all manage to turn up this time - the question is why don't the self proclaimed national organisations like the CNd or the StWC promote and publise actions like this and why aren't they replicated the lenght and breath of Britain
Blessed be =:-)

In regards to the comment about media coverage, I don't think anyone
expected media coverage (I haven't checked yet if there has been
any, but I don't expect any....). That was not the aim of the action. The
aim of the action was to disrupt the "smooth running of the war
machine". The aim of the action was to stop the army from comiting
crimes. I don't see this as a symbolic, media oriented action. There are
many concrete things that could be done to stop the army, and this was
one of them. Given our means, our numbers, we did what we could.

On the subject of StWC and people tiring out, I totally agree. The StWC
does not let people act in any concrete way. You can go to the meetings,
listen to what they say, and do what they say. You can give out
leaflets, and give them money. When all you can do against the war
is giving out leaflets, you certainly get tired quickly, lost cause.

"Affinity group" actions, on the other hand, really help in feeling you
can actively do something.

i did the media work and spent all day chatting up the media and what was clear was that they were interested but the lack of numbers screwed us, one TV station said to me the day before that they'd been to an action early am at northwood before expecting a big thing and it had only been 4 people, so they were reticent to commit their only early morning camera unless they knew there would be big numbers.
My impression on this occasion was that the problem with media coverage this time was not the media but the lack of activist support and energy......