How do we stop this war when democracy is clearly dead?
If over a million people marching in London and a revolt by his own party doesn't stop Blair then what will?

Marches are all very well but once the government has made it clear that it doesn't care what the people think then there is little point left to a show of numbers.

What is needed is a show of strength, a show of commitment, a show of resistance. What is needed is direct action and mass civil disobedience.

Now we have direct action. People all over the country are attempting to throw a spanner in the works of the war machine and make it clear that resistance is real. However, many people who are against the war do not feel able to take such actions.

Only with mass civil disobedience can we hope to have an effect. This proposal is for a form of disobedience that everyone can take part. It is civil disobedience in the form of consumer disobedience and it takes the form of a ration book pledge.

Ration was introduced during world war one again in world war two as a way of getting the population to support the war effort. We however are turning on it's head.

The ration book pledge asks people to modify their shopping paterns and withdraw financial support from the war machine. By avoiding items on which VAT and duty are paid, the conscientious consumer can send a powerful signal to the powers that be.

To make this work it requires your help. There is no big organisation behind this idea. There is currently no pot gold or hords of workers to make this happen. But if local anti-war groups and individuals take up the idea then it can happen.

The ration book can be downloaded in Acrobat PDF from  http://www.pledge.yours.at

Please print out, make copies and distribute far and wide.

Please also forward this text by email to everyone you know, and ask them to do the same.

Time is running short but we can still make a difference.