Judging by the imminent release of one of the sailors, it looks like this situation may be diffusing. With any luck.

Let's hope we can double the public outrage that we saw in the run up to the Iraq war. We'll need it!

no chance bill the zombie masses are now conditioned into accepting a war every 3 or 4 years now under new labour they have been bourght off by a combination of tv,apathy and tax breaks.war on the telly is just like anyother telly prog they can and will just switch it off and watch cele cannibal island instead or whatever the latest trash is at the moment.don't kid yourself public outrage has long since been taken over by public apathy.
audiotech

Well, being a bit of an old duffer, I was really shocked at the public turnout at the pre-Iraq demos. Not just the numbers, but the types of people. And it was the first time I have been on any demo where bystanders shouted support. I got spat on and had traitor shouted at me on the anti-Desert Storm demo in Trafalgar Square.

I think the fact that Britain's largest ever demo changed little on a superficial level, but I think it did the government serious damamge on the mainstream level. I admit nowhere near enough, but it was a good start.

It also gave birth to Military Families against War. We had Reg Keys shaming Blair on his own doorstep. We have had Pitstop Ploughares winning against the Irish government and other important victories in England regarding blockades.

It's slow progress, but it is progress.

On an anecdotal level, there may be a lot of apathy, but I have never in my life seen such general contempt for the government and its relationship with US right across all walks of life.

The disgust is there, but like you say the apathy is the big problem. We've got generations of people feeling unable to make any difference to fight against.

The problem with Stop the War is its leadership - they are the same useless lefties who have led every campaign in the last twenty years to defeat and ruination. There is a united contempt for New Labour, the war, the present corrupt political system and the US administration, but the dead left cannot exploit it.

The dead left should have organised a rally against Tony Blair ages ago, he is such a figure of popular hatred that thousands would have attended. However he is about to leave office, so how about an Anti-New Labour Rally/March/Action.

The reclaim the streets lot were by far the most effective at organising fluffy and funky demonstration - so how about Reclaim Parliament Square or The Hyde Park Free Festival or New Labour: Time to Go.

Of course it may also require mobilising daily mail readers and blue rinse tories from the shires, but what the hell - a free festival against Tony might just make them a little bit more tolerant and the old Bill are less keen on kicking the shit out of the middle classes.

I totally agree. But don't forget that Blair has pissed off the horsey set and farmers too.

Yeah, the old tactics are fatally devisive. A free festival would scare the utter shit out of the Establishment. The only problem I can forsee is getting anyone bigger than Ms Dynamite and George Michael to stand on a stage and say "Fuck this shit. we need REAL change!"

Live8 was a sorry state of affairs.

Reclaiming PS is a bloody excellent idea. How about on the anniversary of the establishment of the House of Commons?

What most people know is that the UK is presently run by liars. (Though Governments usually are, so do not complain too loudly)

We have just seen Blair digging a bigger hole for himself, and doing his best to ensure that the Soldiers will be held in Iranian nuclear centers as human shields. If he had kept his big mouth shut the captured soldiers might all be free by now.

Is there any punishment suitable for such an Idiot in Office? His stupidity suggests he is an Iranian Mole!

Blair and Hain have contrived to get much credit for our friends in Northern reland talking to each other. The credit for that should go to the Provos who switched their bombing campaign from terrorist spectaculars killing people, to attacking the UK transport system by blowing motorway bridges. Within weeks of that switch, Prime Minister John Major announced that as soon as the people of Northern Ireland voted for Irish Unification they could have it. That virtually stopped the bombings. There might also have been a vote in Eire that had some effect. Nothing that B.Liar and his henchmen have done is creditworthy, they harvest what others sowed.

There are lessons there for the soggy leftists who demonstrate. When Blair ignored the demonstrating millions, there were only two Railwaymen who did anything realistic to stop the war. They were not backed up.

Obviously it's all lies.

Miss Dynamite is obviously fit...but she's just a lady Ali G.

Nothing changes anything.

More freedom please invisible powers.

Feed me baby.