Leeds brought to a standstill by anti-war protest

While i appreciate the sentiments of the protest. Surely lying in the road is not the answer. All it does is make ordinary folk resent the protest rather than embrace it. We need to target Blair and his cronies. I think we should boycott work for a week and bring the country to a standstill. I for one could manage that. Basically I don't even think Blair wants to be in this war but he stupidly commited him self to it, ages ago after playing a game of Risk while drinking a few sherries.

Anyway something has to be donem but lets think about it rather than directing our anger at a road.

Simon Bowden

Although i agree that blocking a road is an insufficient action in order to bring down the government or stop the war, and indeed it would be great if everyone went on strike...however, back in the real world everyone aint gonna go on strike...and blocking the roads at rush hour when everyone is on there way to work can go some way to 'blocking the arteries of capital' - this action wasnt blocking people on there way home from work, but on theyre way there. I would have been pleased if i was stopped from attending work by an obstruction in the road. I could have got my book out and had a good read, or jumped off the bus and gone to the pub or somink!

Surely one of the most ineffective forms of protest against the war is to organise a huge march in London? We have already seen what appears to have been the biggest march in recent uk history, but what did it achieve. Going to the 'Foil the base' demo at Menwith Hill or down to Fairford on Sat to attack these targets would of course be better than locking on in the road or 'protest as usual' in london. Of course this doenst suit the parasitical SWP elements within the Stop the war coalition - thye have already send out rumours that say the above actions are cancelled - it is in there interest to get everyone in london - more paper sales, more potential recruits and a display of SWP placards across the news. For more comment on the SWP's tactics see the Leeds EF! website.

Heres hoping the anti-war momentum builds and bubbles over into something a bit more uncontrollable than civil disobedience and marching from A to B for a load of boring left speakers!

(disclaimer - when refering to the stop the war coalition i understand there are a lot of good people/groups working under that banner and my comments refer to the SWP)

It is an unfortunate result of an action like this one that you piss people off... and wouldn't it be great if everyone walked out of work for a week!!!! but most of the people in those cars were pissed off because they couldn't get to work! They had no intention of boycotting work. One of the intentions behind a roadblock (see piqueteros in argentina) is to disrupt the easy flow of capital that the system relies upon. this war is a war about oil, about consumption, it is a war for the continuation of capitalism as we know it. walking out of work would be another great way to cause economic damage and disruption to a system that has ignored our collective opposition to this war, but blocking roads is also another very effective and pertinent way of doing it. next time you get stuck in a roadblock, get out of your car and join us!

It's hardly fair to call the SWP parasites on the Stop the War Coalition, they set it up!