VICTORY for Brian Haw!

Dougle | 29.07.2005 11:30 | London

Parliament protester wins battle

A man who has held a four-year anti-war protest outside Parliament, has won a legal battle to continue his vigil.

Bad day for Warmonger Blair!

From 1 August all protests in a half-mile zone in Westminster, London, must have prior permission from police.

But the High Court has ruled Brian Haw, from Worcestershire, who claimed he was exempt as his protest pre-dated the new laws, can continue his protest.

The government said Mr Haw posed a potential security risk and described his argument as "absurd".

Dougle

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

Very Cool

29.07.2005 15:37

This is very cool news. Brian is doing great work and deserves all our support.

Sean

Very cool

29.07.2005 16:46

Best news I've had all day. Go Brian!

Simon
mail e-mail: srheywood@ukonline.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.peacetaxseven.com

But why is he the only one there?

29.07.2005 18:13

But why is he the only one there? Can't the stop the war coalition get organised enough to support his vigil and get a rota system set up so he can have a break? There could be a rota of about a dozen picketers at a time spending a few hours each day on the picket. That would give poor Brian a chance to take much needed breaks from his picket.

By the way that is what the Countryside Alliance did during their campaign they had different protesters from different areas taking it in turns on a rota basis to sit in Parliament Square at their picket. Why can't the stop the war coalition do the same?

Concerned

one man

29.07.2005 20:04

"Stop The War" and "Respect" are riddled with British security people, and will NEVER indulge in, or propose effective action against Blair. Remember our last election??? Even those nutters who claimed to float via meditation were able to field a candidate in each constituency in their time! However, after the largest anti-government demonstration, Respect et al covered only a FRACTION of available seats. How very convenient for Blair.

Brian Haw is one HONEST and DECENT man. How can Blair corrupt an honest man? Answer- it can't be done! If Blair does need to do away with Mr Haw, he will simply have him killed. However, given the current political situation, and the profile of Haw, this does not seem imminent or urgent.

Be aware, though. One honest man cannot save us. He can, however, be used as an 'acid test', allowing by comparison for us to discover the truth about people like Galloway, Benn, and Livingstone, and other agents and dupes of Blair!

twilight

Good result

30.07.2005 01:03

I think that Brian Haw is a bit of a sad twat, but I don't see why there should be any laws against being a sad twat. If he really hasn't got anything better to do then I don't see why he should be stopped. After all, trying to ban people from doing these kinds of protests is just the kind of thing they need to get the attention these cretins crave.

Humpty Dumpty

Hmm

30.07.2005 06:51

It is often claimed on Indymedia that the Courts are but an arm of government, backing decisions and interpreting legislation in a way designed only to support the state or financial interests. Yet here we have senior judges quite clearly supporting the chap's rights and in fact criticising the Westminster parliament for trying to fiddle the legislative process.

Good for the courts..

Boab

Why is he alone

30.07.2005 08:44

Why is Brian never supported by anyone? Well as someone who has spoken with him on a number of occasions, frankly it's because he is a bit of a nutter. Fine for about 10 minutes but a bit of a fruit cake when he starts on the alien shape shifter stuff.

Don't get me wrong I admire what he's done and will support him but spend time with him ? No

Londoner

Why Brian is alone

30.07.2005 10:58

The reason Brian's alone on his protest is because there are more effective ways of changing public policy, even as an individual, than by doing what he's doing. Incessantly hectoring MPs with a point of view that they've already heard ad nauseam from him and just about everyone else in the country isn't going to change anyone's mind. There are many MPs that support his point of view already and there are many that are opposed to it. I don't imagine he was responsible in the slightest for forming their views, nor that however long he carries on, he will ever change any of them.

He is, of course, entitled to have his say and make his protest. Brian, go for it if that's what you want to do.

But perhaps we should take a look at the Haw Fallacy, which is common among many campaigners. Put in very general terms, it's, "Campaigns are won due to the vigour of the campaigners, not due to the strength of their arguments".

Common exponents of this fallacy are many (but not all) hunger strikers, self-immolators, endurance crane/tree-sitters and hyper-prolific letter-writers.

Successful campaigns do need vigorous and tenancious campaigners too. But they need to have credible arguments and in a democratic system where you're looking to persuade government that ultimately has the decision-making power, the focus needs to be on bringing about a broad public consensus, not just haranguing politicians.

There is also such a thing as the law of diminishing returns. Messages need to be repeated to hit home, but not indefinitely. You need to know when to stop. Sadly - and I mean that, because I think the Iraq war is a disgrace - the only thing Brian Haw is likely to achieve is an entry in Guinness World Records.

Zorro

Victory...

30.07.2005 11:34

...Unfortunately not for the rest of us who will likely be denied the right to demonstrate.

Will the judges defend our right to demonstrate?

Anyway congrats to Brian Haw, who has probably done more than any of us to protest against the war. I don't know how he gets away with it.

Brian B

What bugs me

01.08.2005 23:33

What bugs me is how he manages to survive there. Think about it seriously. Who gives him enough money to stay there 4 years ? Who gives him protection while he sleeps ?

someone