But peaceful, well-focused and widespread nuisance, even if it irritates other members of the public, forces the issue to the front of people's minds, and ensures that no one can contemplate the war without also contemplating the opposition to the war. We must oblige people to recognise that something unprecedented in recent times is taking place, that Bush, assisted by Blair's moral slipstreaming, is seeking to summon a war from a largely peaceful world. We will fail unless we stage a political drama commensurate with the scale of the threat.

All this will, of course, be costly. But there comes a point at which political commitment is meaningless unless you are prepared to act on it. According to the latest opinion poll, some 42% of British people - against the 38% who support it - want to stop this war. But if our action is confined to shaking our heads at the television set, Blair might as well have a universal mandate. Are you out there? Or are you waiting for someone else to act on your behalf?

George Monbiot http://www.monbiot.com
email http://www.monbiot.com/dsp_sendafriend.cfm?article_id=559

Details of the actions already planned
for the U.K.: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
for the U.S.: http://www.unitedforpeace.org

"Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it. Tell them something new and they will hate you for it."

"Captive State: the corporate takeover of Britain" is now published in paperback. For interviews, extracts and campaign ideas please see: http://www.captivestate.com

Published in the Guardian 7th January 2003.
Republished with permission of the author.