Armed forces

1 June 2009News

On 25 April, Ceredigion Council conferred the freedom of the county on the Royal Welsh Regiment. With much pomp and circumstance, cadres of the regiment, their band and mascot goat marched into Aberystwyth. The ceremony was attended by, among others, councillor JTO Davies, chairman of Ceredigion Council, Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat MP), Elin Jones (Plaid Cymru AM), and mayor of Aberystwyth Sue Jones Davies (Plaid Cymru).

One invitee who declined to participate, though, was Cen…

3 April 2009Comment

Peace News invites local and national peace groups in Wales, Scotland and England to join us in celebrating “Unarmed Forces Day” on 27 June, when the Ministry of Defence intends to celebrate “Armed Forces Day” (with a service and a fly-past at Chatham Docks, and parades in other towns and cities). “Unarmed Forces Day” will have two main messages.

Celebrate nonviolence!

Our first message is that we want to celebrate people who have used and are using nonviolent means to seek…

3 March 2009Comment

e began our last editorial with these words: “The Israeli assault on Gaza has left many of us angry and sick at heart.” Our last front cover depicted the horrible wounds of a Gazan teenager. The photograph was taken by a Totnes peace activist (in Gaza with the International Solidarity Movement), who wrote our front page story, and sent us the accompanying image. This picture left some readers feeling angry and sick.

One letter from an experienced activist said: “I did not need the…

1 March 2009News

This year, the number of school leavers applying for university places rose by almost 10%. But what of those who don’t have the qualifications needed to ride out the recession at college? In July, it was reported that there has been an increase of 366% in Scottish military recruitment with the number of Scots joining the army rising from 27 in the first quarter of 2008, to 97 in the first quarter in 2009. You don’t need to pass exams to join the army as no formal qualifications are required…

1 February 2009News

After months of silence, during which it seemed the idea had died quietly (like the much-derided “British Day”), the British government announced on 21 January that Armed Forces Day will after all be taking place – 27 June.

It now falls to the British peace movement to respond appropriately.

The central event of the first Armed Forces Day is to take place in the historic dockyard in Chatham, Kent. The five unsuccessful bidders – Cardiff, Blackpool, Plymouth, Southend and…

1 July 2008Review

Ten Tiny Toes looks at the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the families who have sons and daughters serving there.

Like every mother, Gill wants the best for her sons. Raise them well, keep them safe, clean and out of trouble. But for Michael and Chris the choices are few and far between. The only way to have the best and be the best is to join the army.

The play opens with a montage of news footage on a screen that forms the whole of the backdrop to the stage.…

3 June 2008Comment

It was good to read, in the Broken Rifle insert in last month’s Peace News, the informative article by Andreas Speck about the present and possible future changes to the situation of conscientious objectors in Europe.

I was reminded of the outraged response I have often encountered in War Resisters’ International (WRI) gatherings by suggesting that the UK system is more oppressive than conscription in Western Europe.

Throughout the 1990s the UK sent MOD officials all over…

1 June 2008Feature

Controversial plans to radically expand military cadet corps in English state secondary schools are being pushed forward by Ed Balls, the Children’s Secretary, apparently backed by No 10. The plans were the idea of Quentin Davies, a Labour MP who defected from the Tories last year, and come on the back of a government-commissioned review of “civil and military relations”.

Learning military drill and shooting are two of the core elements of the cadet programme. But anti-gun…

3 April 2008Comment

For many years I have been concerned about the human rights, or rather the lack of rights, of people in the armed forces. That may seem a very strange preoccupation for a pacifist.

In 1972, I thought I was very brave giving out leaflets to soldiers in Belfast. The leaflets called for the withdrawal of troops from Northern Ireland. One day a soldier took a leaflet and asked for more so he could give them out. I thought it was probably a trick and that he would just destroy them, but I…

1 April 2008Review

Informed Choice? Armed forces recruitment practice in the United Kingdom, 2007; ISBN 9781408641453; 160pp; £5. Also available free online at www.informedchoice.org.uk. See also www.beforeyousignup.info. Study War No More: military involvement in UK universities, 2007; Available free online at www.studywarnomore.org.uk

Informed Choice? - which created a considerable stir in the media when it was released earlier this year - is essential reading for anyone with an interest in any aspect of the armed forces recruitment practice and how they treat their personnel.

Clear and comprehensive, Gee documents how recruitment literature emphasises the attractive aspects of military life, while glossing over the restrictions, risks and possible psychological pitfalls - with the word “kill” being notable by its…

1 February 2008Feature

School Students Against War (SSAW) has been campaigning against the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan since the inspiring two-million strong demonstrations and student walkouts in 2003.

In that time we, young people all under the age of 19, have organised many successful anti- war actions, public meetings, demonstrations and events, as well as ensuring a vibrant, strong school student presence at every major demonstration.

Child soldiers

SSAW's recent campaign against…

3 December 2006News

On 3 November, the National Audit Office released its report on "Recruitment and Retention in the Armed Forces". While most of the mainstream media focused on the "Two-thirds of teenagers too fat to be soldiers" story, peace activists should read this report very critically. It gives us an idea of what lengths the armed forces will go to in the future to fill their ranks - and what we need to respond to. Andreas Speck reports.

Let's start with the good news: currently, the British armed forces are under-staffed. They are 5,170 soldiers short, which is equivalent to 2.7%. However, this isn't much of a shortfall, and does not endanger the military's ability to wage war. My question is: why is this so, and what can we do to change that?

An understanding of the way the armed forces recruit is crucial to the development of a successful counter-recruitment strategy. There are several key factors in armed forces…

3 September 2006Comment

At the end of August, 19-year-old Private Jason Chelsea killed himself. It was widely reported that he took his own life because he could not cope with the possibility of killing children during his, then imminent, deployment to Iraq.

Motivations for suicide are usually quite complex. However, realising you don't want to shoot children - but may be expected to - could certainly become a powerful dynamic in an already vulnerable mind.

Lies and brutalisation

Despite much being…

3 July 2006Comment

According to press reports, the MoD is refusing to comply with the Information Commissioner's ruling that they should release details of the 500 civil servants employed to promote British arms exports because “they could be harassed by pacifists”.

Well, it's no wonder really. Everyone must have noticed those marauding hordes of militant pacifists, flaunting their white poppies, giving out leaflets about Gandhi, even trying to sell copies of Peace News - they're so…

1 July 2006Feature

Slick advertising, educational and financial inducements, and frequent propaganda events - these are the weapons continuously deployed by the military in their war for our hearts and minds. Genny Bove reflects on how local groups can work practically toc ounter the militarists' deliberately partial picture of life in the forces.

I couldn't quite believe it. Here I was at the army recruitment fair, having a discussion with one of the organisers about the punitive measures in the Armed Forces Bill currently going through parliament, measures which could mean conscientious objectors in the forces being sent to prison for life, and he was trying to sell it to me on the grounds that it's “better than the death penalty”.

What sort of an argument is that? It's like defending the maiming of children in Iraq on the…