Northern Friends Peace Board

The Peace Board

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Issue 17, November 2004



Northern Friends Peace Board getting around

There have been two meetings of NFPB members since the last issue of The
Peace Board and there is one further event remaining in 2004.

In June NFPB held a truly northern meeting, in Aberdeen.  We were delighted to be able to use Scotland’s only purpose-built Meeting House for this meeting and to get to know a little more about the city, its surroundings and Friends in the area.  Many members stayed overnight with local Friends, friends and at the city’s Youth
Hostel.  Eating and living together for this extended period was particularly valuable
in strengthening the personal links that are so important in a committee such as our own.  We spent time hearing about peace-related concerns and activities of our members and of other Quaker groups, in worship,  in a letter-writing evening and in planning our future work.  Proposals for work from the Aberdeen event were developed in further detail and brought back to the September Meeting of the Board in Liverpool.   (An outline of the programme arising from this is given over
the page.) Members of the Board worked in small groups there to contribute further
ideas regarding the content of the work.

Also at our Liverpool meeting we had a moving and stimulating contribution from our invited speaker for the day, Colin Parry.  Colin’s son Tim was, with Johnathan Ball, killed by an IRA bomb that exploded in the centre of Warrington in 1993 .  Colin told us of the journey that he and his wife Wendy have travelled since then
which has led to the building of the ‘Warrington Peace Centre’ and the establishment of ‘Children for Peace’ under the auspices of the Tim Parry
and Johnathan Ball Trust.  A number of programmes operate under this, offering a
range of peace-oriented group activities for children of all ages and on both sides of the Irish sea.  The scale of the programme impressed Friends, and its  very distinctive style gave much food for thought.

At our final event of the year (on 20 November) we shall be meeting in Harrogate,
welcoming to that meeting Ray Gaston, an Anglican vicar from Leeds with a
radical approach to community, interfaith and peace-oriented ministry.  We hope also to give consideration to recent developments relating to US missile ‘defence’, and to round the day (and year) off with an early-evening ceilidh.  Friends are warmly invited to any or all of the day.  Contact Philip Austin at the NFPB office (details on the back page) for more information.

If your Meeting would be interested in hosting an NFPB event and in working with us to develop a programme of mutual interest, please get in touch.  We shall be writing to MM and PM Clerks further about this.


New and continuing areas of NFPB work

Coming months will see new areas of work developing.  The review process (described in the previous issue of The Peace Board), which included an internal assessment and an external consultation, highlighted a number of strands of concern.

- We shall continue to act as a general resource and networking body, keeping abreast of, and alerting Friends to, developments in the broad areas of 'Challenging Militarism' and 'Promoting a Culture of Peace'.

- We shall be moving from three large working groups, which have sought to involve as many NFPB members as possible, to operating through a varied number of smaller and time-limited project groups.  These project groups have had terms of reference drawn up and will be focussing on:
 - We hope to run our quarterly meetings in much closer consultation with Friends in the regions in which we are meeting, possibly arranging a joint activity for at least part of the day.

- We shall endeavour to make ourselves more visible as an organisation at existing Quaker events and seek to develop stronger networks of Friends through this, rather than simply inviting Friends to attend our events.

- We are keen to work in partnership with Friends working on peace concerns locally and to include individual Friends not already members of NFPB in some areas of our project work as co-opted members for that purpose.

Please do get in touch with Northern Friends Peace Board at our office in Bolton if you would like further information about any of this or to contribute ideas or information that may be of use in our work or that we might be able to able to draw to the attention of Friends more widely.



Beslan Tragedy Appeal

The Centre for Peace-making and Community Development (CPCD) has
worked in the North Caucasus region, including North Ossetia where the Beslan tragedy took place, since 1995. We are using our structures and resources on the ground to respond to people in North Ossetia who need support, by offering medical supplies to local hospitals and initiating a psychosocial programme to
help relieve the stress and psychological trauma of some of those affected. 

Our work in North Ossetia will focus on training further counsellors and teachers locally, and running a programme to assist hundreds of school children and young people.

Your help is needed. Please contact CPCD to find out more about our work, or send a donation to:

Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development; account no. 04761785  Sort code: 30-93-14   IBAN code: GB43LOYD30931404761785; Lloyds TSB Bank, High Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 3NL, UK

Thurlibeer, Launcells, Bude, North Cornwall EX23 9NP, UK
tel: +44-1288-381381    fax: +44-1288-381632
cpcd-uk@supanet.com




Fylingdales Protest, 25/09/04 - “Keep Space for Peace”

To mark the beginning of 'Keep Space for Peace Week', about 300 people gath-
ered at Fylingdales base, the radar station which is to be the 'eyes' of the Star Wars project. 

It is a lovely part of the world - heather and gorse, sheep grazing, a steam railway running through the valley, and birds sailing on the wind in a huge expanse of sky.  Only the ugly structure of the radar station and the sad and pointless reliance on arms by the politicians who choose to spend billions on Missile 'Defense' rather than on poverty, health and education, mar the landscape.

There were banners from as near as Scarborough and as far away as Penzance; there were visitors from Japan, and there were people of all ages; there were speakers from CND and from the Global Network against the Weaponisation of
Space.  The media were especially interested as Thom Yorke, lead singer of the rock band Radiohead, had joined the protest.  He spoke about how he couldn't understand what  'full spectrum dominance' had to do with freedom and democracy, but he did understand that we, the protesters, would stand up
and would not give up until we were heard.  One banner demanded the 'right to peace'.

We processed up the main road, with a huge police presence, to the base, turning off onto a footpath which goes up to a few yards from the base perimeter, it having been rudely curtailed under an 1862 Act.  Standing there like a huge but frustrated group of ramblers, we heard what was, for me, a very moving statement read out by Jackie Fearnley of Fylingdales Action Network.  It was from our fellow protesters in Fort Greely, Alaska, and they spoke of peace and of people, of the
waste of resources and the power of protest.  And they said that they were heartened by our solidarity, knowing we were under the same sky. 

If we turned our backs on the base, we could see, unblemished as yet by space
weapons, embracing all the peoples of the earth, that same wide sky.

Mike Winstanley
Darlington



Menwith, Meetings for Worship & MDWG

As well as the periodic large demonstrations at Fylingdales, Menwith Hill at other US bases in the UK, Meetings for Worship continue throughout the year, as well as regular acts of protest at Menwith Hill, another base linked to the US Missile 'defense' programme. 

At Menwith Hill (between Harrogate and Skipton)  there is a regular protest on Tuesday evenings between 7-9pm organised by the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (CAAB).  This is normally just a very small protest and totally nonviolent, but it does go on throughout the year.  Any readers who can get to the base to give there support to this would be warmly welcomed (by CAAB, at least!). 

Meetings for worship at Fylingdales (12-1pm)  and Menwith (2-3pm) will be on the following dates:   Fylingdales: 6 November,  1 January, 5 March, 7 May.  Menwith Hill: 4 December, 5 February,  2 April, 4 June.

NFPB still has two Signpost Leaflets relating to Missile Defense and, with CAAB, QPSW and others, is a member of the Missile Defence Working Group (MDWG).  The MDWG website is an excellent starting point for access to resources from these and other organisations: visit it at www.mdwg.org.uk. 

 


War, peace and law

Arguments about war and peace frequently focus principally on the morality, effectiveness and political acceptability of military action.  But the legality of war is also coming under increasing scrutiny.  Whilst the Secretary General of the United Nations has challenged the legality of the invasion of Iraq, specific legal approaches are being developed in the UK.

Peace Tax Seven:  Friends are amongst this group of individuals who would like to direct a portion of their income tax towards non-military purposes but have so far been unable to do so.  They are seeking a judicial review of the tax laws so that this type of conscientious objection is no longer regarded as unlawful.  Rather they argue that the current arrangements are unlawful and in breach of the 1998 Human Rights Act.

To find out more and to suppor this legal action (which could cost up to £50,000, contact: Peace Tax Seven, Woodlands, Ledge Hill, Market Lavington, Wiltshire  SN10 4NW   www.peacetaxseven.com  info@peacetaxseven.com

Impeach Blair:  On behalf of Adam Price MP, academics Dan Plesch and Glen Rangwala have prepared a detailed first report 'on the potential impeachment of the Prime Minister for High Crimes and Misdemeanours in relation to the invasion of Iraq. '

In the forward to the report, Adam Price writes:  'If [Tony Blair's] actions go unchallenged then we will have established a new constitutional precedent that will say that a minister can mislead the people and still govern with his conduct unpunished.  Without the ability to enforce an honest account to Parliament on behalf of the people there is no democracy.  In this way our freedom dies.' 

The initiative has attracted widespread interest, causing the website to collapse as a result of overload soon after it was launched.  Now relaunched and in a more stable setting, details of the initiative can be found at: www.impeachblair.org

Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) illegal?   The MDA (originally - in  1958 - entitled "Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes") is up for renewal by the of 2004.  Legal advice from two experts from Matrix Chambers, acting for two peace research bodies advises that to to so would be incompatible with existing commitments under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.  
http://www.basicint.org/pubs/Press/040726.htm


“Living Peace”

About 20 Friends and friends spent a day in October at Keswick Friends Meeting House participating in a NFPB workshop on the theme of ‘Living Peace’. 
Board member Jenny Wistreich and Philip Austin (Co-ordinator) led the group through a series of activities encouraging reflection, visioning alternative futures, sharing current concerns and working on strategies and priorities for the pre-
sent.

The picture shows Friends engaged in lively discussion... Contact the NFPB office if you would like a workshop  on a peace-related theme for your Meeting, Monthly Meeting, General Meeting or other event.



THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO KILL

The Right to Refuse to Kill is the name of a group of people, individuals and representatives from a wide variety of organisations, from Pax Christi to the National Secular Society, to Amnesty International and the Unitarian Peace Fellowship. And on the 15th May, International Conscientious Objectors Day, each year at midday, a short, simple ceremony, planned by the RRK group, is held around a rock, dedicated to all c.o.s -   British and others - in Tavistock Square, central London. The roughly hewn rock, with inset plaque, commemorates the courage of those who claimed, and suffered for, the right - (not even yet universally recognised) - to refuse to kill. Further, that such refusal should not be
the occasion for recrimination, vilification, or other indirect punishment. Those who refuse may be the Israeli soldiers in the Occupied Territories, or the World War 1 absolutists who not only refused to kill, but also refused to carry out any work which might release another to fight.

The ceremony includes a minute’s silence which follows the laying of one white flower by anyone present who wishes to do so. Each flower has the name of a British, or other nationality, c.o. attached; and, as the flower is being laid by the rock, very short details of the nature of the c.o. ‘s punishment are read out.

We hope that, by so commemorating those who have practised the right to refuse to kill in the past and in our own time, we may emphasise alternative responses to conflict, have more RRK groups to encourage the same commemoration among the communities and nations of the world, and so help to foster the cause of universal peace.

We know that it is not easy to get funding to set up a plaque, or a stone, or whatever the commemorative object may be - indeed, sometimes there may be hostility to the idea. We found it useful to bring together rep-resentatives from several relevant groups. Further, that it may be easier to use something which has significance, for whatever reason, in an area — a tree, fountain, bench, maybe - at least, initially. And then, perhaps, to begin to obtain funding to set up a plaque, stone, or whatever the commemorative object may be.

For further information, contact Edna Mathieson, 17 Setchell Way, London SE1 5XR, tel. O2O 7237 3731; or Conscience, Archway Resource Centre, 1b Waterloo Road, London, N19 JNJ, tel. 0207 281 6503.


Spirited Living: Waging Conflict, Building Peace

The book by Simon Fisher that accompanied the Swarthmore Lecture he gave at Britain Yearly Meeting in May is a text of passion, vision and many challenging questions.   From his first chapter:

"Does the peace testimony mean anything real for us, now?  Can we answer with any confidence the despairing off-the-cuff remark of Tony Blair on the eve of the Iraq invasion: 'It's all very well being a pacifist, but to be a pacifist after Setpember 11, that is something different, It's all new now ...'

"... do we have something to say and do which is distinctive from the many others working alongside us for peace and justice?  Is there a specifically Quaker dimension which adds anything to a secular/political analysis with which we might concur?"

Simon moves on to look at the particular dilemmas facing us in the world today, using some of the analytical tools that he and his colleagues use in the Responding to Conflict training programme.  His passion, clarity of thought and commitment are apparent throughout the book, as he relates stories of peacemakers at work and explores the nature of Quakerism as a source for transforming the world.  He encourages readers to embrace the peaceful waging of conflict as a necessary part of the change process, putting this into the framework of 'contradicting, conspiring and confronting'. 

One of the early images that Simon uses in the book is that of a frog: if it is in water that is slowly heated to boiling point it will be unaware of the change in temperature and suffer the consequences.  If, however, it is put straight into boiling water it will respond immediately and seek release.  It is unlikely that Simon has actually tried this experiment, but his experiences, those of others that he brings
into this book and the urgency of his message are clearly intended to alert readers to the need for spirit-filled and strategically thought-out action now rather than waiting until it is too late.

Available from the Quaker Bookshop, price £9.00


Prayers for peace

Weekend of Services for World Peace and Disarmament
In a world broken by war and armed conflict, all of us are called to be peacemakers. Yet with the sheer amount of violence, war and armed conflict in the world its often hard to know where to begin. Sometimes all we can do is pray. The 2005 ‘Weekend of Services for World Peace and Disarmament’ is an opportunity for individuals, Churches and communities to come together to make a strong, informed and prayerful peace witness.

The theme of the 2005 Weekend, organised by the World Disarmament Campaign and the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) is ‘Witness for Peace in a World of Conflict’ and focuses on the need to support the many individuals and organisations who are working in regions of conflict — often unsung - for peace and reconciliation. Let us come together to support them with our prayers
and witness.

A resource pack containing briefings, worship materials, homily notes etc. is available priced £5.00 from World Disarmament Campaign, P0 BOX 28209, Edinburgh, EH9 1ZR

Nuclear Weapons - prayer initiative from Christian CND
On August 6th, 1945 at 8.15 am local time the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Now the combined explosive yield of the nuclear weapons on high alert world wide is 200,000 x Hiroshima. Of the nuclear powers, the UK alone spends £1.5 billion annually on our nuclear weapons. The USA prepares to develop more nuclear weapons. This is theft from the poor of the world to keep the world
from the way of peace.

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) came into force in 1970 to halt and reverse the spread of nuclear weapons; by it the Non Nuclear Weapons States gave up their right to develop nuclear weapons in return for the Nuclear Weapons
States; China, France, Russia, UK & USA, undertaking to ‘accomplish the total elimination of all nuclear arsenals -leading to nuclear disarmament’ (2000
Review Conference Final Document).

This undertaking must be put into effect at the next NPT Review Conference, starting on 2nd May 2005, at the United Nations in New York.

To achieve this we call for prayer from all people of faith.

Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 162 Holloway Road, London N7 BDQ  020 7700 4200    ccnd@gn.apc.org  http://ccnd.gn.apc.org


Video Games - a cause for Quaker concern?

As part of our work to address issues of violence in entertainment, the NFPB of-
fice keeps a watchful eye on current developments. 

Late October, for example, saw the launch - with great fanfare - of the video game ' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'.  Praised by some for its apparently brilliant detail and sophistication, it has apalled others with its graphic portrayal of
violence and celebration of gangster ways. 

The arguments continue to rage about whether computer games do encourage violence.  Our starting point is that celebrating violence in any way is harmful to society, and to young people in particular.

What experience do readers have of playing such games, or of children or grandchildren who do?  Would you like to get together with other Friends in
discussing this, in raising awareness of Quaker concerns etc.?  Please get in touch.

=====

Network for Peace Conference in Manchester
Saturday, 27 November
“Current Conflicts: Peace Movement Responses”
Day conference with speakers, workshops, discussion and stalls.
Contact: 020 7278 3297   nfp @gn.apc.org

The Peace Board is a newsletter of Northern Friends Peace Board. It is sent free to Northern Quaker Meetings and others. If you would like additional copies for your group or yourself, please get in touch.

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