"I'm British. What Can I Do To Get Rid of George W Bush?"

Millions of people in Britain would love to help defeat George W Bush in the coming election. American law understandably makes it hard for them to do this. They cannot give money to Bush's opponents or help to pay for any statement against Bush in American media.

But there is nothing to stop Britons saying in Britain what they feel about George W. Or to stop them working and organizing in British politics to push their own government and Parliament to take a public stand against Bush. The website is open for people's ideas on how to do this. To start off debate, below is the text of a letter I have sent to every single Labour MP and peer. If you like it, please feel free to use it in whole or in part.  

Labour Against Bush

Having recently visited the United States, I have decided to write this letter to every single Labour MP and every Labour peer. It urges you to do everything possible in the coming weeks to prevent the re-election of George W Bush as President of the United States.

I hope I do not need to persuade you that this would be an evil day for Britain, the United States and the entire world. A second Bush administration would represent a direct threat to everything which Labour hopes to achieve in a third term and indeed to the basic values of our party. I believe that Labour MPs and peers now have some opportunity to exercise a good influence on the American election, partly in their personal capacity but even more importantly by influencing the behaviour of the government. If this opportunity is not taken the re-election of George W Bush will become more likely.

This election is unusual in that the Anglo-American relationship has become a campaign issue. It is not a major issue, but it is important and it is used to influence American voters’ perception of the issues which Bush has selected as his prime battleground. The support of Britain and of Tony Blair in particular plays a role in Bush’s campaign strategy: it is used to suggest endorsement of Bush’s foreign policy, his conduct of the “war against terrorism” and his personal qualities as a leader and as a commander-in-chief. Bush and his apologists regularly invoke the name of Tony Blair, who  commands a high degree of respect among the American people, and cite the British alliance.

With the election on a knife-edge it is vital to deny this administration any possible resource. At this moment, Britain – and Tony Blair – are election assets for George W Bush. That is because the American people are almost totally unaware of the hostility and contempt which Bush inspires among the majority of the British people and the many deep differences between our two governments. As far as Britain is concerned, George W Bush is fighting this election on false pretences. That is not surprising: Bush and his strategists are dishonest and shameless on almost every issue, domestic or international. But on this issue - Britain’s perception of the Bush administration - we in Britain have a rare opportunity, and every right and duty, to tell the truth to the American people.

I would like to suggest a number of steps which Labour Parliamentarians might take to achieve this.

If you are a backbencher you could express publicly your feelings towards the Bush administration and the prospect of a second term. To achieve the maximum impact on American media and public opinion, I would urge that you do this in the simplest and bluntest terms. You might like to consider adding your names to the enclosed draft Early Day Motions and public letter. I would of course welcome suggested amendments.

Even more important, it is open to all Labour Parliamentarians to urge the government to make far clearer its differences with the policy, ideology and values of the Bush administration. To do so would not only strengthen British interests in the world but would help repair the government’s standing among British voters, especially deserting Labour supporters.

In particular, there are a number of specific steps which the government could take. They would be particularly influential in the United States if they carried the personal authority of the Prime Minister.

One: formally repudiate the Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive war. Make it clear that Britain will never take part in any other war on the basis of the Bush Doctrine. Propose in place of the Bush Doctrine a Blair Doctrine to provide a new basis for international action against actual and imminent threats of war, terrorism or humanitarian catastrophe.

 Two: demand the immediate repatriation to Britain of the remaining British prisoners in Guantanamo Bay (not only the four British citizens but the others who were resident in Britain). Reject publicly the Bush administration’s self-awarded right to seize and detain people indefinitely as terrorist suspects, and extort information from them under duress and under conditions of brutality and abuse. 

Three: make clear that any British forces in Iraq will take their mission only from the Iraqi government, and that they will not be used to assist any attempt by the Bush administration to impose its will or designs on the future of Iraq.

Four: denounce any further attempts by the Republican party to exploit the memory of September 11 in its election campaign. There were 67 British victims of the attacks that day: they and their families deserve better.

Five: make a clear statement of government policy on trade and development issues, including AIDS policy, global warming and the environment, and the regulation of business and markets, and why it rejects the approach of the Bush administration.

All of these steps would deliver information to the American people about their relationship with their only remaining major ally. They would decide whether or not to use it when they vote, but at all events the Bush administration would be unable to claim the support of the British people or of Tony Blair personally.

This list of suggestions is by no means exhaustive: I intend to publish this letter in the hope of stimulating others. I would welcome any response you care to give – in confidence if you wish.

In conclusion, I invite you to imagine waking up to the news of another four years of the Bush administration. Imagine four more years of unrestricted arrogance, corruption, dishonesty, fanaticism, foolishness and rancour from the cabal now in control of the American government, and imagine their impact on Britain and the world. Now imagine yourself saying: did I do everything possible to prevent them?

Richard Heller

204 The School House

Pages Walk

London SE1 4HG     

E-mail   richardkheller@hotmail.com