It deeply angers me when we who oppose war are called naive, or cowards or traitors. People who oppose war are the true pragmatists – we understand how in almost all cases force achieves the opposite of what is intended; force is the instrument of very last resort in trying to achieve diplomatic goals. It is easy when you are strong to be a bully and use force to get your way. Bullying is truly cowardly. It takes real courage to take the risks for peace, and to stand up against the mindless pundits and the cynical politicians who beat the drums of war. And it is those who oppose war who are most loyal to the true interests of their country.
Chamberlain is always pulled out of cold storage to tarnish the name of opponents of war. Like him, we are called “appeasers” of tyrants. But this excellent article by Seumas Milne, turns that canard on its head as well as debunks other myths and lies about the anti-war movement.
“There was certainly a widespread yearning for peace in the aftermath of the butchery of the first world war. But the appeasers were something else: effectively a pro-German fifth column at the heart of the conservative elite, who warmed to Hitler’s militant anti-communism and sought to encourage him to turn on the Soviet Union. Chamberlain even hoped for an alliance with Nazi Germany. Fascist sympathies were rampant throughout the establishment, from Edward VIII to newspapers like the Mail which now denounce opponents of war on Iraq as traitors – while mavericks like Churchill and what would now be called the hard left resisted the Munich sellout.”