The CL campaigners’ signs said, “Organise and strengthen the unions, Use union power against the bosses’ attacks”; “UK troops out of Iraq, Ireland, the Balkans, Cyprus, Sierra Leone”; “Oppose threats against Iran, Korea, Defend right of oppressed nations to electrification”; “Defend workers rights, Scrap the Terrorism Act, No to ID cards,” and “Defend abortion rights, No reduction in time limits.” Many protesters attracted by the signs stopped by the tables to pick up campaign literature. A number expressed happy surprise to see signs calling for British troops out of Ireland.

“Our campaign calls for the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of UK and all imperialist troops from Iraq,” Pugh said. “No matter which party wins the election, wars like those against Iraq and Afghanistan will continue. The imperialist rulers are driven to such wars by declining profit rates and sharpening competition from their rivals. They are an extension of the assaults on working people at home with speedup on the job, and attacks on already weakened unions.

“The rulers are using momentum from their occupation of Iraq to push forward their goal of imposing a solution to the Irish question in their interests,” Pugh said. “That’s what’s behind the upping of the pressure by London, backed by Washington and Dublin, on Sinn Fein. We stand for a united Ireland and for the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of British troops.

“The government speaks in the name of defending ‘national interests.’ But under this banner they defend the interests of the ruling rich against working people in the UK and around the world. Many opponents of the Iraq war, like the organizers of today’s protest, target Washington. But that’s just an adaptation to the Britain First policy of the rulers. Our enemy is at home. There are no UK national interests, there are only class interests.”
 
 
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