The main political parties in the coming general election don't want to mention the war in Afghanistan. They all support it, but they know it is opposed by the majority of the electorate, who want all the British troops withdrawn.
The Afghan war has led to the deaths of 280 British soldiers and an estimated 30,000 Afghans. As the death toll and the levels of expenditure rise, the politicians' silence is matched by a consensus between the three main parties over proposed savage cuts in public services.
This year the government will spend £3.8 billion on the war in Afghanistan, almost the same amount it plans to cut from the National Health Service.
We have now had nine years of wars that the British public did not support, and Stop the War is asking its supporters and local groups to take every opportunity to make sure the issue is not ignored by election candidates seeking our votes.
2) HOW TO ASK CANDIDATES WHERE THEY STAND ON THE WAR
On Stop the War's website from Wednesday 7 April, you will be able to email the election candidates in your constituency on where they stand on the war, either by using our model letter
and questions or by writing your own text. As the election campaign progresses, we will publish replies from candidates and list those who have not replied. The questions to candidates in Stop the War's model letter are:
1 Do you support the immediate withdrawal of British and NATO troops from Afghanistan? 2 Did you support the war in Iraq?
3 Will you oppose any military attack on Iran by the United States or Israel?
4 Do you support the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison?
5 Are you opposed to the renewal of Trident nuclear weapons?
6 Do you oppose the attacks on Muslims and the growing Islamophobia in British society?
7 Do you agree that the use of anti-terrorist laws to restrict the right of protest is an attack on civil liberties?
We are encouraging all our supporters to use the online facility to contact their local candidates and to report back to us the responses. We need to know from people seeking
election as our representatives in parliament, what their views are on all the key issues of the day.
You can also telephone or write to the candidates by letter. If you plan to go to hustings meetings, ask the candidates to give their views on the war. Please let us know of any
responses you get, as we will be collating all this information into our survey of candidates' attitudes towards the war.
If you would like to help a Stop the War group in your area campaign to make the war an issue in this election, contact the national office: office@stopwar.org.uk or 020 7801 2768
