Anonymous Comrade writes

"November 26, 2002

The War Against Reason

Harold Pinter's anti-war speech (delivered in House of Commons)

There‚s an old story about Oliver Cromwell. After he had taken the Irish
town of Drogheda the citizens were brought to the main square. Cromwell
announced to his lieutenants: "Right! Kill all the women and rape all
the men." One of his aides said: "Excuse me, general. Isn't it the other
way around?" A voice from the crowd called out: "Mr Cromwell knows what
he's doing."

That voice is the voice of Tony Blair - "Mr Bush knows what he's doing."

The fact is that Mr Bush and his gang do know what they‚re doing and
Blair, unless he really is the deluded idiot he often appears to be,
also knows what they‚re doing. Bush and company are determined, quite
simply, to control the world and the world‚s resources. And they don‚t
give a damn how many people they murder on the way. And Blair goes along
with it.

He hasn't the support of the Labour Party, he hasn't the support of the
country or of the celebrated "international community". How can he
justify taking this country into a war nobody wants? He can't. He can
only resort to rhetoric, cliche. and propaganda. Little did we think
when we voted Blair into power that we would come to despise him. The
idea that he has influence over Bush is laughable. His supine acceptance
of US bullying is pathetic.

Bullying is, of course, a time-honoured US tradition. Addressing the
Greek ambassador to the US in 1965, Lyndon Johnson said: "Fuck your
parliament and your constitution. The US is an elephant. Cyprus is a
flea. Greece is a flea. If these two fellows continue itching the
elephant they may just get whacked by the elephant's trunk, whacked
good."

He meant what he said. Shortly afterwards the colonels, supported by the
US,took over in Greece and the Greek people spent seven years in hell.
As for the US elephant, it has grown to be a monster of grotesque and
obscene proportions. The terrible atrocity in Bali does not alter the
facts of the case.

The "special relationship" between the US and the UK has, in the last 12
years, brought about the deaths of thousands upon thousands of people in
Iraq, Afghanistan. and Serbia. All this in pursuit of the US and UK
"moral crusade" to bring "peace and stability" to the world.
The use of depleted uranium in the Gulf War has been particularly
effective. Radiation levels in Iraq are appallingly high. Babies are
born with no brain, no eyes, no genitals. Where they do have ears,
mouths or rectums, all that issues from these orifices is blood.
Blair and Bush are of course totally indifferent to such facts, not
forgetting the charming, grinning, beguiling Bill Clinton, who was
apparently given a standing ovation at the Labour Party conference. For
what? Killing Iraqi children? Or Serbian children?

Bush has said: "We will not allow the world‚s worst weapons to remain in
the hands of the world‚s worst leaders." Quite right. Look in the mirror
chum. That's you.

The US is at this moment developing advanced systems of "weapons of mass
destruction", and is prepared to use them where it sees fit. It has
walked away from international agreements on biological and chemical
weapons, refusing to allow any inspection of its own factories.
It is holding hundreds of Afghans prisoner in Guantanamo Bay, allowing
them no legal redress despite their being charged with nothing, holding
them captive virtually for ever.

It is insisting on immunity from the international criminal court, a
stance that beleaguers belief but which is now supported by the UK. The
hypocrisy is breathtaking. Tony Blair‚s contemptible subservience to
this criminal US regime demeans and dishonours this country.

Harold Pinter is a playwright, director, actor, poet and political
activist.
This text was first delivered as a speech to an anti-war meeting at the
House of Commons."