 |
| How about chat . . . John Morris, right, being interviewed by Andrew Neil [pic: BBC] |
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
ONE may refer to the 2015 election as a 'volume of soirees' - as the smaller parties are beginning to get heard.
And this week, one of the smallest parties got to have their say on BBC's Daily Politics show, when Peace Party leader John Morris - known affectionately as Guildford's 'Peace Man' - was interviewed by Andrew Neil.
John asserted that the defence budget could be better spent "not bombing, shooting and rocketing people out of existence."
Andrew sympathised that his principled stance must be "like pushing a very large rock up a big hill."
- Here's a transcript of the 5-minute conversation...
Andrew: Peace Party, synonymous with pacifism, or different in some ways?
John: I prefer not to use the word pacifism, as it gets muddled up with 'passive' and being passive. Being 'peaceful' is a very active role to take.
Andrew: Do you feel depressed by the tenor of the times when you see events in the Middle East with IS, and in Russia/Ukraine with Mr Putin?
And I read at the weekend that Pakistan is massively increasing its defence budget, developing battlefield nuclear weapons. It's not good is it?
John: It's not good, and neither is our 'defence budget', or rather 'preparation for war' budget. £40bn a year the UK currently spends.
Andrew: That's about 2% of our GDP. Not huge.
John: Not huge, but think what that money could be used for.
Andrew: Do you think we shouldn't spend on defence at all?
John: Eventually.
Andrew: We'd all like that eventually wouldn't we?
John: Yes, of course. Nobody wants war - everybody wants peace.
Andrew: Except maybe IS. Do you think, that in this dangerous world, where most people are concerned that we should spend more on defence, that you would like to see less spent on defence?
John: I would like to spend a lot more on alternatives to shooting, bombing and rocketing people out of existence, because the main purpose of peace is to protect all life. Peace Party stands for the protection of life.
Andrew: What would you say to the point that the best way of preserving peace, is to be strong?
John: One can be strong, but without having a gun or a bomb at your disposal. There are other ways of dealing with conflict, other than using a military organisation.
Andrew: But Hitler didn't walk in to the Sudetenland because it was too strong, Argentina didn't invade the Falklands because our defences were too strong. In all these cases it was because we were too weak.
John: Yes, but of course it is easy to bring up these particular instances, but one must look at the whole background, and the lead up to them. This is what we do.
In following peace one must look at all that is going on.
Andrew: You have a principled position, but do you feel sometimes as though you're pushing a large stone uphill? Even the tenor of the times are difficult for you?
John: They are difficult, but people talking to me on the street are friendly, and I believe that we can all find it within to be able to treat other people as we wish to be treated ourselves.
Andrew: One final question. Have you not thought about throwing your lot in with the Greens? Who seem to be not too different.
John: Not too different, but if you look at their defence issue, I don't see abandonment of all weapons in the future.
FOR interview requests or further information, please contact peacepartymedia@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment