Glastonbury Festival - The Big Lie - Blood for Oil debate

The Big Lie - Blood for Oil debate

29 Jun 2003

The Leftfield was packed for the Blood for Oil debate on Saturday afternoon with big names on the platform: Tony Benn(MP), Bianca Jagger(Campaigner), Carol Naughton (Chair of CND), Ghada Razuki(Stop The War Coalition), Henna Malik(School Students Against The War) and David Hayman(Spirit Aid).

There was a roving wireless microphone and many raised hands in the crowd, longing to make a point or ask a question. Tony Benn arrived to rapturous applause. He is a bit of a hero these days it seems, a position I know that he finds uncomfortable. He refused to answer any questions about his “iconic” status. He has spent his life trying to be one of the people, a voice for the people and he does not want to put himself up as an unreachable celeb type. Fair enough.

At first it seemed there was not going to be a debate. The Leftfield crowd took turns to stand up and make short supportive speeches. Yes, we are against a war for oil, the occupation of Iraq, US supremacy, Tony Blair’s strange actions against the wishes of his own people, the abandoning of so-called liberated countries like Afghanistan where the promised 3 billion pounds of aid is still yet to leave the donor countries 18 months after the fall of the Taliban.

Each speaker made a convincing case, shot statistics from the stage that hit hard and still sting: 180 million people have died in conflict since the end of the Second World War, 95% of kids in Afghanistan have lost a family member to the war. 1000 oilfields in Iraq were secured before anyone even bothered to go near a hospital, between 10 and 20 thousand Iraqi conscripts were killed during the recent war, many of them had only been in training for a week, 7500 civilians were killed. People are of course still dying. David Haymen, using his actor’s power gave the most horrifying statistic;

“Every two seconds a child dies of hunger, 1 and dead, 1 and dead, 1 and dead.” He clicked his fingers like a sick metronome counting the failure of our so-called civilised society.

Iraqi Ghada Razuki told us to get out of her country and leave the people of Iraq to sort things out for themselves. How would we feel if a foreign power decided they would get rid of our leaders without asking? The crowd nodded lots, clapped etc but eventually there were questions to be asked:

One young man asked “Sadam Hussein was a murderous dictator who sold oil but never gave the money to the Iraqi people. Surely it is better that the US are in control and will pour the money back into Iraq?”

It was a valid question. To most of us plebs it sounds like a good idea. My question along similar lines would be “Should we have left Sadam there to get on with the genocide? What was the alternative?” I had empathy with the questioner and it was at this point where my already wobbly little world was turned on its head. Apparently I am a victim of or an idiot participant in THE BIG LIE. I don’t think it was entirely necessary for David Hayman to call the questioner “Young man” in such a patronising manner. The lad didn’t know he was part of the big lie any more than I did and surely it you want to educate you should try not to alienate. Plus we were having a debate not a soapbox blast. Turning the radio mike off to shut him up was a bit of a cop out.

But what is The Big Lie? In simple terms we were not liberating the Iraqi people we were securing oil. That, I knew but that is not the end of it. We have no intention of stopping there -Iran is next. We have no intention of rebuilding a better country for the Iraqis but only want to make money using our own companies to build and run the money spinning resources. We have no intention of getting out of there and letting Iraq be Iraq.

It was, is and shall evermore be Blood For Oil unless more people get up and fight with the Stop The War Coalition. I knew it was bad, but if the speakers on the platform are to be believed, the end of the world as we know it really is nigh and George W really is trying to control the world. “I’d like to see him take on China.” said one of the security guards back stage. I thought about it for a few seconds and shuddered, deeply. It is a terrifying prospect.

On a lighter note, outside in the sunshine I interrupted Tony Benn, rushing up to the speakers tent in the Green Field and asked what he thought of the appearance of his memoirs in the Daily Mail;

“Am I in the Daily Mail?” He asked surprised. “Well I suppose the Tory press printing me cannot be a bad thing” But he didn’t know! I hope they pay him.

Sandy Francis

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The Big Lie - Blood for Oil debate

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