Next Organising Meeting

Our next organising meeting is on

Monday 5th September
7:30pm
Vestry of Clapham Common Methodist Church, Nelsons Row
(just off the High Street, close to Clapham Common tube)

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Everyone is very welcome

Two Stalls this Weekend

Lambeth Stop the War Coalition is having two stalls this weekend:

Saturday 27th August
2pm - 4pm
Meet outside the Imperial War Museum.
If you can help please email Grace

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Sunday 28th August
meet 1pm at Notting Hill Gate tube, then move on the Notting Hill Carnival.
If you can help please email Sam

Note that we won't be having a stall at the Urban Green Fair on Sunday 4th September as the event has been cancelled

Stop the Imperial War this Saturday

This Saturday 27th August, at 2pm, Lambeth Stop the War Coalition will be joining forces wih Central London Stop the War to run an alternative information centre/street stall outside the Imperial War museum - our very own 'Contemporary Imperial War Museum'.

If you're interested in helping please email Grace

While the exhibits inside the museum commemorate the tragedy and sacrifice of past wars, most prominently World War 1 and 2, we need to put it in the forefront of people's minds that the UK is still at war in Afghanistan. This is a deadly, costly, unjust and pointless war, and one that has now lasted nearly as long as the 2 World Wars put together.

The day of action is a chance to raise the profile of the mass assembly on October 8th. We'll be getting people to sign the pledge for the protest and saying enough is enough: the last 10 years of war has to be brought to an end.

We will be there from 2pm. Look out for us by the big cannons near the main entrance. And, if you're thinking of coming, please email Grace so we can look out for you


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Graham wins Lambeth Stop the War Peace Cake

A visit to the Stop the War stall at this year's Lambeth Country Show proved lucky for one local.

Graham Kemp's entry in our 'Guess the cost of the Afghanistan war' competition – £35 billion – was closest to the £29 billion answer the adjudicator was looking for.

The competition prize was a made-to-order “peace cake” featuring a white dove, and by extraordinary coincidence Graham was informed of his win and received the cake on his birthday, 20 July – the Wednesday following the Country Show on the weekend of 16 and 17 July.

“That was a nice moment of serendipity,” said Graham, of Loughborough Junction. “I was persuaded to pay 50p to enter the competition by a Lambeth Stop the War activist, who described it as 'guess how many sweets in the jar for Guardian readers'.”

The competition question, devised by activist Jim Brann, was: “What does the UK government say will be the total cost of British military operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014?". Guesses ranged from £2 million to £950 billion.

While Jim phrased the question carefully to be clear that for the purpose of the competition we were using controversial Government figures, the competition nevertheless prompted polite dissent among some Lambeth Stop the War activists, who felt it was important to stress that the true cost of the war is incalculable.

“For the true cost of a war we should not be relying on MoD accountants”, emailed Aubrey Nunes. Fellow activist Veronica Ball added: “The real cost is the alternative goods/services which the resources used on war could have provided. But this ignores the even more scandalous real costs in the victim country, which are hardly imaginable.”

At Lambeth Stop the War’s latest planning meeting it was agreed that for our next stall at a big event, the Urban Green Fair in Brockwell Park on Sunday 4 September we would develop the competition idea by holding a caption contest.

A big thank you to Graham Brooks of London Cakes who provided Lambeth Stop the War with a medium sized cake for the price of a 'small', because he felt it was for a good cause

Outreach

Two big events are coming up in the autumn. Wandsworth Stop the War Coalition are organising a public meeting on Tuesday 27th September and there is an Anti War Assembly in Central London on Saturday 8th October. We need to do lots of work to make sure these events are big.

We're currently concentrating on outreach:

If you live near Stockwell and want to help with outreach to the mosques please email Aubrey

If you live near Streatham and want to help with outreach to the mosques please email Chris

If you want to help with outreach to the Methodist churches please email Jan

If you want to help with outreach to the Anglican and Catholic churches please email Aubrey

If you want to help with outreach to the community groups please email Chris

We will also have a stall at the Urban Green Fair on Sunday 4th September. If you can help out please email Chris