The Peace Tax Seven Are
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conscience issue 125 summer 2004 update newsletter of conscience THE PEACE TAX CAMPAIGN The Peace Tax Seven are Go! The Peace Tax Seven, a group of conscientious objectors and war tax resisters, have sent their “Letter before Action” to Gordon Brown; the first step on the long road to a Judicial Review. The Seven are seeking a Judicial Review of current tax law, which makes them complicit in killing if they carry out their civic duty and pay their taxes or makes them criminals if they follow their conscience and refuse to pay taxes conscience for war and war preparations. The “Letter before Action” informs the government of their intention to seek a Judicial Review and sets out their reasons for doing so. The government has 28 days to respond to photos | Oliver Haslam/ the letter. Once they have this response The conscience “Peace Tax Collectors” set up their office at the Glastonbury festival this year the Peace Tax Seven can move on to (see page 2 for the full story). the next step of the process, which is to seek a pre-emptive costs order. If the in the public interest that the legal case Judicial Review goes against the Peace against the war be heard and that the Tax Seven, they would be liable for groups taking the case should not have the government’s costs as well as their to risk bankruptcy for this to happen. own; if they are granted a pre-emptive If the Seven are also successful conscience costs order this will place a cap on their in persuading a judge that their case is campaigns for the liability for the government’s costs. in the public interest, they will be able They will argue that it is in the public to proceed to the full Judicial Review legal right for interest that the Judicial Review takes application. Even to get to this stage those who have place and that they could not undertake will cost a significant amount of money a conscientious it if they were liable for unlimited costs. and for legal reasons conscience objection to war The first order of this type was granted cannot underwrite the cost. The Peace to have the to a group of organisations including Tax Seven have therefore launched a military part of CND and the Green Party, when they separate appeal to cover the costs of tried to stop the government going to the case and we are pleased to enclose a their taxes spent war in Iraq. Their solicitor Phil Shiner, copy with this newsletter. on peacebuilding who is also representing the Peace Tax Read more about the Peace Tax Seven in initiatives Seven, successfully argued that it was Lord Kitchenblair’s Diary on page 6. adjournment debate European election Many thanks to all those members who June 10 saw a generally good result wrote to their MP about the adjournment for conscience’s supporters in the debate we planned in May. European Parliament. Both Green Party Unfortunately none of our MEPs were re-elected as were both supporting MPs were successful in the Scottish Nationalist Party MEPs (with lottery to allocate such debates and Alyn Smith replacing Neil MacCormick), we are now working with some other along with both of our Liberal Democrat groups and a larger number of MPs to supporters. Plaid Cymru lost one MEP try to secure a debate on security and due to the reduction in the total number conflict prevention in the autumn. We of MEPs elected and, despite a poor will publish more details in the autumn result overall for Labour, all of our newsletter and contact lobbyists Labour supporters who stood were re- news directly. elected. If you would like to join the list of Please consider writing to con- lobbyists, please contact Oliver gratulate our supportive MEPs in your in the office stating whether you area on their re-election and to any prefer to be contacted by post or new MEPs you have to tell them about email. conscience and our campaign. If you would like to write to your Peace Tax Return MEP about conscience you can find their address at www.europarl. Thousands of Peace Tax Returns have org.uk or in your local Library. been distributed this year and hundreds Supportive MEPs have already been submitted to the campaign Treasury. Scotland We expect many more to be David Martin (Lab) returned when people complete their Ian Hudghton (SNP) tax returns in September and still more North East conscience update in the run up to the final deadline in Stephen Hughes (Lab) (issn 1474-8789) January. North West is the newsletter of If you would like some Peace Tax Terry Wynn (Lab) conscience Returns to distribute at events in Eastern THE PEACE TAX CAMPAIGN, the autumn, please contact the Andrew Duff (LibDem) edited and designed office. Richard Howitt (Lab) by Jon Nott and Wales printed by Glastonbury Festival Jill Evans (PC) Pottle Press on South West 100% recycled paper We took a stall to the Glastonbury Glyn Ford (Lab) Festival for the first time this year and Graham Watson (LibDem) views expressed in this it was a roaring success. Hundreds of South East newsletter and in any Peace Tax Returns and letters to MPs Caroline Lucas (Green) leaflets enclosed are not were completed and thousands of London necessarily endorsed by leaflets were distributed. Jean Lambert (Green) conscience Our “Peace Tax Inspectors” with leaflets and adverts their pinstripe suits and bowler hats We currently have no supportive MEPs are included in the certainly stood out against the mud as in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire & newsletter to gain return they distributed “£10 notes” and Peace the Humber, East Midlands or West publicity for conscience Tax Returns to festival-goers. Midlands. 2 conscience update 125 members’ news diary 9 October annual event change is afoot Global Insecurity This year’s annual event, Global Insecurity Deanna Douglas, who spent a year with The conscience annual - What is our response? was postponed us on a placement from the Mennonite event, in Birmingham, from June due to major rail engineering Church in Canada, has returned home postponed from June. works and will now take place on – you can read a report of her work on See article, left, and Saturday 9 October. It will be held, in page 5. Deanna has achieved far more enclosed leaflet for association with Quaker Peace and that we dared think possible when we further details. Social Witness, in Bull St Friends started the project and we will miss her 14-17 October Meeting House, Birmingham. Speakers contribution to the office. will include the nonviolence trainer and Fortunately, we have secured European Social author Diana Francis and Marieke Junge funding from the Joseph Rowntree Forum, London of Peaceworkers UK. The registration Charitable Trust to continue this work A giant gathering for fee is £6.50, which includes lunch. and from September Sarah Graham- everyone opposed If you would like to register, please Brown will be working three days per to war, racism and use the enclosed leaflet. The last week as Networking Officer. corporate power, date for registration is Wednesday We are also very pleased that everyone who wants 15 September. in September Simon Heywood will to see global justice, be starting his one-year placement workers’ rights and a have your say as a Quaker Peace & Social Witness sustainable society. Peaceworker. Simon will be working t 020 8809 5347 Our annual membership questionnaire on outreach and promoting positive w www.fse-esf.org was sent out recently with the annual security alternatives. 30 October review. If you did not receive your copy, thank you Concert for Peace please contact Jon in the office and 7.30pm at St James’s he will send you one. Thank you very much to all those who Church, 197 Piccadilly, contributed to our appeal to fund the London W1. Organised office closed work that conscience is doing to support by Musicians Against of the Peace Tax Seven. Nuclear Arms. The Please note that the office will be closed If you have previously opted out MANA Chamber from Thursday 12 August to Monday of appeals and would now like to Orchestra, lead by 30 August inclusive. receive them, please contact Jon in Nona Liddell and the office. conducted by Sir Charles MacKerras play Mendelssohn, Bartok, Britten, Dvorak and contacting the office Schubert. Speaker general enquiries campaigns enquiries - Chris Nineham, Archway Resource Centre t as left - ask for Oliver European Social Forum. 1B Waterlow Road e [email protected] Tickets £7-12 London N19 5NJ t 020 8455 1030 t 0870 777 3223 (national rate) membership enquiries f 020 7281 6508 t as left - ask for Jon more diary dates at e [email protected] e [email protected] networkforpeace.org.uk summer 2004 3 international conference Oliver Haslam reports on the 10th International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns The 10th International Conference took peace tax issues. Our one-line answer place this July in a beautiful old convent is that if governments realise there are in suburban Brussels. alternatives to war it makes the goal The first plenary session was of all peace tax campaigns easier led by a journalist in the anti- to achieve. By the end of globalisation movement. It the weekend the coin had took me a while to work dropped and we were out what this had to told by representatives do with peace tax and from several countries war tax resistance but that they would this soon became take the idea home clear.