Berkhamsted Stop the War is one small part of a national and international network, challenging the right of Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush to attack countries wherever they see fit, whenever they see fit.

Locally, you may have seen us in the High Street expressing our dissent. And many people marched in London, with over a million last month, and with 250,000 people this month. Tony Blair tried to dismiss the protests of a million people in one place, but we were only a representation of 80% of the British Public who opposed this war without a UN mandate.

Of course, public opinion has realised it cannot stop what Blair has done, and some acceptance of what can't be undone is bound to occur. Once it's presented as a fait accomplis (against the will of the people) then a lot of ordinary people think - well let's just get it over with as quick as possible - they didn't want the war, but since they can't stop it, they just want it over with as few losses as possible. The mood here in Britain is still very sombre. There's little gung-ho triumphalism.

Most people's attitude is they didn't want the war. Some of these are simply pragmatic once it starts, but object to being ignored. About 35-40% of people are deeply opposed to the war and nothing will make them support it. The government STILL doesn't have popular support for this war, because it was forced on the country. The opposition remains substantial. There will probably be an electoral backlash afterwards.

It has also politicised a lot of people who weren't political before. There is an enormous peace / anti-global / anti-war movement growing everywhere, and the involvement of young people has been impressive. Even more significant, the whole affair has created alliances, and drawn diverse groups together, and they will continue to work together. There has been a lot of support and identification with the Moslem communities, and there is a sense of an "alternative" political entity emerging.

The government defied the people. It defied the weapons inspectors. It defied the religious leaders. It defied the UN and the international community. If the war spins out or descends into urban guerrilla resistance (which it may not - there may yet be a collapse of Iraqi morale) then the public opinion may spin round again, to saying, what the hell are we doing or achieving in there except for pain and death, and bring "our boys" home, out of that hell-hole.

Much attention is understandably drawn to "our boys". A handful have died. Hundreds and probably thousands of Iraqi young men have been slaughtered by the invading army, an invading army with no international mandate, just doing its own thing. Personally, we are moved by the courage against all odds, shown by Iraqi soldiers at Umm Qasr, who are vastly outnumbered by the strongest forces on earth, defenceless from air attack, with nowhere to go...

We mourn the hundreds or thousands of Iraqis dead already in this unsanctioned war, and the handful of British and American dead. These are mostly just young men, dying because of political quarrels of which they have no part. We deeply regret, and are ashamed, by the use of British invading troops against the will of the international community. We do not criticise the invading troops themselves though what they're doing seems deeply offensive to so many here and around the world - we criticise Tony Blair and George Bush, who chose to defy the United Nations.

Our thoughts go out to the entire Iraqi people, and especially the young, and we will continue to say : "Stop the War" until the war is, indeed, stopped.

At the time of the British attack, there was absolutely no evidence that Iraq was about to attack us. There was no immediate pretext for this war. Tonight in Baghdad, though, and Basra, and all over that country - ordinary people, little children, old people, the simple, the fathers, the mothers, are being terrorised by the continuing bombing campaign and warfare.

This war has no legitimacy. This war is a disgrace to our country. This war was not wanted by the people of this country, 80% of whom wanted UN support for any solution. This war is "not in our name". Therefore we cannot support the actions of the British invading troops. We can only pray for their safe return to this country. Meanwhile Iraqis continue to die, in their own country, many young men whose blood is the same colour as our own, and whose lives are as precious as ours.