Agree with the "wild polemic" part of that statement but don't agree that
global and local political issues are not part of counselling psychology.
The feelings being expressed are part of our own process and are the sorts
of things we can be working on in our own therapy and supervision. I am
seeing lots of projected anger and other shadow material in this thread,
which seems to me to reflect the projections going on at the political
level. Sure it would be comfortable to project all my shadow material onto
Saddam or the Islamic world in general or Bush and Blair but that is part of
the problem not the solution. Saddam may be a monster but which of us live
in countries who actively supported him through the 1980's? Which of us live
in countries who need the Iraq oil to maintain our comfortable lifestyles?
Or live in countries where the politicians who most strongly advocated the
War happen to be ex CEO'S and hold shares in 1: the companies that they say
are the ones who get the contracts to clean up?, b: the oil companies? There
are other uncomfortable fact's in this particular can of worms: what is the
status/value of international law and the UN? What is a rogue state?
It seems to me that this war is about good old fashioned imperialist,
capitalist economics and it's been sold to us on the back of a lot of
infantile "scare" fantasies.
Regards
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion on theoretical and research issues in counselling
psychology [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rennie, Steve
[HES]
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 11:47 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: terrorist
I would like to see an end to wild polemic on the issue of the current war
in Iraq. If there are issues to do with counselling psychology, by all means
let us examine them, but other than those issues, this list is not the place
for discussion of global or local political issues.
Stephen Rennie (listowner)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Norman Claringbull [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 2:15 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: terrorist
>
> Dear Jo,
>
> Look around you at who was behind your "peace march" and at the major
> pressure groups that organised the match or who joined in with you on
> the march. As Mao said, "terrorist fish can only survive in a sea of
> popular support". Just think it through. Suppose that you had been
> successful in stopping the war. What would Saddam's reaction have
> been? What would Al Queada's reaction have been? How would the Muslim
> fanatics, (who have majority Muslim support by the way), have started
> to behave? I don't suggest that you are a terrorist but I do suggest
> that you are naïve.
>
> Fortunately, your campaign has failed. Not only in it's objectives but
> also politically. Of course the British people are generally against
> war - so am I - but I also acknowledge the need to defend ourselves
> against our enemies. Now the political tide has turned against you and
> majority of the public have realised that it's necessary to support
> the robust leadership of Blair. Look at last Saturday - the promised
> giant protest across the UK was pathetic and only supported by the
> "usual suspects".
>
> Yes, burning a flag does make you a terrorist. As Bush put it, "if
> you're not with us, you're against us"!
>
> regards
> Norman
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