The debate on the new Nick Cohen book

Nick Cohen, here and here has been criticised for tarring all anti-war activists and supporters with the tarnished brush of irrelevant and ultra-leftist minority groups. And his provocative polemic is indeed stirring debate, which is a good thing.

It is fair to point out that most people who marched against the impending war in February 2003 were not members or supporters but such groups have disproportionate power in the movement and their influence stretches further.

Such groups can set the agenda and Nick's strongest critique is the failure of the anti-war movement to embrace solidarity with Iraqi democrats, women's groups and trade unionists in favour of sloganising about Bush and Blair.

The purpose of LFIQ was to bring together those who had differed on the war – there were perfectly legitimate arguments on the left to support or oppose it – and to unite them in favour of solidarity with Iraqi democrats, struggling in the most desperate conditions.

In normal circumstances one would have expected the British Left to acknowledge that a new situation had been created by the fall of Saddam and to have thrown its weight behind criticism of the way the US authorities failed to secure the country and the disastrous mistakes made in excessive de-Ba'athification and the abrupt disbandment of the army, for example, as well as human rights abuses.

One would also have expected the labour movement to fully support the new trade union movement and have been open to working with Iraqi democrats who have fought for and won support in three massive popular votes since 2003.

The TUC and unions like Unison, the FBU and RMT have done much to be proud of. We are very pleased that the recommendations of our own delegation to Iraq in 2005 form the basis of TUC solidarity work.

But the sad truth is that Iraq solidarity work has none of the reach and energy that the anti-war movement had. Indeed, that important and leading sections of that movement have not just sat on their hands but actively refuse to help our Iraqi comrades because they see things through a basically Anti-American prism. Worse still, sections of the anti-war left actively support the insurgents who target Iraqi democrats, trade unionists and communists. They have sold the pass.

We still lack a vibrant solidarity network. LFIQ has done its bit, with limited resources, to activate such work. Please forgive us if you aren't getting enough feedback from us but we are running this operation on a shoe string with a part-time staff so bear with us.

We will continue to do all that we can to build support for the Iraqi labour movement and invite people to support our work.

In a five hour meeting we had with the Iraqi trade union leadership in Iraq, the emphasis was not on Troops Out Now (though, of course, the Iraqi left wants to create the conditions for their withdrawal and the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty) but on practical measures to help them to help themselves. Please participate in such activities.

Iraq is clearly in a mess just now. Savage forces are seeking to destroy its democracy at birth. Some want to restore Sunni minority rule. Others abhor democracy in principle and are stoking up a sectarian showdown between Sunni and Shia communities. The ordinary Iraqi man and woman, especially in Baghdad, is stuck in the middle. The members and leaders of the new trade union movement face death every day in seeking an Iraq based on social justice. They want and deserve your support.

Gary Kent