people that we need them all to help us by taking up the issues, and we need policies for change. • Mark Jasen nti-Road protesters have generated wide media attention and have caused havoc to the governments road building programme.
The Innovative tactics adopted, whilst they have not as yet actually stopped a road being bullt once construction has started, have forced the government to back down on large sections of Its road bullding plans. Last year the No M11 campaign, the first of such campaigns in an urban area, brought to the fore a number of questions around pollution and how it Impacted on the health of local rest. dents, public transport policy, on the shortage of housing as well as environmental issues. Despite the success of such direct action tactics, there are limits to what they can achieve on their own. Whether we like It or not, it is ultimately the government who decide policy on roads, housing and the environment. The vartous campaigns across the country have shown that when the Tories are determined to force through policy, campalgners are up against the full force of the pollce the courts and the state. To make a real change we not only have to get rid of this government, but we need to develop a broad alliance which Includes the trade union movement and political partles, and which can develop its own policies for transport, the environment and so on. In short we need to be able to make dect sions based upon the needs of soclety rather than the needs of proflt.