ROSE Gentle, the Glasgow housewife who lost her soldier son Gordon in Iraq, is to be among a group of anti-war campaigners set on challenging government ministers at the next general election.
Gordon Brown, the Chancellor and widely expected to be the next Prime Minister, is certain to be top of the group's list. Other potential targets are likely to include Des Browne, the Defence Secretary; John Reid, the Home Secretary; Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary; Alistair Darling, the Trade Secretary and Adam Ingram, the Armed Forces Minister.
While the anti-war campaigners have little chance of ousting any of the sitting cabinet ministers, all of whom have healthy majorities, they could cause embarrassment by helping to reduce their share of the vote.
"The aim of the campaign is to shake up the government and make them realise we are not going to go away, " declared Ms Gentle. "We hope to ensure that they will not be able in future to send our boys into another illegal war."
The group will be called Spectre and, in a clear bid to gain maximum publicity, will officially launch on Sunday in Manchester, close to the venue of the Labour Party conference, which begins on the same day. It describes itself as an "umbrella group" supporting bereaved families, rather than a political party.
Spectre's aims include maintaining the protest against the British military presence, bringing ministers to account for "misleading" parliament before the bombing of Iraq started three years ago, raising concerns of serving soldiers about equipment failures and calling for a withdrawal of UK troops.
Ms Gentle, 42, again has her sights on the East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow seat of Mr Ingram. In the 2005 campaign, she received 1513 votes, hardly denting the minister's majority, which was a healthy 14,723.
However, she explained that she received 1513 votes in just three weeks' campaigning and hoped to receive many more in three years' campaigning.
"A lot more people now understand our campaign. It is not just the families themselves but ordinary people, too, who are aware of the situation in Iraq, " she said.
Her son, Gordon, 19, a Royal Highland Fusilier, died in June 2004 following a roadside bomb attack in Basra.
Another of Spectre's candidates will be Reg Keys, whose son Thomas, 20, died three years ago when he and five other members of the military police were attacked by a mob. Mr Keys stood against Tony Blair at Sedgefield at the last general election, winning more than 10per cent of the vote. In a statement issued with his wife, Sally, he said: "We would like to stress from the outset that Spectre is not anti-military and we do indeed support our troops wherever they may serve as they have to fulfil their duties without question. Spectre has members with family still serving in the forces.
"What we do oppose is the reckless use of our armed forces in Iraq in a conflict based on deceit about the existence of weapons of mass destruction. This was an occupation which flouted international law and was not supported by the United Nations."
Peter Brierley, whose son Shaun died in Iraq three years ago, explained how the military families had tried protesting, were taking legal action and had written letters to the government but still wanted answers about why the UK went to war.
"We have called ourselves Spectre because we intend to hang over the government until they listen to us. We will definitely get votes and hopefully we can win some seats, " he said.
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