AS CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown spelled out the nation's spending plans on Wednesday in his 2003 budget, anti-war protestors gathered in Kendal to condemn the cost of war.

A campaigner hidden by a mask of Mr Brown, draped in the black cloak of the grim reaper and holding a scythe with budget briefcase, joined the leafleting activists of the South Lakeland Stop the War Coalition for their town centre demo.

"There is an extra £3 billion being spent on death in this budget," said the reaper, aka coalition member Alan Johnson of Kendal. "The total cost of war could provide basic health care for every man, woman and child on the planet!"

In addition to £3 billion for the armed forces, Mr Brown's budget speech allocated some £240 million for humanitarian work in Iraq plus £330 million for counter-terrorism measures in the UK.

Far from being money well spent to secure a safer world, protester John Coopey maintained the war was simply making matters worse while depriving other causes of cash.

By the campaigner's calcul-ations, £3 billion would:

l Give those on the basic state pension a 10 per cent lump sum increase;

l Pay for over 300 well-equipped secondary schools or 34 hospitals with 444 beds each in the UK;

l Keep the three public toilets recently closed in Kendal open for more than 100,000 years!

Around 20 members of the Stop the War coalition manned the

day-long demo and encouraged passers-by to sign a petition protesting about the price of the conflict. By lunchtime, they had gathered more than 100 signatures.

"We are reminding people that although the war is probably nearing its conclusion, there are some big issues about the cost

and in terms of the hardships that are going

to be created in the Middle East," said Mr Coopey.

April 11, 2003 10:31