THE APEC demonstration was an important step forward for the anti-war movement. Apart from the protests against Israel's war on Lebanon last year, it was the biggest demonstration that the movement has participated in since 2003.

Building on the momentum is the next challenge. But the discussion after APEC has revealed two competing visions about the kind of movement we need.

At a strategy meeting the day after the APEC rally, Socialist Worker supporters and Solidarity members argued for a movement capable of responding politically to new developments in the war and the general political situation. Over the next few months this means relating to the federal election campaign.

By contrast Democratic Socialist Party members conceive the movement as a passive exercise in propaganda framed around major set-piece demonstrations a few times a year. In building for APEC this also meant toning down the politics by constantly emphasising the peaceful nature of the protest.

But the APEC protest was no vindication of their approach. The main reason the protest was such a success was that people were prepared to defy the police intimidation. The police tactics seriously backfired-their attempts to stop people protesting brought many people out who would not otherwise have attended.

Now, as we enter the election period, there is an opportunity for the movement both to involve more activists and to establish deeper connections with a range of other groups active around the election, from activists in Your Rights at Work groups to Greens and Labor members.

Anti-war activists need to relate to the groundswell against the Howard government. We should be looking to call demonstrations whenever Liberal MPs make public appearances during the campaign. Major events like the Liberal party campaign launch are a perfect target for sizeable demonstrations.

But with the strong possibility of Labor winning the election, we also need to educate those who are against the war about Rudd's half-way position on troop withdrawal and about the need to keep campaigning if Labor wins.

Activists in Unity for Peace in Melbourne and Sydney's Stop the War Coalition are organising actions on human rights day on December 9. These will send a message that, whoever wins the election, the movement will be campaigning from day one for full troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unity for Peace is organising "Meet the Candidates" meetings. So far three are planned: in Brunswick in the seat of Melbourne, a lunchtime meeting for city workers and one in Kevin Andrews' seat Menzies.

By contrast members of the Democratic Socialist Party argued for a focus on a major mobilisation in March next year, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion.

There was no disagreement about planning a major demonstration in March. Large mobilisations give people confidence about the extent of opposition to the war. Substantial lead-up time is necessary to publicise them widely and draw in broader forces.

The involvement of the maritime and firefighters unions as well the Greens in the APEC protest is an opening that the movement needs to build on. But as Socialist Worker supporters and Solidarity members argued, the movement can't afford to put itself on ice until March next year.

If we want to involve people inspired by our success at APEC, what we do over the next few months is critical. Too often the movement has built the next big rally but come out with nothing to show for it.

James Supple