Tatchell was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father was a lathe operator and his mother worked in a biscuit factory. His parents divorced when he was four and his mother remarried soon afterwards. Since the family finances were strained by medical bills, he had to leave school at 16 in 1968.
Tatchell's book Democratic Defence was published in 1985. This outlined how defence of the United Kingdom might be assured after the nuclear disarmament that he and the Labour Party were then committed to. (Labour has since abandoned this policy.) Tatchell argued that the British military was still organised on an imperialist strategy of basing troops abroad rather than on a strategy of defending the UK itself against foreign attacks. Citing the problems that the British army was facing in Northern Ireland, he argued that their long-established methods were ineffective against guerilla warfare. He argued for a range of methods to liberalise the regime in the armed forces so that troops could be allowed to join trade unions and political parties, and to end [what he referred to as] the "bull" of "petty regulations" and harsh punishments for violating them. He upheld the British Home Guard as an example of a citizens' army that had been effective in fighting Nazi Germany, and also upheld the armed forces of Sweden, Switzerland and Yugoslavia as effective in deterring foreign aggression. Tatchell argued for withdrawal from NATO and for the establishment of a European Self-Defence Organisation, independent of both the United States and the Soviet Union. Regarding the United States, he felt that Europe had become too dependent on their military protection and that this was inappropriate given the differing interests of many European countries. He condemned the Soviet Union's invasions of Czechoslovakia and of Afghanistan, as well as condemning its internal repression. He wrote, "It is quite evident that the Soviet system today represents the complete opposite of everything that the left in the West is striving for..." He quoted with approval Enoch Powell's argument that the threat from the Soviet Union to the UK was exaggerated.

Q: What is the Democratic Defense?
A: Tatchell's book Democratic Defence

Q: When was this book released?
A: published in 1985.

Q: What was the book Democratic Defense about?
A: This outlined how defence of the United Kingdom might be assured after the nuclear disarmament that he and the Labour Party were then committed to.

Q: What was his views and beliefs behind this?
A: Tatchell argued that the British military was still organised on an imperialist strategy of basing troops abroad rather than on a strategy of defending the UK itself against foreign attacks.

Q: Did he try to do anything outside the book to help his views?
A: Tatchell argued for withdrawal from NATO

Q: What other things did he argue about?
A: Tatchell argued for withdrawal from NATO and for the establishment of a European Self-Defence Organisation, independent of both the United States and the Soviet Union.
Did he have any other views or other rights etc he argued for?
He condemned the Soviet Union's invasions of Czechoslovakia and of Afghanistan, as well as condemning its internal repression. He condemned the Soviet Union's invasions of Czechoslovakia and of Afghanistan, Tatchell argued for withdrawal from NATO and for the establishment of a European Self-Defence Organisation, independent of both the United States and the Soviet Union. Regarding the United States, he felt that Europe had become too dependent on their military protection and that this was inappropriate given the differing interests of many European countries. withdrawal from NATO and for the establishment of a European Self-Defence Organisation, independent of both the United States and the Soviet Union.
withdrawal from NATO and for the establishment of a European Self-Defence Organisation, independent of both the United States and the Soviet Union.