The House of Commons has just refused to vote for an inquiry into the Iraq war. Congratulations to the dozen Labour MPs who rebelled and decided to put the interests of the Party ahead of the interests of the Leader.
This issue won’t go away. Iraq is not getting safer for Brits or for Iraqis. Hundreds of thousands have died.
We need a Labour Leader who will change our strategy in Iraq.
Actually -sorry flag waver - it's not getting safe for anyone in Iraq - incoming jihadists with a crescent to bear, occupying forces other than the jihadists,journalists etc. Everyone is a target now for someone.And women - well, they just get it in the neck, back of the head anyway!
ReplyDeleteThere should have beem a debate - yes, but there have now been so many, many words about this war - and all we have are the dead( some of whom still neeed to be found)and the dying. And all because of romance with oil!
And so we don't get our knickers in a twist about massacres of other populations such as Darfur? Why not?
I don't really see what the point would have been of an inquiry by the Privy Council. The Govt said there were WMDs and there weren't. What do you need to inquire about? It was a just an election run-up stunt by the Nationalists.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the line rolled out by Hilary Benn and Margaret Beckett that an inquiry would undermine troop morale and give enrouragement to terrorists was extremely silly.
Sham: Oh please....Does New Labour give a damn abour Darfur? Nope along with Bush. This is a derailing tactic as you know you have lost the argument over Iraq.
ReplyDeleteSending troops into a country such as Iraq where the infrastructure has been totally destroyed. Is the political situation any better since Saddam was toppled? No. This war was cynical, Bush, Bliar and various other former leaders knew of the nasty crap Saddam and the B'athist regime was up to but did nothing as he was a mate back then. The simple reason behind this war is oil. What natural resources has Darfur got to plunder?
Troops going into other countries are not the armed wing of social services, they kill people or didn't you know that. Will sending troops into Darfur do anything other than kill people. And ask yourself, who are making these decisions on behalf of others? 'Cos it aint based on the principle of self-determination.
Imperialism is never right!
I'd like to think and believe that Blair does give a damn about Darfur. Am I being naive?
ReplyDeleteI don't know what Blair thinks or feels but am perfectly prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt as an individual. I doubt that Government policy is driven by moral imperatives though...
ReplyDeleteJon,
ReplyDeleteI'm also prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt over Kosovo. Maybe you'd like to clarify the impression you give that Milosevic's genocide was fine because "the Western powers were trying to open up Serbia's economy" and that somehow that is a greater evil ...
louisefeminista,
Do you not think it's some kind of sick joke for a self-confessed "socialist feminist" to be shoulder-to-shoulder with Saddam, Mullah Omar and Bin Laden??? COME ON!!!