What are your views about the Iraq situation?

As the situation in Iraq changes I have tried to add my thoughts on these pages. As you may know I resigned my post as a PPS in the government so that I could speak freely about my concerns.

I will try and transfer older documents from my previous web site as soon as possible, which will add background to my thoughts.

I was asked by the BBC to appear on radio 5 Live 'a year on' from the conflict and to reflect if I had changed my mind on the war in Iraq since my resignation.

I had to say that it was one of the easiest decisions of my life to step down from the government over this issue. As I had said on this site and publicly elsewhere I did not think that the doing something about Saddam Hussein had to mean going to war.

However, at the time I was in a minority in Parliament and in the country. After the initial success of the war I was in a smaller minority in Parliament and certainly in the country. Support for the war rose to nearly 66% at one stage. But I remained resolute to my stance at the time.

I have never though gone over the top in my condemnation of Tony Blair and his role in the war. To see why I think you have to read the Robin Cook version of events from within cabinet. Having met and discussed my reservations with him before resigning I could understand what he was trying to achieve. I still did not agree with him but I don't think the personal attacks are helpful or warranted. he respects those who opposed the war morally from the start - the least we can do is try to understand what actually happened and why he did it in what he perceives to be the best interests of the country in the long run. It doesn't mean you have to agree with him, but the cliche approach to complex global and geopolitical forces is not healthy in a modern complex world.

useful links and documents

Opinion...

After the 'Victory'...

Now that the military campaign has ended the 24 hour coverage of Iraq has now disappeared from our TV screens. The Coalition Forces have declared a military victory, the people are dancing on the streets and they are now uncovering evidence of the brutality of the Saddam regime. So it's all right now isn't it I am asked. Well no it isn't.

I don't think anybody ever doubted the horrific nature of Saddam's dictatorship and the damage he did to Iraq. But that was never the reason for invasion. Indeed only days before the attacks started the 'Coalition' confirmed that he could stay as long as he gave up his weapons of mass destruction.

I opposed war at the time because I could not be convinced that it was justified legally and morally. It is hard enough to support military action, with the certain knowledge that deaths will occur, when the cause is just and noble. But over the last year we were on a conveyor belt to war with little thought to the consequences of taking unilateral, pre emptive military action against a sovereign state, against the wishes of the UN, the wider world and in particular a very volatile Middle East.

Whilst the war may have been won we have a long way to go to win the peace.

Problems have already started in Iraq, with demonstrations against the coalition. Bridges have not been built between former allies and the UN has been sidelined over the reconstruction process. The killings continue in the Middle East and Al Queda ply their horrific trade almost at will.

I pray that we learn from this, but I fear the speed of the military action may have boosted the USA's confidence to the state that it feels it can police the entire world in its own image. These are dangerous times for us all. Unless we learn that we do not win the peace by a bombing 'war on terrorism', but by removing the causes of hatred - the Palestinian question, poverty and inequality. They are big issues with no simple answer, but peace from international terrorism and instability will only come when they are the focus - not war.

Updated May 15th 2003