Public Inquiry for Iraq war
Not one weapon of mass destruction has been found. 175 UK service personnel have been lost. 4000 US troops and countless thousands of Iraqis have died.
Tony Blair took the UK into an illegal and immoral war, supported and funded for Gordon Brown.
The SNP believe that without an inquiry, we will be destined to repeat what has been the most calamitous foreign policy mistake in post war politics.
Do you think there should be a public inquiry into the decision to go to war? Do you think that the war has created a safer world? Should coalition forces continue to maintain their presence in the country? Or do you think our troops should come home? Do you think the costs of the war justify its benefits?
Tell us what you think.
Iraq Debate
Interesting comparison made by Angus Robertson in the Commons:
An odd argument has been made by the hon. Member for Stockton, North (Frank Cook) about an inquiry undermining our troops and our security efforts. If that were the case, why was there an inquiry into Bloody Sunday while British troops were still serving in Northern Ireland? That inquiry was supported by Labour and Conservative Members.
Makes you wonder what's different about this inquiry...
It shouldn't be forgotten
Scottish Parliament Debate on Iraq
Aileen Campbell, Scotland's youngest MSP, held her first Member's Debate in the Scottish Parliament on this very subject. The debate can be found here:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor0313-02.htm#Col7042
And the text of the motion debated reads as follows:
That the Parliament notes the continuing effort of Rose Gentle from Pollok, Glasgow, and Beverley Clarke from Stafford to have the legality of the Iraq War tested in court; further notes that the Stop the War Coalition has called demonstrations in Glasgow and elsewhere on 15 March 2008 to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict; recalls the massive worldwide demonstrations against the war on 15 February 2003, in which many MSPs and people from the south of Scotland and across the country participated; believes that the legality of the war should be tested in the courts and continue to be discussed in the wider public arena; supports the demonstration taking place in Glasgow on 15 March, and believes that work in the international community should continue to speedily bring about peace and stability to Iraq.
Iraq War
Ok so you supported the
Ok so you supported the war. But who gave the US and Labour the right to invade another country? I agree that the world is better off with Saddam deposed but why Iraq? Why not North Korea? Isn't that an oppressive regime? Why didn't US and Bliar "liberate" Zimbabwe long ago? Why haven't we gone to war to "liberate" Tibet? And so on.
Willie Cormack
Cheltenham via Sutherland
proper functioning democracy?
The purpose of the war in 2003 was not to get rid of Saddam Hussein. It was to rid Iraq of WMD, which Hans Blix and his weapons inspectors had established were absent. The US and Brits should have known anyway after patrolling the 'no fly zone' for 10 years.
The west knew Iraq was no threat, yet they went in with the world's most efficient killing machines and eliminated, or were the cause of eliminating, over 600,000 men women and children.
Put the shoe on the other foot. How would you feel if the UK was occupied by an alien race with alien habits from thousands of miles away sanctioned by a quizling government in London who permitted the killing of our own citizens, and even raised a militia of our own people to kill us? Imagine if our death rate was running at a rate of one 7/7 per day after 5 years
Would you still expect a functioning democracy to emerge?
Iraq War
If there is an inquiry into the legality of the Iraq war, and the outcome is found to be that the invasion of Iraq was illegal, who will be held ultimately responcible, Britain, America, United Nations
Eddien
I'm not the most 'read up'
I'm not the most 'read up' on this issue, but here's my opinion. I think the Iraq War was ok in the beginning, I realise that no weapons of mass destruction were found, but what if there had been? Now though, no weapons have been found and Saddam is dead, so what is it they are trying to achieve by keeping the army in Iraq?
The Real Reasons for the War
Hi "Scottish and Proud".
Can I invite you to read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein, an American academic. There you will find the real reasons for the invasion of Iraq.
The only description for it is 'armed robbery' followed by 'extortion' .
Briefly, she says it was about the acquisition of free oil. How to achieve this, and walk away with huge contracts for the companies that elected the US Administration to power.
1. Raze Iraq to the ground.
2. Award US companies the contracts to rebuild it. (No competitive tendering).
3. Iraq to pay for the rebuilding of its country with oil.
4. The National Oil to be privatised and handed over to US oil companies, Iraq to pay for the security of these companies.
If armed robbery and extortion are legal, no war crime has been committed.