Myth of Lib Dem opposition to war
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It has become an urban myth that the Liberal Democrats opposed the Iraq war. I hope The Times will help set the record straight.
The facts are as follows (1): the LibDem conference in September 2002 passeda motion on Iraq. It didn't oppose the war, but set out the conditions inwhich the LibDems would support the war. Those conditions were never met,but the party supported the war anyway once it started.
The LibDem Federal Executive in January 2003 reiterated the party'sposition: that there was "no compelling evidence" to justify war "at thepresent time". The evidence never became compelling, but nonetheless theysupported the war.
Just before the big Stop The War demonstration in February 2003 DonnachadhMcCarthy, Deputy Chair of the Federal Executive, spoke of "our opposition tothis war on the current discredited evidence." Readers will note both thequalifier about "current discredited evidence" and the fact that no betterevidence came to light before the LibDems decided unequivocally to supportthe war.
Charles Kennedy did indeed address the huge anti-war rally, but at no timedid he say the LibDems opposed the war. In fact he said: "We are not theall-out anti-war party."
Mr Kennedy said "We need to be certain that, after hearing from the UNSecretary General and the weapons inspectors, the Security Council is surethat military action is the only way to make Saddam Hussein disarm." Wenever did hear that from the UN, but Kennedy decided to support the waranyway. He said "Ideally this requires a second resolution, but above all itrequires a clear UN mandate." There was no second resolution, there was noclear UN mandate, but he supported the war anyway.
He did say on 17 March 2003 "I find it personally and politically verydifficult indeed to support a war in which there is no mandate from the UNand no sense of legitimacy on the international stage." But when he spoke inthe Commons on 18 March it was to say that if "under the democraticprocedures that we enjoy in this House, that is to be the decision, it isimportant that the whole House unites in that genuine support."
That is, he ignored all the conditions laid down by his party conference andhis Federal Executive, and gave his support to the war. He never onceexpressed clear opposition to the war, but he did eventually give "genuinesupport" to it.
LibDem MEP Baroness Nicholson was more forthright. She said on 20 March:"This conflict has one of the strongest moral and ethical mandates since thesecond world war. It is a just war which we know to be right."
So will The Times please help lay to rest the myth that the LibDems opposedthe war? The only major party that consistently opposed the war last yearwas the Green Party.
Cllr Prof John WhiteleggLeader, North West Green Party
Notes
1. All references herein are taken from a Green Party press office briefingto be published on 25 May. Copies are available by email on request to ourpress office, 020 7561 0282. Or I can provide the references, which aremostly from Hansard and the LibDems' website.
