[A-List] Iraq: UK dissent

[Keaney Michael]

Galloway claims 'revolution in the air' over action against Iraq 

DEBORAH SUMMERS
The Herald, 15 March 2002 

      REVOLUTION is brewing on Labour's back
      benches over a series of leadership decisions,
      including its support for American threats of war
      in Iraq, George Galloway claimed yesterday.

      The Glasgow Kelvin MP, a long-standing critic
      of Tony Blair, said discussions in the House of
      Commons tea-room had seen normally loyal
      back benchers call for Cabinet reshuffles and
      even suggest a leadership challenge.

      In an article in the Spectator, Mr Galloway made
      clear he did not believe there was any genuine
      prospect of a challenge to Mr Blair, but said the
      discussions reflected serious discontent with the
      government's record.

      He told BBC Radio: "It hasn't been a great start
      to the second term, as Mr Blair implicitly
      acknowledged when he relaunched his credo in
      the centre of London just the other day.

      "Undoubtedly, the opposition to the proposed
      American war in the Middle East has
      crystallised a lot of nascent opposition to the
      current drift of policy and management inside
      the parliamentary Labour party - not hitherto a
      revolutionary body of men and women.

      "For the first time in eight years, there was, in
      the tea-room, talk amongst people whose
      names I don't even know, so far from the list of
      usual suspects they are, about the urgent need
      for a reshuffle and relaunch of the government.

      "There was even talk from two members -
      neither of them on the official usual suspects list
      - about the possibility of a leadership challenge,
      and that sort of mutinous talk.

      "I'm not suggesting even light-heartedly that
      there is any such thing in the offing, but the fact
      that these conversations are taking place, and
      that more than 100 Labour MPs have put their
      names to a parliamentary motion saying no war
      on Iraq, shows that people are just not happy."
      He added: "Revolution is in the air and what
      bliss it is to be alive."

      However, Tom Harris, Labour MP for Glasgow
      Cathcart, insisted last night Mr Blair would have
      the backing of a large majority of Labour MPs if
      he chose to back US action against Saddam
      Hussein. Speaking at a meeting of Labour
      activists in his constituency, Mr Harris predicted
      a war with Iraq was "inevitable".

      "The only thing that can prevent it now is a
      complete reversal of policy by Saddam on the
      question of UN arms inspectors," he said.

      Mr Harris argued that the minority of MPs who
      would oppose action were the same ones who
      were against action against Saddam in 1991
      during the Gulf War, and who also opposed
      action in Kosovo in 1999 and in Afghanistan in
      2001.

      "If the advice of some Labour MPs and
      commentators had been followed before now,
      Kuwait would be part of a greater Iraq,
      Slobodan Milosovic would still be in power in
      Yugoslavia, and the Taliban would still be
      murdering Afghanistan's citizens," he said.

Full article at:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/15-3-19102-0-19-55.html

Michael Keaney
Mercuria Business School
Martinlaaksontie 36
01620 Vantaa
Finland

michael.keaney at mbs.fi