George Galloway MP, of Respect, with a
picture of an alleged tortured victim in Iraq in place of the
Statue of Liberty, protesting the torture of Iraqi prisoners
(PA/EMPICS)
Where do the political parties stand on Iraq?
The Labour government obviously was for the war. But the decision
to invade Iraq divided the party. One in three Labour MPs was
opposed, some even leading the anti-war movement. Many longstanding
members left the party in disgust. Labour’s current policy is
that UK and US troops should stay in Iraq until Iraqis are strong
enough to cope with the ongoing violence themselves.
The Tories fully backed the war and support Labour’s policy
on when the troops should be withdrawn. Tory leader Michael Howard
said the ‘prize of a stable Iraq was worth striving for’. But
Howard has called on Blair to resign over the way he misled the
country on WMD.
The Lib Dems were the only major party to oppose the war. They
believed it was illegal and wanted the weapons inspectors to have
more time to find WMD. But once the invasion began, the Lib Dems
backed the troops and said that the UK had an obligation to help
create ‘a secure, stable and democratic Iraq’. The party now wants
the government to get the troops out by the end of the year.
A number of smaller parties will be standing candidates at the
general election on an anti-war, end-the-occupation platform.
These include the Green Party, the Scottish National Party, Plaid
Cymru in Wales, and Respect – a new party headed by George Galloway
that is targeting the Muslim vote. |
