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| October | 16 |
| 2004 |
Congratulations are in order for Charles Kennedy and his wife, Sarah. They are expecting a baby in April. Could I make a suggestion? If the baby is a boy, Mr Kennedy might care to name him after the man whose cause he champions, Saddam Hussein.
Throughout the run-up to the war, and in its aftermath, I have taken some small pleasure in referring to the opponents of the war as ‘friends of Saddam’. I have found few methods more guaranteed to reduce them to spluttering anger. To be honest, I have always known that the insult was rather below the belt. There were few opponents of the war who actively sought to defend Saddam. The direct consequence of their view prevailing would, indeed, have been that he remained in place as President of Iraq, but this was not their avowed intention; rather, it was a guaranteed by-product.
I did not really think that, since the war and Saddam’s subsequent arrest, the opponents of the war intended to be seen as explicitly, proudly and determinedly championing Saddam’s right to govern Iraq.
I was wrong.
Charles Kennedy and his ilk seek as a matter of policy Saddam’s re-instatement as President of Iraq. The leader of the Liberal Democrats was quite clear in this respect when, at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, he told Mr Blair that, “Now that we know that the 45-minute claim was unfounded and has been withdrawn, and now that we know that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, regime change becomes the only remaining argument, but the Prime Minister knows that regime change is contrary to international law.” According to Mr Kennedy, Mr Blair “led us into an illegal war”.
There it is, spelt out in cold logic. If his words mean anything at all – and one must do him the courtesy of assuming that he only uses words and concepts which he understands – then, according to Mr Kennedy, Saddam must immediately be reinstated as President of Iraq.
If Mr Kennedy believes that the war was illegal and thus brought about an illegal regime change, then he also believes – it is not logically possible to believe anything else - that Saddam remains the rightful ruler of Iraq. He was, after all, deposed only by an illegal force. And if he believes, as he claims, in the primacy of international law, then he and those who espouse the same argument have no alternative but to campaign for Saddam’s immediate re-instatement as the internationally recognised head of state of Iraq. To allow him to remain detained by the Americans, couped up in a cell, is not merely illegal; it is an outrage which besmirches the honour of all those who are complicit in it.
Further, if Mr Kennedy’s view of international law is to have any meaning, then those who were guilty of prosecuting the illegal war must be arraigned before the International War Crimes Tribunal: Bush, Blair, Howard and the military commanders who ordered the ‘shock and awe’ attack. Assuming Mr Kennedy means what he says, then his words can lead to no other conclusion.
There are other explanations, but they are so unlikely as to be barely worth recording. One is that – perish the thought – Mr Kennedy is so devoid of intellect that he does not understand the basic logic of his position. The other is that he is so deeply cynical that he understands it full well, but is prepared nonetheless to make political capital from an incoherent, morally indefensible and shameful stance of appeasement to a dictator.
As if!
MessageSpace
Spot on, Mr. Pollard. If the LDs are to be taken at all seriously as the possible 2nd party, then their stance on the issues of the day, and their proposals for addressing the problems of the day need to be subjected to full and rigorous scrutiny. This process is long overdue.
I must say that when read the first para, I sighed and thought the article was going to be in poor taste. To say that CK should name his child after a mass murdering dicatator is beyond the pale. Shameful.
And before anyone asks, I regard Kennedy with total contempt for betraying the liberal internationlist heritage of Gladstone et al. I just thought the article was in lousy taste.
"To say that CK should name his child after a mass murdering dicatator is beyond the pale. Shameful."
You're quite right. In the light of various pronouncements about the State of Israel, Hamas or Islamic Jihad would be far more appropriate. Such a name carries the added advantage of enabling the child to gain instant acceptance by the vast majority of the great British public.
"If the baby is a boy, Mr Kennedy might care to name him after the man whose cause he champions, Saddam Hussein."
And if it's a girl, he can name her after the man whose cause Mr Pollard never admits to championing: Sharon.
I assume Mr Pollard will be withdrawing his support for Mr Blair on account of his championing of the cause of Robert Mugabe.
Apologies. That was a pretty stupid comment. (on the generous assumption that someone, somewhere, in the British Government ultimately actually has a plan for getting rid of him)
Pathetic
More than a co-incidence, surely?
Sunday Telegraph leader
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/10/17/dl1702.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2004/10/17/ixopinion.html
"For if he truly believes that an illegal war brought about an illegal regime change, then he must surely back the reinstatement of Saddam Hussein as the legitimate President of Iraq."
"If Mr Kennedy would not back such a course of action, there are two possible explanations. The first is that he does not understand the basic logic of his own position. The second is that he does, but thinks that we don't."
I must admit I thought I recognised it.....shurely shome mishtake?
It's only a mistake to have Stephen as your leader-writer if you made your career in pornography. :)
"And if it's a girl, he can name her after the man whose cause Mr Pollard never admits to championing: Sharon."
Far, far better Sharon than Holland. After all, who but a lunatic would want to name his child after a country that directly and willingly collaborated in the murder of over 100,000 of its Jewish citizens whose property it then proceeded to steal?
Though I share your opinions about CK, Stephen, I have to take issue with this statement of yours:
"If Mr Kennedy believes that the war was illegal and thus brought about an illegal regime change, then he also believes – it is not logically possible to believe anything else - that Saddam remains the rightful ruler of Iraq."
It is indeed logically possible to believe otherwise. Saddam Hussein might be an illegitimate ruler whose deposition was nonetheless illegal under 'international law', whatever that is. I accept that Kennedy probably doesn't mean that, but I suspect that if he read this blog he'd respond along these lines.
Presumably we ought to offer to rebuild all Saddams palaces too...
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