Posted on 09/23/2002 1:50:43 AM PDT by MadIvan
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy is set to express concern over US policy towards Iraq as his party begins its annual conference in Brighton.
Mr Kennedy is to make a statement to delegates on the crisis on Monday afternoon.
He has already made it clear that taking pre-emptive action against Iraq without a United Nations mandate would be "quite wrong".
Mr Kennedy's statement, being made ahead of the emergency recall of parliament on Tuesday, will question the US's aim of "regime change".
It will also criticise what he perceives as US undermining of the UN's authority.
The recall of parliament will disrupt the Liberal Democrat conference, but this has not dented the party's confidence and Mr Kennedy has proclaimed that he could be in government within eight years.
Over my dead body. If he becomes Prime Minister, I'm on the next plane for America - Ivan
Speaking on Sunday, Mr Kennedy confirmed the view of his chairman Mark Oaten that the "potential is there" for the Liberal Democrats to be the ruling party.
He said that Lib Dem views on public services and issues such as Iraq made the party a "more credible" opposition than the Conservatives.
'Policy-free' Tories
He also drew on the fact that he was the first to call for Parliament to return to debate Iraq.
He said his party was "making all the running" on serious issues while the Conservatives were "a policy-free zone".
Their idea of serious policy is: tax more, spend more, tax more, spend more, and look surprised when it doesn't work. Some ideas. - Ivan
He suggested the Tories were unable to challenge Tony Blair effectively on Iraq because they had already pledged their unequivocal support for the US.
Makes me proud to be a true blue Tory. - Ivan
"We certainly don't subscribe to the Conservative view which is that there is a case already for a pre-emptive strike," he said.
"I think that is irresponsible, ill-conceived, ill-thought out."
Mr Kennedy thinks he has also made a successful intervention on the issue of public services and the need for increased spending in this field.
Parliament will be recalled at 1130BST on Tuesday, with the long-awaited dossier of evidence against Iraq published at 0800 the same day.
Mr Kennedy, who was briefed by Mr Blair on the issue last Thursday, wants a long debate and MPs will meet until 2200.
Weapons inspectors
The party conference agenda has been re-arranged and most debates have been moved to other days to allow MPs to return to Westminster for the recall of Parliament.
Mr Kennedy warned that the UN's moral and political authority must be paramount in any decision to take military action against Iraq.
He said the return of weapons inspectors had to be the number one priority.
Menzies Campbell, the party's foreign affairs spokesman, insisted that there was no principle under international law that entitles "regime change".
"There is no doubt whatsoever that under the existing resolutions of the UN security council there is authority for military action if Saddam Hussein does not fulfil his obligations to allow inspections and to destroy weapons of mass destruction," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday.
"That was the basis of military action in December 1998. That's a long way from regime change."
Mr Campbell said his party would be urging the government to "prove your case" against Saddam Hussein.
By the way, here's a good picture of Kennedy and his Liberal Democrats (the 3rd largest party in Britain, by the way):
Given their stance on Iraq, I doubt anyone surprised their colour is yellow. ;)
Their symbol is also a bird. Lady Thatcher commented on it by quoting the Dead Parrot Sketch. ;)
Regards, Ivan
Regards, Ivan
Plaid votes against war on Iraq
BBC News
Delegates at the Plaid Cymru annual conference in Llandudno have voted unanimously against Britain going to war with Iraq.In the longest debate of the weekend, they called for the government to oppose any military action by the US, and for an end to economic sanctions against Saddam Hussein's regime.
And they want the people of Wales to strike for an hour in protest if air strikes are launched against the Baghdad dictator.
But the anti-war stance came only after a passionate debate on Palestine in which for the first time in the party's history, the rank-and-file criticised the debate for being anti-Israeli and too pro-Palestinian.
Two guests at the debate at North Wales Theatre, a Palestinian woman and an Israeli woman, spoke out against Israel's "military state" and said the occupation of the West Bank was destroying both Palestinian and Israeli society.
Two delegates complained the motion on Palestine used intemperate language rather than the language of diplomacy needed to diffuse a tense situation.
But speakers were unanimous in their condemnation of any possible military action in Iraq.
Euro MP Jill Evans, said: "War against Iraq would be disastrous and would cause even more instability in the Middle East.
"Of course Saddam Hussein is a dangerous man who has persecuted the people of Iraq.
"We were saying that in the 80s when the British Government was selling him arms.
"We all want to see a democratic government in Iraq but more bloodshed won't achieve that."
It certainly worked a treat in Germany, Jill. What are you, a moron? - Ivan
The debate on Iraq lasted 50 minutes, far more than the discussions on any other topic during the conference.
Delegates were united in their objection to George W Bush's perceived intention to take military action against the man who survived his father's Desert Storm campaign to liberate Kuwait.
Adam Price, MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, claimed President Bush has, in effect, already declared war against Iraq.
But he argued there was no case for war and that arguments being used so far were not based fact but were based on fear.
Simon Thomas, MP for Ceredigion, claimed America was making " a monkey" out of the United Nations.
He said a legitimate case for intervention could have been made for Rwanda and that it was probably justified to intervene in Bosnia, but there was not case for intervention now in Iraq.
I see. Because we don't intervene every time, we can't intervene any time. How thoroughly stupid. - Ivan
He added that the party would oppose war at every possible opportunity because it would be completely unjustified.
Euro MP Eurig Wyn said two million people had died in Iraq because of the West's economic sanctions and that many more would die as a consequence of any war.
The delegates voted unanimously to call "on the British Government resolutely to oppose any military attack on Iraq by the United States armed forces".
They also called for an end to economic sanctions and called on the people of Wales to stop work for an hour as a protest if or when a bombing campaign begins.
I am definitely not going to Wales on holiday anytime soon.
Regards, Ivan
Good morning, Ivan! Did Margaret Thatcher really quote the Dead Parrot sketch? Ha!
Yes she did, I think it was the 1990 Party Conference. I watched it on Television and I was rolling, screaming with laughter. Among her less known assets is a brilliant sense of humour. ;)
Regards, Ivan
I don't think the party has that many active members, to tell the truth.
The Lib Dems did try to latch onto yesterday's proceedings with the Countryside Alliance march. Not very successfully - they are the biggest pro-European party, and the EU is causing many of the problems.
Regards, Ivan
The legacy is only now unfolding.
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