Dave Anderson MP recently took part in a Commons debate on a possible strategy for the removal of British troops from Iraq. He criticised the opinions of “armchair theorists” who would leave Iraqi workers in a vulnerable situation, and cited Iraqi union leaders opposing a premature withdrawal. He said: This year, I led a delegation to Kurdistan on behalf of Labour Friends of Iraq. The people there were clear that our intervention was positive and that we were giving them a chance to rebuild their country and their infrastructure and to develop an industrial base from which to grow. Although they ultimately want us out of their country, we were told by a group of 22 trade unionists from Baghdad and Basra that it was not safe for us to leave yet, and that was the view of most of the people we met, who included trade unionists, workers and representatives of local and regional government in Kurdistan. Yesterday, I checked with the international representative of some of those people in this country, and they still have that view.