Observations on the state of debate in the Labour Party

The purpose of the Compass Conference on Saturday 23 October was to discuss the agenda for a third term of the Labour Government. One of the workshops focussed on foreign policy after Iraq.

The Foreign Office Minister Dennis MacShane, a former trade union leader, who had taken the lead in 2003 in promoting support for Iraqi trade unions, said that he stood by his support for military action against Iraq and was relieved at the fall of a regime that used mass graves and torture.

At this point, no doubt with unfortunate timing, a member of the audience shouted “shame on you.”

I quoted the immortal lines from Yeats that:

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity

(WB Yeats “the Second Coming”, 1920.)

Others conceded the need to give solidarity to Grassroots Iraq but cannot let go of their criticism of the Government.

Most LFIQ members actively opposed the war. We have ourselves decided not to keep going round the houses on this issue.

We feel that it would be a gross betrayal of our comrades under threat in Iraq if we remained so fixated by it that we ignored their appeals for support.

We know that many readers will find it difficult to move on but, with only 12 weeks to go before the elections, it is the most important historic task for us all to raise funds and listen to what Grassroots Iraq is saying.

Gary Kent
Director, LFIQ