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Originally Posted by Vicky.

On 11 Jun 2007: Edward Miliband voted no on Opposition Day — Iraq Inquiry
On 11 Jun 2007: Edward Miliband voted yes on Opposition Day — Iraq Inquiry


WTF?

From what I can gather by a quick look at the debate it culminated in two votes, the first being over the wording of the question and the second being on the question itself. Miliband voted no on a question over the wording and then voted yes to the final resolution which was that the Commons "declines at this time, whilst the whole effort of the Government and the armed forces is directed towards improving the condition of Iraq, to make a proposal for a further inquiry which would divert attention from this vital task".

That website just proves that Miliband voted against an enquiry each time the issue was raised in parliament

Originally Posted by joeysteele

I don't think Labour has any more a shameful record as to foreign policy than some previous govts;
Iraq was as wrong the first time in 1990,in my view, never mind the 2nd time under Labour.
Maybe had they gone about it the right way in 1990,there would have been no need for a 2nd invasion at all.
I didn't see the need to get so heavily entrenched in Afghanistan either.

The Conservatives supported Iraq but some of them are doing an about turn as to it now too, well after the event.

What I will concede is that Miliband should have been pressing the mess left in Libya more,however I have watched political programmes where the moment Labour mentioned things like Libya,they got a backlash for Iraq and the mess left there.

What is a fact, is the fact that Miliband wasn't even an MP when the Iraq vote was taken and he has always said he disagreed with same.
He may not have raised Libya in public,I don't know for sure whether he has or not.
He did make reference to the chaos looming in Libya at the time he was consulted on would he support action in Syria however.
Which to his full credit, he refused to do,even firmly getting the vote passed too,to close the door on leaving options open for Cameron to take action in Syria if necessary without a new vote in parliament.

I think foreign policy under this govt; has been as much a disaster as the previous govt;
It doesn't,for me anyway, bear thinking about as to where we and the world would be, had David Cameron got his way to go into Syria too.
This is bad enough.

I didn't agree with action in Libya and was disappointed Labour backed it too,however, with the Conservatives and the Lib Dems,the vote would have passed anyway,very easily.
However further, just as Labour have to take the responsibility as to how we left Iraq, which although the Conservatives supported,they were not the govt; of the day so cannot be held responsible for the aftermath of same.

That same scenario applies here, and this PM had the hindsight of Iraq to look to as to Libya.
Although Labour supported the action, it had to be down to the govt; in power to see the action and aftermath through.
What we are seeing now is the total failure of Cameron to learn from history with full hindsight of events too and to have done not a thing as the situation he helped bring about in Libya got worse and worse.

But I'm not trying to compared Labour to the Conservatives here Joey. I know the Conservatives have ****ed up in Libya, that they have done so in the past, that they supported the Iraq war, that they would have intervened in Libya regardless of Miliband's support and that they would have done so in Syria as well as they could. I'm not trying to stand here as William Hague or Phillip Hammond and laud the Conservatives foreign policy and defend to the hilt every action that they took. On the contrary, I don't think this is a Labour-Conservative thing, I think it's a general Western thing where our global outlook has been in need of revision for quite some time. All I am saying is that I find the way that Miliband has commented on this and the timing as cynical and opportunistic and it does not reflect well on him imo.