Iraq War was wrong, insists Balls

[Shasown]

Two Labour leadership candidates have criticised Britain's decision to join the invasion of Iraq. Skip related content
Ed Balls became the first former cabinet minister to unequivocally come out and say the Iraq War was "wrong", while Ed Miliband admitted it led to "a catastrophic loss of trust in Labour".

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, former children's secretary Mr Balls said the decision to go to war in 2003 was an "error" for which Britain paid a heavy price.

"It was a mistake. On the information we had, we shouldn't have prosecuted the war. We shouldn't have changed our argument from international law to regime change in a non-transparent way," he said.

"It was an error for which we as a country paid a heavy price, and for which many people paid with their lives. Saddam Hussein was a horrible man, and I am pleased he is no longer running Iraq. But the war was wrong."

Mr Miliband said UN weapons inspectors were not given enough time before coalition troops invaded.

Speaking to The Guardian, the former energy and climate change secretary said: "As we all know, the basis for going to war was on the basis of Saddam's threat in terms of weapons of mass destruction and therefore that is why I felt the weapons inspectors should have been given more time to find out whether he had those weapons, and Hans Blix - the head of the UN weapons inspectorate - was saying that he wanted to be given more time. The basis for going to war was the threat that he posed.

"The combination of not giving the weapons inspectors more time, and then the weapons not being found, I think for a lot of people it led to a catastrophic loss of trust for us, and we do need to draw a line under it."

In response to the statements by Ed Balls in the Telegraph and Ed Miliband in the Guardian, John McDonnell MP said: "I welcome this road to Damascus conversion from Ed Miliband and Ed Balls, but regret that it is so late in the day.

"If they and others in key positions had had the courage to stand publicly with all of us against the war at the time we might have been able to stop it happening, and a large number of British soldiers and Iraqi men, women and children would still be alive today."
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100522/tuk-iraq-war-was-wrong-insists-balls-6323e80.html



Funny how its only when they are out of government the Eds actually have the balls to say their war was wrong. Mind, it could just be a ploy to get the leadership vote.

Another Labour mess left for someone else to clean up.

[Claymores]

Has yer Tory Gvvt admitted it was wrong yet?

[Claymores]

Another Labour mess left for someone else to clean up.

Who Abstained from it? - was David Camerom one of the abstainers or did did he vote wholeheartedly for it? I suggest you look the Parliamentary minutes - 2 Labour Leadership Candididates dis not vote for this - ALL the Toties did.

[arista]

Has yer Tory Gvvt admitted it was wrong yet?


Corrupt Evil Blair got it Voted in with Falsehoods.

So of course we all know it was Illegal
and it was New Labour.


As For Balls - its all to late
a better one is now saying get out of the wars

[Shasown]

Who Abstained from it? - was David Camerom one of the abstainers or did did he vote wholeheartedly for it? I suggest you look the Parliamentary minutes - 2 Labour Leadership Candididates dis not vote for this - ALL the Toties did.

After being misled by a certain Mr Blair and his speechs on Weapons of Mass Destruction.

[arista]

After being misled by a certain Mr Blair and his speechs on Weapons of Mass Destruction.



Yes Falsehoods
Blair The War Criminal
Utter Fact.

[Claymores]

Corrupt Evil Blair got it Voted in with Falsehoods.

So of course we all know it was Illegal
and it was New Labour.


As For Balls - its all to late
a better one is now saying get out of the wars

So yer saying Tories are easily led ? Why Did David Cameron say in Speech "It was and is the correct thing to do"?

[arista]

So yer saying Tories are easily led ? Why Did David Cameron say in Speech "It was and is the correct thing to do"?


Wrong Blair was Corrupt.
New Labour , who were in power then, are a bunch of War Criminals.


It just keeps going over your head

[Claymores]

After being misled by a certain Mr Blair and his speechs on Weapons of Mass Destruction.

So Labour Party Candidates can see the falsehoods but Tories cnn't?

[arista]

So Labour Party Candidates can see the falsehoods but Tories cnn't?


No not everyone Voted it in.


But New Labour Corrupt as Hell Did It.
That is what matters.

[Shasown]

So Labour Party Candidates can see the falsehoods but Tories cnn't?

No Cameron knows there was falsehoods now its a few years since Phoney Tony lied to everyone.

And its not a case of being easily led, when the PM makes a statement in Parliament on such an important issue as taking the country to war it is expected he would tell the truth.

[Claymores]

The Davie Boy quote is "This was and is correct" - blaming the powers ib Govt by proxy is saying Davie is now saying this is correct - else the Tories wouls pull troops out of Arghanistan yesterday.

[arista]

The Davie Boy quote is "This was and is correct" - blaming the powers ib Govt by proxy is saying Davie is now saying this is correct - else the Tories wouls pull troops out of Arghanistan yesterday.


On this Forum
we do not do Text Speech.


It is Illegal.

[Claymores]

Many in the labour party abstained - the Tories were under 3 line whip and all voted for it - to pretend it is a Labour War is vaccuous

[Shasown]

The Davie Boy quote is "This was and is correct" - blaming the powers ib Govt by proxy is saying Davie is now saying this is correct - else the Tories wouls pull troops out of Arghanistan yesterday.

Iraq is a different country to Afghanistan.

Cameron wants troops out as soon as possible.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100522/tuk-gov-t-wants-troops-out-of-afghanista-a7ad41d.html

[arista]

Many in the labour party abstained

Not Enough
Corrupt New Labour brought the Illegal Invasion in
That is Fact

[Claymores]

Iraq is a different country to Afghanistan.

Cameron wants troops out as soon as possible.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100522/tuk-gov-t-wants-troops-out-of-afghanista-a7ad41d.html

Brown wanted troops out as soon as possible - your arguament is vaccuous .

[Claymores]

Not Enough
Corrupt New Labour brought the Illegal Invasion in
That is Fact

Tories all voted for it including David Cameron - 2 leadership contenders did not and broke the whip ,,,,,,,,,,,the David Cameron quote is "This was and is correct"

[arista]

Tories all voted for it including David Cameron - 2 leadership contenders did not and broke the whip ,,,,,,,,,,,the Davis Cameron quote is "This was and is correct"



So what
Evil Blair used Falsehoods.


Everyone knows it is New Labour Fault Alone.

[Claymores]

So what
Evil Blair used Falsehoods.


Everyone knows it is New Labour Fault Alone.

Nope - I'm talking David Cameron - "This was and IS correct"

[arista]

Nope - I'm talking David Cameron - "This was and IS correct"


Why can You not Understand
Evil Blair Told Falsehoods

He Alone brought this in for the Yanks.


New Labour turned Evil

Deal with it.

[Claymores]

Why can You not Understand
Evil Blair Told Falsehoods

He Alone brought this in for the Yanks.


New Labour turned Evil

Deal with it.

I'm not even A Labour supporter -if Davie boy wanted troops out of Arghanistan, it'd have been in the Tory Manifesto and the Scots would be on their way home right now - David Cameron and his present Tory Gvt. all voted positively for it - in Divisions they all went to the "Ye" side unlike socialiss.

[arista]

I'm not even A Labour supporter



Good To Hear.

[Claymores]

Good To Hear.

I'm sure arista - if you read the parliamentary minutes , all us Scots voted against, many Lanour MPs abstained - ALL THE TORIES took 3 line whip and were/are in favour. re-writing history doesn't help

[Claymores]

I know where Shas is coming from, but the Tories more overwhelmingly supported our wasteful deaths in Irag/Afghanistan than bum boy Blair

You I see as making a silly point out of the war which ires me as it has been the Scots dying in Khandahar.

[BB_Eye]

Corrupt Evil Blair got it Voted in with Falsehoods.

So of course we all know it was Illegal
and it was New Labour.


As For Balls - its all to late
a better one is now saying get out of the wars

It was still an immoral, pre-emptive war whether Bush and Blair's lies were true or not.

[Shasown]

I know where Shas is coming from, but the Tories more overwhelmingly supported our wasteful deaths in Irag/Afghanistan than bum boy Blair

You I see as making a silly point out of the war which ires me as it has been the Scots dying in Khandahar.

No the tories voted on the decision with the information they were given by Blair, which was fabrication.

Its not just Scots dying, the line infantry units rotate on a 6 monthly basis so when a Scottish line unit is out there, it will be reported as losses by the unit name. Thats not to say all the members of that unit is Scottish.

Regional recruiting is a thing of the past, the majority of the Scots Guards may indeed be Scottish but up to about 40% are not.

Similarly whilst an Infantry Battle Group goes out to cover a particular area the support arms attached to the infantry will not be made up purely of Scots either.

You could ask why are Scottish units out there fighting, the answer is simple they are part of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, and they deploy as ordered by their commanders.

Or would you just like them to draw their pay and opt out of wars you dont like them fighting?

As to withdrawing them, Brown had options to withdraw the troops during the three years he was in power, as did Blair in th tie he was in power, he didnt bother, so saying he was for bringing the troops home is a load of BS.

To bring the troops home would mean a planned and well prepared withdrawal, which would allow for the safe evacuation of the troops and also to leave some form of government over there with the means to apply their own policies, in order not to create a power vacuum when the overseeing coalition forces are removed.