Brits: If not Labour because of Iraq, then who?

This is a thread specifically for people who would normally vote Labour but feel so strongly over Iraq that they might not do so this time.

I've started it to help my own thought processes, and hopefully others. I would like to confine discussion if possible to Labour/Iraq, if you want a more general thread for the British election there is one at:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=46227&start=20


Its time for a little clarity of thought, and some logical thinking. Firstly lets get something out of the way...I FEEL YOUR PAIN! I am a member of the Labour party. I joined because it pulled itself up by its own bootstraps and transformed itself into a party worth voting for under Tony Blair. I regard my MP who is now a govt. minister as a personal friend. I am astounded that any prime minister would take this country to war on the back of a false prospectus, and expect to carry on as if nothing in particular had happened. I am outraged that it should be a Labour prime minister, and despairing that it was Tony Blair.

So what do we do? I include all potential Labour voters, not just members. There are five options. Vote Labour Conservative or Liberal Democrat, or abstain, or vote for a minor party like Respect or Veritas.

I intend to dispense with 2 options. First Abstain. OK go ahead. It doesnt take much thinking about. But then if you've got this far, you are probably interested in politics, and want to excercise your vote. Also a thoughtful intelligent person like you who abstains only increases the relative importance of the vote of some moron who votes without thinking. Thats not fair is it?

Second the minor parties. Respect Greens etc etc. Well it would certainly make you feel better than abstaining, but sadly under our system the reality is its a wasted vote. Robert Kilroy Silk is not going to form the next government, and neither is George Galloway. I doubt they will even get one seat.

So the real choice comes down to one of the 3 established "major" parties with nation wide organisation. Lets deal with them one by one.

THE CONSERVATIVES. This really would be a strange choice for someone who normally votes labour. The fact is Labour have slowly but quite decisively won the battle over tax and spend. Given the choice, people are prepared to pay a little bit more if they see the results in better schools and hospitals. The Conservatives want to cut public expenditure and give the money back in tax cuts to benefit those paying most tax i.e. the very wealthy. But they dare not say this anymore, because they know its not popular. Hence they come out with the ridiculous argument that its possible to cut tax spend more and do it all out of cutting waste. As Howard Flight has let the cat out of the bag, the whole plan is one of deception. Why do you think Michael Howard came down on him like a ton of bricks? BUT to consider voting Conservative over Iraq, really is weird. It was the conservatives who hoped to curry favour with the Bush administration by acting as cheer leaders for war. They feared the Bush Blair alliance because the Republicans traditionally worked with Conservatives not Labour. So they positioned themselves as more pro war than Blair, so they could say "look we are your real allies in Britain not the current Labour government." The fact that it backfired spectacularly is I suppose poetic justice, but NOTHING in what the Conservatives have said or done or will do justifies a potential Labour vote going to them soley because of Iraq. It would be quite irrational.


THE LIBDEMS. A lot of people are considering this. I've thought about it myself. They took an honourable stance in the build up to the war. If they were to announce a fixed timetable for British troop withdrawal they would attract even more support. Labour say its a two horse race between Conservative and Labour and they're right. But they are more scared of Labour votes going libdem than anything, because that could just conceivably let in the conservatives by the back door. The muslim vote is going to go LibDem this time. All sorts of people (Tariq Ali!) are voting LibDem because they know that is the easiest way to really hurt Labour. But as I said the real danger is not getting a LibDem government, but a Conservative government. Are the LibDems really going to form a government under our system? No. Could they form the balance in a hung parliament? Might do. Could your vote for the LibDem let in a Conservative? That's something you will have to think very carefully about. I know its unfair. I know the system shouldnt work like that, but it does, and we aint gonna change it for this election.

LABOUR. What? I thought the whole idea was to punish Tony Blair? Well believe me he will be. Iraq has turned Blair from a great electoral asset to a liability. How many Labour candidates feature him prominently in their election material? Very few. Blair has already said he will stand down sometime after the election even if he wins. If he gets in with a much reduced majority, expect calls for his resignation within a week. Iraq was Tony Blair's war. He sold it or rather mis sold it to his cabinet, the PLP the wider Party, to parliament and to the people. It was clear from the beginning what Bush was going to do, and Blair made up his mind early on that we were going to help them. From then on all the frantic running around in the UN and wmd stories was just desperate attempts to justify what had been settled beforehand. The government has now been forced to admit that the intelligence was wrong. That as a result people were mislead...but not deliberately. Well even if you believe that, misleading by accident or design about such a serious issue is a capital offense.
But on the other hand, this Labour government has introduced a number of good reforms. And they have handled the economy well. Ask yourself, if it's because of Iraq that I'm not going to vote Labour, take Iraq out of the equation and you might say...of course I'll vote labour, the govt.'s done very well. Tony Blair did what he did. We can't un invade Iraq. We have to make the best out of a bad situation. Blair still thinks he did the right thing btw. Will history judge him wrong? Its too early to say. Blair's punishment will be that his career as Prime minister which started so well became bogged down in the mire of Iraq and ended in acrimony. This is the last time you will have to vote for Tony Blair. The Labour government deserves to be re elected on its record. I heard Robin Cook this morning. He made two points. First that lessons over Iraq have been learnt. Its inconceivable we would make the same mistake over Iran. The Americans are actively engaging in dialogue with France Germany and Britain with Iran over its nuclear program. Voting Labour will not mean Britain at war with Iran. Second, most opposition to the war actually came from Labour. It might have been diametrically opposed to the leadership but its a fact. Are you going to punish the Labour government and Labour party and risk the Conservatives back in for a decision the prime minister felt was genuinely in this country's best interests? I dont think there is a choice. Vote Tony Blair and get Gordon Brown!