Peter Hain and the NuLabour Cowards

2007-01-22T03:16:32+01:00

Two men worked at the foreign office a few years ago, Robin Cook and Peter Hain. When confronted with a decision on the Iraq war they took different paths. Robin Cook and his cabinet colleague Claire Short knew the war was wrong and rather than accept the responsibility for sending British troops to die in an unjust conflict they resigned. Peter Hain also thought the war was wrong from the start, supported it because of the lies over WMD, but continued to support Bliar’s war and kept his job. Now Peter Hain wants us to forget all this and embrace him as the next deputy leader of the Labour Party. Does he not know that our troops are still dying in the desert, but political capital is to be had if he admits he thought it was all wrong, if he absolves himself of the responsibility of his actions? If one more minister had resigned at the time maybe the war could have been avoided, maybe others would have had the courage to stand up to the liar that took us to war.

Peter Hain bemoans the fact that all Labour’s achievements have been overshadowed by “Iraq” yet his government, his cabinet is responsible for it. The rush to distance themselves from Bliar’s war is a shameful betrayal of our armed forces and the public must make it known that they will not accept this cowardly behaviour. If this is NuNuLabour then it smells very similar to the old one; the stench of duplicity, self-interest and moral bankruptcy swirls all around.

I wonder how the revelations of his true feelings on Bush, Bliar and the war will sit with the relatives of those killed and injured in Iraq as they read his story in the morning papers. What do the troops in Iraq think today, as they prepare for another mission that may well be their last. If this is the democracy they were sent to spread then no wonder the Iraqi’s don’t want it. Peter Hain has sat back and taken his salary and the trappings of high office rather than do the right thing. Some may say that it is naïve to think politicians actually support all the policies of their government, fair enough, but this was no policy on carbon, on tax or Europe. Hain also voted against an inquiry into the decision to go to war, why? To view this kind of decision, sending British troops to war, with the same gravity as hum-drum politics is an offence, if not a criminal one then certainly to everything the British people consider decency. If he thought war to be wrong why deny the public the right to know what happened. Oh yes, to keep Bliar and Labour in office. Personal greed and power triumphed over honesty and integrity. Until people like this are purged from politics, until voters stop voting for untrustworthy people government will not improve.

That the media portray this as mere cheap political positioning shows how far the loss of our moral compass has sent us off course over the past 10 years. Hain should write to the relatives of all those killed and injured and apologise for his cowardice and beg forgiveness. The truth is now out in the open, I suspect every other member of that cabinet feels the same as Hain, the Labour Party went to war on lies and yet they will not shoulder the responsibility. This should make uncomfortable reading for all those that still support the war, on both sides of the house, and hopefully it will result in others confronting their true feelings. Time for the convenient denial is over, Bliar may well continue to agree with every contradictory statement made, but those who have ambition must stand up and be counted. Our troops should be brought home today.
Rather than accept his actions we should demand his resignation. He sent troops to die because he was too weak to do the right thing. Until the Labour Party accepts that it was they who allowed this disgraceful war, that continues to this day, and are too weak even to eject its hated and despised architect the public will not vote for them. Bliar should sack him immediately for his dishonest actions, he won’t. More likely he would sack him for betraying Bliar and causing him political problems, but he won’t. Brown should sack him for tainting the Labour Party, but he won’t. So it is up to the public. I wonder if any of our Army leaders, so outspoken recently, have any comment on this.

Peter Hain, I hereby accept your resignation on behalf of the troops, the public and the memory of Robin Cook

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Peter Hain and the NuLabour Cowards