Airstrip One

Alternatives to War - 5th March 2003, 23.19

One of the questions raised by supporters of the war is: what about the Iraqis. Well, Jon Nott, Green Party defence spokesman gave the answer in today's Metro:

Jessica Woodcock is wrong to claim that those who oppose military intervention to Iraq are not suggesting alternatives. (Metro, Tue). The Green Party has a number of policies that we believe would help end Saddam's reign without causing a humanitarian tragedy and increasing anti-Western feeling.
We advocate increasing funding to the forum for fighting terrorism and addressing rogue states - the UN.
At present, ten per cent of our taxes go to the military, and a sixth of that sum to the UN. Since the world spends £570billion each year on arms, and 1/600th of that on peace, what do we expect to reap?
Most importantly, we need to lift the sanctions imposed on Iraq a decade ago that have killed more than a million people: half ofthem children under five. At the moment, living on 30p a day, Iraqis are too busy trying to stay alive to think about politics, and so sanctions play into Saddam's hands.
After sanctions are lifted, Iraqis will cease to side with Saddam because they will no longer share his resentment of the West and will have greater freedom to determine their own fate.
This is the Green party's vision for Iraq: a democracy through autonomous self-determination brought about by grass-roots participation, not a topdown, totalitarian Western-puppet oil-oligarchy brought about by the destruction of dissent.

Jon Nott, Green Party Defence Spokesman.

What part of the phrase, 'totalitarian police state', does this man not understand? I would not have the gall to write something so breathtakingly divorced from the reality of life under Saddam Hussein and have it published in a paper that will be picked up by every commuter in London, Manchester, Newcastle and points north.