Mick Hartley

There’s been much talk after the Spanish election result about Britain being next: that is, we can expect similar attacks in Britain prior to our election next year. But what hasn’t been pointed out to my knowledge is that the situation here is quite different to that which obtained in Spain. The principle opposition here, the Conservatives, are to the right of the ruling party, and by and large – though with all sorts of opportunistic qualifications – supported the sending of British troops to Iraq. In Spain this clearly wasn’t the case. There the ruling party was the right wing party, and the socialists always (I believe) opposed Aznar’s support for the US line on Iraq.

To avoid the spectre of Al Qaeda attempting by terror to influence the outcome of our next election, the Conservatives under Michael Howard should make it plain that they were in full support of our actions in Iraq, and had no intention, should they be elected, of withdrawing any British troops. Whether such an announcement by the Tories is likely I have no idea. Michael Howard seems to me to be someone who’d sell his grandmother for a few votes, but this would be a chance to show his statesmanship. Going in to a general election with both main parties committed to an active line against terrorism would be the best possible answer to Al Qaeda. Of course I’m not saying that this would necessarily reduce the chances of terrorist attacks here – who can say? – but it would deny some of the rationale which may have provoked the Madrid bombings.

Clearly the Lib Dems would make no such announcement, having already made their position clear. Would the Tories calculate that by not taking a strong stand against terror they’d be stopping the leakage to the Lib Dems? That would be shameful.