Pro and Anti Blindspots

Harry made a point in his 9/11 piece that re-thinking is difficult for large parts of the Left. Sadly this is true, and thinking without the "re" is a bit of a struggle for some of them. The Stop the War bunch fit firmly in this tradition of the non thinking Left. They are the direct descendants - in many cases the same people - of those whose response to the intellectual vigour of Thatcherism was restricted to "Thatcher, Thatcher, Thatcher, out, out, out!" Good at organising marches, sorry mobilising the masses, and making snappy placards, but not much between the ears when it comes to anything more demanding than crude sloganeering.

Which is a shame, because this chronic inability to forward anything like a convincing opposition to the war in Iraq beyond a heartfelt contention that war is nasty has left a dangerous void. And this makes a convincing, sceptical analysis of the present phony peace a rarity.

All of which makes it difficult for your average wibbler like me. If you look at the early posts in this blog you'll see some, okay a lot, of that war is nasty stuff along with anti Bush rants and anguished who do you support in a war with no good guys? Too much confusion, and I still can't get no relief.

What I can say with certainty is that this conflict has thrown up unlikely alliances between old political foes and given us some absurd ideas, chief of which is that Bush and the Neo Cons are engaged in the advancement of liberty and freedom worldwide. Some parts of the pro-war Left don't go as far as that, saying that whatever the motivation, Bush & co have done a good thing and deserve our support. Well, maybe.

Part of the problem the anti war Left has had with articulating its position is the same as that faced by the man in the old Irish (and none pc, of course) joke. "How do I get to Dublin?" "Oh well, sorr, I wouldn't be starting from here."

It is galling to be on the receiving end of pious lectures on the liberation of oppressed people, of being reminded of brutality, murder and chemical weapons atrocities when you are part of a small minority who actually gave a shit about it all before last Christmas. If the US and the UK governments had one millionth of the concern for Saddam's victims that they profess to have, maybe his power base would never have become so solid, maybe Uday's arsenal wouldn't have been so well stocked. It's equally galling to have the history of protest against the policies towards Saddam airbrushed out of all consideration, as if it is sordid to mention such things at a time like this. Sordid too, to mention oil and those rebuilding contracts waiting to be signed for Bush's friends behind the scenes. Sordid to mention the lack of WMDs and the lies and exaggerations that persuaded us to go to war in the first place.

Sordid, too, to mention the tame, recently unexiled Iraqi placemen on the governing council who have little credibility with the people. Sordid to note that people are dying every day still, that law and order is non existent. Sordid to mention the cluster bombs and depleted Uranium. Sordid to note that although Iraq had nothing to do with Al Qaida before the war, it certainly has now. Sordid to note that the world is probably a more dangerous place than it was before

Sordid to speculate that it is not going to get better for a long time. That maybe it never will. That in the long run the US may tire and leave it the UN too sort out.

To my mind, these are the pro war Left's blind spots, just as dangerous as the anti war Left's own.