Worth remembering: Labor opposition to Iraq War
Julie Bishop claimed this morning that Labor had supported the decision of the Liberal Government to take Australia to war in Iraq.
Not so - Labor Leader Simon Crean made the party's opposition clear in his address to the National Press Club:
"The prime minister has made a great mistake in committing our troops ahead of the UN.
Labor does not support that decision.
We do not support the deployment of Australian troops in advance of any UN authority.
I took my case directly to the troops themselves on the HMAS Kanimbla.
I had a difficult decision to make about what to say to them. But I knew what the right thing was to do.
I was truthful with them in a way the prime minister was not.
I believe that political leaders should always tell the truth. This is especially so when committing troops to war.
The prime minister failed that test.
He treated the Australian people like mugs and he continues to do so.
And what of our security now?
The prime minister has taken his eye off the ball in the fight against terrorism in our region.
He has failed to adequately prepare our defences against terrorism and neglected regional security measures. He is instead sending our forces overseas.
He has divided our people, alienated our friends, sent our best anti-terrorism troops ten thousand miles away.
He expects those of us left behind to defend ourselves with a fridge magnet.
The prime minister must stop treating the Australian people like mugs.
Only Labor governments have been prepared to tell our allies no when it's been in our national interests."
Full speech here:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/04/1044318605090.html
