A day for reflection

By Julian Ware-Lane

Today is the eighth anniversary of the Twin Towers atrocity. It was a “where were you when …” moment (I was at my desk at work in Basildon when I saw the news on the internet). The images still shock today. And thus began the ‘war on terror’.

For me, the concept of a war on terror is daft. It is like having a war on murder or adultery, impossible to win and ultimately unending.

So, who is winning this war? Wars must have objectives, and the war on terror’s objectives of ridding the world of al-Qaeda has not been successful thus far, although I am sure there is a good debate to be had on their ineffectiveness today.

Wars can also be judged on the impact they have had on the home front. My view here is that we are clearly the losers. I find it extremely regrettable that my government has detrimentally affected civil liberties. I am a loyalist. Yet our record on civil liberties, and the intervention in Iraq, would make a rebel of me.

I do not agree with the concept of locking people up without charge. Twenty-eight days is too long, 42 utterly monstrous. I am not keen on a week but would grudgingly accept that in extraordinary circumstances there might be a case for it.

Either there is evidence or there is not, otherwise we are locking people up based on ‘gut feeling’ or rumour. That the terror legislation is also being used to remove dissident voices at conference, or to freeze Icelandic assets is perverse. Evidence law needs amending if this is the driver behind these draconian measures.

Guantanamo Bay, meanwhile, is a stain on humanity. If any war is built around the premise of a moral high ground, then the war on terror fits that bill most neatly; that the high ground was abandoned with indecent haste makes you wonder how any democratically elected leader could believe that this was either a vote winner, or more importantly the right decision to take.

I supported the intervention in Afghanistan – effectively 9/11 was an attack by Taliban tolerated forces – but could see no justification for the war in Iraq. If nothing else, the attack on Saddam Hussein’s regime was contradictory. As an enemy of al-Qaeda how did this fit in the grand scheme of things? He was our enemy’s enemy. Attacking Iraq as part of the war on terror strikes me as being like attacking Stalin’s USSR as part of the war against Hitler.

We are where we are, and cannot turn back the clock. But I welcomed news that the troops were being pulled out of Iraq, and hope a clear roadmap for Afghanistan develops. We must hold Barack Obama to his promises about Guantanamo Bay. We should hit the reverse gear as regards to terror legislation.

Today is a day for reflection. The shocking events eight years ago warranted a reaction, and some of what we and our allies did was right. Yet much has gone wrong, was wrong to begin with, and will not be judged kindly by history. Earlier this week I wrote about Libertarianism and how Labour should be the champion of liberty. I think the time to show that has come.

Photo: Alex Smith