Don't attack plea from council (From Stroud News and Journal)

Don't attack plea from council

'DON'T Attack Iraq' is the message to Tony Blair from Stroud Town Council.

Councillors are to send an anti-war declaration to the Government, United Nations and Stroud MP David Drew, who has already spoken out against the war.

The council agreed the motion by 11 votes to three at a meeting on Monday.

Mayor John Majoram said: "It is beholding on local authorities and parish councils at any level of government to express a position on something as fundamental as going to war with another country.

"We could be spending £4 to £6 billion on this war. That money could be spent on Africa or better services in this country.

"It is questionable on moral grounds whether we should make a pre-emptive attack. "We have got to find new ways of dealing with international problems than just going to war."

Cllr Kevin Cranston, a former soldier, said: "This would be the first time since Suez the British army has been involved in an unprovoked attack.

"There is no threat from Iraq to this country. "But the threat of terrorism is made worse by provoking the Arab world.

"This war is only going to make things worse."

But not all councillors felt the threatened war was wrong Cllr Mike Lewis said: "It isn't the job of a parish council to get involved in things like this.

"Ten or twelve years ago there were training camps in Afghanistan. "This council didn't send a motion then.

"What would the wife of the policeman killed in Manchester say about a war?"

Cllr Lewis also claimed a draft of the letter, which was added to the council meeting agenda at the last minute, had been shown on Sunday to those who would agree to it but others were not given a chance to see it.

Cllr Majoram said he had tried to contact as many councillors as he could.

It was added as an emergency item, he said, because of the likely imminence of war.

Cllr Bernard Brown also disagreed with the letter. He said: "In 1937 we were as complacent as you'd like to be now and we ended up with five years of war."