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Galloways deadly logic kills us all
A protester who politely complains about war in Iraq is outflanked and evicted from Parliament Square by 78 policemen, yet Gratuitous George Galloway can say terrorists would be morally justified to kill the prime minister and he gets away with it. MPs mutter he might be docked a few Luncheon Vouchers and banned from the Commons crimper or some such, but the response is surprisingly muted.Galloway argued it would be logical and explicable to kill Tony Blair in revenge for ordering the deaths of thousands in Iraq. He said he was not calling for it, but the Respect MPs words sound too close for comfort. There is a grave charge against Blair: he took us to war with no plans for the aftermath and no true prospectus; he flew in on a wing and a prayer. But Galloways logic takes us to dangerous places. Would it also be justifiable to kill the majority of MPs who voted for war? And from there it is not too big a leap to adopt the position of the July 7 bombers: that all Britons are somehow fair game for daring to re-elect Blair afterwards except, of course, of the voters of Bethnal Green, who elected Galloway. Even many of us who opposed the war find it infuriating how Galloway ignores how close the calculation was: the horror of what might unfold versus the horror of leaving in place such a dictator who had slaughtered and tortured so many. Sure, we need MPs to keep up the pressure on Iraq. And we need sometimes tough, even outrageous, questions to upset the cosy consensus. That is why, on occasion, some of us have even felt tempted to salute old Galloways indefatigability. You might even argue, with Gratuitous George, that Blair should be indicted for war crimes: just because we won and we are Brits doesnt give Blair immunity from the legal salvos now being lobbed at Saddam. It has been argued that by todays standards someone would have faced a jolly tricky war crimes trial for ordering the fire-bombing of Hamburg, if not Dresden. But Galloway, despite being elected as a lawmaker, seeks to justify illegal action, all for violent revenge. Surely, by this act, his position in the legislature loses legitimacy. What if, God forbid, the prime minister were to be murdered? George would love to be arrested for glorifying terrorism; he would prance about as a martyr. So maybe MPs are right, there is no sanction. Except one: he has forfeited our respect. Posted by: ryuge 2006-05-28 |
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