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Naivety, war and peace - Charlie Bolton, 27 March 2005

To: Western Daily Press

Dear Sir

It always amuses me when Labour Party members or supporters make the claim that by not voting for them, it will 'usher in the Conservatives' (Brian Hughes, 'Naïve stance over Iraq', letters 26th March).

Labour has a majority of 160. In Bristol South, Labour got 57% of the total vote (their nearest challenger, the Tory got 22%). Mr Hughes accuses me of naivety. Well, to even suggest that Labour might lose from this position, suggests that he thinks the Labour Party is enormously incompetent.

When it comes to his comments about Tory enthusiasm for the war, well I suspect he is trying to rewrite history. Although they would no doubt have done the same, it was Tony Blair who took us to war. It was the Labour government who sold us 'weapons of mass destruction'. There were members of the Labour government even resigned because they thought the war illegal. And it was New Labour who ignored the protests of millions of British citizens.

Of course, the shame of it is that Labour and its supporters are so busy running a negative campaign and trying to scare the electorate with 'Tory stories' that they fail to mention their own achievements. I for one applaud them for spending more on the health and education services, even if I disagree with they way they spend some of it.

As for me, I will continue to promote what people should vote for, and not what they should vote against. Greens want a defence policy based on peacemaking, not warmaking. Greens demand real action on climate change, not political posturing. Greens want decent local public services. Voters should remember that they do have alternatives to Labour and Tory.

Charlie Bolton
Parliamentary candidate
Bristol South Green Party

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NAIVE OVER OUR STANCE IN IRAQ

26 March 2005

Sir - To judge from his letter to you (Fight Terrorists By Ousting Blair, Your Say, March 15), the Green Party's parliamentary candidate for Bristol South must be hopelessly naive. If he gets his wish and Labour is defeated at the election, this will usher in the Conservatives.

Has he forgotten that, before the Iraq war, the Tories were far more enthusiastic than Labour was for us to join forces with the Americans?

Does he really think it would help to rid the world of terrorists if we were to cave into them by pulling our troops out now?

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Britain's support for the Americans, two things are clear.

Firstly we couldn't have prevented this war - George Bush would have carried on with or without us.

Secondly, to quit Iraq now, before the new government is ready for us to leave, would be an act of enormous folly.

Brian Hughes

Cheltenham

Gloucestershire