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The Sun Newspaper Online - UK's biggest selling newspaper

The appeasers

THE smug sanctimony of the Liberal Democrat party over Iraq is nauseating.

Foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell tells the Government this is not the time for triumphalism.

And, gloating that the Lib Dems voted against taking military action against Saddam Hussein, he calls for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq before the end of the year.

What a ludicrous proposition.

The brave Iraqis have just shown the terrorists that they will not bend to the bullet or the bomb.

But a massive task still lies ahead before the murderers are beaten and Iraq is rebuilt.

Setting a timetable for our troops to pull out would put the terrorists on notice that all they need do is bide their time until they are given a free rein for their wicked campaign to resume.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw could not conceal his contempt for the Lib Dems’ jelly-like stance.

Parliament voted to send our forces to Iraq, he reminded Campbell, and MPs must shoulder the responsibility of that action.

If the world had listened to the Lib Dems, Saddam Hussein would still be ruling his tyrannical empire and democracy in Iraq would lay trampled in the dust.

Is that what the Lib Dems wanted when they put appeasement before principle?

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Rt Hon Jack Straw MP

Rt Hon Jack Straw MP

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Responsibility for: overall responsibility for the work of the Office; Communications; Parliamentary Relations; Directorate for Strategy and Information; Legal Advisers; Information Management Department; Research Analysts; Honours; Whitehall Liaison Department.

The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 8 June 2001. Mr Straw has been the Member of Parliament for Blackburn since 1979.

Mr Straw was born in 1946 and educated at Brentwood School, Essex and Leeds University. He was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1972. He is a visiting Fellow of Nuffield College Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.

Mr Straw was Home Secretary from 1997-2001. He was Shadow Home Secretary from 1995 to 1997. From 1992-1994 he was Shadow Environment Secretary. And between 1987 and 1992 Mr Straw was Shadow Education Secretary. From 1983-1987 he was Opposition spokesman on Local Government and from 1980-1983 on Treasury matters. He was a member of the Labour Party National Executive Committee from 1994-1995.

Mr Straw was President of Leeds University Students' Union from 1967-1968 and of the National Union of Students from 1969-1971. From 1971 to 1974 Mr Straw was a member of the Inner London Education Authority and Deputy Leader from 1973 to 1974.

Mr Straw worked as a barrister from 1972-1974 and was special adviser to Barbara Castle from 1974-1975 and to Peter Shore from 1976-1977. He also worked for Granada Television's World in Action programme from 1977-1979.

He is married with one son and one daughter. His recreations are walking, music, cooking puddings and supporting Blackburn Rovers.

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Tell it like it is, Jack. Can I get an "Amen"?

About time this duffer said something sensible.

He's a dickhead but I have to agree with this speech.

I wonder who wrote it for him?

Straw says someting that is not stupid.

Nation Shocked!