Parliament likely to be recalled after UN resolution

This morning's Telegraph was one of a number of newspapers to report mounting calls for Parliament to be recalled.  Half of the 170 MPs who have called for a return of Parliament are Labour.  Tony Blair's inner circle fears that a recall will be used by dissident Labour MPs to attack his support for Israel and, perhaps, to marshall renewed calls for him to quit Downing Street early.  A hint of the temperature of opinion on Labour's backbenches comes from an article by Kitty Ussher in this week's New Statesman. Before becoming an MP last year Ms Ussher was hardly a left-wing firebrand.  She was an economist for Britain in Europe and special adviser to Patricia Hewitt.  You know that the PM is in trouble when the likes of Ms Ussher write that "the only conclusion any right-minded person can draw is that the Prime Minister thought it was OK for Muslims to keep dying."  Very strong stuff.

Tony Blair fears that any recall of parliament without a UN resolution - or a substantial de-escalation of the fighting in Lebanon - risks exposing him to massive Labour unrest.  Government backbenchers like Joan Ruddock (formerly of CND) have already warned that Labour MPs are more unhappy at their leader's stance on this issue than they are over Iraq.

As for the Tory position?  The Telegraph reports David Davis as saying that Parliament should not be recalled on the back of yesterday's events but that there are arguments for MPs debating the Israel-Hezbollah-Lebanon conflict.

Related link: WhenWillBlairGo.com?

Comments

[Sean Fear]

That's a pretty craven article from Kitty Ussher.

[Denis Cooper]

"It was the day I was due to go down to the Asian area of my constituency to see an old political friend for the first time in ages. It was a house I had visited often in the past few years; his front room had seen many an election plan hatched and carried out, including part of my own selection battle in Burnley ... So when I discovered recently that he was about to go home to Pakistan for a month ..."

[Chris D]

I would much rather see Parliament recalled to discuss the worsening situation in Iraq and Afghanistan where we have direct involvement with many civilians being killed or injured and British soldiers at risk!
I see that BBC news24 is reporting that
"UK troops will lead a major combat offensive against the Taleban in southern Afghanistan" and equally worrying is their report about the findings of the Defence committee "The all-party defence committee said the soldiers needed more helicopters and better-protected patrol vehicles to shield them from roadside bombs.

Committee members visited Iraq in June and also say operations in Afghanistan are being done on a "shoe string".

[Chris Hughes]

For crying out loud, what on earth will the recalling of our parliament achieve? Absolutely nothing. Its not even our business. Please please please keep our politicians as far away from the legislature as physically possible, the summer break is all the rest bite we get from the idiocy

[Ted]

Labour & Lib Dem MPs might worry that we voters are being starved of their much needed thoughts on the events in two countries where the British State has no direct involvement or interest - having taken our citizens out of the Lebanon and graciously re-admitted a certain Dame fleeing Hezbollah rockets - but rally boys and girls we aren't interested.

However I am concerned about the increasingly dangerous task our forces are facing in Afghanistan. David Cameron rightfully supports the continuing struggle against the Taiban and their Al Qaeda allies but the Government does not seem to have provided suficient thought as to numbers, mission, arms, air support or supplies. Suggest that we press for recall on grounds that Parliament was milsed by Dr Reid in his statements covering this deployment and the government urgently needs to reconsider its plans and provide our troops with the equipment and support required.

[TomTOm]

Parliament wants to be full of high-flown rhetoric and a chance to grandstand on matters they cannot affect, but matters they have responsibility for such as equipping British soldiers properly they ignore in favour of lecturing Israel or the United States in some desire to make headlines rather than provide effective governance.

Any Parliament that can spend 700 hours debating faxhunting while pensions are destroyed by a spendthrift government is hardly worth the effort

[william]

Only in Parliament can our nation express its views - through our representatives. If that becomes a pointless exercise, Tom Tom, then our nation has become a pointless exercise.

If left wingers see a chance to finish Blair they will be mistaken. He will be able to portray the dangers we face, and claim that he is taking action to defeat them.

Right wingers should be demanding better equipment and more forces, and supporting Israel in her grinding struggle with Hizbullah and Iran. Of course we will do no such thing, and be made to look weak in the face of danger. The Cameron strategy will look rockier than ever.

[TomTom]

Only in Parliament can our nation express its views - through our representatives. If that becomes a pointless exercise, Tom Tom, then our nation has become a pointless exercise.

I fear we have passed that point.

[George Hinton]

Nothing like a bit of dissent in the New Labour ranks, which may make them unelectable in a few years time. We should be supporting the dissidents.