Cole-Hamilton: Charles Kennedy was right about Iraq

Speaking on the anniversary of the Iraq war, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has said that former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy was right about Iraq and reflected on Kennedy's now renowned opposition to the 2003 invasion.

Charles Kennedy led the party’s opposition to the Iraq War, and, in so doing, the Liberal Democrats become the largest British political party to oppose it.

At the 2003 Liberal Democrat conference, Mr Kennedy gave a compelling speech in which he described, “a small clique driving us into war, disregarding widespread public doubts.”

Reflecting on Mr Kennedy’s legacy, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Leading the opposition to the Iraq War was perhaps Charles’ finest hour.

“He argued that there was no conclusive evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, and history has vindicated that position as clear, courageous and, fundamentally, correct.

“Charles put the Liberal Democrats firmly on the side of fairness and reason, a legacy which we will continue to build in his name.

“The war eroded public trust in politics, damaged Britain’s moral authority on the global stage and heightened the dangers facing both our country and our world.  As we mark the 20-year anniversary and remember the devastating loss of life, there are many lessons to be learned.

“We will never forget the death toll, the unending violence, the horrors unleashed on the people of Iraq in the aftermath of the invasion.

“We must never revisit the grave errors that began on 20th March 2003. Geopolitical complexities were simplified to interventionist fantasies, rationality was beaten down by groupthink.

“Charles was a voice for the millions who knew that the war was wrong. The Liberal Democrats will be a voice for the millions who know that truth and justice are often hard-won."