'BRING THEM HOME' (From Gazette & Herald)

'BRING THEM HOME'

RYEDALE District Council (RDC) may be the first in the land to go on record in opposition to British policy in Iraq.

At a dramatic meeting last Thursday, a motion calling for the speedy return of British troops was endorsed by the council - but only after the 11-member Conservative group walked out in protest.

The motion, which councillors passed by a vote of 13 to two, with three abstaining, was put forward by Liberal Coun John Clark. But in the flurry of activity that followed the Tory walk-out, his original wording was considerably amended - in part with a statement from Lt Col Tony Hemesley, who took advantage of the council's new policy to allow the public to speak at its meetings.

Lt Col Hemesley, a retired army officer of Town Street, Old Malton, said: "I asked a question to give balance to the motion in John Clark's name. I thought it resulted in a good debate and a well-weighted resolution at the end of the evening."

The question read: "In light of item 9.3 of this evening's agenda, will the council recognise the British contribution made by her majesty's forces to the creation of public order, restoration of public utilities and fostering of humanitarian causes for the people of Iraq, especially in Basra, a contribution that, on occasion, has directly led to their deaths.

"Will they recognise that her majesty's forces give unrestricted service to the crown, irrespective of political inclination. Finally, will the council recognise that negative resolutions increase the hazards faced by her majesty's forces and fixed dates make a considered and tactical withdrawal infinitely more difficult?"

A spokesperson for the Stop the War Coalition, Ghada Razuki, said this was the first motion known of its kind. She said: "It's pretty amazing. Maybe on this occasion Ryedale has led the way and hopefully other councils will follow."

But the view of Conservative councillors is that RDC should be dealing with local needs, not international affairs.

Leader of the Conservative party, Coun Keith Knaggs, said it was "arrogant to purport to represent Ryedale on a matter which was in no one's manifesto and on which no one has been consulted," and added: "This is a throwback to 20 years ago when there were many left-wing councillors in Britain who seemed more concerned about Nicaragua than their own town."

He revealed that the Conservative group had met the night before the meeting and again immediately before it and voted unanimously to walk out over Coun Clark's motion. Before leaving last Thursday's council meeting, he said: "It is nothing to do with us as councillors, it maybe has something to do with us as citizens," and added that it was nonsense to suggest that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners was somehow the responsibility of the people of Ryedale.

But Coun Clark said afterwards: "To say it is nothing to do with us is unbelievable - I thought international terrorism affected people everywhere - including Ryedale. When I speak to most people, they think what is going on in Iraq is terrible."

Ryedale MP John Greenway does not personally agree with the motion carried by councillors once members of his own party had left the meeting.

However, he said: "I shall, of course, pass on this motion to the prime minister," but added: "Whatever view one took at the time we went to war in Iraq, it is clear that winning the peace is proving extremely difficult.

"However, I believe that matters would only be made worse if we were to withdraw our troops now. Indeed, it may be necessary to reinforce our presence in order to bring lasting peace to Iraq and the Middle East in general."

Chief executive of Ryedale District Council Harold Mosley said he was not in a position to comment, as it was a decision for members.

Speaking at the meeting, Coun Clark's fellow Liberal on the council, Coun Nelly Trevelyan, who seconded the motion, said she had been accused of bringing foreign policy to meetings where it was not an appropriate place to be discussed.

"But we have to make a noise about it," she said. "We need to send a message any way we can. We have blown it. We are part of this coalition that has lost its moral high ground."

Updated: 11:37 Wednesday, May 26, 2004