Do YOU feel guilty?

ColdInsomnia · World Chat Champion Joined: 30 Jun 2006 Karma :

It's perhaps not exactly a "current affair" as such but it's the best forum for a discussion like this I believe.

Do you feel at all guilty for the death of countless Iraqi civilians by British weaponry?

Do you personally feel as if you have blood on your hands?

I'm not pushing a point, I'm raising a debate. Are we, the public, to blame for our leader's actions because we put them into power and have done little to stop it, even though we DO have the means to stop the war?

Or, does our responsibility end after we cast our votes, what our prime-minister does bears no reflection upon ourselves?

What's your thoughts?
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TL666 · Trackday Trickster Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Karma :

Might sound a bit harsh but if i'm being brutally honest I don't care about Iraq. I'm too busy with my own life, family and problems too worry about something that is happening thousands of miles away to a nation of savages that stone their women to death and have a deep rooted hatred for all us infidels.
I would be happier for our money to be spent on some decent and well deserved R&R for our armed forces.
I think that we have a nasty little bastard primeminister but I don't feel guilty about any decision he makes because I didn't vote for him.

Louise · World Chat Champion Joined: 22 May 2006 Karma :

Same as above really

froggeh · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 Jul 2006 Karma :

I feel incredibly sorry for the ones who have died, but have got to hold my hands up as one of those who supported, and to a certain degree still do support the war. Whether it was over WMD, or even oil, Saddam needed to be removed(although I believe they should have done this 1st time round)

But to answer the question, no I don't feel in the slightest bit guilty, and I did vote labour (and will be doing next time)

G · The Voice of Reason Joined: 02 Feb 2002 Karma :

I didn't vote for him (I did vote), but I could have done more to register my displeasure in his actions; so yes.

Money I have paid for in taxes has gone towards this.

Mister James · I want to believe! Joined: 10 Aug 2004 Karma :

I agree with much of the above. I supported the war, and still support the idea behind it - although not much of the execution of it. (poor choice of words maybe!)

The overwhelming majority of casualties over there are caused by in-fighting between sectarian groups. I don't see how we can take the blame for large swathes of Iraqi society behaving like utter animals, even if we provided the conditions for it to begin - that's their personal choice.

As with others, a vague feeling of unease and sympathy for the innocent victims, but the majority of my concern goes to British troops who are stuck in the middle of it all, with no choice and no clear exit strategy.
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>Soultrader Mister James, I bet you are a copper
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craigie b · Citizen Smith Joined: 26 Jul 2004 Karma :

Dom · World Chat Champion Joined: 06 Sep 2004 Karma :

craigie b · Citizen Smith Joined: 26 Jul 2004 Karma :

^^^Yep. F*cking deadly^^^

craigie b · Citizen Smith Joined: 26 Jul 2004 Karma :

Whilst I don't feel guilty about the Iraq mess, it could be said that we are partially responsible for what is happening in Iraq today from the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.

The UK, France, Italy and the USA forced the Kurds, Sunni's and Shia into one country under british mandate solely to protect the resources.

The Kurds were bitter about loosing territory to Turkey and the Shia and Sunni's seen their differences as insurmountable, with neither side prepared to recognise a leader from either side.

One of the then current PM, David Lloyd-George's, personal secretaries wrote in his diary that he predicted civil war by 1920!

So the people of Iraq have always been likely to explode in civil unrest if the chance arose because we forced several different factions together who hated each other anyway. The UK has enough experience, historically, with sectarian violence. We should have realised that Iraq was a bubbling cesspit of unexploded tension.

Of course that was quickly forgotten since all middle east people are radical muslims and as such have no other desire than to kill infidels.