Against the war and Saddam
From Nicholas Martin
Sir: Your leading article (19 July) stated that 'to oppose the war meant, objectively, that you opposed the removal of Saddam. To oppose the removal of Saddam meant, with irresistible logic, that you supported the continuation of the tyranny and torture of the Iraqi people.'
As someone who opposed the war but hated Saddam and longed to see his downfall. I find the logic of your argument entirely resistible. Its central flaw is the assumption that invasion was the only method of toppling Saddam; it was not. The collapse of the Soviet empire demonstrated that ordinary citizens can rid themselves of even the most seemingly omnipotent tyrant. The price is always high, but Iraq's walk to freedom will inevitably be a long one, and whether our 'quick-fi.x' invasion will hasten its arrival remains anyone's guess.
You go on to state that those of us who opposed the war are therefore supporters of 'tyranny and torture'. This is truly ridiculous stuff and takes comfort in the caricature of the cowardly peacenik. I marched in Hyde Park in the company of friends who have known the torture chamber — precisely because they opposed tyranny. So please, no more of this.
Nicholas Martin
London SW11
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