Freedom Institute's dissection of RBB

national | arts and media | other press Tuesday March 15, 2005 19:30 by X

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Richard Boyd Barrett is no democrat
http://www.freedominst.org/2005/03/richard-boyd-barrett-is-no-democrat.html

Today's Irish Times Letter's page opens with a missive from the ubiquitous Richard Boyd Barrett. At the time of the invasion of Iraq, the Irish Anti-War Movement was a significant voice in the debate, raising some sensible objections to the war as well as some not so sensible objections. The not so sensible objections seem to be the more popular among the rump of the IAWM, which has been beset by several splits and defections, many over the control exercised over the dwindling group by the Socialist Worker's Party.

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The problem is not that Mr. Barrett opposed the war. The problem is his contempt for democracy, his condescension towards those who risked so much in voting in Iraq, those Iraqis who gave their lives defending polling stations, and those who no risk much in protesting for democracy and their freedoms in the Lebanon. The end result and the composition of governments are secondary to the means by which the will of the people is heard or ignored. This is a moral claim that all should be able to agree on, while differing on the expediency or justness of certain policies. It's a pity the Irish Anti-War Movement and the leader have chosen to sit out in the cold with so many other groups opposed to democracy.