Three years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, the British public no longer believes that our military presence in Iraq is serving any purpose. For the first time, a substantial majority wants troops to be withdrawn, either immediately or within 12 months, regardless of conditions on the ground.
As Iraq teeters on the edge of civil war, a YouGov survey for The Daily Telegraph today shows opposition to the war at its highest level since the US-led coalition invaded the country in March 2003. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents believe that George W Bush and Tony Blair were wrong to take military action. Only a third still believes they were right.
That is a mirror image of April 2003, when support for the war was at its highest after the lightning campaign to capture Baghdad and the televised toppling of Saddam's statue. Then, 60 per cent of respondents said that military action was right and 35 per cent opposed it.
Opposition has grown as the streets of Iraq have fallen into chaos, the rebellion has intensified, sectarian conflict spread and the allies have failed to halt the violence and rebuild the country. Conditions have not been helped by the political paralysis in Baghdad. Nearly four months after Iraqis defied the gunmen and the bombers to cast their votes, the parliament has been unable to form a government.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/03/wirq03.xml&DCMP=EMC-new_03042006We should leave Iraq sooner rather than later
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/04/03/dl0301.xml&DCMP=EMC-new_03042006