One of my favourite sites is Martin Wolf's Economists' Forum.

The last but one article posted there was Larry Summer's piece on the US after the elections. Only Martin Wolf has replied - but he gets so close to my own feelings on Iraq on the "war on terror" that I will quote him.

There is no “war on terror”. Military cannot deliver durable security against an idea. Even in the case of the cold war the victory was ultimately won because communism was seen as unsuccessful in delivering the good life. What we are engaged in is, in essence, a complex global policing operation, combined with a war of ideas

We should have the confidence to believe that, given time, our ideas will triumph, provided we do not betray them ourselves and do enough to give them the time they need. By rejecting core features of the rule of war, employing torture, vilifying those who disagree with them, demolishing old alliances, indulging in overweening confidence in military power and, not least, promising to remake societies at the point of a gun, the Bush administration did betray core western values. It also showed grotesque incompetence in execution. How can we win a war of ideas like that? The US and, I hope, the wider world - western and non western - must start all over again.

…This administration’s politics have…been those of fear. It is this that I find unforgivable: fear makes us small, fear makes us weak and fear makes us detestable. We cannot win this war of ideas if all we have to offer is our fear.

Why am I sharing this with you?

First because the Queen's Speech seemed to me to be a sad example of the politics of fear.

Second because watching the "boxing" debate between Blair. Brown, and Cameron, I was reminded that they were all supporters of this foolish exercise. They have all promoted the fearful approach.

This sort of critique of Iraq seems more powerful than any procedural critique of the way the UK handled the Security Council. Liberal Democrats opposed the battle of arms. We should sign up for the battle of ideas.