The complete nonsense about Miliband and Iraq

The spin is that David Miliband was against the Iraq war so we should all be cheering in the streets now that he has been appointed Foreign Secretary.

Today's Guardian puts it this way:

(Miliband) is not publicly associated with the decision to invade Iraq and is said to have been privately sceptical about it.

Oh really? At the time, he may have been safely in a "home" department, approving massive expenditure on civil servants to write his "blog". But his public parliamentary voting record shows that he has been up to his neck in support for the war and in rejecting an investigation.

There is an excellent website called Public Whip. If you put an MP's name and a subject into its search engine, it will tell, quite scientifically, what that MP's record has been on the issue.

For example, a search for David Miliband MP and the Iraq war comes up with the interesting observation that, based on his parliamentary record, D. Miliband was 0.8% against the invasion. Not a lot against the invasion, in other words. The 0.8% is due to him being absent from one vote:

David Miliband MP, South Shields agrees 0.8% (explain...) with the policy, Iraq 2003 - Against the invasion.

House	Date	Time	Subject	Agreement
Commons	24 Sep 2002	21:45	Iraq — Weapons of Mass Destruction	absent
Commons	25 Nov 2002	21:34	Iraq — UN Security Council Resolution 1441	disagree
Commons	26 Feb 2003	18:45	Iraq — The Case for War — As yet unproven	disagree
Commons	26 Feb 2003	19:13	Iraq — The Case for War	disagree
Commons	18 Mar 2003	21:15	Iraq — Declaration of War — Case not yet established	disagree
Commons	18 Mar 2003	22:00	Iraq — Declaration of War	disagree

On the subject of whether a Iraq investigation is necessary, D.Miliband is only 6.3% in agreement. The 6.3% is due to him being absent from five votes on the issue:

David Miliband MP, South Shields agrees 6.3% (explain...) with the policy, Iraq Investigation - Necessary.

House	Date	Time	Subject	Agreement
Commons	4 Jun 2003	16:31	Iraq — Weapons of Mass Destruction Inquiry	disagree
Commons	16 Jul 2003	15:53	Iraq — Foreign Affairs Committee Report	disagree
Commons	10 Sep 2003	18:44	Iraq — Role of the United Nations	disagree
Commons	22 Oct 2003	18:40	Iraq — Judicial Inquiry — Setting up	absent
Commons	22 Oct 2003	18:59	Iraq — Judicial Inquiry — Not necessary	absent
Commons	13 Jan 2004	15:42	Iraq — National Audit Office Report on Operation Telic	disagree
Commons	9 Mar 2004	17:19	Iraq — Attorney-General's Advice	disagree
Commons	17 May 2004	18:45	Iraq — Security Situation	absent
Commons	31 Oct 2006	18:53	Iraq — Select committee inquiry — to be set up	disagree
Commons	31 Oct 2006	18:53	Iraq — Select committee inquiry — rejected	disagree
Commons	11 Jun 2007	19:45	Opposition Day — Iraq Inquiry	absent
Commons	11 Jun 2007	19:45	Opposition Day — Iraq Inquiry	absent