Ignoring Iraq’s legacy is naive

A decade on from Saddam Hussein’s overthrow and there is a possibility of this country being dragged into the Syria civil war while the Ministry of Defence imposes further budget cuts now described as “quite dangerous” by the head of the Army as the Government’s latest spending review reaches its denouement.

These are uncertain times – the greater threat to future stability in the Middle East probably is probably not the daily bloodshed in Syria but the fate of Iran following yesterday’s elections.

Yet, while this argument has been deployed by those who believe that the future capabilities of the Armed Forces are being compromised by a succession of defence cuts, and a greater future reliance on Army reservists, an equal number of people would be loathed for Britain to become embroiled in another conflict.

It is a conundrum which makes David Cameron’s position even more unenviable; his political interventions in the Middle East will carry even less weight if it becomes clear that his words cannot be backed by military muscle.

That said, it is slightly naive to instigate a spending review on this scale without clarity on whether Britain should have an interventionist role in the future – or if there should be a greater emphasis on diplomatic initiatives.

As such, this week’s intervention in the House of Commons by Rory Stewart, the former diplomat and Tory MP, offers compelling – and recommended – evidence. While many still vilify Tony Blair and George W Bush for the failures in Iraq, he spoke about the Foreign Office’s utter failure to understand the conditions on the ground, the need to build a better dialogue on the ground and for Parliament’s scrutiny process to be far more robust as MPs cannot be expected to have sufficient insight of their own.

They are all points that need to be considered before the Ministry of Defence embarks upon another cost-cutting exercise that is being driven by Treasury accountants rather than foreign policy considerations.

A force for good?

EVEN though public opposition forced Labour to drop plans to merge Yorkshire’s four police forces, it did not discourage the constabularies from working together on two fronts.

First, they realised that significant efficiency savings could be achieved by the pooling of “back office” functions – like the procurement of equipment. This process started before David Cameron’s austerity agenda began to bite.

Second, it made sense for specialist units investigating serious crimes to harness their expertise. As criminals do not respect force boundaries, it was detrimental to the public interest for teams of officers to work in isolation.

Given this, it appears to make sense for West Yorkshire’s major crime unit to be shared with North Yorkshire. The latter is a predominantly rural force relatively unblighted by those crimes, like gang violence, that regularly occur on the streets of Leeds and Bradford.

That said, the need “to plan and configure resources” – the terminology used in a North Yorkshire Police report – must not ignore the need to ensure that there are sufficient officers in a position to respond to emergencies at all times. This needs to be factored into any new collaborative arrangements.

It is also paramount that the sharing of resources is not allowed to compromise neighbourhood policing. Often taken for granted, it is this work which is crucial to reducing the likelihood of today’s youngsters becoming tomorrow’s career criminals. However it takes time to build up effective community partnerships and there is a risk that such work will be compromised if officers are shunted around the county on an increasingly frequent basis. That will only make the fight against crime even more difficult to win in the longer term.

Deserved honours

IF there was any doubt that the likes of Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson and Clare Balding have attained the status of national treasure, that question mark has surely been removed by their awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

But for all the attention inevitably lavished on actors, sports stars and business tycoons, it is the recognition afforded to individuals with lower profiles where the honours system truly demonstrates its value.

Awards to the likes of Leeds primary school teacher Pauline Gavin and Lyn Costelloe, chief executive of the Little Red Bus organisation in North Yorkshire, not only recognise their hard work but also serve as a broader reminder of the huge contribution made by countless others like them to our communities every day.

As Blackadder and Baldrick, Atkinson and Robinson brought smiles to millions.

The work of many of the lesser-known recipients will impact on many fewer people but is no less important for that and is thoroughly deserving of a nation’s thanks.