Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

I hope we all agree that we should extend the maximum support and solidarity to the people of Libya who are fighting for democracy against Gadaffi's ruthless regime and to the wider democratic movements that have erupted across the Middle East and are fighting against similarly obnoxious regimes.

Should we not be seriously questioning the motives and actions of those who are launching a military campaign against Libya? I say "motives" because, for the most part, the United States of America and the large European powers were slow in giving full support to the democratic movements in Tunisia and Egypt, maintained relations with the Mubarak and Ben Ali dictatorships right up to the end and refused to support the overthrow of those regimes until that had been effected by the people of those countries, only then deciding to wade in behind the democratic movements. A democratic movement under way in Bahrain is being dealt with ruthlessly by that country with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates-----

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