Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Less than a week after the issue was debated in the Houses, it seems ridiculous to have to ask the Leader to have a member of the Government come before the House to explain precisely what is its policy on the possibility of war in Iraq. The current approach appears to be based on the good cop, bad cop routine, with the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs choosing to speak in humanitarian terms here last week, whereas the Minister reportedly spoke in belligerent terms in the Dáil yesterday. An inspired leak also appeared in The Irish Times this morning essentially stating that Government policy would be to support whatever America does.