Eoghan Harris (Independent)

I strongly disagree with Senator Callely's contribution on Iraq. Iraq was under the control of a very evil dictator which it is no longer. The latest opinion poll taken there showed the people of Iraq are very hopeful about the future. We should not talk down Iraq either.

I will not say the Iraq war was worth it but it was not an ignoble war. It was a war to depose a dictator and the people of Iraq seem more confident that it was worthwhile. The other night I watched Jon Snow and all the other trendies on Channel 4 news discussing this poll. Every bit of good news to come out of Iraq seemed to put another line on his face. If, like Jon Snow, one spends all one's time predicting economic collapse, one cannot take it when the indices are positive. The people of Iraq are increasingly in control of their destinies, and a good thing too.