[Project-fallujah] FW: Fallujah council motion

spodulike at freeuk.com spodulike at freeuk.com
Fri Dec 3 13:10:24 GMT 2004


From: Sangimoore at aol.com
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 06:43:53 EST 
Subject:  Fallujah 
To: sheffield at stopwar.org.uk 


Hello,

This is from Councillor Peter Moore, Sheffield City Council (Liberal 
Democrat).  For your information there was a Motion proposed to the 
City Council at yesterday's Council meeting (December 1st) about 
Fallujah proposed by Councillor Jillian Creasey (Green) and seconded by 
Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed (Liberal Democrat).   I proposed an 
amendment seconded by Councillor Mohammed Azim (Liberal Democrat).  
There was second amendment proposed by Councillor Jackie Drayton (
Labour) seconded by Councillor Ibrar Hussain (Labour).

Copies of the Notice of Motion and amendments are attached.

Due to the Council meeting being guillotined as we had run out of time 
their was no debate on these items.  However I proposed that there be a 
recorded vote on my amendment and this was accepted as 10 Liberal 
Democrat councillors supported my proposal and that is sufficient under 
Council standing orders for a recorded vote.
The Liberal Democrat group allowed their members a free vote but quite 
clearly the Labour group were adhering to a whipped vote.

As no debate was allowed everything was done formally and apart from my 
amendment voting was on a show of hands.  My amendment was supported by 
a substantial majority of Liberal Democrat councillors with a few 
abstaining and one against.  The Green councillor voted for my 
amendment even though it replaced her original Motion.  The two 
Conservatives and every Labour councillor present voted against my 
amendment (although a few of them absented themselves from the Council 
chamber).  This amendment was thus lost and we voted on the Labour 
amendment on a show of hands and every Labour member present voted for 
it and the Green member and all Liberal Democrat members voted against 
it or abstained.  I did not see which way the Conservatives voted.

If you read the various documents you will see why I chose to amend the 
Motion the way in which I did.  I really couldn't just note the loss of 
life and I don't believe you can refer to anything connected with Iraq 
without pointing out the harsh unpalatable (for some) truth of why we 
are involved and the disastrous consequences.  I believed the Labour 
amendment to be a pathetic and disgraceful cop out totally unworthy of 
support by anyone who opposes the Iraq war.  I am not interested in 
making party political points on this issue but it is above all the 
party of Government that needs to be constantly pressurised at all 
levels if we are to see any change in Government Policy.  I hope this 
is of use to you.

Regards

Peter Moore
-----

NOTICE OF MOTION GIVEN BY COUNCILLOR JILLIAN CREASY

That this Council:

(a) deplores all acts of aggression and terrorism;

(b) notes the loss of civilian life and destruction of the 
infrastructure in Fallujah, Iraq;

(c) wishes to express its sympathy and solidarity with all people of 
good will in that City who are now faced with rebuilding it;

(d) therefore requests the Chief Executive to investigate the 
possibility of forming a Friendship Link with Fallujah and to report 
back to full Council in two months' time; and

(e) requests the Chief Executive to send a copy of this Motion to the 
Prime Minister and the Sheffield Members of Parliament.

----

Amendment to be moved by Councillor Peter Moore seconded by Councillor 
Mohammed Azim

That this Council:

(a) believes that warfare is the worst possible way of resolving any 
conflict anywhere in the World and it can only ever be justified if 
sanctioned by the United Nations.

(b) notes that that the original reason given by the Prime Minister for 
going to war i.e. to prevent the use of Weapons of Mass destruction 
held in Iraq by the regime of Saddam Hussein has now been shown to be a 
completely false premise and therefore Parliament and the British 
public were misled by the Prime Minister.

(c) further notes the Current war in Iraq was not sanctioned by the 
United Nations and is an unjustified and illegal war.

(d) is utterly appalled  by the loss of life, and particularly the loss 
of thousands of civilian lives, estimated by the Red Crescent as over 6,
000, as well as the overwhelming destruction of most of the houses and 
infrastructure of the city of Fallujah  

(e) is deeply disturbed by the way in which the vital supplies and aid 
were prevented from going into the city to relieve the thousands of 
terrified, starving and often badly injured civilians.

(f) is shocked that 50,000 or so families are now camped outside 
Fallujah awaiting the winter in fear and trepidation presenting the 
real possibility of a humanitarian disaster.

(g) is dismayed  that despite the appalling destruction and loss of 
life in Fallujah, for much of the British media and particularly the 
BBC, Fallujah no longer appears to be a news story worth reporting on.

(g) wishes to express its sympathy and solidarity with all people of 
good will in Fallujah and all aid agencies who are now faced with the 
grim and lengthy prospect of supplying it and rebuilding it;

(h) although having some sympathy with the notion of the possibility of 
forming a ‘Friendship Link with Fallujah’ sees this as a symbolic but 
largely meaningless gesture and is more convinced that the best way for 
individuals to help the people of Fallujah is to set up a fund to allow 
people to donate to it and which goes to the Red Crescent and other 
recognised aid agencies who are specifically trying to help the people 
of Fallujah, and therefore

(i) requests the Chief Executive to (i) set up this fund and publicise 
it and (ii) send a copy of this Motion to the Prime Minister, the 
Sheffield Members of Parliament, the United Nations, UK MEP’s, the Red 
Crescent and the Management and Governors of the BBC.

----

Amendment to be moved by Councillor Jackie Drayton seconded by 
Councillor Ibrar Hussain

That this Council

a) sympathises with the citizens of Fallujah who are living in such a 
difficult and dangerous situation;

b) nelieves that a ‘frindship link’ would not do anything to alleviate 
their suffering;

c) wishes to see as soon as possible a stable, peaceful Iraq with a 
democratically elected Government.



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