By Steve Hynd
Rory Stewart, at a special screening of his documentary on Lawrence of Arabia in Penrith, where he hopes to become the Member of Parliament, told the audience:
“We need to acknowledge our limitations, our lack of power and lack of legitimacy.
...“Looking at Iraq and Afghanistan today, I believe very strongly that Lawrence's message would not have been do it better, do it more sensitively, but don't do it at all.”
He also told the audience that Obama is right to insist on leaving Iraq by the deadline next year no matter what and on Afghanistan added that “We should be extremely modest in our objectives and hope that in 20 to 30 years time we’ve helped things get better.”
This is the first time I've ever hoped a Conservative candidate gets elected. The Tories badly need Rory Stewart and others like him to offset their plentiful and influential neocon idiots, like Michael Gove and Liam Fox.
Rory's programme on the Legacy of Lawrence of Arabia was an interesting insight into this complex period of history in the Middle East. I would take issue with him on one statement that he made; that Lawrence was the only person to know the tribes, deserts and languages of Arabia so well. There was one other, his friend and colleague Gertrude Bell. Anyone interested in the history of this time should read "Battle in Iraq" by J M Hammond based on the letters and diaries of my grandfather who served in Iraq at this time. The book highlights many of the issues raised in Rory's programme.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the final scene from the movie.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZdLM2ENld8
Two lines I like...
"...and the virtues of peace are the vices of old men -- mistrust and caution."
And toward the end, Claude Raines' summary, "It seems we will have a British waterworks with an Arab flag on it. Do you think it was worth it?"
Good question, indeed.