A risky path but Libya intervention is right

12 April 2012

The air strikes against Libyan government targets have had one good outcome: the rebel stronghold of Benghazi did not fall, as it would otherwise have done, and the inevitable massacre of rebels did not take place.

This is a gain from intervention, and a solid one. But what else flows from our actions in Libya remains uncertain.

It is possible that Colonel Gaddafi will play safe and sit tight on his gains; a stalemate along those lines would result in de facto partition of Libya and could last for years. Our UN mandate for action does not include outright regime change, and we should respect its limitations. But as former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind has pointed out, the arms embargo is one-sided in its effects, handicapping the rebels more than the government; that needs changing. Overthrowing Colonel Gaddafi is a task for the Libyans but there is no reason why we should not help the rebels to do so.

Such negative gains are unshowy. Ultimately Libya needs a political solution, not a military one: without democratic regime change, this could be a long and difficult Western deployment. Still, it is worth reflecting on what we have already achieved. Despots in the Middle East who stood to lose from the revolution may now think again about how they use force. The West has shown that its support for Arab democracy goes beyond warm words. Had we left the rebels to their fate, that would have sent a grim signal to the Middle East.

But Arab League backing was crucial. Now it seems that the secretary-general of the League, Amr Moussa, has backpedalled on his support, criticising the use of force. There is a remedy for that - for Arab nations to play a more active role in the intervention. Qatar is taking part but other Arab nations could do so too. Egypt has a big air force and if its army, after their own revolution, were to act against Libya, it would send a powerful message.

Today the Commons votes on intervention. MPs should argue the case fully, drawing attention to the difficulties, not least that we know little about those who would replace Colonel Gaddafi. But for all the uncertainties, our intervention, backed by Labour, is morally justifiable and the Commons should acknowledge as much.

NI is a tax too

There are suggestions that the sleight of hand whereby governments manage to convince us to regard our National Insurance contributions as something other than taxation could be ended in Wednesday's Budget. Chancellor George Osborne is said to favour setting in motion the ultimate unification of National Insurance with income tax. The advantage would be that we would know just what we were paying, though there would be complications, such as compensating pensioners, exempt from NI, for the change in income tax on their savings.

There is much to be said for a simpler, more transparent tax system - although such a move would be politically risky, as well as unpopular in Whitehall. But at a time when ordinary workers are being squeezed on every front - as Institute for Fiscal Studies figures show today, the average family was worse off by £365 last year - we should at least be aware of where our money is going.

Fleecing passengers

As a result of Transport for London recently changing its customer service line to an 0843 code, passengers are now being charged as much as £2 for a five minute call. For those calling to ask about delayed and disrupted services, this is adding insult to injury.

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