A perusal of the manifestos suggests that during Thursday’s debate on foreign policy and defence, Gordon Brown won’t be saying “I agree with Nick” very often. The phrase “I agree with David” may not pass Mr Brown’s lips but – with the exception of policy on Europe – the two bigger parties have more in common with each other than with the Lib Dems.
Take Iran. In their manifesto, the Conservatives have a picture of green protestors accompanied by a paragraph on how the opposition used Twitter after last June’s allegedly rigged election. The significance remains unclear, as they simply pledge to “support concerted international efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” which is pretty much the same policy as Labour’s “engagement and pressure”. The Lib Dems are different: “We oppose military action against Iran and believe those calling for such action, undermine the growing reform movement in Iran.”
All three favour a “two state solution” in the Middle East, but the Lib Dems specify that it should be based on borders established after the Six Day War in 1967, and they also call for an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza, a position which would displease Israel.
Whereas the Conservatives say the “mission in Afghanistan is vital to our national security”- again a similar position to that of Labour – the Lib Dems damn with faint praise, saying they will be “critical supporters of the Afghanistan mission”. The Lib Dems talk of the “disastrous and illegal invasion of Iraq,” while Labour make only a glancing reference in a paragraph on defence funding, and the Conservatives don’t mention it at all.
The Lib Dems promise a “judicial enquiry into allegations of British complicity in torture and state kidnapping” – again, a more radical policy than either Conservatives or Labour.
In the last debate, David Cameron challenged Nick Clegg as being weak of defence – and then undermined himself by suggesting that China – with which the manifesto says the Tories would like “closer engagement” – might be a potential enemy: “Are we really happy to say that we’d give up our independent nuclear deterrent when we don’t know what is going to happen with Iran, we can’t be certain of the future in China?” he said.
The rise of the Lib Dems in the polls means that their foreign policies are being scrutinised as never before, and their manifesto pledges suggest theirs is more radical approach than either of the other main parties.