'Finally, we must stop being subservient to the US. We can’t go on being America’s glove puppet, as we have been over Iraq and Lebanon, and, most worryingly, Iran. We need a foreign policy that robustly reasserts our own essential British interests and our commitment to the UN. The first demonstration of that should be strong opposition to any potential US or Israeli attack on Iran...'

God, it's nice to read some plain good sense in The Times.

Fluffy the Toy Poodle, as Blair is undoubtedly known in the backrooms of Washington, has made Britain seem pathetic to clear-thinking people the world over. He's got absolutely nothing for his three bags full to Bush.

John Chuckman, Toronto, Canada

Mr Meacher, you are advocating everything that has caused the problems today. 60's nostrums. Let me put this in the language of people with " Visions". We have 'situations '
and social ' problems' for which we need to find "solutions'. We have to find 'root' causes, and what causes 'disadvantaged' people to act this way. We must ' reach out , ' feel their 'pain ' and offer ' resolutions '.
IAN. In your parlance, you are the ' problem ', not the ' solution '. Sorry.

Desmond Taylor, Houston, USA Texas

This MP is living in some alternate universe. The international interests of the US and UK are virtually identical when it comes to national security. Iran is a rogue state. Does the MP really believe that UN sanctions will work? Have they ever worked anywhere? Give me a break. Iran spits on the UN. Iran has vowed to destroy Israel. Where do you think they will place their first nuclear weapon? As for carbon emissions, get a life, Mr.Meacher. Your goal of 60% reduction will never happen and you know it. Why not worry about what is real: the threat posed by global jihad.

Please Mr. Meacher, remove your head from an area that lacks sunshine.

Norman Stern, Naples, Florida USA

We need good govenment and policies that take us forward not back. While reducing inequality may be a good thing in its own right the idea that it leads to this long list of benefits was surely discredited many years ago. Its the reverse. Better education, health and parenting lead to less inequality. Lets get on with the job of directly improving the public services that matter and stop dreaming that social engineering will provide the answers.

PE, London,

So , do I take it you would listen to us & we can have a referendum on ID cards then Mr Meacher ???

Ha Ha Ha I knew that would be your answer, of course not .

Maggie Millington, Brittany, France

My challenge to Mr Meacher is for him to prove that he can practise what he preaches. In the eighties he said that to own more than one property was anti-social. Come on Michael, sell your other six (or is it eight now?) flats and redistribute the proceeds amongst your constituents. I cannot believe that you could be a hypocrite.

Jake Foreman, Sussex, England

No wonder even the rather limited Blair and Brown so despise the majority of their fellow labour MPs....

edward green, Upminster, England

Most people, like Michael Meacher, would prefer not to use force against Iran, for any number of reasons that hardly need to be spelled out.

A peaceful solution is definitely feasible. But if the US does eventually decide to use force against Iran (quite unlikely after Iraq), I can't see a British PM (even Michael Meacher) refusing to go along for the ride, no matter how reluctantly.

Harris, Leeds,

Michael, where is your opposition to Trident, PFI, public sector privatisation,defence of trade union freedoms.? Looks like you have ditched half the policy platform already .Why don't you do the left a real favour, stand down, as already suggested in recent weeks by countless activists, trade union members and MPs. And give our preferred candidate John McDonnell a fighting chance of getting on the ballot.

susan calder valley CLP , west yorkshire ,

To say that we should reduce our prison population is a pipedream. It is very difficult to get sent there anyway! There is even a waiting list for that.
Perhaps when schools and the police have the authority restored to them to deal with antisocial behaviour and that parents are made responsible then you'll see a change. But while a bunch of PC crazed politicians are in charge no chance!

roger kingston, york,

Replace prisons with "secure units in the community".....and what shall we call them? Er... prisons?

Elizabeth Philips, Halifax, England

Exactly which hardline policy on crime are you referring to? Prisons may be full, but that's due a lack of investment and a rising population rather than any concerted effort to deter crime by handing out stiff sentences. I wholeheartedly agree that any effort to reduce crime must also tackle the causes of crime, but one only need look at the number of teenagers stabbed in London already this month to see that any suggestion this government is already tough on crime is laughable.

Philip, Dubai,

It would be difficult to find someone who would disagree with you Meacher. How exactly will all this be achieved? Of course we've heard it all before, many times, so what's different this time?

Jono Taylor, Bristol, UK

Another example of New-Speak. Michael Meacher says that we can't go on... etc. Of course we can. He really means: we shouldn' go on. The lack of clarity in politician's thinking is one of the crosses the public has to bear

Peter Cressall, Aston Munslow, Shropshire

How many houses does Michael Meacher own again? Lets call it a dozen, in these days of undersupply in housing thats a dozen families denied a stake in the countrys future. Disenfranchised indeed Mr Meacher.

John , Surrey, England

A curious political exercise. Meacher reveals directly that politicians do know what people want, and indirectly why they don’t necessarily get it. This is undoubtedly politics, but what people want is good government not politics. Meacher isn’t exactly flattering either himself or Parliament by suggesting that to get these policies effected he needs to become Labour leader, though his emphasis on climate change is clearly a contrivance.

Henry Percy, London, UK

Ten years in office and someone on the inside can see, as most on the outside can, just what a sorry mess this government has made of running our dear country. The only real answer Michael Meacher is just admit your party is just not capable of running this country and get the hell out of office and let those who can get on with the job of putting things to right again

D Case, Newquay, uk

About time that the current Brtish guns and knifes cultures are tackled at their roots-- inner cities decay and general social impoverishments and failures of
the education system.

Britain has the means to fight a war in Iraqi/Afghanistan and yet its society is
disintegrating owing to above and what more fudamnetal that the streets are
safe to walk on without being stabbed?



At long last someone is talking and talking right. Get on with the solutions please.

Ian, spore, spore

Why do all politicians have to tag climate change onto everything it is not man made CO2 thats doing it and they know it.Its just an excuse for tax raises.

mitch, wolverhampton, england

It has been said that the icon of the left has become not the man with the Red Flag, but the man in the White Coat. This nonsense reinforces that observation.

Kevin Dunn, Nedlands, Australia

I think the comments that Britain can influence the U.S. at this stage are somewhat unrealistic. British failure at diplomacy, military capacity/projection, and disjointed policies have rendered Britain useless.
The Europeans know this, which is why they didn't risk their commercial credits to Iran by standing with Britain. The UN knows this because Britain's standing in the UN was proven to be low when the resolution put forth by Britain was watered down by all council members like an overused teabag.
It's time Britain face the reality it's military is a disgrace, 12,000,000 of its people live below the poverty line...that's 20% of the population and a shocking number.
Britain gets involved in meaningless and unproven projects to show a face on the global stage, like cutting emissions which it will never do, then taxes the very people with road tolls that are extreme to keep the people who need to work out of London,
Britain has no standing to advise the U.S. at this point.

M.Paul, Springfield, USA

One hardly knows where to start with this piece of nonsense. He identifies "mainsteam Labour" with the majority of the country when they are in a small minority; he says that inequality is bad but has no constructive suggestions for reducing it; he says that climate change would be his biggest challenge without acknowledging that there is virtually nothing Britain, with 2% of the world's emissions, can do about it, and he says that Iranian nuclear ambitions must be thwarted with sanctions, though there is no evidence at all that these will work. If Labour elect him, they will be in Opposition for twenty years. Fortunately for themselves, they show no sign of doing so. I wonder why ...

PJ, London,

In WW2 Britains policy was to get the US into the War. It was not successful. It could be argued that America's policy was to sit out the War and watch its rivals eliminate each other. Luckily the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and Hitler declared war on America. 62 years on the the shoe is on the other foot. America now knows she cannot act unilaterally. She needs Allies if she is to prevail. Britain should provide support but only so long as it serves our own national interests. We now have the leverage to influence and curb US rashness. The drums are beating and the sabres are rattling right now in the White House over Iran. They can't wait to start bombarding that Country with some of their new untested nuclear bunker busters with no thought of the consequences. Now is the time to use that leverage. Make them understand they're on their own and what Britain is looking for is a new way forward in the whole Middle East.

Geoff , Wyevale, Ontario, Canada

The EU trades extensively with Iran and would be in a good position to compel Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions by restricting that trade. If Meacher is opposed to the use of force to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, would he be in favor of the EU adopting sanctions against Iran?

Meacher wants a "wider international peace conference for a joint settlement of interconnected Middle East issues that cannot be solved one by one." And what exactly would those issues be? Do they include the ubiquitous dictatorship, mass poverty, and economic stagnation that dominate the Arab world? Do they include Iran's aspirations for regional hegemony, or Syria's wish to dominate its neighbor Lebanon or destabilize Israel with Hezbollah raids and bombardments?

Matt, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA

Too funny!

M. Fernandez, San Francisco,