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The Gulf
21 JANUARY 1991
successful interception, the explosion of a missile, or the successful defeat of a missile. Some of the communications challenges are very serious. I take seriously the criticisms that were made, and we shall do our best to improve.
I express my gratitude to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks) for what he said about the work of the people of the Ministry of Defence. It is very easy to write up the present conflict in terms of the brave boys in the front line and a lot of dundering bureaucrats in the Ministry of Defence-[ Interruption. ] Ministers can take the flak-they have to take the flak. I want to pay my tribute to the teamwork that is going on round the clock. right through the whole organisation at present to make sure that it is not done just by magic. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said, 3.000 tonnes of supplies a day are arriving. It is not just by magic that the troops in the front line are actually able to say that they believe that. compared with the other forces there, they have the best equipment and the best organisation for the job. I should like to pay my tribute to them.
The right hon. Member for Yeovil said at the end of his speech that this is perhaps the easiest part. My hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Sir G. Shaw) echoed that thought. We undoubtedly recognise the challenge that we face. After the first few hours of the air campaign, the first excitement and recognition of the power, sophistication and amazing skill of some of the new weaponry fooled a number of people into thinking that this would be a short and easy expedition. I think that there is now a more sober recognition in the House of the scale of the challenge to our forces and of our responsibility. I give fair warning to the House that there may be difficult times ahead. There may be times when our fortitude will be tested. Yet I remind the House why we are here. We must show the same fortitude as was shown tonight by those pilots and those aircrew who had been out yet again another night on another mission. All returned safely. I am happy to say. They can expect the courage that they are showing of us as well.
It is a time, as Secretary of State for Defence, to have to decide on deployments and to have to determine which units, which men and women will be sent out to the Gulf, an area of danger, and an area of great uncertainty where there is a serious threat of new weaponry and danger. I could not do that if I did not believe that the cause was just. I could not do it if I did not profoundly believe that it was right. That is why I commend our motion and the amendment to the House.
Amendment agreed to.
Question put. That the main Question, as amended, be agreed to:
The House divided: Ayes 563, Noes 34.
Division No. 40]
AYES
Adams. Mrs. Irene (Paisley, N) Adley. Robert
Aitken. Jonathan
Alexander. Richard
Alison. Rt Hon Michael
Allason. Rupert
Allen, Graham
Alton, David
Amery. Rt Hon Julian
Amess. David Amos, Alan
Anderson, Donald
Arbuthnot. James
Archer. Rt Hon Peter Armstrong. Hilary
110 pm
Arnold Jacques (Gravesham) Arnold. Sir Thomas Ashby. David
Ashdown. Rt Hon Paddy Ashley. Rt Hon Jack Ashton, Joe Aspinwall, Jack
Atkins. Robert
Atkinson. David
Baker. Rt Hon K. (Mole Valley) Baker, Nicholas (Dorset N)
Baldry, Tony
Banks, Robert (Harrogate)
The Gulf
Barnes, Mrs Rosie (Greenwich) Barron, Kevin Batiste, Spencer Battle, John Beaumont-Dark, Anthony Beckett. Margaret Beggs, Roy Beith, A. J. Bell, Stuart Bellingham, Henry Bellotti, David
Bendall, Vivian
Bennett, Nicholas (Pembroke) Benton, Joseph Benyon, W. Bermingham, Gerald Bevan, David Gilroy Biffen, Rt Hon John Blackburn, Dr John G. Blair, Tony
Blaker. Rt Hon Sir Peter Blunkett, David Boateng, Paul
Bonsor, Sir Nicholas Boscawen, Hon Robert Boswell. Tim Bottomley, Peter
Bottomley, Mrs Virginia Bowden, A (Brighton K'pto`n) Bowden, Gerald (Dulwich) Bowis, John Boyes, Roland
Boyson, Rt Hon Dr Sir Rhodes Braine. Rt Hon Sir Bernard Brandon-Bravo, Martin Bray, Dr Jeremy Brazier, Julian
Bright, Graham
Brooke, Rt Hon Peter Brown, Gordon (D'mline E) Brown, Michael (Brigg & CIt's) Brown, Nicholas (Newcastle E) Browne, John (Winchester) Bruce, lan (Dorset South! Bruce, Malcolm (Gordon) Buchanan-Smith, Rt Hon Alick Buck. Sir Antony Buckley. George J. Budgen. Nicholas Burns. Simon Burt, Alistair Butler. Chris Butterfill, John Caborn, Richard Campbell. Menzies (Fife NE) Campbell, Ron (Blyth Valley) Campbell-Savours, D. N. Carille, Alex (Mont'g) Carlisle. John, (Luton N) Carlisle, Kenneth (Lincoln) Carrington, Matthew Carttiss. Michael Cartwright, John
Cash, William
Chalker. Rt Hon Mrs Lynda
Channon, Rt Hon Pau!
Chapman, Sydney Chope. Christopher Churchill, Mr
Clark. Rt Hon Alan (Plymouth) Clark, Dr David (S Shields) Clark, Dr Michael (Rochford) Clark, Sir W. (Croydon S) Clarke. Rt Hon K. (Rushcliffe) Clarke. Tom (Monklands W) Clelland, David Clwyd, Mrs Ann Colvin, Michael
Conway, Derek
110
Cook, Robin (Livingston) Coombs, Anthony (Wyre F'rest) Coombs, Simon (Swindon) Cope, Rt Hon John
Corbett, Robin Cormack, Patrick Couchman, James
Cousins, Jim Cox, Tom Cran, James Critchley, Julian Crowther. Stan Cummings, John Cunliffe, Lawrence Cunningham, Dr John Currie, Mrs Edwina
Curry, David Darling, Alistair
Davies, Rt Hon Denzil (Llanelli) Davies, Q. (Stamf'd & Spald'g) Davies. Ron (Caerphilly)
Davis. David (Boothferry) Day, Stephen
Devlin. Tim Dewar, Donald
Dickens, Geoffrey
Dicks. Terry Dixon, Don
Dobson, Frank Doran, Frank
Dorrell. Stephen
Douglas-Hamilton. Lord James
Dover. Den
Dunn. Bob
Dunnachie. Jimmy
Dunwoody, Hon Mrs Gwyneth
Durant, Sir Anthony
Dykes, Hugh
Eadie. Alexander
Eastham, Ken
Eggar. Tim
Emery. Sir Peter
Evans, David (Welwyn Hatt'd) Evans, John (St Helens N) Evennett, David
Ewing, Harry (Falkirk E) Ewing, Mrs Margaret (Moray) Fairbairn. Sir Nicholas
Fallon, Michael
Fatchett. Derek
Favell. Tony
Fearn, Ronald
Fenner, Dame Peggy
Field. Barry (Isle of Wight) Field. Frank (Birkenhead) Finsberg, Sir Geoffrey Fishburn, John Dudley Fisher. Mark Flynn, Paul
Fookes. Dame Janet Foot, Rt Hon Michael Forman, Nigel
Forsyth, Michael (Stirling) Forsythe. Clifford (Antrim S)
Forth, Eric
Foster. Derek
Foulkes, George
Fowler, Rt Hon Sir Norman
Fox. Sir Marcus
Franks, Cecil
Freeman, Roger French, Douglas Fry, Peter
Galbraith, Sam
Gale. Roger
Gardiner, Sir George Garel-Jones. Tristan
Garrett. John (Norwich South) Garrett. Ted (Wallsend)
65 CD54 44 Job 11-10
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