The Scottish poodle

The gains of Petraeus only delay hopes of peace for Iraq

Americans may have blundered into the Iraq morass, but they will retreat from it with political guns blazing. And Britain? Its new prime minister crosses the pond to receive private instructions from the White House, allegedly to delay Iraq withdrawal by five months, and returns to sullen acquiescence. Two-thirds of Britons no longer support their government's policy, but do their representatives care? Is parliament even sitting? No. From the moment of the invasion of Iraq, the Commons has shown as much spine as a colonial legislature under the empire. Whipped, bribed, deceived and ignored, the UK parliament has been useless. When it comes to executive scrutiny, thank goodness for the press.