Libyan excitement leaves the British cold

Peter KellnerPresident
August 24, 2011, 4:32 PM GMT+0

The first poll since the rebels entered Libya’s capital finds the British have yet to share the enthusiasm of the Libyan people or the British media over the events in Tripoli

The British public has yet to share the enthusiasm of the Libyan people or the British media over the events in Tripoli. The first poll since the rebels entered Libya’s capital finds only a modest increase supporting the UN-backed military action in Libya, divisions over what should happen to Col Gaddafi and a widespread reluctance for Britain to do much to support the new Libya following the end of the current conflict.

It’s not that the news has failed to register. Late last week, just 26% thought the Coalition’s military action in Libya was going well. That figure has now doubled to 52%. But when we are asked our other regular tracking question – ‘Do you think Britain, France, the US and other countries are right or wrong to take military action in Libya?’, there has been a much smaller increase in the number saying right, from 31% late last week to 41% now. It remains below the 44-46% we found regularly in March, immediately after the military action was launched.

British voters are divided on whether Gaddafi should be allowed to go into exile, rather than face trial, in order to bring a quick end to the conflict. 39% regard it as a sensible trade-off, while 42% think the rest of the world should ‘decline the offer and insist on Gaddafi being prosecuted for crime against humanity, even if this means extending the conflict’.

If he does surrender (or is captured) instead of fleeing, a clear majority, 58% want him to be tried by the International Criminal Court in the Hague; just 26% would prefer him to be tried by the new Libyan government. And, if he is found guilty of crimes against humanity, 49% want him imprisoned for life, while 33% think he should be executed. Conservative voters divide evenly on this, while Labour voters divide 2-1, and Liberal Democrats more than 3-1, in favour of imprisonment rather than execution.

If, instead, he is killed in the final hours of the conflict, voters divide evenly between saying they would be please, as ‘it would stop him using a trial to rally his supporters and declare himself a martyr’, or sorry, as ‘it would be far better to capture him alive and put him on trial’. Just 4% say they would be sorry for ‘he has been no worse than many other national leaders and deserves to live in freedom’.

We also asked people whether Britain should or should not take various steps to help a new Libyan government recover from conflict. In no case did a majority back British support:

Should %Should not %Don't know %

Send emergency cash, food and medical aid

42

42

19

Send police, not to patrol the streets but to

38

45

17

Send money for each of the next few years,

19

63

18

Send armed troops to help keep order

17

64

19

Allow more Libyan students to come to British universities

14

63

23