As we all know, if there is to be any hope of averting a showdown with a nuclear Iran, it rests with encouraging the Iranian opposition to oust the ayatollahs and institute the rule of law and freedom from tyranny. The Liberal Democrats in Britain are supposedly the party most closely associated with the cause of liberty. So it was particularly astounding to read here that Baroness Nicholson, a LibDem member of the European Parliament, had referred to the Islamic Republic as

an advanced form of democracy in the region.

As Potkin Azarmehr points out:

Islamic Republic is in fact a brutal, backward, religious dictatorship. Only Shiite Muslims can stand as candidates in the so-called 'elections', but not all the Shiites; only the ones who accept the state interpretation of Shiite Islam, even then they are still vetted by the unelected Guardian Council before the elections and after the elections, yet despite all this the state used all its apparatus to cheat in the last presidential 'elections' too.

We wrote to all Lib Dem MPs, MEPs and Lords to clarify their position on the Islamic Republic and on Baroness Nicholson’s continuous support for the mullahs. Only Lord Lester distanced himself from Baroness Nicholson. The leader of the Lib Dem MEPs, Chris Davies also replied to us but backed his colleague, Baroness Nicholson. Interestingly he also got Iran and Iraq mixed up in his reply!

By supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lib Dems are supporting:

1) An evil theocratic dictatorship
2) A regime which stones women to death
3) A regime which holds public executions
4) A regime which executes underage minors
5) A regime which sponsors international terrorism
6) A regime which provides technology and training to kill British soldiers
7) A regime which publicly announces wiping another country off the map
8) A regime in which women are second class citizens
9) A regime which kills and imprisons journalists
10) A regime which does not recognise freedom of religion

We believe that none of the above are neither Liberal nor Democratic values and at a time when the Iranian president calls for another country to be wiped off the map, and the Islamic Republic technology explosives is killing British soldiers in Iraq, the Lib Dem leadership by not publicly distancing itself from Baroness Nicholson has shown gross incompetence and misjudgment. Would you trust such a party to be in charge of international affairs?

Quite.