UNISON has now joined UNITE in calling for an end to NATO bombing of Libya.
A statement issued yesterday from the union’s ruling body – its National Executive Council – said:
the record of the Gaddafi regime and the serious concerns over the safety of civilians in the areas of Libya that supported the revolt against his regime led to the United Nations Security Council resolution establishing the no-fly zone. However, the intervention of NATO forces potentially risks prolonging a civil conflict and a division on Libya, instead of a lasting solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people”. Continue reading
Libya posed a real dilemma for Labour and the Left. On one hand, we want to support the Libyan revolution, to offer any possible protection to the civilian population and are bound therefore to be sympathetic to much if not all of the 
The Arab Spring has given way to a cold snap: Tiananmen Square-style 
There are already some on the Left who are arguing against military intervention – in the form of a no fly zone – over Libya. The argument has merit on the grounds of consistency, and probably, although it is not being advanced, on grounds of practicality. This will be a difficult military operation to mount. What is more there is absolutely no guarantee that stopping Gaddafi’s airforce from civilians and rebels alike will actually stop him, although his ceasefire call suggests that the threat of international force has stayed his hand. 
Stopping a charnel house of slaughter if Gaddafi had re-taken Benghazi is a legitimate objective for imposing a no-fly zone provided it has been sanctioned by the UN Security Council, and especially in this case if it is supported by the Arab League. Now that that has been achieved however, the risks multiply. With Libya now declaring adherence to the UN resolution, a long stalemate could well result with Arab sentiment slowly ebbing away as gratitude for humanitarian intervention is gradually replaced by resentment at colonialist involvement. 