SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE:

If we’re seeking lessons from the past to help us deal with Saddam Hussein, then the way we dealt with Mussolini’s conquest of Abyssinia in 1935 is – as the Prime Minister understands – the place to look. I was particularly reminded of my own Abyssinia moment when I read about Saturday’s anti-war march – hauntingly matched by the Peace Ballot of 1935, the national referendum in which millions voted for peace at almost any price, thus unwittingly persuading Hitler and Mussolini that bold predators had not much to fear.

Then, as now, the authority of what was then the League of Nations and is now the United Nations was at stake. Then, as now, many felt reluctant to take action against a dangerous dictator, even with the authority of a body like the League or the UN, lest it lead to war. Then, as now, our difficulties were compounded by the duplicitous behaviour of the French.

In 1935, after many brave words and much wriggling, we fudged it. So Mussolini took all he wanted in Abyssinia, without hindrance. He and others drew conclusions from this display of impotence.

Vegetius’ famous statement, “if you want peace, prepare for war,” is usually read as evidence that preparation for war promotes peace. But it’s also true that too visible a wanting of peace tends to bring on war.