The shadow cabinet yesterday discussed David Cameron’s plan to go to war in Syria. A majority of its members favour backing airstrikes in spite of the four conditions laid down by Labour’s conference only two months ago not being met. It is unclear whether there is a majority of members favour imposing a whip in support […]
Posts under ‘War/Defence’
The SNP motion on Trident was a sectarian stunt, not a blow for disarmament
Nov 25th, 2015 by Jon Lansman.The motion which was put down in the name of SNP Westminster MPs yesterday “that this House believes that Trident should not be renewed” had nothing whatever to do with advancing the cause of disarmament or preventing the renewal of Trident. That is an objective the SNP does not share. If they did, they would seek to […]
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Post-Paris massacre poll shows UK public oppose Syria airstrikes – MPs take note
Nov 18th, 2015 by Jon Lansman.The vast majority of the British public do not believe that British airstrikes on Syria are the right response to the Paris massacre, says a poll published today. Nor do the public believe past airstrikes have made the UK any safer. What most people want is a joint international approach backed by the UN, and for […]
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On Jeremy Corbyn, “shoot to kill” and stopping terrorists in the act of murder
Nov 17th, 2015 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.You can understand the thirst for vengeance. On Sunday night, France flew sorties over Syria to strike IS targets in Raqqa, the capital of their ramshackle semi-state. They reportedly hit a recruitment centre and munitions depot. Other facilities on the receiving end of French ordinance were a hospital, a museum, a stadium, and a chicken farm. […]
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Are drone strikes doing more harm than good in the fight against ISIS?
Nov 16th, 2015 by Luke Barratt.The death by drone of Jihadi John earlier in the week again brought to the fore the increasingly fraught debate over such state-sanctioned killings, which would, in a time before the War on Terror, have been termed assassinations. Jeremy Corbyn was predictably castigated by some for remarking that it would have been better for Emwazi to […]
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Why Scottish Labour was right to oppose the replacement of Trident
Nov 1st, 2015 by Dave Watson.At the Scottish Labour conference today, 70% of votes were cast against replacing Trident and to endorse the composite set out below. Dave Watson, UNISON Scotland’s Head of Bargaining & Campaigns and former Chair of the Scottish Party explains why his union backed that vote Trident is an expensive status symbol that has no military value […]
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Western policy in Syria is bankrupt. But that doesn’t stop the aerial attacks
Oct 11th, 2015 by Mike Phipps.The US has been bombing Syria for over a year. Russia began this September, as did France. Turkey has strafed targeted ISIS positions in the country and Israel has also conducted air strikes on Syrian military installations. Canada has been bombing Syria since April and Australia since September. Jordan began a year ago as did […]
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Emergency motion to Labour conference on Syria and ISIS
Sep 23rd, 2015 by Newsdesk.Readers will be aware of the likelihood that David Cameron will seek House of Commons support to extend UK participation in the bombing of Iraq to Syria in the near future. In discussion between various organisations, the following model emergency motion has been drafted. This is clearly life and death issue for the people of Syria. […]
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Cameron’s declared bombing aims in Syria are ridiculously vain
Sep 11th, 2015 by Michael Meacher.We have all learnt that Cameron routinely makes up policy on the hoof, but he has really outdone himself by his explanation of his case for bombing Syria. First of all as he states it, his military case is the defeat of ISIS. This is risible since the contribution that he is planning for Britain […]
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Dithering Dave and the refugees
Sep 8th, 2015 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.I detest the term “game-changing“, but the wide publication of the little body of Aylan Kurdi washed up on a Turkish beach touched millions of hearts coarsened by decades of anti-immigrant racism and hysteria. Having obstinately set his face against taking more refugees, Dave and his pitiful government were shamed by the huge numbers taken […]
