Given that, it beggars belief that barely 2 months later the same PM states that our bombing campaign will solve the problem and eliminate DAESH! So why is that? What can the RAF achieve that the Russian, US, French and other air forces haven't been able to? And if it doesn't solve the problem, as I am pretty sure it won't, is the PM going to hold up his hands and admit that the vote will also lead to further radicalisation and increased terrorism?
The notion that our forces will be responsible for the deaths of untold numbers of innocent civilians, who are themselves oppressed by DAESH, is unforgivable. All the bombing will do is kill people and create more refugees, whilst DAESH welcome our interference as it just reinforces their claims that we (the West) want to annihilate Islam.
How much better would it have been to have voted no last night, and then worked with the US and other UN member states to cut off the supply of arms and money to DAESH. By not buying their oil, by blocking their trading routes, by refusing to handle their money brokering (are you listening banks?), and by not selling them arms and ammunition, we will weaken their cause. The creation of a no-fly zone across DAESH-controlled airspace will remove any airborne targets, such as the Russian aircraft shot down recently. Isolate them and apply sanctions.
Having looked at the list of MPs who voted in the division, I can say I was disgusted to see my MP's name in the AYES list (Tim Farron, Westmorland and Lonsdale) and from reading various comments a goodly number of other voters here share my feeling. I was equally shocked to so 66, yes 66, Labour MPs voting with the AYES. Left Unity published the list of them below with a call for their deselection, such is the anger amongst many Party members at what is perceived as a betrayal of the Leadership and Conference's position.
Given the size of the Government's majority in the vote, if they had all voted NO it would not have prevented the air strikes, but given the Party's Conference resolution of the issue, it would have shown them to be in tune with the wishes of the Party's members. Those members who, it has to be pointed out, are the troops on the ground who both select a candidate and then campaign to get that person elected to Parliament. Those 66 have, I feel, done themselves no favours, and come the time when they seek re-election they may have a rude awakening.
The final vote was AYES 397, NOES 223, a majority for the AYES of 174. Breaking this down across the different political parties, those who voted NO were as follows:
- 153 Labour Party
- Scottish Nationalist Party 53
- Social Democratic and Labour Party 3
- Liberal Democrat Party2
- Plaid Cymru 2
- Green Party 1
If you would like to check how your MP voted, the Mirror website has a free search tool that will let you check. If you disagree with how they voted, then why not let them know? After all, they are in Parliament to represent your interests!
Over the past few days MPs have been sent many thousands of emails, tweets and phone calls, asking them to vote NO. The public polls hosted by practically every news source online has shown that the majority of respondees do not support air strikes, yet 390 British MPs ignored those polls and voted YES. (Image shows poll from The Independent 2 Dec 2015.)
Whilst many of us were trying to come to terms with the idea that we had been committed to yet another military folly, the news came that, barely an hour after the vote result was declared, four RAF Tornado jets had been despatched from Cyprus, believed to have been laden with 3 x 500lb bombs each. Two of them apparently returned without their bombs shortly before 3am GMT.
That this was all planned a long time ago, and that we have been manipulated into this awful, situation, is evidenced by a quote on the BBC's news page
BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said: "The British Royal Air Force has been preparing to be involved in these air strikes, to join the coalition of other Western forces who are attacking IS in Syria, for months.We are nothing but pawns in the very dangerous game of brinksmanship in which the PM and his Parliamentary colleagues, the media, arms dealers, and the oil companies are engaging. They are playing a very dangerous game, and those who will suffer are the people on the ground in Syria and those of us who will become targets of DAESH terrorists. Meanwhile, DAESH get rich on their oil revenues, and the warmongers get rich on arms sales.
"So perhaps it would not be surprising if within just an hour of the UK Parliament giving its approval [...] these planes did take off and did attack some choice targets in Syria almost immediately."
It is a sad, sad day for democracy in the UK, and an even sadder one for those innocent civilians in Syria who will become victims of this dreadful action. #DontBombSyria #NotInMyName
