This is one of those times, that I am glad I am not making that vote. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. One thing is for sure, the votes will probably be cast for the wrong reasons.
Impossible to kill IS without hitting any bystanders, but what is the alternative....IS are a cancer that needs to be seriously weakened if not obliterated. Sadly there is a history of terrorists hiding behind civilians....look at Palestine where terrorists/freedom fighters (call them what you like) deliberately hide amongst the local population. These people regard their own people as collateral damage whilst knowing that the West cares more about other Muslims than they do. IS have declared war and have brought it to our doorstep...past actions by the West and handwringing are irrelevant. Do we wait until they use a nuclear bomb? Hard choices.
I agree with FLT, I'm glad I'm not having to vote. Not a fan of David Cameron branding 'no' voters as 'terrorist sympathisers' though.
Trouble is that no war, and particularly with insurgency-style tactics in play, has ever, ever been won by using air offensives alone. I just can't see that a compelling case has been made by Cameron as to extending air strikes into Syria. I'm not a "peace at all costs" type at all - if that case had been made then I'd support that. Just can't see it at present though.
The only cool head in all this is Jeremy Corbyn. His ideas are very proactive rather than reactive. There is another way to defeat IS other than bombing.
Of course there is, however if a Labour MP votes in favour of it, it doesn't mean they should switch to the Tory Party though Ides. I think the toughest thing here is that no-one really knows what they have, where they ALL are and how to go about preventing them from causing more issues. I am not even sure that 'opposing' countries know what they want.
Stumbling across a Grizzly Bear Den, may not be the best of luck... http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...scape-grizzly-bear-attack-in-canadian-rockies
Yes, I agree too. Whilst it might appear to work in the short term, bombing is only going to result in more innocent people being killed and more recruits for ISIS.
On that note... please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34933345 Being repeatedly shunted by a lorry, how scary is that? .
Huh, I'd like to see any ideas for these "alternative solutions". Nothing I've heard from the Labour leadership has had any credibility.
Whereas bombing a group of people who live among civilians and who are funded and supplied by a country who we sell arms to, that's credible, right?
When it comes to things such as war, bombings and attacking people, I'm not sure 'I don't see other people suggesting anything' is necessarily a green light to bomb the hell out of a territory, undoubtedly killing civilians (and it will happen) in the process.
Scary! The M1 was shut here again this morning because of two accidents. The road works here cause problems and accidents almost daily.
Cut off the money supply. Actively seek to refute the terrorist narrative, especially online. Get all interested parties in the middle east round the table. Encourage open dialogue between Islam and the West, on shared values and on areas of tension. But those things are difficult, while bombing is easy. So expect more bombing.
David, just bloody well apologise for the ridiculous throwaway remark of last night and you'll gain some respect from people.
How? Already being done. You'll never get IS round the table. This hasn't worked for the last 60 years. Why you would expect it to start working now is baffling. That's because there is currently no credible alternative. If someone comes forward with a workable idea that doesn't require blowing people up, then obviously that is the way to go, but the alternatives put forward by the Labour leadership (and on this thread) so far are believing-in-the-Easter-Bunny naive
IS are not interested in negotiation and are uninterested in saving lives (whether Muslim or not). We had a cold war with Russia and survived it because the Russians weren't interested in having their country obliterated....IS don't care.
