Over 100 people have contacted me by email over the last few days regarding the government’s proposal to extend and expand British airstrikes from Northern Iraq across the border to Syria.
The most important thing to remember is this is an expanded operation not a new one. We have been carrying out airstrikes in Northern Iraq for over 14 months after a vote in Parliament last year. In those months we have carried out hundreds of missions and I am hugely relieved that during those sorties the RAF has not been responsible for a single civilian casualty. Of course that may not be the case in future operations but I sincerely hope that it is.
This proposed additional action is different from other United Kingdom interventions in the Middle East in a number of ways.
Firstly, this is without doubt legal.
Secondly we have a United Nations Security Council Resolution. The resolution determines that ISIL constitutes an ‘unprecedented threat to international peace and security’ and calls on states to take ‘all necessary measures’ to prevent terrorist acts by ISIL and to ‘eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria’. It further notes the clear legal basis to defend the UK and our allies in accordance with the UN Charter.
Thirdly and equally important, we are acting on intelligence and advice from our military and security services, M15 and the Joint Intelligence Committee.
I have read and responded to all the representations I have received so far and continue to do so. Do I have doubts and concerns? Yes I do. We know in recent times our intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have not ended in the way we would have liked. But we also know this is different. We know ISIL/DAESH want to bomb us. We know they have already murdered UK citizens on a beach in Tunisia, bombed Ankarra and Beirut and brought down a Russian Airliner. And most recently we witnessed the horror on our television screens of dozens of French people being gunned down in an act planned and directed by ISIL in all likelihood from Raqqah.
Doing nothing will not keep us safe. We must eradicate this murderous death cult that wants to kill and maim our people and destroy our way of life.
Finally, our allies across the Middle East as well as our closest allies by history and geography have asked for our help. We cannot walk on by on the other side of the street when our friends are under attack and look to us for assistance.
It is with a huge sense of responsibility and a heavy heart, having not yet seen any evidence that may change my mind, I will be voting with the government to protect our citizens tomorrow.
Dear Royston,
Thank you for your reply and explanations of the position you wish to hold.
From the reply it appears that you care about the security of our home land. It is appreciated without a doubt. Thank you!
The justifications miss very important point: do you wish to send people to death?
It is a YES or NO question. When it comes to the GROUND level… Like Southampton or Dresden.
People in Syria will die. Their homes will be destroyed…
For the justifications that your reply offered…
May I ask you to give some thought to the following?
Your first justification point was legality.
This is a subjective measure… It depends on the law interpretation and it is different in different countries.
What law justifies the legality to drop bombs on Syria? What about Syria’s law?
The second is the United Nations Security Council Resolution.
The resolution determines that ISIL constitutes an ‘unprecedented threat to international peace and security’ and calls on states to take ‘all necessary measures’ to prevent terrorist acts by ISIL and to ‘eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria’.
There are two calls in this:
1)‘all necessary measures’ to prevent terrorist acts –
this can be done by means of education and by deploying an intelligent search for people who did it.
2) eradicate the safe heaven they (terrorists) established –
How can your intelligence in Syria and Iraq ensure that those “heavens” are exactly where the terrorist dwell? How can you be sure you are not killing civilians?
How do you know that the terrorists, who are most likely as intelligent as your intelligence, had not run away?
3)Acting on intelligence
It is unknown to us, people who support our government, what this intelligence brings. You can not use this argument to convince us, unless you disclose it.
Please consider this before you make a decision.
Thank you.
Royston
The Emphasis here seems to be attacking Syria. If it is actually IS you want to stop the way to do it would be to stop: the supply of there weapons, stop them selling oil toTurkey (who is giving them air cover) and support syria and russia in defeating IS . But the real AGENDA is regime change in Syria. This will create a power vacuum in the country and will not make the UK safer. Royston vote NO then you wont have a heavy heart. Thank you.
I do not disagree with military action but air strikes will not solve this problem. We need a ground offensive as well, alongside our allies and maybe even Russia. We then need an agreed end of war plan to help the civilians.
It will rake mire than bombing to finish this one but before boots hit the ground the government should give assurances that no member if HM Forces will be arrested at a later date for doing their jobs as we thought we were doing in Northern Ireland. Thank you
I would have thought, given the seriousness of this issue, that you would have had one of your local referendums you pledged when campaigning.
Why, also, did you choose to listen to the opinion of the intelligence committee but not the select defence committee?