On the 23rd of March 2003, I wrote to Tony Blair:
“Our involvement in Bush's war will increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks. Attacking a Muslim state without achieving a fair settlement of the Palestine-Israeli situation is an affront to Muslims from our local mosques to the far-flung corners of the world. The great lesson from Northern Ireland is that the best way to defeat terrorism is to win over the hearts and minds of terrorists, their supporters and their potential supporters. Pre-emptive attack of the kind we have on Iraq will only deepen the sense of grievance among Muslims that the Western/Christian/Jewish world is out to oppress them. This will provide a propaganda victory to Osama Bin Laden and can only increase his support and the likelihood of more acts of terrorism. In the Commons you repeated that it is an article of faith to you that Britain and the USA should have a common foreign policy. Fine when there is an American President such as Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Carter or Clinton: disastrous when it is a right wing fundamentalist Republican such as Bush."
What nonsense. Isis is funded by us. It will always act in concert with the traitors in Westminster to create war, profits, degradation and poverty for the British people, and huge wealth for the oil and political barons here and overseas. It is an effective continuation of the Third World War against the working class.
Posted by: graham Pearson | October 09, 2014 at 11:59 AM
Doing an interview on talk radio tonight. Agree with you.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device
Posted by: Paul Flynn | September 15, 2014 at 05:04 PM
I hope the government is above reacting in anger to the provocations of ISIS. I hope it acts cooly and can come up with a solution that minimises bloodshed. Its important that it:
a. Doesn't escalate things and recruit more fighters to ISIS
b. Doesn't trample on the rights and future of the Iraqi state
c. Doesn't act in a belligerent manner that deems the death of innocent Iraqis and Syrians an acceptable sacrifice for British security
The first priority should be to help guard against ISIS taking more territory. Then to try and bring those who are dissilusioned away and undermine their strength and momentum. Their numbers aren't vast.
But perhaps the government's love for more war which seems to bubble under the surface will lead to more carnage, counter-productive interventions and sowing the seeds of more future chaos.
No doubt ISIS are led by tyrants and are our enemies and many are suffering their persecution. What outcome do ISIS actually want by carrying out these executions? To gain world attention and kick up a fuss? To provoke a fight and draw the US into another quagmire?
I don't know but those are my thoughts and concerns at the moment. Just because our enemy has acted in a brutal manner doesn't mean the government can respond in kind.
There needs to be a real debate before the country is sucked into a war.
Posted by: Ad | September 15, 2014 at 03:55 PM