Last night, MP’s in the British House of Commons, held a marathon debate on whether Britain’s Royal Air Force should join a bombing campaign against Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
The Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of HM opposition made his feeling clear that he did not support the proposals and is vehemently opposed to war. Corbyn however, did not use the whip, but instead allowed a free vote. I suspect that this was certainly to avoid a very public and humiliating revolt by members of his shadow cabinet and backbenchers.
The free vote did not save Corbyn from humiliation however, when 66 of his MP’s, including 11 members of his shadow cabinet voted in favour of war. This is Corbyn’s first loss since his election to the role of party leader suggesting that there is disgruntlement within the parliamentary party’s more centrist and Blairite MP’s. No shock there.
The greatest betrayal came from within his shadow cabinet, from the son of Britain’s most prolific and respected left wing politicians, Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn. Last night Mr Benn gave a speech that received rapturous applause from both sides of the house.
Interestingly it would seem that Hilary’s point of view is diametrically different from that of his late father Tony Benn, who was up until his death vehemently opposed to the evils of war.
In a very powerful oration Hilary Benn certainly stirred the consciences of those who were undecided or uncertain.
Hilary Benn speech to the Commons on joining the fight against IS
“… I hope the House will bear with me if I direct my closing remarks to my Labour friends and colleagues on this side of the House. As a party, we have always been defined by our internationalism. We believe we have a responsibility one to another. We never have and we never should walk by on the other side of the road.
And we are here faced by fascists. Not just their calculated brutality, but their belief that they are superior to every single one of us here tonight, and all of the people that we represent. They hold us in contempt. They hold our values in contempt. They hold our belief in tolerance and decency in contempt. They hold our democracy, the means by which we will make our decision tonight, in contempt. And what we know about fascists is that they need to be defeated.
And it is why, as we have heard tonight, socialists and trade unionists and others joined the International Brigade in the 1930s to fight against Franco. It’s why this entire House stood up against Hitler and Mussolini. It is why our party has always stood up against the denial of human rights and for justice. And my view, Mr Speaker, is that we must now confront this evil. It is now time for us to do our bit in Syria. And that is why I ask my colleagues to vote for this motion tonight.”
In stark contrast, his father Tony Benn delivered a speech to the Commons on the debate of whether or not to participate in the 1992 Gulf War.
Tony Benn in the House of Commons – Iraq Bombing speech
“War is an easy thing to talk about. There are not many people of the generation that remember it here… I was in London in the Blitz in 1940.
Every morning, the Docklands on fire, 500 people killed in Westminster by a landmine one night, it was terrifying. Aren’t Arabs terrified? Aren’t Iraqis terrified? Aren’t Israelis terrified? Don’t Arab and Israeli women weep when their children die? Doesn’t bombing strengthen their determination?
What fools we are, to live in a generation, for which war is a computer game for our children, and just an interesting little Channel 4 News item.
Every member of parliament tonight that votes for the government motion will be consciously and deliberately accepting your responsibility for the deaths of innocent people, if the war begins as I fear it will.
The words of [the founding UN charter] are etched into my mind and move me even as I think of them. ‘We the people of the United Nations determine to save future generations, succeeding generations, from the scourge of war which twice in our lifetimes has caused untold suffering to mankind.
That was the pledge of that generation, to this generation, and it will be the greatest betrayal of all if we vote to abandon the charter and take unilateral action and pretend we are doing it in the name of the international community”.
While Corbyn may be damaged by the betrayal, his principles, policies and ethics remain resolute. Corbyn is from a different Labour Party, the Labour Party of Tony Benn and Clement Attlee.
Hilary Benn, educated, articulate and intelligent, pinned his flag to the mast with his speech, a speech that would have made Tony Blair proud. The speech is the very embodiment of Blairite politics.
In a very public disapproval, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, speaking to BBC Radio 4 said “It reminded me of Tony Blair’s speech, taking us into the Iraq war. I’m always anxious that the greatest oratory is going to lead us to the greatest mistakes”.
His words come as RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus launch a bombing campaign in Syria. A bombing campaign that will ultimately involved the deaths of civilians, a hatred of the west and an increased move and support towards Daesh.
Looking back on the past 14 years of ‘War on Terror’ it is near impossible to see how this new ‘War on Terror’ will actually make a positive difference.
Daesh cannot be beaten without winning the hearts and minds of those who support, embrace and fear them.
Polemic Voice 