Roger opposes military intervention in Syria
Posted by Roger Godsiff, MP for Birmingham, Hall Green, at 16:19, Wed 28 August 2013:
Roger Godsiff MP has spoken out against military intervention in Syria. Speaking from the House of Commons today, Roger said: “I am opposed to Britain participating in military action against Syria, and I will be voting against it at the Parliamentary debate tomorrow. I am concerned that strikes against Syria will only cause the conflict to escalate, possibly to the wider region, and yet more lives will be lost.”
Roger continued: “I welcome the opportunity to debate the issue and put it to a vote. However, I am concerned that the decision to involve the UK in military action in Syria has already been made by the Government, and MPs will be faced with a done deal tomorrow. I do not understand why the UK Parliament is voting on whether to support military intervention in Syria before the UN weapons inspectors have finished their site visits and analysis. The inspectors were given four days to complete this work, and the debate and vote tomorrow will take place on the third day. Why are MPs being asked to vote before all the necessary facts are in?”
Roger compared the rush to take military action against Syria to the run-up to the Iraq war, which lead to hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties. He said: “There is now talk about missile strikes beginning before the end of this week. Have we learned nothing from the Iraq war, when the UK rushed into military action without waiting for a UN mandate? If the UK is to take any action it must follow the proper steps before doing so, and wait for a mandate from the UN Security Council.”
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called for more time to be allowed for peaceful and diplomatic methods, while the Arab League has opposed retaliatory strikes on Syria. There have already been reports of an increased flow of refugees leaving Syria, while Israel has started calling up reserve troops. Roger is concerned that missile strikes will worsen the humanitarian crisis in Syria and threaten regional stability, and will fail to prevent further atrocities being committed against the people of Syria.
Roger said: “The priority must be to prevent further loss of life and protect the human rights of the people of Syria. I do not believe that the best way to do this is to launch missile attacks against a population which is already suffering the casualties and horrors of war.”
Comments
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Posted by David Heath, 16:37, Wed 28 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Roger, I applaud and support your stance on this. There are far more reasons NOT to take military action than there are for it. It seems our Government has learned nothing from previous serious errors in Iraq and Afghanistan, and going unbidden into Syria will have very serious consequences for us. The facts are exactly as you state, and even if chemical weapons have been used it is up to the UN to deal with that. Britain is not the World's policeman - we have enough problems at home without taking on more commitment. Enough is enough!
Posted by V.Vigneswaran, 17:54, Wed 28 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Roger, I don't agree with you on this, the action urged by the people is to save the lives of many in future, not only in Syria but around the region as well, Asad's regime has used a banned weapon on civilians and if the rest of the world ignore it, others may encourage to do the same, I'm very disappointed that Labour Party have asked to wait for UN inspectors report and not going to support the Government in the voting, I urge you to re-consider your stand in this matter. Thank You.
Posted by sylvia chandler, 23:42, Wed 28 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
Roger I agree with you and as the previous commentator mentioned there are so many reasons why Britain should not be involved. A great number of people are reading the work of indepent journalists who in my opinion give a far more balanced picture of what's happening in these conflicts and who is creating them. The British public are appalled about the actions of this government and I think it's high time they were reminded they are servants of the public and we don't want our taxes spent creating another Libia Afghanistan or Iraq. Comments from a convicted war criminal should not be allowed as headlines in our press and Tony Blair is a war criminal convicted in the Malaysian courts. Also when we vote for a new government we don't give any party the right to follow US foreign policy
Posted by Howard Hemmings, 04:37, Thu 29 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
Roger - Well done. I don't agree with you on many of your issues but with this stance I am in full support. What thankyou have we received from the other nations helped out in the region? All we seem to get is a load more terrorists to cope with.
Posted by ann burness, 08:53, Thu 29 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
totally agree with Roger - what is this government playing at - haven't we learnt lessons from Iraq. I am totally opposed to getting involved in any more middle east conflicts or anywhere in the world come to that. Why are we not waiting for the inspectors to deliver their verdict? why is this government so keen to go ahead without evidence? How many more mistakes and damage can this government make. So angry and appalled at what has happened over the last few days
Posted by Ian Soady, 09:08, Thu 29 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
Well done Roger.
Posted by Christina McCann, 09:55, Thu 29 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
I agree with Roger. no more war. Christina McCann
Posted by Mohammed Hemraj, 08:45, Fri 30 August 2013: (Is this post abusive?) #
I am in favour of military action against Saudi, who has piled up weapons of mass destruction, the rulers have squandered all the nations wealth (oil revenue, there is no democarcy and proper election) and the mssses are poor and in destitude. Billions of dollars are spend in buying weapons from the US and UK to ensure there is no uprising. Saudis are using their illgotten wealth to back Sunnis against Shias all over the world.