Tim Farron has made a video in which he explains how seeing the plight of the refugees this Summer has moved him to back the action against Daesh.
I’ve made a short video, explaining the rationale behind my decision to back the Prime Minister’s action on Syria, as part of a wider package of measures to bring stability and an end to the long running civil war in the country.
Posted by Tim Farron on Wednesday, 2 December 2015
You can read his written explanation here.
Comments on this post will be pre-moderated.
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8 Comments
Well done to Tim for taking this decision. Voting against was the easy option, but instead he chose to do what he thought was right.
Gutted to hear Tim Farron support the Iraq war supporting Cameron on bombing yet another Muslim country.
His tortured justification for his change of position from the last vote on Syria is plainly illogical.
There is absolutely no political arrangements in place to deal with consequences of flattening northern Syria.
There is no international coalition agreement on who should rule Syria post Daesh.
The “moderates” include Al Nusra and Al Qaeida. So when we have obliterated Daesh are we going to bomb them next?
Remember two years ago we were voting to bomb Daesh’s enemy Assad!
Caroline Lucas and Jeremy Corbyn are absolutely right – we should be sorting out the diplomatic and economic opposition to Daesh first before any further military misadeventures are undertaken.
UK bombing Isil is exactly playing into the terrorism recruiting Bin Laden playbook.
Finally – Corbyn as a liberal democrat consulted his party members and NEC.
Did Farron consult his members and the FE?
Donnachadh
Good to see you here! Certainly Resolution 2249 mentions Al Nusra anyway, so yes, bombing will undoubtedly involve them too. An email went out to members with known emails. I am not sure about FE. Constituency Chairs weren’t consulted, however.
Come on Donnachadh as one of your closest friends with the best will in the world -Jeremy Corbyn a liberal democrat?! Alan Johnson has just referred to the “new kinder politics” of those on social media/camping outside the houses of Labour MPs using bullying tactics to make sure they vote the party line.
Ruth Bright.
I agree that his instincts are not liberal, but Jeremy Corbyn is not responsible for people on social media. He can’t edit what they say or control what they do, It’s not like the owners of Facebook are signed up Corbynista pushing a party line.
Hi Ruth
In my view Glenn is correct.
Corbyn would not condone bullying tactics to individual MPs.
But I can relate to their frustration to having elected a leader with an enormous mandate to tackle terrorist violence in a peaceful manner where practical, to have that trashed so soon by their own Blairite MPs, many of them knifing Corbyn in the process.
In regard to process Corbyn and in substance Corbyn has acted as a liberal democrat on this issue IMO.
He consulted his members – I have not heard of any official annoucement of the results by the Li b Dems ‘ Farron of a similar consultation with his members?
Corbyn consulted his party’s NEC – I am not aware of any such consultation of the FE by Farron.
His line on tackling Daesh by first ensuring there is a political plan in place and also tackling the supply of banking, arms and oil services to Daesh prior to massacring more Muslim civilians is the correct liberal approach to my mind.
Unlike the Paris horrors, we are not exposed to reports by our media of the butchering children or civilians in Syria.
The report of 5 children in Raqqa blown to smithereens by the French was buried in a single sentence in a long report in the middle pages of the Guardian….
I stand by my statement that Corbyn is acting far more as a liberal democrat on this issue than Farron.
Like Iraq this senseless revenge bombing of Isis, will like Iraq throw further oil on the flames of global jihadi extremism.
Lucas and Corbyn are right on this issue. It is sad that radical liberalism has again failed to find expression in the Lib Dems.
ta
Donnachadh
I cannot understand why Tim has chosen to argue that the five tests he set out have been met as best they can, when it is clear whether that statement is true or not, most of them simply haven’t been met at all.
Tim, this is bad morally, bad militarily and bad politically. Why don’t you listen to the party? This really is your tuition fees moment.
This decision has been very difficult. Perhaps we should remember Burke (admittedly a Tory but..) he said “Your representative owes you not his industry only, but judgement and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion” Tim and all the other MPs for that matter aren’t delegates. Tim exercised his judgement. His judgement is presumably one reason why we voted for him as leader. I sense a standard response growing in this blog “I disagree with that view therefore it is illiberal.