There have now been three occasions, since being elected, where I have been asked to vote on committing our armed forces to conflict. The first was our intervention in Libya, the second in Syria, and the final was last week to support the Iraq government tackle the threat of Islamic State – ISIL.
These issues are never, ever taken lightly. The second Gulf War, started in 2003, created a massive mistrust of the political class over a wide range of issues well aired over the intervening period. Yet it is still the case that we must protect our citizens and, as an internationally focused country, those people who are facing appalling persecution. Our citizens, in the form of hostages, are already under threat and it is the case that our citizens are already perpetrating some of the atrocities. What is going on in the Middle East under ISIL, who have hijacked Islam to make excuses for their action, is frankly medieval. Their atrocities have already been perpetrated in Holland and there is a risk that they will attack the UK here on the mainland.
It is a fair question that our intervention will act as a recruiting sergeant for further fundamentalists seeking jihad. Should we be putting our head above the parapet? The short answer is that the recruiting sergeant has already done his work. Syria’s president Assad has already created the environment that has created ISIL and it is now our job to deal with the mess. The US is already involved, as are a number of countries around the Middle East. Our role will be a fairly minor one, but important nonetheless. We are committed in not putting combat troops on the ground in Iraq and we can do that because there are already combat troops on the ground in the form of the Iraqi army.
But what of ISIL in Syria? The US are already attacking the Syrian bases and their assets but we have committed to steer clear. Some argue that this is a mistake. We shall see how this develops. For me, however, the clearest words on this whole issue came from Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General. He said, last week, that terrorists can be dealt with by force; but terrorism can only be dealt with by governance and politics.
After a lot of consideration my worries were put to rest and I along with 524 MPs voted in support.