by
2 years ago

He's not the messiah, he's a very....

There are many highlights from the bombing debate earlier this week, and Hilary Benn's so-called summing up for the opposition was not one of them.

  1. I watched the last three hours of the debate, and the following day, the press, or at least the press I follow, have been boosting their champions, in particular those of the Labour pro-bombing supporters in the hope that they will damage either Jeremy Corbyn or the Labour Party or both. Benn's speech in particular doesn't bear much criticism and so I shall aid the debate by assembling some; here's some commentators, and I end with some comment on whether pre-WW II appeasement and its alternatives, especially the example of the International Brigades have any relevance.
  2. Phil BC on his blog points out that Benn's speech seemed good as a piece of oratory because on the whole the quality of public speaking in parliament is so poor. Also it should be said that some of the best speeches came from the Tory antis, aided by their expertise. Phil points out that Benn has changed his mind over the last two weeks and doesn't explain why, nor explain how Cameron's plan can possibly work.
  3. All That Is Solid ...
    It doesn't take much to be Labour's leader-in-waiting these days. There's David Miliband, failed leadership candidate and proud former owner of a 0.5% contact rate. Dan Jarvis is another - distinguished military service makes him a front runner regardless of what he says and does.
    Averypublicsociologist
  4. The Vice also dissect the speech, addressing the pro-war history of this Benn, he supported Iraq II and Libya, and his dreadful co-option of the international brigades in the Spanish Civil War.
  5. Thumbnail for Hilary Benn's 'Extraordinary' Speech for Bombing Syria Was Disingenuous Bullshit | VICE | United KingdomHilary Benn's 'Extraordinary' Speech for Bombing Syria Was Disingenuous Bullshit | VICE | United Kingdom
    Hilary Benn So there will be another war. Last night, the House of Commons decided, by 397 votes to 223, to carry out airstrikes in Syria.
    VICE
  6. Opendemocracy pierces the suggestion that action is UN authorised, challenges the doctrine of pre-emptive self defence on the basis of the Charter, questions the lessons of success in Iraq, suggests it's just another version of something must be done, and highlights that his history lesson fails to learn that bombing isn't what ended European fascism in the 1940's.
  7. Thumbnail for Strong on oratory, weak on factsStrong on oratory, weak on facts
    The whole argument against bombing rests on the historical fact that bombing is not what got rid of fascism in the 1940s and it is not likely to get rid of ISIS in the 2010s.
    openDemocracy
  8. On a slightly different tack, Simon Jenkins continues his onslaught on Cameron's lust to bomb, detailing the failed history of British air power in the area, and documenting it's limited capability.
  9. Thumbnail for It's Cameron, not Corbyn, who is the terrorist appeaser | Simon JenkinsIt's Cameron, not Corbyn, who is the terrorist appeaser | Simon Jenkins
    Prime minister David Cameron's argument in the Commons for permission to bomb Syria was not based on any new or coherent strategy. As he himself pointed out, it merely follows the logic of a previous vote to bomb Iraq.
    Simon Jenkins
  10. He finishes, "British government’s strategy is both incoherent and inconsistent with the declared threat to the British people. So it does what it always does when it can’t think what to do. It bombs."
  11. Danny Blanchflower, picks up in the "useful idiot" phrase,
  12. D_Blanchflower
    Danny Blanchflower@D_Blanchflower
    Cameron's own relentless deployment of politics of fear makes him terrorism’s “useful idiot”” sounds about right  http://gu.com/p/4emcx/stw 
    ·
    2 years ago
  13. The International Brigades Memorial Trust documents the mentions of the Brigade in the debate. I suspect they won't be happy.
  14. Using the name of the International Brigades?
    The International Brigades and the fight against fascism in Spain were controversially invoked during the House of Commons debate on 2 December that ended with a vote in favour of bombing Syria. In their justification for supporting RAF attacks in Syria, two Labour MPs, including Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn, linked military action against ISIS/Daesh with the efforts of those who fought Franco and fascism in the 1930s.
    International-brigades
  15. This man seems to be the expert on Britain and the Spanish Civil War,
  16. Thumbnail for Professor Tom BuchananProfessor Tom Buchanan
    Dept. for Continuing Education Email I work on twentieth century British and European history, with an emphasis on the impact of external events on British politics. I specialise in three particular areas; the impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain; China and the British left (which is the subject of my most recent book); and the history of Amnesty International and human rights campaigning in Britain.
    Ox
  17. and I have just bought one of his books
  18. DaveLevy
    Dave Levy@DaveLevy
    I just bought: 'The Spanish Civil War And The British Labour Movement' by Tom. Buchanan via @AmazonUK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0521393337/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_asp_o.fMK.PH93G7K …
    2 years ago
  19. Davelevy
    ·
    2 years ago