Left Unity says ‘Don’t bomb Syria!’

Left Unity principal speaker Felicity Dowling writes.

The Conservatives and right wing Labour learn nothing and forget nothing. It is the old lie but they pretend this time ‘everything will turn out fine’. Left Unity opposes the policies of war and opposes the reactionary policies and practice of ISIS.

There are no surgical strikes, no harmless bombs, no shock and awe, just more war following more than a decade of war. Civilians get killed or maimed. Did bombing Libya work? Did bombing Iraq work to create a fair and just society? Where once there were functioning states with electricity and sanitation, now we have failed states. We now have the greatest migration since the Second World War. People must move from the bombing or die.

Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial

What were the outcomes of war in Iraq, in Syria, in Afghanistan, in Yemen, in Palestine, all across the Middle East? The outcomes have been appalling for civilian populations, for women and children, for the forces of democracy. Follow the money – war makes arms companies rich, it serves the interests of dictators and despots, it breeds desperation and nasty ideologies.

The politics of Syria are complex. Far from standing by the forces of popular democracy and the Syrian Revolution, these forces themselves are bombed by interventionist powers.

Can bombing be accurate? Only as accurate as the intelligence that identifies targets. How come the US attacked an international hospital? How come passenger planes can be shot down accidentally? Or war planes downed on a whim?

There are no easy answers. The Gulf states have vested interests in war, want the breakup of Syria into different fiefdoms for different power structures. Russia wants to protect its bases giving access to the Mediterranean, the West wants to protect its economic interests and regional allies. The Kurds are fighting for democracy and against the reactionary forces of ISIS but are bombed for doing so. The Syrian people just keep dying or being displaced.

Left Unity opposes reactionary forces like ISIS and recognises the atrocities taking place across the world, in Africa, in Lebanon, in Paris and more. We believe a better world is possible but to build that world we need to build the forces of democracy and socialism across the world.

How have the veterans from our working class communities fared in recent years? Have they been spared homelessness sanctions and the bedroom tax? Have they been spared the cuts in mental health? Ten percent of prisoners are ex-forces, and 9,000 homeless are ex-forces.
We oppose the governments in Russia, in the US and in Europe that advocate war.

Bombing will not make the UK safer from terrorism. Terrorism is found across the world in many forms. Bombing and invasion drone kills and dirty wars have been great recruiters for ISIS and reaction.

This world has wealth enough to feed, clothe, educate and provide healthcare to all its people, but not while it is ruled by the 1%.
Lobby your MP, Labour or Conservative, Green or Nationalist, to oppose the war. Send support to those who oppose the war.

We support Jeremy Corbyn when he says “I do not believe that the PM today made a convincing case that extending UK bombing to Syria would meet that crucial test. Nor did it satisfactorily answer the questions raised by us and the Foreign Affairs Committee. In particular, the PM did not set out a coherent strategy, coordinated through the UN, for the defeat of ISIS.”

We need a better world. We need to strive to build that better world.