So we're going to war again...

What a bizarre week! I was in a hotel in London when I heard the news we were about to launch strikes on Syria… unusually, not through social media but the old fashioned way, through scrolling news on a muted TV screen whilst one tries to work out exactly how much of the vegetarian full English breakfast is vegan (not very much, as it happens). My reaction, like that of most people, was something along the lines of: 'Oh gosh, surely, surely we've learned our lesson by now?'

And like most people, I am apparently far too optimistic. Thankfully, the one thing to be optimistic about is that every time we take this course of action, the number of people enraged seems to multiply and intensify. Since last Thursday, my Facebook feed has had more posts from people condemning this decision on it than on pretty much all other subjects put together. It may seem like a pretty hollow consolation, but there are some really positive effects that social media can have in this situation. Through the platforms of Facebook and Twitter, it's easier to feel brought together with other people who feel the same way you do without attending a rally in person (not that I'm recommending people stop attending rallies of course, I'm going to one later today).

I could talk at length about why I feel this decision is harmful, or about why I feel diplomacy is a more effective means of securing peace in the region, but I'm sure there are people more qualified than I to make those points. What I can say is that I don't feel that peace in the region is the ultimate goal here. If we wanted peace in any parts of the world, we wouldn't have appointed a Foreign Secretary who offends someone every time he opens his mouth. We wouldn't have spent the last fifteen years bombing  various countries, and for the most part, making them many times worse. We wouldn't be constantly supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia and laying out a red carpet for its leaders, when it is currently engaged in using those weapons in Yemen, in one of the most vicious massacres known to human history. We send aid to countries that are being attacked by our own weapons. Think about that.

Instead, all of these decisions are political. I will most likely talk about exactly where the political decisions on this lie in a subsequent blog post, but in the meantime I will talk about what one can do.

• Attend rallies. If you're on social media it should be really easy to find information about what is going on in your local community. There are a lot of emergency demonstrations going on, so please do your research into it. The organisation Stop the War is also a really good one to follow to find out what you can do.
• Write to your MP. Given the amount of democracy-hiding going on these days this may seem a bit redundant, but it is always worth doing. MPs quite often respond to opposition to their principles by pointing out that their constituents don't seem to be complaining. Don't give them that option. The Government is in a very unstable postion, and the more MPs who speak up, the less controversial they're going to want to be.
• Keep campaigning for a vote of no confidence and a General Election. This Government will have to have power plucked from its cold, dead hands, but it does increasingly feel like that day is coming. But it will only come if opportunities like this are taken advantage of (and yes, as horrendous as they are, military decisions are certainly a political opportunity for the left).

That's all for now, though I have no doubt that at some point in the future I'll comment on the political mentality that led to this decision. I need to spend a bit more time reading about that first!