We must not let memories of Iraq paralyse us in facing Putin and Assad over Syria
Our failure to plan with Iraq left a vacuum which would be filled by IS, and we cannot let the same happen with Syria while children lie dying
Syria's spectre
WE can’t let the memories of Iraq paralyse our foreign policy for ever.
The Blair Government unquestionably made monumental mistakes.
At home, ludicrous “45-minute” WMD claims destroyed the public’s trust in the intelligence services.
And in Iraq, our failure to plan for what came after Saddam Hussein left a vacuum that would, eventually, be filled in part by ISIS.
When Parliament voted against strikes on Syria in 2013, on the back of Ed Miliband’s disgraceful turncoat act, it was the fear of another Iraq that swung the vote.
But our interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone saved countless lives. And we acted then because our values — of human rights, of the rule of law, of decency — were at stake.
As ex-Forces MP Johnny Mercer said on this page yesterday, we can’t stand idly by when innocent children are dying on the cold, hard floor of a Syrian hospital.
That might not necessarily mean a traditional military strike, though if an international coalition were formed and firm intelligence suggested that targeted, limited action would destroy Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapon stocks, this newspaper would support Britain’s involvement.
Cyber-attacks could well be just as effective.
Either way, waiting for the UN to solve this crisis is a fantasy. Russia has been vetoing resolutions condemning Syria for years.
We mustn’t be scared of standing up for what’s right.
Gas mark-up
The Government has politely described British Gas’s price hike as “unjustified”.
We can think of a few other words for it, but we can’t publish most of them.
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What makes it all the more galling is that their costs have actually fallen over the past year.
Last year, we congratulated British Gas for promising to dump rip-off Standard Variable Tariffs after our campaign. We didn’t expect them to squeeze their most loyal customers for every last penny before they do.
We’d urge our readers to start shopping around.
More tax vicar?
The self-appointed High Priest of the Nanny State, the Reverend Mike Rayner, is at it again.
He previously claimed that God told him to support a sugar tax. Now he wants another one on meat.
He’d do well to remember the Book of Isaiah, which speaks of the Lord Almighty preparing “a feast of rich food for all peoples” with “the best of meats and the finest of wines”.
It doesn’t mention charging VAT.