This is a copy of a letter that I’ve sent to papers in north Wales:
Dear Sir
I was bitterly disappointed to see that my MP, Susan Elan Jones, supported the motion to bomb Syria this week.
I have much respect for Susan, having stood against her in last May’s Parliamentary elections. I respect that she did not come to her decision lightly, but I firmly believe that it was the wrong decision, and Parliament’s decision to bomb Syria will lead to more suffering not only over there but also over here.
I don’t support the bombing of Iraq nor Syria. I am opposed to war, because killing people is wrong.
But there are also sound military reasons why the UK should not bomb Syria which further shows why Ms Jones was wrong to support bombing.
One of the main reasons why Ms. Jones supports bombing is because she says it is inconsistent for the UK to bomb Iraq and not Syria. She also notes that she believes the Iraqi airstrikes have helped the Kurds fend off Daesh. The reason that there is a difference between bombing Iraq and bombing Syria is because Iraq has a functioning military force on the ground capable of chasing down and finding enemy bunkers etc. This is why Kurdish Peshmerga forces are fending them off in Iraqi Kurdistan. The situation in Syria is completely different. There are over 1000 groups fighting there and the only functioning military is that of Bashar Al Assad which our Government also wanted to bomb.
In military terms, airstrikes will only prove successful if backed up by boots on the ground. This is why David Cameron claimed that there were 70,000 troops there already, a claim which has been proven to be a lie.
But Ms. Jones goes on to say that she does not believe that boots should be on the ground. She can’t have it both ways. Without troops on the ground then airstrikes will achieve nothing militarily, only kill people and destroy infrastructure which will create a fertile ground for Daesh’s evil ideology to flourish.
Furthermore the first airstrikes carried out by UK forces following the vote were against Daesh controlled oil fields. Daesh depends, in large part, on selling this oil for its funding. But instead of using its diplomatic power to put pressure on Turkey and those that buy oil from Daesh, this Government and her allies (within and without) decided that it was easier to bomb. So while we have no money for our Care Homes, hospital beds, teaching assistants, crucial bus services etc, we seem to have plenty of money for war, with each missile costing hundreds of thousands of pounds each. However this should come as no surprise seeing as this Government has licensed the selling of UK manufactured arms to various despotic regimes, some of which in turn sell them onto Daesh.
There are a great many reasons why bombing and going to war was the wrong decision, not least the fact that innocent people get killed, and that it creates even more of a refugee crisis.
I hope those MPs who supported bombing will reflect on this decision and realise that it will only make a bad situation worse.
I am proud that Plaid Cymru – The Party Of Wales’ MPs voted against this.
Most ordinary Labour members oppose this action. I am, as always, happy to work together with like minded people to ensure that the case for peace is put forward, and that innocent lives are not lost.
Even though I am an UK tax payer, may I note for the record that this action is not carried out in my name.
Sincerely
Mabon ap Gwynfor
Mabon ap Gwynfor 