The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has today urged MPs to learn the lessons from recent military actions following Defence Secretary Michael Fallon’s support for extending military action against ISIL to Syria.
CND has warned that military action would be opposed by the public and that MPs should be afforded a full opportunity to debate and vote on any proposal.
CND spokesperson Kate Hudson warned,
‘Recent history shows that US and UK military action in the Middle East and North Africa has been ill-conceived, leading to death and destruction for innocent civilians, and shattered states – both of which were abandoned by their attackers – where terrorists including ISIL have since been able to organise’.
‘It is welcome that the new Conservative chairs of both the Defence and Foreign Affairs Committees, Julian Lewis and Crispin Blunt – who both voted against military action in Syria in 2013 – have warned against such action today, and identified the need for a regional solution. Their approach recognises the problems created by UK military action and chimes with public opinion which opposes further military action. ‘
‘MPs clearly voted against military action in Syria in 2013 and the Prime Minister accepted that decision at the time. He must afford MPs the same rights to scrutinise and vote on authorisation of such action in this Parliament.’
‘We bombed ISIL into existence. We can’t bomb them out of existence.’