Resistance to Syria Action in the British Parliament
Via the BBC: Labour could still vote against government over Syria
MPs had been due to vote on whether the UK should launch an attack against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
But David Cameron was forced to back down after Labour said it wanted to wait for UN inspectors to report first.
[…]
Mr Cameron was not confident of gaining the backing of MPs for military action without Labour’s support, as a number of Tory and Lib Dem MPs were expected to rebel.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he wants to see more evidence President Assad’s regime carried out the chemical attack and does not want the UK to be pushed into action by an “artificial” timetable.
The man has a point, I have to say.
Further,
Mr Milband has said he wants to “learn the lessons of Iraq” by giving UN weapons inspectors time to present the evidence.
In general, the politics of the situation in the UK are quite interesting:
[Milband] has yet to decide whether Labour will back the government’s motion paving the way for military action if his party’s motion is voted down, raising the prospect of a damaging defeat for Mr Cameron.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said it was “without modern precedent for a prime minister to lose control of his foreign policy, let alone decisions about peace and war”.
‘Prudent measure’
But Foreign Secretary William Hague said the government was keen to proceed “on a consensual basis” and the prime minister recognised “the deep concerns in this country over what happened over Iraq”.
More here: Why Cameron buckled on Syria vote
Silly Brits. This won’t happen in ‘Merica. Because no one will ask Congress what they think.
@Butch Bracknell: In this case and in many ways I’ve thought that the British parliamentary system is better than our constitutional system. Just my ‘umble opinion as a non-expert but life-long interested observer.
Well, there is the fierce urgency of bombing now!
But there is hope, like this Congressman.
One can only hope that if the Brits display some spine, it might shame Congress into acting in a responsible way and actually exercising its powers of control.