Should the UK join in the bombing? Absolutely not.
Not at this time. The bombing campaign has not worked - it is not working.
The coalition has conducted 59,015 sorties (as of 3-12-15), of which only 8,573 have resulted in air strikes - so the great majority of planes return to base not having used their weapons. And what have the 8,573 strikes achieved - well did they keep Paris safe? And now another attack in the USA.
DC's 70,000 moderates? Well of the variety of groups from the YPG, The Free Syrian Army, Tajamu Fastaqm Kama Umrat, Thuwar al-Sham, Jabhat al-Asala wal Tanmiya and so on and so on. The YPG (Kurdish) are secular and moderate but they certainly don't trust us or even like us and often find themselves under attack from Turkish forces. The rest are generally fundamentalist Islamist fighters many affiliated to Al-Qaida. So extremists one day, moderates the next. These groups generally hate us (and not without good reason) they expect us to use them, what they are trying to do is get more use out of us them we do of them. None are our friends or allies.
These groups generally act independently of each other. They generally share common enemies in Assad and Isis, but take those away and they will, probably fight each other.
So the 70,000 moderate forces ready to fight together against ISIS is as big a lie as Tony Blair's '45 minutes'.
Meanwhile Turkey still will not close it's border with Syria. The YPG has closed most of it, but they keep getting attacked by Turkey. We back factions that are fighting Assad but they keep getting attacked by Russia.
The most effective fighters against ISIS are the KPP (Kurdish), The Syrian Army, The Iranian Army and perhaps Hezbollah, but we see them all as enemies. We oppose or attack them.
The Turkmen (minority in Northern Iran) with some support from Turkey are attacking Assad's forces but are under attack from Russia, whom Turkey got upset about and shot down a Russian military fighter.
Ideology and funding - The Isis ideology, it's interpretation of Islam is Wahhabbist. Saudia Arabia is the birthplace of Wahhabbism and is a Wahhabbist state. Saudi with it's vast wealth has spread the Wahhabbist faith round the globe like a cancer over the past few decades. Saudi is the source of the whole problem. But nobody wants to speak the truth.
Many millions upon millions of pounds of cash is pouring into ISIS hands via very rich individuals in Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait and other sympathetic countries.
So clearly bombing at this moment is a complete waste of time, and will I guarantee you only make matters worse. The whole situation is a farce. A disaster. A coalition of fighting muppets if you like.
The priority must be for political solutions. ISIS is having things it's own way just now, their plan is working perfectly with everybody fighting them but more importantly each other. Right now they are in a cannot lose position.
Further the coalition of bombing muppets will in the long term lead to further destabilisation of the Middle East and further distress amongst M.E communities around the globe, the young and ignorant may well turn to 'extremist' ideology in greater numbers. Expect more attacks and events on our soil.
Of course ISIS have to be snubbed out. But that cannot be achieved until the major players and forces on the ground have come to a rough agreement. And if that was achieved then there must be further joint work on achieving a peaceful political solution, otherwise this civil war will keep spreading.
Hillary Benn's speech? It was a great performance, passionately delivered, rousing and all the rest of it. Sadly there was no substance or sense - it was in fact a load of bull. Hillary voted in favour of war following Tony Blair's 45 minute claim.
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