tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561667693103445737.post4040641717953618492..comments2024-01-24T03:37:07.726-08:00Comments on Howie's Corner: Aleppo: The day the left diedHoward Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302098153562222648noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561667693103445737.post-1003323857914507432016-12-13T17:08:26.775-08:002016-12-13T17:08:26.775-08:00Say the people who think that Russian hackers swun...Say the people who think that Russian hackers swung the EU referendum.<br /><br />There is much castigation of the <i>Morning Star</i> for its coverage of Aleppo. But it is unique among national newspapers in having opposed every British military intervention of the last 20 years. The best that can be said of the war in Sierra Leone is that it failed to deliver any improvement. All of the others have been catastrophic. I say again that the <i>Morning Star</i> is the only national newspaper to have opposed each and every one of them.<br /><br />A small number of MPs is also in that venerable category. Of those, by far the most prominent today is Jeremy Corbyn. He even voted against the war in Libya, and how about that for civilian casualties? Only a handful of Labour MPs did that. But precisely one Conservative did so. One.<br /><br />Possibly more than anything else, the British Right now defines itself by reference to its having supported the wars of Clinton and Bush, Blair and Cameron. Russia and Iran can do no good in its eyes. Israel and the Gulf tyrannies, supremely Saudi Arabia, can do no evil. America was in the latter category, and it looks as if the next President might keep it there after all.<br /><br />The British Right is first and foremost the War Party, and it is very proud to be so, despite having been proved horrifically wrong over, and over, and over again. Against, which is the key point, Seumas Milne and Andrew Murray, Lindsey German and John Rees, Tariq Ali and John Pilger. Against Diane Abbott and John McDonnell, George Galloway and Ken Livingstone. Against Ken Loach and two million people, including the young Richard Burgon, on the streets of London in 2003. Against Dennis Skinner and Ronnie Campbell, the ghost of Tony Benn and the ghost of Michael Foot.<br /><br />Against the vulgar and presumptuous interference of organised labour in political affairs. Against the vulgar and presumptuous existence of organised labour at all, for it is not a coincidence that the hated rail unions are all stalwarts of the anti-war movement. Against Jeremy Corbyn and the <i>Morning Star</i>.<br /><br />The liberation of Aleppo is not a pretty sight. But what do you think that the liberation of, say, Paris looked like? A tea dance? Putin and Assad are bad. But their enemies are worse. Far, far, far worse. Those enemies are armed by Saudi Arabia, on occasion even fighting under its flag. In that full knowledge, Britain arms Saudi Arabia. The head-choppers, crucifiers and heart-excisers are armed by Britain.David Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06839882674758833524noreply@blogger.com