Should we be joining air strikes over Syria?
If I were voting as your MP in the UK Parliament, I would not be supporting this proposal.Becoming yet another country bombing from the air doesn’t solve anything. It just makes us feel better- but it won’t make us safer.

I have just listened to an extremely moving speech from the partner of one of the young women killed in Paris last week. His dignity was stunningly beautiful and very moving. Does he want us to inflict the same agonies on innocent families in Syria? I hope not- his speech didn’t consider retribution an option- he hoped that the greatest insult he could inflict on his partner’s killer was that their 17 month old son would play happily every day. Nor did he want his personal freedoms curtailed and his movements watched because of the violent actions of others.

Yesterday, at HCC, I listened to Mohammed Ansar. I have known him for some time- he is a supporter of education in Hampshire, a muslim and rightly challenges the opportunities for all people of whatever race (including British). He, like we all do, recognises the challenge of all this in our perceptions for ‘ordinary ‘ Muslims and that the extremists in every religion are dangerous.We agreed that education is the key to tackling this for generations to come.

I feel in my heart that we must not react as we are being urged to do by PM Cameron.

Why not?
I ask- What is the strategy?
The strategy to bomb, to join other countries; but what happens next?

I want to see a strategy which could result in peace. This should be the mandate from all countries in the UN. We need clear and honest assurances from other countries in the Middle East that they aren’t funding this awful regime.
We need to know if there are diplomatic activities, and if not, what moves are being made to start on that path. How seriously will the UN try?
We need to know what Syria (and other countries in the Middle East) itself expects to do if ISIL is eliminated there, but it (or versions of it) survives in other countries.
We need clear support from the African continent too.

Bombing a country- or specific sites within it, when there isn’t a stable ‘host’ is only going to result in more unrest as the rival factions continue their hate-triangle.

For these reasons, I would not vote yes’ to bombing over Syria and will be emailing my MP with my view.