Should we have bombed Syria?

Not sure I'm comfortable with setting ourselves up as the world's moral police acting as some sort of Judge Dread sort of way without a legitimate mandate from the rest of the world - such as United Nations resolutions.

Yes using chemical weapons is abhorrent but what exactly is sending four planes to drop a few bombs on a country thousands of miles away going to do much about it?

Yes it was sort of a token 'we are in it with the USA' alongside the French token effort - and sometimes you do have to stand up to bullies - but really is this going to make things any better - I doubt it.

Seems to me we are backing Russia into some sort of a corner - and maybe they might feel that if they are pushed too far, that they may have to come out of it one day and do something to show they aren't going to take it anymore.

I doubt that they will want to go to war or anything so old fashioned but to fuck the west up with taking the hacking and control of the internet to a whole new level - one that we can't imagine I guess until it happens.

These days we rely totally on computers for everything - business, defence, logistics, trade, Bolton Nuts, banking, shopping, social media, etc, etc, etc - how will we cope if it becomes no longer reliable and secure anymore?

God knows what information is out there about each and everyone of us.  I don't tend to use the internet so much for doing personal stuff on - I'm old fashioned and have always thought if one man can create a system that is secure, there must be another man at least who is clever enough to break it too! - but even I must have loads of personal stuff out there on the internet that people like the banks, utilities, phone and broadband suppliers, HMRC, etc, etc have on their systems that ultimately will effect me if it is lost or misused.

Maybe we were going down this path anyway without us dropping a few bombs last night but I'd be happier if we could point to us doing this because the world agreed and backed us to do it rather than making such a questionable gesture.

Isn't the middle east a can of worms enough already without us adding more to it?

What do others think about this?

Looks like May and Macron are now fully on board with Trump's agenda and my concern is that we really don't want to go back to East/West brinksmanship if only because of Russia's ability to destroy the UK in seconds - we are after all a lot nearer to them than the US and would probably be considered a softer target.
That said, I assume that this public display of muscle was notified via the back door comms channels i.e. Russia and Syria (and possibly Iran) were told in advance what targets would be hit as that's the way they do it nowadays. Putin will still have to save face in Russia, but I'm hoping he has the common sense not to escalate further. 
As regards whether it was right or not, personally I'd have liked to have seen some proof of the chemical attacks before we waded in. It's a bit like the Skripal case - plenty of circumstantial evidence but then doubt is cast on the findings AFTER we'd repatriotised the diplomats and there is still no conclusive proof that it was the Russians - although we all suspect it was. 
Similarly the Russians claim the Syrian chemical attack was set up by an American agency e.g. the CIA and it is not beyond the realms of possibility, so it would be good to get some verification BEFORE taking huge decisions and risks such as this. Worrying times especially as Putin is such a folk hero in Russia and will be under pressure to retaliate.

wanderlust wrote:Looks like May and Macron are now fully on board with Trump's agenda and my concern is that we really don't want to go back to East/West brinksmanship if only because of Russia's ability to destroy the UK in seconds - we are after all a lot nearer to them than the US and would probably be considered a softer target.
That said, I assume that this public display of muscle was notified via the back door comms channels i.e. Russia and Syria (and possibly Iran) were told in advance what targets would be hit as that's the way they do it nowadays. Putin will still have to save face in Russia, but I'm hoping he has the common sense not to escalate further. 
As regards whether it was right or not, personally I'd have liked to have seen some proof of the chemical attacks before we waded in. It's a bit like the Skripal case - plenty of circumstantial evidence but then doubt is cast on the findings AFTER we'd repatriotised the diplomats and there is still no conclusive proof that it was the Russians - although we all suspect it was. 
Similarly the Russians claim the Syrian chemical attack was set up by an American agency e.g. the CIA and it is not beyond the realms of possibility, so it would be good to get some verification BEFORE taking huge decisions and risks such as this. Worrying times especially as Putin is such a folk hero in Russia and will be under pressure to retaliate.

Oh I've no doubt these things really did happen - and it has been proved beyond doubt to the likes of May and Macron - for them to join in with the American's.

I don't doubt the intelligence services of all three country's know exactly what happened - and by whom - but the likes of us will never know because the intelligence services don't want their cover 'blown' or compromised in any way.

And I suspect too that Russia for certain has been told to shift their people at the places where the bombs were going to fall.

As I said above I don't think they will bomb us back or anything but I wouldn't be surprised if say some major (and embarrassing) hacks takes place in the forthcoming months originating from Russian hands.

Hope we're well prepared for them though.

Sluffy wrote:As I said above I don't think they will bomb us back or anything but I wouldn't be surprised if say some major (and embarrassing) hacks takes place in the forthcoming months originating from Russian hands.

Hope we're well prepared for them though.

I've only got the free version of AVG, will I be safe?

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Sluffy wrote:As I said above I don't think they will bomb us back or anything but I wouldn't be surprised if say some major (and embarrassing) hacks takes place in the forthcoming months originating from Russian hands.

Hope we're well prepared for them though.

I've only got the free version of AVG, will I be safe?

I expect so.

Although they might try to hack Cedric's laptop to see if he's kept any juicy pictures of you!

Or are you not that sort of a girl?

Cecil.

Sluffy wrote:Although they might try to hack Cedric's laptop to see if he's kept any juicy pictures of you!

It's fucking CECIL. Show some respect.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Sluffy wrote:Although they might try to hack Cedric's laptop to see if he's kept any juicy pictures of you!

It's fucking CECIL. Show some respect.

Cecil, Cedric, Claude, Clive, Clifford - so easy to get mixed up.

Off topic on fourth post.

But to answer your question, no. It will achieve nothing and possibly make things worse.

After all bombing worked so well in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya what could possibly go wrong?

So you'd do nothing?

In these circumstances yes.

xmiles wrote:In these circumstances yes.

Very charitable to your fellow human beings who weren't lucky enough to be born in a relatively safe place.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

xmiles wrote:In these circumstances yes.

Very charitable to your fellow human beings who weren't lucky enough to be born in a relatively safe place.

Do you really think this particular round of bombing is going to make any difference?

xmiles wrote:Do you really think this particular round of bombing is going to make any difference?

I don't know, but to do nothing would probably open the door to even more of these attacks.

If part of a wider strategy to actually end the war, I’d be in support. Looks like another token gesture from the government to me though.

Of course it was a token gesture. They gave everyone a week's notice, no doubt any chemical weapons that the Syrian government had were moved long before any bombs dropped.

It was more about sending a warning that we will bomb you, and next time we might not give you a week to think about it.

But once again the Labour twins want to make this about the government, and not about the poor people being targeted.

You’ve just said yourself it won’t help the poor people being targeted? So how exactly is dropping more bombs on people going to help the poor people?

T.R.O.Y wrote:You’ve just said yourself it won’t help the poor people being targeted? So how exactly is dropping more bombs on people going to help the poor people?

The bombs weren't dropped on civilians.

Sluffy wrote:

wanderlust wrote:Looks like May and Macron are now fully on board with Trump's agenda and my concern is that we really don't want to go back to East/West brinksmanship if only because of Russia's ability to destroy the UK in seconds - we are after all a lot nearer to them than the US and would probably be considered a softer target.
That said, I assume that this public display of muscle was notified via the back door comms channels i.e. Russia and Syria (and possibly Iran) were told in advance what targets would be hit as that's the way they do it nowadays. Putin will still have to save face in Russia, but I'm hoping he has the common sense not to escalate further. 
As regards whether it was right or not, personally I'd have liked to have seen some proof of the chemical attacks before we waded in. It's a bit like the Skripal case - plenty of circumstantial evidence but then doubt is cast on the findings AFTER we'd repatriotised the diplomats and there is still no conclusive proof that it was the Russians - although we all suspect it was. 
Similarly the Russians claim the Syrian chemical attack was set up by an American agency e.g. the CIA and it is not beyond the realms of possibility, so it would be good to get some verification BEFORE taking huge decisions and risks such as this. Worrying times especially as Putin is such a folk hero in Russia and will be under pressure to retaliate.

Oh I've no doubt these things really did happen - and it has been proved beyond doubt to the likes of May and Macron - for them to join in with the American's.

A bit like the irrefutable evidence of WMDs that cost so many lives in Iraq then?

Or are you just making this up too?