Polls are suggesting that a majority of people in the UK still oppose our intervention in Libya, the latest two being for organisations as diverse as ITN News and The Sun newspaper. I find it heartening as it shows a certain commonsense amongst the population that is refreshing.
The reasons I've heard expressed for opposing the intervention are many and varied ranging from the cost, £800,000 a missile is being mentioned, to the dangers of provoking a violent reaction from Islamist extremists. Personally I just think it's none of our bloody business and that intervening in what is effectively a civil war is likely to turn all Libyans, and probably Arabs generally, against us when one side or the other eventually wins. Just look at Northern Ireland where we went in to save the Catholic republican population, who promptly turned their fire on our troops. At a time when we are seeing services cut in this country it seems immoral that we are spending millions bombing a country in North Africa, especially when we are using armed services that are seeing their budgets and effectiveness slashed by this hybrid government.
Talking of this hybrid government what kind of democracy do they want to impose on Libya? The type of democracy that gave us a government that nobody voted for last May? The kind of government that ignores the wishes of the majority of its own people by bombing foreign countries? The kind of government that ignores the majority of its own people but goes to war at the request of a rag-tag army of rebels in Libya?
And before the 'we couldn't sit back and let Gadaffi kill his own people' brigade kicks off, I'm afraid it was the rebels who were driving around firing shells from tanks, and mortars from the back of Toyota pick-up trucks. Or are you saying their ammunition, like ours, only kills baddies?
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