In recent days the UK has got involved in another war.Very little information was generally distributed other than a horrific storybook narrative of good versus evil
If you look at the votes of MP's here in Carmarthenshire we have quite an interesting result:
Nia Griffith, representing Llanelli, [Labour] voted For the War
Simon Hart, representing Carmarthen West [Conservative] Abstained
Jonathan Edwards, representing Carmarthen East [Plaid Cymru] voted Against the War
If there was ever a need for open debate and general consultation it was surely on this issue. Did the people of Llanelli really want another foreign war in a region where the UK has failed to make a beneficial impact in the past? Were the people of Carmarthen East dead against the idea and the people of Carmarthen West undecided?
Representative democracy is a clumsy tool, especially when our representatives do not consult us. Naturally there are truly urgent decisions which need the MP to make an on-the-spot judgement. In this case, this was not urgent in the sense that we could not wait a few weeks for the issue to be properly debated and discussed. We marvel at the engagement of the Scots in their Independence referendum, but give the people of Wales no opportunity to engage. This issue could have filled church halls and generated real debate if the people were given the right to make a choice which may affect the nation as a whole and the fate of future generations.
Whatever your political leaning, the end result of a war is that a lot of people, our own armed forces, the enemy, innocent civilians, are going to die under our country's name. Have we become so callous that this is not even worth a day of debate with the common people?
If you look at the votes of MP's here in Carmarthenshire we have quite an interesting result:
Nia Griffith, representing Llanelli, [Labour] voted For the War
Simon Hart, representing Carmarthen West [Conservative] Abstained
Jonathan Edwards, representing Carmarthen East [Plaid Cymru] voted Against the War
If there was ever a need for open debate and general consultation it was surely on this issue. Did the people of Llanelli really want another foreign war in a region where the UK has failed to make a beneficial impact in the past? Were the people of Carmarthen East dead against the idea and the people of Carmarthen West undecided?
Representative democracy is a clumsy tool, especially when our representatives do not consult us. Naturally there are truly urgent decisions which need the MP to make an on-the-spot judgement. In this case, this was not urgent in the sense that we could not wait a few weeks for the issue to be properly debated and discussed. We marvel at the engagement of the Scots in their Independence referendum, but give the people of Wales no opportunity to engage. This issue could have filled church halls and generated real debate if the people were given the right to make a choice which may affect the nation as a whole and the fate of future generations.
Whatever your political leaning, the end result of a war is that a lot of people, our own armed forces, the enemy, innocent civilians, are going to die under our country's name. Have we become so callous that this is not even worth a day of debate with the common people?
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