The shadow cabinet ministers resigning to attack Jeremy Corbyn all share something quite embarrassing – they have abysmal voting records.
Hence, the exodus should be welcomed by both Labour supporters and the wider public. Here’re a few of the worst decisions made by those resigning:
All voting information is taken from the website They Work for You.
Voted in favour of the 2003 Iraq war
The Iraq war further destabilised the region, led to the death of around 1 million Iraqis and provided fertile ground for the rise of extremist groups such as ISIS (Daesh). It was based on Tony Blair’s “dodgy dossier” – a fabrication that has made the former Prime Minister a fortune.
Corbyn acknowledged it was a terrible idea, and vehemently opposed the war.
Meanwhile, the following MPs, who have just walked out the shadow cabinet, voted in favour of that absolute catastrophe:
- Hilary Benn
- Angela Eagle
- Vernon Coaker
- Chris Bryant
- John Healey
- Maria Eagle
Voted for airstrikes in Syria, December 2015
Last December, MPs voted in favour of joining the US-led bombing coalition against Daesh in Syria. Calls from an emotional Francois Hollande in the wake of the Paris terror attacks seemed to be the motive, rather than a clear endgame. The Syrian war is extremely complicated – there are dozens of prominent oppositional factions. But, not one supporter of the airstrikes could tell us what victory looked like.
Despite the lack of a coherent strategy, the following outgoing shadow cabinet members endangered both British troops and Syrians through voting to launch the bombing campaign:
- Heidi Alexander
- Hilary Benn
- Lucy Powell
- Gloria De Piero
- Chris Bryant
- Angela Eagle
- Maria Eagle
- Vernon Coaker
Voting for the Iraq war and to launch a reckless airstrike campaign in Syria are threats to our national security.
Since we began the “war on terror” in 2001, terrorist attacks have soared by 6500%, according to data from the US state department. Analysis from journalist Paul Gottinger showed a direct trend between US military intervention and increased terrorism. 74% of terror casualties happened in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan or Nigeria in 2014. US air strikes or military occupations were undertaken in all of these countries except Nigeria in that year.
Voted to replace Trident
Trident is the appropriation of potentially £100bn of public funds towards weapons of mass murder, that could be used on essential public services. A report from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) states:
We could employ 150,000 new nurses, build 1.5 million affordable homes or pay the tuition fees for 4 million students. 2 million jobs could be created, rather than the 7,000 currently sustained by spending £100 billion on nuclear weapons.
The weapon system amounts to a sentimental throwback to when Britain was a global power. It is totally useless, as Peter Sinclair tweeted:
Either you press the nuclear button first – which would be mad. Or you press it in retaliation – in which case it wasn’t a deterrent.
None of this stopped the following exiting shadow cabinet ministers from voting for its renewal:
- Hilary Benn
- Angela Eagle
- Owen Smith
- Maria Eagle
- Lucy Powell
- Kerry McCarthy
- Seema Malhotra
- Heidi Alexander
- Gloria De Piero
- Chris Bryant
- Vernon Coaker
- Karl Turner
- John Healey
Such thoughtless voting on crucial foreign policy matters is both a waste of money and dangerous to our national security. Considering Corbyn would only maintain or increase his mandate in the face of a leadership election, this mainly Blairite exodus amounts to nothing but an embarrassing tantrum.
A large portion of these MPs have been reckless with foreign policy. Both Labour supporters and the wider public should celebrate their departure from the shadow cabinet.
Get Involved!
You can sign the petition to back Jeremy Corbyn here.
Featured Image via Flickr Creative Commons/Flickr Creative Commons
