There is a sound the Conservative benches make when our armed forces are in action. It is quite low – baritone, not basso profundo – and something between a grunt and a growl. When, as happens, Leftists rise to express pacifist sentiments, it swells to irked scorn.
Sir Keir Starmer, hearing that noise in the Commons during Rishi Sunak’s statement on the Red Sea attacks, narrowed his eyes with wary curiosity. To one such as Sir Keir, steeped in north London socialism, martial patriotism is an alien emotion. It is something he will never feel in his soul, though he has been told it makes electoral sense.
He studies it as a tourist, landing in Chengdu, will read a Mandarin phrasebook, out of necessity.
Sir Keir, who claims to be a born-again centrist, tells us he is now a man of the world; yet his backbenchers still dream of international daisy chains. Despite their leader expressing stilted support for whacking Houthi militants in Yemen – he uttered the words as our Chengdu tourist might ask a policeman for directions – Labour backbenchers made plain their unhappiness.
Zarah Sultana (Lab, Coventry South) and Apsana Begum (Lab, Poplar & Limehouse) were openly indignant that Mr Sunak had ordered the Royal Navy and RAF to defend themselves and protect shipping. Ms Sultana directed her staccato oratory at the Prime Minister and demanded a ceasefire in Gaza.
Sir Keir Starmer , hearing that noise in the Commons during Rishi Sunak’s statement on the Red Sea attacks, narrowed his eyes with wary curiosity
Sir Keir, who claims to be a born-again centrist, tells us he is now a man of the world
Mr Sunak briskly suggested she should instead encourage Islamist terrorists to lay down their weapons. For this he was accused, by the former anti-Semite Naz Shah (Lab, Bradford West), of ‘an Islamophobic trope’. Ms Sultana, for her part, gasped and gaped at Mr Sunak as if he had just swiped her last Rolo.
Ms Begum had earlier accused Mr Sunak of causing an ‘escalation’ in Middle Eastern violence and failing to ‘build any political support’ in the ‘parliamentary community’. Odd to think Limehouse was once noted for its political intellectuals.
Did Bozo Begum not notice that her own party leader had just expressed support for the Government’s military response? Did that not constitute significant ‘political support’?
The Tory military machine made its baritone mooing sound and Mr Sunak visibly drew strength from it. He will never be a war-like figure, for his left knee jiggles too much.
A properly bellicose PM, high on the fumes of war planes, would adopt a squarer stance at the despatch box. Yet he had his arguments about the logic and legality of the military action capably arrayed.
Apsana Begum had earlier accused Mr Sunak of causing an ‘escalation’ in Middle Eastern violence and failing to ‘build any political support’ in the ‘parliamentary community’
Repeatedly he explained that ‘the risks of inaction’ were considerable. The Houthis needed to be shown that they could not consider ‘British vessels and British lives to be fair game’.
It is unlikely many voters will disagree with Mr Sunak on this, whatever Sir Keir’s lot might think. Oh, what contortions we had as Labour MPs, Lib Dems, Scots Nats, Plaid Cymru and that posh woman from the Greens flexed every cognitive sinew to oppose our own government and side with our country’s enemies. Why weren’t we following the rule of international law? (Er, we were).
Why weren’t we giving more money to Yemen? (How, asked Mr Sunak, do you propose to pay for it?) Why had he not come to the Commons last Thursday to get its consent for the attacks? (Because, you never know, word might have leaked back to the Houthis and they might have hidden that cruise missile launcher the RAF just destroyed).
The Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, seen for the first time since his Post Office tribulations, looked miserable. A total wreck, poor man.
But Layla Moran (Lib Dem, Abingdon) was full of it. She was furious Mr Sunak had not consulted her before letting the Navy fire back at the Houthis. She made a long, noisy point of order about it.
Round Yemeni camp fires, as they suck their sheeps’ eyes and dip their fingers into broiled goat innards, they’ll be saying, ‘that Moran lady, she speaks for us!’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12966673/QUENTIN-LETTS-martial-patriotism-emotion-north-London-socialist-Keir-Starmer.html
