Lord Bonkers' Diary: Giving Isis one up the snoot

Who would have thought it? The old boy turns out to be a bit of a hawk on Syria

One up the snoot for Isis

In my view defence questions resemble a closely fought by-election: if someone is out to get you then you give them one up the snoot at the earliest opportunity. Thus I was happy to support the idea of lobbing the occasional bomb at ISIS (the Boat Race has deteriorated since my day). Let us remember that they attacked people going to a footer match, out for dinner at a restaurant and listening to the Eagles of Death Metal, who so enlivened a tea dance at Uppingham last summer.

Thank goodness there was no move to invade Syria the way we used to invade countries under Blair. It wasn't the soldiers the Iraqis and Afghanistanis objected to so much as what came after. Health workers to enforce safe drinking guidelines; animal welfare inspectors to measure the camels; social workers from Islington to enforce Jack Straw's National Bedtime.

Just after I had written this the telephone was brought to me; it turned out to be Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, who has called for ‘peace talks’ with ISIS. “What concessions will you demand?” I asked her. “I’m going to ask them to throw homosexuals off slightly lower buildings.”

Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for Rutland South West 1906-10.

Earlier this week in Lord Bonkers' Diary

• A shadow cabinet maker

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Keith Vaz changes his mind on Trident. Again

Embed from Getty Images

Eager to support his new leader, Keith Vaz tells the Leicester Mercury that Jeremy Corbyn has persuaded him it is right to scrap Britain's nuclear deterrent:

"He's made it very clear when he's prime minister he's not going to be able to use these weapons so what's the point of having them.

"I've known Jeremy Corbyn, all the years I've been in Parliament. I'm sure he will use his persuasive skill in order to put these views forward. 

"I've changed my mind on Trident and I've been persuaded by the things that he's said."

I find this puzzling. The first time I came across Vaz was when he was the Labour candidate for Richmond and Barnes in the 1983 general election.

During the campaign (or perhaps shortly before the election was called) I attended a debate on nuclear weapons organised by the local churches.

All three candidates took part - as well as Vaz there was Jeremy Hanley (Conservative) and Alan Watson (Liberal Alliance).

And Keith Vaz proposed that Britain should unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons.

I suspect that Vaz's always has the same beliefs on Britain's nuclear deterrent as his leader - whether that view is for it or against.

Note that today agreeing with Jeremy Corbyn is not the same thing as agreeing with Labour policy.

Later. Thanks to Troy for tweeting this old advertisement. It confirms my memory of Vaz's views on defence in those days...

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