SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Jeremy Corbyn Praised for Denouncing Failed 'Global War on Terror'
'Whoever you decide should lead the next government must do better,' Labour Party leader says in Friday speech
May 26, 2017
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Friday that "we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working," and called for a "smarter way" to cut the risks of terrorist attacks.
His speech in London comes as the U.K.'s general election campaigning resumes after the deadly bombing in Manchester earlier this week and the same day as a bus attack in Egypt killed more than two dozen people.
"Over recent years, the threat of terrorism has continued to grow. You deserve to know what a Labour Government will do to keep you and your family safe. Our approach will involve change at home and change abroad," Corbyn said.
Apart from taking a reverse course on austerity, he promosed to also "change what we do abroad. Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries, such as Libya, and terrorism here at home."
"But an informed understanding of the causes of terrorism is an essential part of an effective response that will protect the security of our people, that fights rather than fuels terrorism," he said.
"Protecting this country requires us to be both strong against terrorism and strong against the causes of terrorism. The blame is with the terrorists, but if we are to protect our people we must be honest about what threatens our security," he argued.
He said that "the responsibility of government is to minimize that chance [of a terrorist attack not being prevented], to ensure the police have the resources they need, that our foreign policy reduces rather than increases the threat to this country, and that at home we never surrender the freedoms we have won, and that terrorists are so determined to take away. Too often government has got it wrong on all three counts and insecurity is growing as a result. Whoever you decide should lead the next government must do better."
Though the "causes certainly cannot be reduced to foreign policy decisions alone," Corbyn said "we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working. We need a smarter way to reduce the threat from countries that nurture terrorists and generate terrorism."
To the British soldiers, he said "under my leadership, you will only be deployed abroad when there is a clear need and only when there is a plan and you have the resources to do your job to secure an outcome that delivers lasting peace."
Though the sister of the Manchester bomber said she believes that Salman Abedi's attack was blowback, Corbyn's remarks drew expected scorn from his political opponents. U.K. Security Minister Ben Wallace, for one, said Corbyn used "twisted reasoning" and said of terrorists: "these people hate our values."
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also rejected Corbyn's argument, saying "it is absolutely monstrous" to "do anything to subtract from the fundamental responsibility of" those who carried out the Manchester attack. Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron also said Corbyn used "that grotesque act to make a political point," referring to the Manchester attack.er
Yet, argues George Eaton, political editor of the New Statesman, "there was little in [Corbyn's] speech today that the average voter would contest." Eaton writes:
Though Corbyn's arguments have appalled Conservatives (and some in Labour), they are ones that will likely find favor among the public. Polls have consistently shown that most voters oppose western adventurism and believe it has endangered the U.K.. Corbyn's words will resonate among both the anti-interventionist left and the isolationist right (this is, after all, a country which has just voted to retreat from even its closest neighbors).
Other observers took to social media to praise Corbyn's speech as "spot on":
Corbyn's speech also comes as a new YouGov survey for The Times shows that Labour has narrowed British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative lead to five points.
The Independent writes Friday: "While all opinions polls published during the campaign have signaled that the Conservatives are on track for a majority, Jeremy Corbyn's party has consistently cut the Conservatives' lead since the leaking of his party's manifesto."
Voters head to the polls June 8.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Friday that "we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working," and called for a "smarter way" to cut the risks of terrorist attacks.
His speech in London comes as the U.K.'s general election campaigning resumes after the deadly bombing in Manchester earlier this week and the same day as a bus attack in Egypt killed more than two dozen people.
"Over recent years, the threat of terrorism has continued to grow. You deserve to know what a Labour Government will do to keep you and your family safe. Our approach will involve change at home and change abroad," Corbyn said.
Apart from taking a reverse course on austerity, he promosed to also "change what we do abroad. Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries, such as Libya, and terrorism here at home."
"But an informed understanding of the causes of terrorism is an essential part of an effective response that will protect the security of our people, that fights rather than fuels terrorism," he said.
"Protecting this country requires us to be both strong against terrorism and strong against the causes of terrorism. The blame is with the terrorists, but if we are to protect our people we must be honest about what threatens our security," he argued.
He said that "the responsibility of government is to minimize that chance [of a terrorist attack not being prevented], to ensure the police have the resources they need, that our foreign policy reduces rather than increases the threat to this country, and that at home we never surrender the freedoms we have won, and that terrorists are so determined to take away. Too often government has got it wrong on all three counts and insecurity is growing as a result. Whoever you decide should lead the next government must do better."
Though the "causes certainly cannot be reduced to foreign policy decisions alone," Corbyn said "we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working. We need a smarter way to reduce the threat from countries that nurture terrorists and generate terrorism."
To the British soldiers, he said "under my leadership, you will only be deployed abroad when there is a clear need and only when there is a plan and you have the resources to do your job to secure an outcome that delivers lasting peace."
Though the sister of the Manchester bomber said she believes that Salman Abedi's attack was blowback, Corbyn's remarks drew expected scorn from his political opponents. U.K. Security Minister Ben Wallace, for one, said Corbyn used "twisted reasoning" and said of terrorists: "these people hate our values."
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also rejected Corbyn's argument, saying "it is absolutely monstrous" to "do anything to subtract from the fundamental responsibility of" those who carried out the Manchester attack. Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron also said Corbyn used "that grotesque act to make a political point," referring to the Manchester attack.er
Yet, argues George Eaton, political editor of the New Statesman, "there was little in [Corbyn's] speech today that the average voter would contest." Eaton writes:
Though Corbyn's arguments have appalled Conservatives (and some in Labour), they are ones that will likely find favor among the public. Polls have consistently shown that most voters oppose western adventurism and believe it has endangered the U.K.. Corbyn's words will resonate among both the anti-interventionist left and the isolationist right (this is, after all, a country which has just voted to retreat from even its closest neighbors).
Other observers took to social media to praise Corbyn's speech as "spot on":
Corbyn's speech also comes as a new YouGov survey for The Times shows that Labour has narrowed British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative lead to five points.
The Independent writes Friday: "While all opinions polls published during the campaign have signaled that the Conservatives are on track for a majority, Jeremy Corbyn's party has consistently cut the Conservatives' lead since the leaking of his party's manifesto."
Voters head to the polls June 8.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Friday that "we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working," and called for a "smarter way" to cut the risks of terrorist attacks.
His speech in London comes as the U.K.'s general election campaigning resumes after the deadly bombing in Manchester earlier this week and the same day as a bus attack in Egypt killed more than two dozen people.
"Over recent years, the threat of terrorism has continued to grow. You deserve to know what a Labour Government will do to keep you and your family safe. Our approach will involve change at home and change abroad," Corbyn said.
Apart from taking a reverse course on austerity, he promosed to also "change what we do abroad. Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries, such as Libya, and terrorism here at home."
"But an informed understanding of the causes of terrorism is an essential part of an effective response that will protect the security of our people, that fights rather than fuels terrorism," he said.
"Protecting this country requires us to be both strong against terrorism and strong against the causes of terrorism. The blame is with the terrorists, but if we are to protect our people we must be honest about what threatens our security," he argued.
He said that "the responsibility of government is to minimize that chance [of a terrorist attack not being prevented], to ensure the police have the resources they need, that our foreign policy reduces rather than increases the threat to this country, and that at home we never surrender the freedoms we have won, and that terrorists are so determined to take away. Too often government has got it wrong on all three counts and insecurity is growing as a result. Whoever you decide should lead the next government must do better."
Though the "causes certainly cannot be reduced to foreign policy decisions alone," Corbyn said "we must be brave enough to admit the war on terror is simply not working. We need a smarter way to reduce the threat from countries that nurture terrorists and generate terrorism."
To the British soldiers, he said "under my leadership, you will only be deployed abroad when there is a clear need and only when there is a plan and you have the resources to do your job to secure an outcome that delivers lasting peace."
Though the sister of the Manchester bomber said she believes that Salman Abedi's attack was blowback, Corbyn's remarks drew expected scorn from his political opponents. U.K. Security Minister Ben Wallace, for one, said Corbyn used "twisted reasoning" and said of terrorists: "these people hate our values."
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also rejected Corbyn's argument, saying "it is absolutely monstrous" to "do anything to subtract from the fundamental responsibility of" those who carried out the Manchester attack. Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron also said Corbyn used "that grotesque act to make a political point," referring to the Manchester attack.er
Yet, argues George Eaton, political editor of the New Statesman, "there was little in [Corbyn's] speech today that the average voter would contest." Eaton writes:
Though Corbyn's arguments have appalled Conservatives (and some in Labour), they are ones that will likely find favor among the public. Polls have consistently shown that most voters oppose western adventurism and believe it has endangered the U.K.. Corbyn's words will resonate among both the anti-interventionist left and the isolationist right (this is, after all, a country which has just voted to retreat from even its closest neighbors).
Other observers took to social media to praise Corbyn's speech as "spot on":
Corbyn's speech also comes as a new YouGov survey for The Times shows that Labour has narrowed British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative lead to five points.
The Independent writes Friday: "While all opinions polls published during the campaign have signaled that the Conservatives are on track for a majority, Jeremy Corbyn's party has consistently cut the Conservatives' lead since the leaking of his party's manifesto."
Voters head to the polls June 8.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.