In a statement that would have shocked absolutely nobody, Jeremy Corbyn announced he was against US and British attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Of course, Corbyn is against all conflict in the same way he was always against all forms of racism when he was leader of the Labour Party. Yet again, he is the touchstone for hypocrisy. The man who was happy to be paid by Iranian TV and suggested asking the Russians if they poisoned a man on British soil can always be relied on to provide a snapshot into the adolescent tendencies of his fellow travellers. What is significant about this is if his view of such dilemmas becomes the default position for an ever broader and deeper part of our society.
The response to strikes on the Houthis suggest a growing reluctance to assess difficult choices with reason or balance. If a militia backed by Iran repeatedly attacks international shipping – after warnings to desist – then the need to act overwhelms the wish to avoid conflict. The trite conflating of this with the Iraq War (which was illegal and foolhardy) is deliberately disingenuous.
