Self Righteous Bastards

Do you ever find yourself wondering if you are on the right side?  In the wake of the commons vote to bomb Syria, I find myself truly despising some of my fellow 'terrorist sympathisers'.  You know the ones I mean: the ones who have subsequently spent their time harassing and threatening MPs who voted in favour of bombing.  I wouldn't mind, but they are sort of sanctimonious gits who otherwise spend their time banging on about the virtues of democracy and living in a free country. Untill, of course, things don't go their way.  Yeah, I know, I'm sounding like someone who not only reads the Daily Mail but also makes crazed comments on its website. But, damn it, so many of these anti-war types are just so fucking self righteous.  They probably do more to alienate potential allies than a million column inches in the Mail denouncing 'Trotskyite immigrant-loving insurgents'.  It isn't just on the Syria issue: they jump on their high horses and start issuing their shrill declarations of how 'this is outrageous' across social media at the drop of a hat.  They jump on any social justice, race relations, sexual discrimination or international war crimes bandwagon that rolls by.  Oh, and if you in any way disagree with them, then you are a fascist and find yourself being denounced and bullied off of social media.  Dissenting opinions, even from the left, especially from the left, are not welcome.

It's not that the issues they latch onto aren't necessarily important or worthy of campaigning about, but their activities are generally counter-productive, alienating the wider public and opening the whole cause up to ridicule.  They are so concerned with their 'principles' and being seen to have the correct 'right on' attitudes that they dismiss and actively obstruct possible compromises and pragmatic approaches to finding solutions.  Worst of all, they stifle any legitimate debate.  Sadly, they just can't seem to see that their attitudes and approach to issues is as bad as that of those they claim to oppose.  Getting back to the specific issue of Syria, I find it more than slightly ironic that people who oppose the killing of civilians by bombing and harp on about dead babies are also prepared to threaten violence against MPs and the families of MPs who voted in favour of the bombing.  Not that you have to be a pacifist to be in the anti camp: I'm prepared to concede that military action against ISIS might be justified, but don't believe that the proposed bombing campaign will actually achieve anything in military terms - it offers no long-term solution to the problem.  Moreover, in general, I think that violence should only be a last resort, (and only when faced with an immediate threat of violence oneself, not just because someone has done something you disagree with).  Ultimately, whether or not to support the bombing campaign in Syria is a matter of individual conscience, for citizens and MPs alike.  Corbyn was quite right to allow a free vote on the issue for Labour MPs.  I think those who voted for the bombing were wrong, but I don't think they are evil baby-killing fascists.  The self-rightous middle class new lefties really need to put things in proportion and accept that other people are entitled to hold differing opinions.  Even if they are wrong.