Killings in Syria are synonymous with democracy?

On 28 November 2013, Syrian MP, Maria Saadeh, in Rome to meet with Pope Francis, was quoted thus by the Anna Lindh Foundation web site:

"There have been five attacks alone on Christian schools over the past few days, injuring and killing children...

It is not a war against the regime, as the international media has long portrayed it to be, but a war to destroy the Syrian State by a group of extremists and criminals controlled by foreign powers... If the Syrian State collapses, it will mean the total disintegration of the country....

How can the West think that the killings, the car bombs, the attacks on civilians and the beheadings are synonymous with democracy?... We must work together against jihadist terrorism. Al Qaeda is operating in Syria now, but jihadist Islam has spread to Europe as well. The top goal must therefore be to halt the violence and stop fundamentalist groups from getting weapons and money."

Saadeh also said that the rebels are destroying 'the country's administrative facilities, factories, agro-food system, and archaeological sites' and the brutality directed at the nation's children was a strategy 'to get Christians, who are secular and moderate, to flee the country.'

At least 11,000 children have already been killed in the conflict and 450,000 Christians have already fled the country.

The 'extremists and criminals controlled by foreign powers?' (Saudi Arabia, Qatar etc.) These would be the characters Cameron and co. would have been siding with in Syria, had they won parliamentary approval for such a monstrous intervention. The 'Christians,' the 'children,' the 'secular' folk and the Maria Saadehs, that's who our traitorous politicians would have been ranged against.

Congratulations to the Labour benches who, apart from those who absented themselves, voted unanimously to stay out of it. Congratulations also to the SNP; the DUP and Plaid Cyru, most of whose members voted to steer clear of involvement. Congratulations to Caroline Lucas of the Greens and George Galloway of Respect as well for voting as they ought.

Especial congratulations, however, are deserved by those Conservative and Lib Dem rebels who voted against the wishes of the Whips and their party leaders.

These were: 

David Amess, Richard Bacon, Steven Baker, John Baron, Andrew Bingham; Crispin Blunt; Fiona Bruce; Tracey Crouch; David Davies Philip Davies David Davis Nick de Bois; Richard Drax; Gordon Henderson; Philip Hollobone; Adam Holloway; Phillip Lee; Julian Lewis; Jason McCartney; Stephen McPartland; Nigel Mills; Anne-Marie Morris; Andrew Percy; Richard Shepherd; Peter Tapsell; Andrew Turner; Martin Vickers; Charles Walker; Chris White; Warwick; Sarah Wollaston and Tim Loughton for the Tories.

Simon Wright; Gordon Birtwistle; Michael Crockart; Andrew George; Mike Hancock; Julian Huppert; Dan Rogerson; Andrew Stunell; Ian Swales; Sarah Teather; David Ward; Roger Williams and Paul Burstow for the Lib Dems.

The rest, apart from those who didn't turn up, voted to go to war. These are cited here.

David Cameron, George Osborne; William Hague; Ian Duncan-Smith; Theresa May; Eric Pickles; Frances Maude; Oliver Letwin; Patrick McLoughlin, in other words, all the heaviest hitters of the present Conservative Cabinet and Party, had voted, ten years before, to make war upon Iraq.

Check out whose intervention may have swayed some into voting against the will of the anti-Syria faction here.