The events in Syria, as they have been for a number of years, are utterly horrifying. The chemical attack on innocent Syrian citizens, killing adults and children in such an inhumane manner, was ghastly. In the Western world, none of us could ever imagine living in such an environment. Whether the chemical attack was at the hands of President Assad or rebel groups, I totally condemn this atrocious attack, which has lead to never ending suffering. However, I do not believe US airstrikes were an appropriate or effective response to the attack.
President Trump. Throughout the election campaign last year, Donald Trump vowed to keep America out of future foreign wars - unlike Barack Obama. Less than 100 days into his Presidency, that promise has been broken. You may say I shouldn't be surprised at politicians breaking promises; that is true. However, a broken domestic promise, like healthcare, can easily be reversed by a future administration. The Syrian airstrikes, undoubtedly causing harm, can never be unbroken. The level of support for President Trump's airstrikes worry me. From the UK Government to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, senior figures in Labour to Hillary Clinton, there is clearly support for another reckless, costly Middle Eastern war. Some Labour MPs announced their regret for voting against Syrian military action in 2013, as if bombing areas to extinction and killing more people would have helped. Whether President Assad ordered the chemical attack or not, he is a brutal dictator whom I despise. That does not mean we should go to war with him. It appears people have learnt absolutely nothing from the unforgivable chaos in Iraq. The then UK Government used the myth of WMD to send our brave armed forces to their deaths, removing Saddam Hussein and leaving Iraq in the mess it is today. This is not to say the UK should never enter any war, but I do believe people should learn lessons from other Middle East conflicts. Surely the whole idea of history is to ensure the same mistakes aren't made time and again? In response to the vile chemical attack, a clear, measured response was necessary. This did not needed to involve the military. Ending our arms sales to brutal regimes which oppress women, homosexuals and atheists, among others. Dignified peace talks between the parties involved aimed around peaceful co-existence. And, above all, putting the priorities of Syrian citizens first through ensuring those who live in Syria have a good quality of life and helping desperate Syrian refugees. None of those aims will be achieved through warfare. ****************************************************************************************************************** I enjoyed greatly the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race last week. As a Cambridge supporter, it was excellent to see the women's team win by such a large margin. Though disappointing to see the men narrowly miss out on victory, the day remains one of the highlights of my year. However, I was surprised to see the amount of hatred towards the boat race, simply because the universities taking part were 'elitist'. What is so wrong with having world-class universities? Some of the tweets made it sound like the boat race was the only sport in which an element of elitism was present. I'm no sports fan, but that is clearly not the case. In any sports, there are different leagues of ability with the selective few being in the top league. The rowers themselves, whether it was Hull or Plymouth University, would have been selected, like the Cambridge and Oxford teams, to ensure the most skilled were on the Thames. Football contains the Premier League, the Six Nations contains a select six nations and the Ashes only involves England and Australia. With all these other examples, I don't know why the Boat Race alone receives such a high proportion of people shouting elitism. A grudge at being rejected? Thankfully, the race remains a fine British tradition, with a huge fan base watching every year: on TV and at the Thames. I hope it remains for many years to come, with the BBC continuing to cover it. Bring on Boat Race 164! ****************************************************************************************************************** Over the last couple of hours, I've felt completely exhausted. Glorious sunshine at the end of a tiring week has made me drink dozens of mugs of tea to keep my caffeine levels up. Though this exhaustion is sudden, I can think of some clear reasons why this bout of tiredness has overcome me. While this week has been a relatively relaxing holiday for most kids, people my age have been very busy. GCSEs are fast approaching and I'm revising my subjects for what feels like forever. Mind map after mind map. Post-it after post-it. You get the idea. I've nearly come to the end of my 400 page lined paper pad due to its overuse and some of my coloured pens are running out. Studying can become mundane after a while (hence my new blog post!) but the content must be learnt. As I mentioned earlier, the weather has been truly glorious over the last couple of days. The clear, blue, ocean-like skies, the boiling weather, the blazing sun. I felt like I was in Spain. All of this can be welcome for an afternoon, but too much heat can make me exhausted. I can remember a few years ago when my family were unable to turn the heating down - I nearly fainted! So, welcome as you are weather - please cool down. For the first time this year, I have been cycling. Like swimming, it always feels so freeing and calm to be in control, riding through the city. Though where I'm based is mainly flat, there are some steep bridges, which, when combined with lack of practice and soaring heat, can be difficult to tackle. Or maybe that's just a reason to cycle and exercise more. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a kettle to boil......
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