Later today the House of Commons will vote upon a motion expressing belief that a genocide is underway against Christians, Yazidis and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria. The motion, proposed by Fiona Bruce MP, is supported by a large number of MPs from all parties.
The Government is expected to oppose, as they did when a similar measure was debated in the Lords. At the time of writing, party enforcers are rumoured to be whipping MPs on the payroll to abstain from the vote. This is an old parliamentary tactic intended to undermine the legitimacy and clout of the measure under consideration by reducing the number of MPs going through the lobbies (about 150 are on the payroll).
Surprised by this Machiavellian scheming? You shouldn’t be. It’s par for the course, and in the context of genocide, entirely predictable. The UK has never succeeded in recognising a genocide while one was ongoing.
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