Andy McSmith's Diary: Why the fuss about Syria? Iraq is bombed every day

The almost daily death toll caused by bombing in the country prompts no protest from left-wing opinion in the UK

An RAF Typhoon leaves the Akrotiri base n Cyprus (Getty Images)

There is something curious about the vehement reaction to the decision to start bombing Isis in Syria, because almost every day for more than a year someone has been killed in Iraq by the RAF without a murmur of protest at home. The MoD released figures last month showing that the number the RAF believes they have killed up to the end of October was 305. It claims that all the dead were combatants. It has not knowingly killed a civilian since the campaign began.

Today, it published details of RAF sorties during November, which do not give figures for the number dead, but make it clear that the toll is rising. On the first day of the month, it says, “an RAF Reaper used a Hellfire missile to destroy a group of terrorists” – “destroy” being a euphemism for kill. The sorties continued through the month at a rate of one every two or three days. On the final Saturday, as Jeremy Corbyn deliberated over whether to allow Labour MPs a free vote on Syria, two Arabs the RAF believe to have been from Isis ventured by motorbike into Iraq to plant a bomb, and were obliterated by a Brimstone missile.

This almost daily death toll prompts no protest from left-wing opinion in the UK, yet it has been suggested that 66 Labour MPs who voted for the campaign to extend bombing across the porous Iraq-Syria border should be deselected for warmongering.

Red Ken in Russia

Ken Livingstone’s decision to travel to Russia to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Russia Today television station is one more reason why he should not be co-chairing the committee reviewing defence policy, in the opinion of certain Labour MPs. “On (Vladimir) Putin’s watch, dozens of journalists have been killed and nobody has been convicted,” Chris Bryant, a member of the Shadow Cabinet, told me. “I don’t think RT is a beacon of journalism.”

Abbott’s variety act

“Diane has her own special approach to these things, that usually loses her the room,” was Manchester-born Lucy Powell’s succinct response on being asked if it was true that London-born Diane Abbott had taken to imitating her accent during meetings of the Shadow Cabinet.

The rogue’s return

The most notorious expenses fiddler in the current Parliament is Lord Hanningfield, who was ennobled for his work as Tory leader of Essex County Council. He went to prison in 2011 for fiddling his expenses, returned to the Lords, was caught abusing the system again in 2013, and was subjected to the most severe penalty the Lords could impose on one of its members, by being banned from the premises until the election. The law could not prevent him returning after the May election to start claiming his £300-a-day tax-free allowance again. Figures released today show that, by the end of July, he had trousered £2,700.

Barbie may be spying on you

A weird notion was floated before a Commons committee today: beware of the talking Barbie doll because it might be spying on you.

Anthony Walker of techUK told the Commons Science and Technology Committee that any object in the home that connects to the internet could in theory be bugged by the security services. The spooks could be listening via the internet refrigerator, or the driverless car parked outside. But why would the manufacturers agree to put snooping devices in a toy, so putting public trust in their brand in jeopardy? Answer – because the Investigatory Powers Bill now going through Parliament would give the security services the power to force them to.