Your pretty face is going to hell

The above slogan was seen on a t-shirt outside my hotel.

I've been in this position much of today, following the news and doing what comes naturally to me when I spend too much time alone, i.e. despairing that the world is on a knife edge of instability.

On this week's Question Time I found Joe Johnson the Tory MP entirely lacking in charm but trying to make the case for military intervention in Syria. The idea had strong support from half of the audience; strong condemnation from the rest. It was obvious that the producers had tried hard to fill the audience with a political spectrum as normally there isn't any more anti-Conservative part of the country than Liverpool, from where this week's show was broadcast.

I am opposed to airstrikes due to the civilian losses and especially opposed to military action that doesn't involve a full vote by MPs. Joe Johnson was patently saying that keeping the vote within the cabinet was more likely to result in a 'yes' to military action, but that through 'debates in the house' the government would be held accountable for its actions. Which usually means a load of pompous jeering and antiquated speech when the opposition raises questions of accountability, on very many matters.

One lad in the audience was correct that there is a moral, if not constitutional, obligation to ask the question more widely. It wouldn't have automatically been a no as the coalition still holds the advantage with numbers. My elected MP has not had the chance to have his say and therefore the views of his constituents are not represented. The same goes for the vast majority of citizens whose MPs are not in the cabinet.

There should be more outrage than there is.