The Iran attack has no clear motive or end game, and atrocities are happening. Our Writer at Large asks: how can anyone who says they are a British patriot want us involved?

Keir Starmer is an unreliable man. He has backtracked repeatedly throughout his tenure. The u-turn is the abiding symbol of his premiership. So, we can only hope the Prime Minister summons the courage and character to stick to his position on the American-Israeli war against Iran.

Starmer has chosen not to enter the war, in accordance with the views of most voters. The UK Government has rejected offensive action, said it will adopt a defensive posture, and stated it doesn’t believe in “regime change from the skies”. Starmer has, though, granted America permission to use British bases for defensive purposes. In return, Trump insulted both Starmer and Britain.

Britain should have refused permission and condemned the war as illegal, as Spain did. The Trump administration has given no clear reason for the attack. Last year, Donald Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear capabilities were “obliterated”. How can something be obliterated twice?

Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal. So if there was a current nuclear threat then Trump is to blame. We’ve been hearing about Tehran getting nuclear weapons since I was a child.

Then America claimed Iran was about to launch a pre-emptive strike and so had to be attacked. Later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was Israel intending to strike first and so action had to be taken before Iran retaliated. So what’s true – if anything? Was Iran going to hit first or Israel? And if it was Israel, why not stop their attack rather than join it?

Read more by Neil Mackay

The horror and absurdity of life in a time of........

© Herald Scotland