Libya, Japan and the Budget.

When was there last such a momentous time in UK (and connected) politics. 9/11 I suppose. Firstly, we have the reverberations of Japan's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear 'incident' - as well as the associated loss of life and impact on the world's economy. Secondly we have a very important budget on Wednesday, the success of which is crucial for the long term health of our economy, our public services and 'place' in the world. And we have, in effect, gone to war with a North African country - though I think the proper term is something like 'international conflict' rather than 'war'.

Tomorrow, There will be a debate in the House of Commons relating to the UN Security Council resolution on Libya. Sending our young people into a conflict zone is a really big deal, and this could well have been the most important vote of my political career. And I'm not going to be there. I have an appointment to see Mr Trevedi at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen, which I dare not miss. He is a spinal expert, and my spine has been giving me some serious gyp for a while. Because 'Libya' is a difficult issue, I do not want to dodge the responsibility involved in committing myself publicly - so I'm writing this blog post. My constituents should know which way I would have voted. Despite concerns about 'mission creep' and some uncertainty about what I see as the specific objective, I would vote to take whatever action is needed to enforce UN Resolution 1973. It would be wrong for world powers to stand aside and allow Gadaffi and his evil regime to slaughter tens of thousands of innocent Libyans. I suppose I could get to Westminster by 8.30 if all goes to time - so I might even just make it to vote.