Are election primed politicians grown up enough to discuss foreign policy?
The rest of the world can’t just be put on hold while Britain works its way through a slow, catty and at times quite laborious election campaign, and so politicians will have to talk about it.
But as today’s row over Ed Miliband’s apparent plan to place some of the responsibility for the deaths in the Mediterranean on David Cameron’s shoulders it’s a dangerous thing to play politics with.
Ed Miliband is accused of putting “direct” blame for the deaths of migrants on David Cameron’s shoulders and now Conservative MPs and ministers are using this is clear proof the Labour leader is unfit to be PM.
Last week Lindsey Hilsum wrote and interesting blog on why foreign policy has become the ignored debate of the 2015 election.
In it she says politicians are refusing to engage with the big global issues we face: Is the balance of forces in the British military right for the 21st century? Is there really nothing we can do about the unfolding tragedy in Syria? Could we at least admit a few more Syrian refugees?
Now instead of talking about the horror of thousands and thousands of people drowning just miles from Europe’s shoreline the conversation has turned to a spat between two party leaders.
Can the trauma of thousands really be about which politician is able to claim the moral authority in the run up to a British election? Because whoever wins people in the Mediterranean are likely to still be drowning.