We don’t actually agree that anyone should be sent back to Syria to fight, mainly because we think that fighting for Syria’s corrupt and inhumane dictatorship would be no better than fighting for ISIS, the Russians or most of the other ‘rebel’ groups there. How could anyone fight for their country’s ‘freedom’ in those circumstances? Freedom from whom? Not that we know that much about it.

However, we are appalled that Winston Peters recommended today that we allow Syrian women and children to stay in NZ but that we send some of the men back to fight for “their own country’s freedom”.

We would agree with Winston’s recommendation to allow a quota of women who are primary caregivers for children to live in NZ, but the same would apply to men who are caring for children. If we are to send anyone else back this should be both men and women who are not caring for children.

Women have demanded equal rights so that should also apply to the right to be conscripted and sent to fight wars, should any such conscription be practised at all. Equal rights surely must carry equal responsibilities, burdens and sacrifices?