© Matt Buck Hack Cartoons for tribunecartoons.com

The parliamentary rejection of the Prime Minister’s desire for a vote supporting the targeted bombing of Syria continues to have repercussions.

Ed Miliband dodged his own bullet (sorry for the mixed military metaphor) when he shifted position to account dissent within his own party.

David Cameron found his sudden recall of parliament and repeated manoeuvres annoyed MPs. The result was a loss of the vote and of personal authority which is bad news when relying on judgment backed by a personal reassurance about the disputed intelligence materials.

The serious subtexts are the difficulties of the civil war in Syria and the larger regional proxy war it represents. Domestically, it is not yet clear if the Prime Minister will be able to avoid his own civil war as a result of the mess. Certainly one of the would-be PM’s, Boris Johnson, is making bellicose noises.

The cartoon references the British propaganda poster which has been in a popular circulation since the financial crash of 2007/08.