A BBC journalist this morning informs us that the death in highly suspicious circumstances of a former Russian KGB official could lead to a “potential diplomatic incident” between Britain and Russia.
You think?
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17 comments to Stating the bleedin’ obvious |
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Qualifies for the ‘No shit Sherlock’ award of the week methinks.
The man was a traitor to his country.
He was killed.
What’s wrong with that?
Define “Traitor to his country”.
In my book, being a thorn in the side of the (corrupt) ruling elites is not the same thing as treachery.
So the servants of a collective may at the orders of its leaders kill those individuals who deviate from those leaders’s orders if the individuals concerned have been counted as part of the collective at some time? Strikes me there’s a good deal wrong with it.
You don’t have a problem with death for apostates from Islam, then?
Walt,
He was a British citizen. What did he do that was treasonous, pray?
Oh and one question for anyone who believes this will produce anything more than the mildest possible for-the-media protest, I have a question – after nine years of Blair, are you really still that naive? Our government is far too modern and forward looking to let a little thing like the murder of a British citizen in London stand in the way of schmoozing foreign leaders:-/
It has occurred to me that Walt is either joking, or is a troll.
RPW, sadly you’re right about Blair. I’m hoping that if and when Putin falls from power, Russia receives an extradition request for murder. But I don’t expect to see it.
Walt, whom did this man betray, pray? Why, the KGB! How is this a bad thing you snivelling waste of DNA?
Britain has been a place of refuge for many men and women such as these over the years, a fact for which we Brits should be proud. Despite Tony Blair’s best attempts, this nation still has vestiges of liberty, which means that folk like this murdered man will want to come here.
So fuck you. Fuck you.
Yes, I am angry.
Walt sounds to me like so many trolls who believes that since Putin was elected democratically then anyone opposing him must therefore be ‘anti’ democracy. The logic also follows that therefore it was illegal to attack Adolf Hitler’s Germany since Hitler was, after all, a democratilcally elected leader.
Only good cure for a troll is to unleash the billygoatw.
There will only be a ‘diplomatic incident’ if it can be proved that the Russian government was behind the killings. And of course, that would then be a very serious diplomatic incident.
But so far there is no evidence to suggest that they were. Furthermore, the Russian authorities have offered British investigators full co-operation, stating that they have nothing to hide.
So until proof emerges to implicate the Russian government, people should not jump to conclusions.
There are several other explanations which could account for Litvinenko’s death: Kremlin involvement is just one of them.
It ought to trigger a diplomatic crisis, but the Russians know perfectly well:
a) that our Govt are utterly spineless,
b) that it is November and if worst comes to worst Putin can just turn off the gas tap and we’ll freeze.
Neil, given all that has happened in recent weeks: the murder of a senior central bank official, the murder of a campaigning journalist; the arrest of the ex-Yukos boss on trumped up charges, etc, etc, I think it is pretty clear that the finger should point at the Russian authorities. This man did not die from the Tooth Fairy.
Still putting in a good defence for the old Communist order, I see. You really are quite priceless.
One thing that seems to have been completely missed in the media is that the main use for Polonium 210 is for initiators in nuclear weapons…
Walt, I guess you are saying that for effect. Even you must be aware the guy was a British citizen and even in this day and age we generally prefer not to be murdered by agents foreign interests, or powers in our own country.
I expect even you would feel you ought to have some protection from any random foreign power, or group, who decided to ‘off’ you because you irritated them. Not that I expect our government to actually do anything real about it, upset the apple cart or anything – No proof don’t you know.
The murdered man was an ex officer of the anti corruption internal section of the F.S.B. (rather than the overseas intelligence side).
In American terms he was far more like and ex F.B.I. man than an ex C.I.A. man.
He was investigating the murder of a journalist well known for her investigations into the orgins and conduct of Mr Putin’s war. President Bush telephoned President Putin to offer him full support in hunting down the muderer, President Putin gravely thanked him – and then put to then (I susect) put down the telephone, looked in the mirror, said “and there you are” and had a good laugh at George “I have looked into his soul” Bush.
Whilst local police did capture some F.S.B. people with a bomb inside a housing block the official Russian government position is still that the F.S.B. agents were on a “training exercise” and the other housing blocks really were detroyed by evil Chechens. In order (I suppose) to give Mr Putin (he was not yet President at the time) an excuse to invade their country.
The Chechen resistance is indeed in the hands of Islamic nutters, but then most other resistance (such as the first President of the country who was an ex Soviet Air Force General who was married to an Estonian and based the constitution of the country on that of Estonia) was killed off by the Russians long ago.
What is not disputed are the following facts.
Russian state governors used to be elected – they are now appointed.
There are no longer independent radio or television stations in Russia (under Yeltsin there were some).
Most of the independent newspapers are gone.
Trial by jury (introduced by Yeltsin) has been undermined.
The plans of President Yeltsin to get rid of conscription (with all the gang rapes and murders that conscription means in the Russian army) have been ditched.
Mineral resources (such as oil) have been nationalised and their owners dumped labour camps on trumped up charges. It is no accident that the owners who were hit were political opponents of President Putin – friendly “oligarchs”, even if Jewish (most of the people that the Russians have been taught to call “oligarchs” are Jewish – and no they are NOT the “Russian Mafia” as the British government and media seem to think) have not (yet) been hit.
Investment in these industies is in decline. President Putin has got the extra income for the state that he wanted (he has spent it on social services and other such) – but at the expense of long term revenue. And even if he sells these mines and wells back to private enterprise who will invest in something that could be nationalized at any time.
As for murders. F.S.B. people were arrested in the U.A.E. having just used a bomb to kill a former President of the Chechens.
The Russian Duma has passed a law alloweing overseas murders – but there were quite a few murders before this law was passed as well as (of course) all the muders at home.
On the positive side.
President Putin has not increased the money supply as much as President Yeltsin did (or rather allowed others to do) – which led straight to the hyper inflation and the banking crises that so undermined the Russian economy.
President Putin has introduced a flat rate income tax (unlike the Clintonian Progressive income tax that President Yeltsin had), as even he could see that countries like Estonia that had a flat rate income tax got far more revenue (especially revenue from the rich) than the “Progressive” (i.e. graduated) system raised.
So there you have it – the bad and the good.
Johnathan,
This is not about a ‘defence of the old commuinst order’- ( communism ended in Russia over fifteen years ago) but a defence of the old, liberal principle that a man is innocent until proven guilty. A principle I thought you would have approved of.
Best wishes,
Neil
Johnathan,
This is not about a ‘defence of the old commuinst order’- ( communism ended in Russia over fifteen years ago) but a defence of the old, liberal principle that a man is innocent until proven guilty. A principle I thought you would have approved of.
Best wishes,
Neil
Oh come on, Neil. You are a man of the hard left, by any reasonable yardstick. It is not exactly surprising that you take the stance on this occasion. However, if you are a sincere believer in the pricinple of innocent until proven otherwise, then jolly good.