Since the alarming news yesterday that German military laboratory had identified Novichok as having poisoned Navalny, I have thought and discussed little else, while we wait to see if Australian leaders are going to follow European ones and the UK in piling it onto Putin. But it doesn’t seem to me that much attention is being paid to the new Skripal hoax in the UK, and I wonder if I just haven’t noticed it.
Worst possibility is that this is because many Poms now actually believe the Novichok nonsense after watching the Salisbury Poisoning, even though that screened for you back in June; here it was only last week, causing me to speculate that the Operation Navalnychok might be partly aimed at Australia, with Tony Abbott’s presence in the UK this week working on the link to draw China into the ring. There is an absolute overload of Sinophobic nonsense here atm, with claims of the “Chinese Threat” from spy agencies, as well as human rights agendas being pushed by that Abbott, who wants the Magnitsky act extended to China.
It is also of course not to be ignored just how serious are the implications of European leaders all lying through their teeth to accuse Russia of being demented and incompetent, and not even able to kill some passe’ social media jerk with the world most toxic poison.
‘It is also of course not to be ignored just how serious are the implications of European leaders all lying through their teeth to accuse Russia of being demented and incompetent, and not even able to kill some passe’ social media jerk with the world most toxic poison.’
Quite.
I think the Navalny narrative is not getting the full ‘terror event’ treatment here in the UK because it’s not aimed at the UK population as the Salisbury event was, after all, who the hell is Navalny to most people? The story as it has been presented here has achieved its purpose, namely further demonisation of Putin/Russia and an opportunity for Johnson to appear statesmen like. I noticed poor old Theresa May getting in there to remind people how strong and stable she was back in 2018.
As you say, much more worrying is the German response. As soon as I saw the word ‘unequivocal’ my heart sank; they’re all in at this point and it’s difficult to see how they could row back from that position if the Russians leverage their diplomatic and strategic power. The UK govt played the same game back in 2018 and to anyone paying attention these profoundly belligerent and politically incompetent manoeuvers lead us away from a rational settlement with Russia and further towards war, the desired outcome of the Anglo-American establishment
Here’s the BBC’s take if you can be bothered