JohnL

Let's hope the people behind it end up in jail for a while. Scum

Whil'st we're all distracted by Russia - The Ireland question has been put on the back burner and "A series of intensive three-way talks among EU, UK and Irish officials will take place in the next four weeks. But there are moves at Westminster to settle the issue by voting to instruct Theresa May to seek to continue membership of the customs union, which would render border controls unnecessary." https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/irish-border-problem-put-on-ice-to-help-brexit-deal-a3792011.html

Jenny1 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > rendelharris Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > dbboy Wrote: > > > -------------------------------------------------- > > > ----- > > > Corbyn mis-judged what he said > > > > If you think May hasn't got an eye open for the > > opportunities this gives her to get a > > statesmanlike boost for her premiership... > you're much more trusting > > than I. > > But both things are true, aren't they? In general > terms the two leaders are 'Hapless v Hopeless', as > John Crace so memorably put it. I wouldn't give > you tuppence for either of them. But because > they're both so appalling, sometimes one of them > only has to put one foot in front of the other in > order to look brilliant when compared with the > other one (if the other one's having a bad day). The most popular thing May did this week was fist bump a teenage girl ... although even I wouldn't criticise her for doing it - onward to Glastonbury Theresa. Corbyn might play Castle Donnington.

Results of the death of Nikolai Glushkov are out too - murder https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/murder-probe-launched-into-death-of-russian-in-london-a3792201.html

dbboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Corbyn mis-judged what he said, what he clearly > missed is that this is incident is not party > political but rather in the national interest. To be fair - he's never changed his views, I'd have thought it would be easier to go with the flow, for him and the party. His spokesman went a little rogue if anything and that was Seumas Milne who aome are now asking to be relieved of his post. https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/03/seumas-milne-has-to-speak-for-himself-labour-splits-in-three-over-russia/

dbboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > To summarise Vladimir Putin has had an agent of > the USSR attempt to murder a former double agent > and his daughter on British soil by using a nerve > agent and potentially lingering 500 other people > who were considered to be collateral damage. And > it is not the first time Russia has done this on > British soil, first their was the murder using a > poison tip umbrella and secondly the use of > nuclear material to kill Litvinenko. So Russia is > quite happy to murder people on foreign soil. The poisoned umbrella was Bulgaria IIRC - but Warsaw Pact so I get you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Markov Additionally a Senior Tory MP yesterday said the wife and son were murdered - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/russian-spy-poison-sergei-skripal-wife-murder-son-mp-tom-tugendhat-nerve-agent-kremlin-a8246381.html But I'll always defend peoples right to be cautious on this.

Jenny1 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Quite a number of commentators seem to be drawing > parallels between Iraq/WMD and the current Russian > poisoning. In my view there's no comparison. In > the run up to the Iraq War it was clear that the > burden of expert opinion was against the wisdom of > the war. The most respected voices amongst > chemical weapons experts were unconvinced and > people who knew the region well predicted exactly > what happened - that a war would lead to the rise > of terrorism. When Corbyn draws parallels, he's talking about his perception of the behaviour of parliament (and MPs) and specifically their toleration of dissent. There is no information in the public sphere that I can see - only those in government and our allies (and I assume Corbyn etc) have been given the evidence - and they all seem to say it's damning but ....

So as the paper review presenters on Sky News said after lambasting Jeremy Corbyn - what can we do. UN - Russia has a veto (my work colleagues don't believe this as it sounds so unfair) but Russia will veto any resolution critical of them. Military - Can't do anything - our new carriers are nice but we haven't got enough destroyers or planes to intimidate and if I remember Russia threatened to sink our carriers if we threatened them. Diplomacy - The Russians have decided to ignore everything that is said - maybe use back channels ? Maybe we still have the capacity for some dirty tricks ? Economic - Maybe - but we've been applying sanctions for years and Putin doesn't seem rattled. So as the Sky News reviewers said. What can we do. Blame Jeremy Corbyn maybe :)

TE44 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You would think the UK being a leading country > into > Research into chemical warfare, we could come up > with answers to show the nerve agent used came > from russia. I wonder how many people have > believed the media info given blaming Russia, or > how many felt a distrust especially with our > governments history. I would think the latter is > understandable. Corbyn & Labour seem to have agreed that Russia is the culprit (allegedly there was a privy council meeting last night - maybe there's more evidence) Joint statement issued by UK, France, US and Germany too https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/17124062/usa-russia-uk-france-germany-statement-full-text

"Frankly Russia should go away, It should just shut up" Gavin Williamson UK Defence Secretary. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thousands-of-troops-offered-anthrax-jab-txsz9t9kl

Alan Medic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Perfect timing for the release of a year old > video, though I'm told the bit about the Irish was > taken out of context. He had exchanged some > 'banter' with someone from Ireland during the > procedures. I quite like Eddie,so far. I assumed the timing might be something to do with it coming up now.

paulu1973 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So should I stop spending on my family because of > the injustice in the world? Obviously not IMHO - I suppose we can decide who to spend it with to some extent.

jimlad48 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The Diplomatic Service is the overseas part of the > Foreign &Commonwealth office, and covers staff > serving in accredited positions overseas in > Embassies, High Commissions and Missions. It does > not refer to SIS/MI5. I won't ask what spies use as cover then (I always thought cultural attache - that must have come from a Bond film) The ones we're expelling are spies - as that seems to be the gist of the reason for expulsions ? Not sure what Corbyn was referring to then. Maybe he did mean diplomacy and I read too much into it.

Alan Medic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > JoeLeg Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Because there?s about to be a Russian election, > > and as ?assured? as Putin?s victory may be, it > > doesn?t hurt to remind everyone of how he > handles > > things. > > Like you say he is pretty much assured of victory. > I don't think that explains the timing of it and > I'm not sure who exactly he is reminding of how he > handles things. Why the UK? If anything it should > show the UK how much it needs to be part of the EU > in terms of not being isolated. And that I'm sure > is not part of Putin's agenda. We're seen as the weakest link at the moment. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/13/europe/spy-attack-salisbury-npw-intl/index.html

Eddie - No. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/england-head-coach-eddie-jones-14412672 Might give the Irish some motivation if they care :)

JoeLeg Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > @Fightingfit > > 2/10, poor effort, must try harder. And Dave Finlay stopped wrestling years ago.

Unilever off to Rotterdam, or anywhere. Saying no job losses.

dbboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Stepping away from the title of the thread, I'd be > interested to learn about; > > Where the nerve agent came from? > How it got into the UK? > How it was deployed? > Who has done this? > Is/are the perpetrators still in the UK > (doubtful)? > How did they leave the UK? > How come the nerve agent did not affect the person > or people who deployed it? > Why did the security services have no idea this > could happen? (especially after the Litvenenko was > murdered) > What are the authorities doing to stop anyone else > bringing a nerve agent into the UK? > What will be the impact on those 500 people in the > pub and Zizzi's who are collateral damage? > What precautions are the Government taking to > protect the general public from any futur > attacks? > How "polluted" are those areas that have been > affected? > Why did Corbyn not condemn Putin in The Commons > yesterday after May gave her Statement? Boris has said we're going to send a sample to be analysed by the OPCW. Maybe Corbyn was trying to ask the above questions, he was booed when he mentioned the diplomatic service (that's code for MI6/MI5 I think) - Has TM kept him out of the loop ?

Someone has said we may start targeting Putin's allies - Isn't that rather cavalier Oh .. it was Boris (edit: and LOL he means people not countries - I thought we were about to go into Syria when I heard this on the radio). https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-russia/johnson-says-corrupt-putin-allies-may-be-targeted-idUKKCN1GR0UY

dbboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Your country needs you!!!!!!!!!!!!! Recruiting for > the Royal Navy I'd guess. That's why they don't visit OAP homes then.

Corbyn being criticised as he's asking for proof of Russia's guilt (whilst many of his back benches are supporting the Prime Minister unconditionally) Hope for his sake he's read this right or the Labour split is back on (Did Trump also ask for proof ?).

Being a savoury rather than sweet person, I don't really do Afternoon Tea, but when in Brighton recently (a restaurant on the the seafront) I saw a group with tea and a huge selection of fancy cakes on a multi tiered tray (it looked very well presented and quite nice (even though I never eat cakes)). I guess that's what afternoon tea is ?

Theresa May has been quoted using the term "Economic War" but you do feel that Putin won't be too worried. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/russian-vladimir-putin-theresa-may-economic-war-sanctions-salisbury-nerve-agent-a8254626.html

So Rex Tillerson says he supports Theresa May against the Russians. Trump fires Rex Tillerson but nobody knows if this was before his Russian comments (on Friday) or after. Under Secretary Steve Goldstein says Tillerson was first made aware of his firing by Trumps tweet on Tuesday. Trump fires Steve Goldstein. You could see a web of complications ... or maybe calling your boss a moron isn't a good idea (especially if it's "you're fired" Trump) :) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/steve-goldstein-fired-trump-rex-tillerson-us-state-department-white-house-a8254151.html