Hypocrisy seems to be massively in fashion. This from William Hague renders me speechless: “Be in no doubt, there will be consequences. The world cannot say it is OK to violate the sovereignty of other nations.”
Then today we have the British Establishment at a closed event in Westminster Abbey in memory of Nelson Mandela. Prince Harry, David Cameron, all the toffs. I was never more than a footsoldier in the anti-apartheid movement, but I trudged through the rain and handed out leaflets in Dundee and Edinburgh. I suspect very few indeed of the guests at this posh memorial service did that. David Cameron was actively involved in Conservative groups which promoted precisely the opposite cause.
My first appointment in the Foreign Office was to the South Africa (Political) desk in 1984. The official British government line was that the ANC was a terrorist organization. I faced hostility and disapproval even when I tried to get action on appalling human rights abuses like the case of Oscar Mpetha (thanks here to Tony Gooch and Terry Curran, they know why). I got in big trouble for asking how many black guests had been received in the High Commissioner’s residence in Pretoria.
Every day, on a day to day basis, my job involved dealing with members of the British establishment, its political, business and professional communities. The entire tenor of those meetings was how to prevent economic sanctions, circumvent existing sanctions and prolong the economic advantages to the UK of white rule. Support for PW Botha was axiomatic. I have no doubt many of those people or those who worked alongside them are in Westminster Abbey today.
The final extraordinary outbreak of hypocrisy is on the British left. Russian military invasion of Ukraine is approved by them, because it is an invasion by Russia, and not an invasion by the West. They are precisely as hypocritical as Hague. Both think it is OK to violate the sovereignty of other nations, but only by their chosen side.
Until 1917, Russia was an Empire, avowedly so. Thereafter the Soviet Union was a non-avowed Empire. The Crimea, and the rest of the Caucasus, was not colonized by Russia until the 1820’s onward. The reason Crimea has a majority Russian population is that Stalin deported the Krim Tartars as recently as the 1930’s. That was an old fashioned, wholesale colonial atrocity, precisely similar to the British clearing parts of Kenya for white settlement.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Russian statesmen like Nesselrode appealed to the British in particular, not to oppose their expansion in the Caucasus, because as he said like the British they were white Christian Europeans engaged in a civilizing mission among savages and Muslims. It was precisely the same colonial motivation the British used. There is no moral difference, or even overt difference in justification at the time, between British colonization of India and Russian colonization of Chechnya. Because Britain happens to be an island, we think of Empires as something you get to by ship. Russia’s Empire happened to be a contiguous land mass. But Dagestan, Chechnya, and Tartarstan were none the less colonies, exactly as were Kokhand, Bokhara and Khiva, formed to make Uzbekistan. Yet left wing anti-colonialism does not demand decolonisation by Russia, only the West. Gross hypocrisy.
Resident Dissident
My point was a narrow one – that Craig was basing his analysis on a view of Russian history that itself is propaganda honed over the last 300 years by Russian state builders and designed to flatter Russian chauvinism. A logical consequence of this highly embelished and falsified history is that Russians must view Ukrainians and Belorussians as inferior. Indeed at the height of the Russian empire they referred to themselves as ‘Great Russians’ (Великороссы) and to Ukrainians as ‘Little Russians’ (Малороссы).
Craig,
If you look deeper into things then think again:-
1. Look deeply into the neocons.
2. The West’s provocations related to the context of the collapsing financial system.
3. Crony capitalism, here there and everywhere ( ask Obama – Wall Street and the folks in Russia and Uzbekistan).
4. And – the recent Exxon gas development issue.
So – with the breach of sovereignty on Afghanistan – Iraq and Libya – then whose hands are clean?
Hypocrisy? – tell me!
CB
Sorry CM, its a bit too late in your life to make a career change and turn into a midwife. Even if full training will be provided by Victoria “Fuck EU (and UN)” Nuland. If only out of respect for the 400 Alawite children gassed as props for Ghouta. Is that too much to ask.
When I spoke to my friend in Illichevsk on Saturday night, his rough account of events on Euromaidan was this. Immediately following Yanukivich’s about-turn on closer EU integration, there was a student demonstration consisting of mostly young people from Kiev. This was entirely peaceful but was brutally attacked by the anti-riot outfit Berkut. However the brutality did not succeed and soon the young ones were joined in the square by their families and friends. At this time their demands were still limited to an apology, the sacking of Berkut command and a criminal investigation. But instead of reacting like a statesman and negotiating, the president continued with intimidation and force. The news meanwhile was spreading that some people were making a stand against the mafia-don president, which attracted others from further away. The longer this idiot president did not negotiate, the more trouble he was making for himself. Whether he really is that stupid, or he was directed from Moscow is a matter of speculation but my guess is he is that stupid. I had that impression already when he was first elected. You need to understand, this guy is a bandit, the opposite of sophisticated, with cronies who are just like him. When the momentum of the assorted oppositions in Kiev gathered, it was not just ordinary people that saw an opportunity but plenty of industrialists whose businesses are West-oriented instead of Russia-oriented. When looking for sources of finance for the operation of the Euromaidan, they are the most likely candidates. It is also a mistake to ascribe too much to the influence of the radical nationalist movements. They are a part of the opposition but not the dominant part.
I am told that plenty of ethnic Russians living in Illichevsk supported the aims of Euromaidan. It is hard to imagine that they would do that if they thought that they were supporting nationalists. Where I come from the language on the street is Russian, so this should give pause for thought to those who claim a nazi coup has taken place. Unless they think that we can see better from a distance than the Ukrainians can see for theьselves.
Thanks, Craig, for the spot-on analysis. As usual, you see through the BS on all sides of an argument.
Where to turn for a solution, though? You can’t turn to the rule of law in a situation where law has just broken down. As you say, revolution is illegal and that’s kind of the point. That’s not to say that no revolution is ever justified or worth international support, but international law has been so abused in recent years that there’s little moral high ground to be had there, either. History? Again, it’s an enlightening analysis but gives little in the way of clear authority for current actions.
Cling to some liberal notion of self determination and suggest votes in the various regions of Ukraine? In the current lawless situation with thugs, gangsters, corrupt politicians and Russians all with big interests in the outcome, I’d say that’s a bit of a pipe dream. Democracy is a particular solution to a particular set of circumstances. It’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to any problem.
has the Financial Times (or Britain for that matter) ever met an oligarch it didn’t like? “tight-lipped” yet known for his “sense of humour”! well, the article made me laugh.
Financial Times: Roman Olearchyk: Ukraine oligarch: Putin is a “schizophrenic of short stature”
Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky, who this weekend agreed to become governor of his native Dnipropetrovsk region as the country braces for a broader Russian invasion into eastern Ukraine, described Russia’s president Vladimir Putin as a “schizophrenic of short stature” for putting Russia and Ukraine on the verge of war…
Speaking for the first time since taking over as Dnipropetrovsk governor, the Ukrainian businessman of Jewish roots first took a sharp shot at toppled Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, before quickly turning towards Putin.
Kolomoisky, known as one of Ukraine’s most tight-lipped oligarchs, broke his habitual silence saying: “I will say it undiplomatically.”
“We had our own big schizophrenic,” he said referring to Yanukovich, a tall man who towers over Putin.
“But there,” he said, giggling and referring to Russisa, “is a schizophrenic of short stature.”…
Kolomoisky, who is known for his sense of humour, went on: “He is completely inadequate. He has completely lost his mind. His messianic drive to recreate the Russian empire of 1913 or the USSR of 1991 could plunge the world into catastrophe.”
Russia, he said, “will play this card… I don’t know… perhaps until Turkey blocks” the Bosphorus “to its oil tankers.”…
http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2014/03/03/ukraine-oligarch-putin-is-a-schizophrenic-of-short-stature/
a surprise?
BBC: Ukraine: UK rules out Russia trade curbs?
The government will not curb trade with Russia or close London’s financial centre to Russians as part of any possible package of sanctions against Moscow, according to an official document.
The document, which was photographed as a senior official carried it into a meeting in Downing Street, says that “the UK should not support for now trade sanctions or close London’s financial centre to Russians”, while it confirms that ministers ARE considering – along with other EU countries – visa restrictions and travel bans on key Russian figures…
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-26426969
Clark 4 Mar, 2014 – 12:13 am
They appear to be gathered in support of some protesters outside a court building. What I said before was the gist, there was some other detail like the time of planned action – 3pm, “lower your shields”, examples of what was meant by provocations – “spitting, barking, shouting”. The mission is stated as “to support our comrades” (presumably ones up in court). The lady with kids when she finishes singing she wishes them god’s blessing and an honest country and an honest judiciary. The song is an old Ukrainian cossack song, finishes with the words “we will give our bodies and souls for our freedom and show them we are of the cossack family” (in case you are wondering, the original Ukrainian cossacks were destroyed long ago since they were a threat to Moscow’s ambitions, only the folk memory remains. The abortions that you are probably picturing are the Russian Cubanskie/Donskie cossacks – descendants of Ukrainians settled on Moscovy’s southern frontier to police it for their new masters in return for generous land grants). The bloke in black speaking to the cameras is talking about the prosecution’s case being non-existent. At the end it appears the accused are aquitted and released, one of them briefly speaks of provocation against Euromaidan and then a voice is heard ‘don’t say any more, let’s go home’.
The title is translated ambiguously as ‘leave no man behind’. Literally it is ‘So that no one is left on their own’. This may be a reference to the terror squad tactics used by Yanukovich police. Plenty of stories emerged of people being kidnapped from ambulances etc on their way to the hospital for treatment. There are still people unaccounted for even now. People were afraid to leave the barricades for fear of being picked off one by one, and this was probably justified.
3 Mar -RT: Rule by oligarchs: Kiev appoints billionaires to govern east
One of the reasons for the Maidan protest was the influence the rich have on politics in the country…
The newly-appointed Dnepropetrovsk governor is Igor Kolomoysky, Ukraine’s third-wealthiest man, with an estimated fortune of $2.4 billion. He co-owns the informal commercial group Privat, which includes Ukraine’s largest bank Privatbank, which Kolomoysky heads, as well as assets in the oil, ferroalloys and food industries, agriculture and transport.
A former ally of Yulia Tymoshenko, Kolomoysky reportedly had a falling out with her and refused to finance her election campaign in 2010, which the ex-prime minister subsequently lost to Yanukovich. Kolomoysky was reported to be a principal sponsor of the UDAR party, which is one of the three fueling the street campaign to oust Yanukovich. Kolomoysky has a dual Ukrainian-Israeli citizenship and controls his business empire from Switzerland…
The new governor of Donetsk Region is Sergey Taruta, who is estimated to worth around $2 billion, putting him among the top-10 wealthiest people in Ukraine. He heads ISD, one of the biggest mining and smelting companies in the world, and also own Donetsk-based Metallurg Football Club.
Not a stranger to politics, he used to sponsor Viktor Yushchenko, who came to power in Ukraine after the Orange Revolution of 2004. Among his personal habits is a reputed love for luxurious jewelry and ostentatious gold statues, reports RT’s Peter Oliver…
http://rt.com/news/ukraine-oligarch-rule-governors-512/
Nov 2013 – Telegraph: Oligarchs at war in the British courts
Victor Pinchuk, a businessman who befriended Tony Blair, takes £2 billion row to London throwing spotlight on Ukraine’s murky world of money
It promises to be one of the most expensive cases ever heard in a British courtroom — involving three oligarchs who have fallen out in spectacular fashion.
At its heart is a £2 billion lawsuit being brought by a flamboyant businessman who bought London’s most expensive house and counts Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Sir Elton John and Damien Hirst among his close friends.
On the other side of the court will be two fellow oligarchs, one with a town house in one of London’s smartest squares, the other who lives on the shores of Lake Geneva.
The legal fees alone are likely to exceed £50 million.
The case being brought by Victor Pinchuk against Igor Kolomoisky and Gennady Bogolyubov is the latest court battle between oligarchs to play out in London, even though it revolves around the sale of state industries in Ukraine following the collapse of the Soviet Union…
His opponents — Mr Kolomoisky, 50, and Mr Bogolyubov, 50 — are reckoned to be richer and more discreet than their rival. Mr Kolomoisky lives in Switzerland, and Mr Bogolyubov lives in Belgravia, central London. Both men, with a net wealth of about £5 billion, have given large amounts to charities, many related to their Jewish faith.
The case revolves around the ownership of an iron ore mining business in Ukraine, dating back to a deal done — or possibly not done — in 2004…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/10454347/Oligarchs-at-war-in-the-British-courts.html
The Many Myriad Layers of it all…
Who are these people Prof Michel Chossudovsky is telling of. First there’s Clark’s Mystery people, and then these…or are they the same ???
The Blue Helmets comprise 35 men and women who are not Jewish, and who are led by five ex-IDF soldiers, says Delta, an Orthodox Jew in his late 30s
Delta, who immigrated to Israel in the 1990s, moved back to Ukraine several years ago … He says he joined the protest movement as a volunteer on Nov. 30, after witnessing violence by government forces against student protesters.
“I saw unarmed civilians with no military background being ground by a well-oiled military machine, and it made my blood boil,” Delta told JTA in Hebrew laced with military jargon. “I joined them then and there, and I started fighting back the way I learned how, through urban warfare maneuvers. People followed, and I found myself heading a platoon of young men. Kids, really.”
The other ex-IDF infantrymen joined the Blue Helmets later after hearing it was led by a fellow vet, Delta said.
In a bitter irony, Delta, the commander of the IDF militia unit was taking his orders directly from the Neo-Nazi Party Svoboda:
As platoon leader, Delta says he takes orders from activists connected to Svoboda, an ultra-nationalist [Neo-Nazi] party that has been frequently accused of anti-Semitism and whose members have been said to have had key positions in organizing the opposition protests.
“I don’t belong [to Svoboda], but I take orders from their team. They know I’m Israeli, Jewish and an ex-IDF soldier. They call me ‘brother,’” he said. “What they’re saying about Svoboda is exaggerated, I know this for a fact. I don’t like them because they’re inconsistent, not because of [any] anti-Semitism issue.”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-israeli-special-forces-unit-under-neo-nazi-command-involved-in-maidan-riots/5371725
And then there’s the GAS….With all the Numbers that got me a wee bitty lost in there –
A
Always Smoldering – Ukraine’s Gas Debts to Russia
Defending Moscow’s December 18, 2013 agreement to provide Ukraine with an aid package estimated at about $15 billion, and cheaper natural gas through discounts and “gas debt forgiveness” estimated as able to save Ukraine $7 bn in one year, Vladimir Putin said the decision to invest $15 bn in ‘brotherly slavic’ Ukraine, and grant the gas discount was “pragmatic and based on economic facts”.
With no shadow of doubt “the gas question” will feature in what happens in the present stand-off between Putin’s Russia and the west – and inside Ukraine – and will powerfully underline the energy economic interdependence of Russia and Europe.
Also sure and certain, Ukraine will pay much more for its gas, and will have to face its accumulated gas debt, as the role of seaboard LNG terminals is given more attraction due to the present crisis, underlining the geopolitical risk of international gas pipelines.
Full piece @
http://www.globalresearch.ca/natural-gas-is-what-detonated-the-ukraine-crisis/5371684
I saw a reference to the date – 11 february, the place Khorevaya street, the court – Podolsky Sud.
The majority of those who could be termed nationalists in Ukraine dream of ‘de-russification’. By this is meant usually applying the policies of russification in reverse – making Ukrainian the main or the only language in schools and universities, and the only state language. So that anyone wishing to get on in life would make the ‘right’ choice, just like they had to in USSR. These so called neo-nazis can be understood in this context, not the conventional one of antisemitism, xenophobia etc. Consider this – I have had to let my Ukrainian citizenship lapse because Ukraine will not allow dual citizenship, why – because if it did it may suddenly find a few million citizens of RF living on its territory, and perhaps as many of its citizens living in RF.
The nationalists will be disappointed because the majority in Ukraine do not share their dream of phasing out Russian language. If they wish to save territorial integrity of Ukraine, they have to move on this question of language. They are beginning to realise it, the fools, after they angered the people in the East and South by suspending the minorities language law.
Putin is proving to be more dangerous to the Synagogue of Satan than Kennedy ever was, he may meet the same fate. Massed ranks of synced sayanim in goose-step against him at HuffPo and the ENTIRE MSM?! He must be another Son of Man, seeing that so many of the devils are after his ass ! And with one boxer throwing low Ghouta,NSA,sanction blockade,NFZ,drones,etc punches time and again, we have a possibly knobbled ref CM, insisting Putin should fight fair despite the pervasive satanic chicanery of Obama, “liar” Kohn, “Fuck EU” Nuland & Co??!
“These so called neo-nazis can be understood in this context, not the conventional ”
Blanket generalizations don’t a credible argument make. Leftists are taking the hit for highlighting the fascist complexion of the current ruling class in the Ukraine and much evidence has been provided in that context. Your roots give you some latitude, but it’s wearing very, very thin.
13 Dec 2013: Tablet Magazine: Maria Danilova: As Pro-European Protests Seize Ukraine, Jewish Oligarch Victor Pinchuk Is a Bridge to the West
The steel magnate—son-in-law of the former president and once a symbol of post-Soviet nepotism—now advocates for the rule of law
Pinchuk initially stayed silent as protesters barricaded themselves in the capital this month, even though his television channels covered them energetically. (His father-in-law Kuchma, one of the targets of the 2004 revolution, has joined two former Ukrainian presidents in signing a letter of support for the demonstrations.) But in the last few days, as the government moved to violently disperse the encampments, Pinchuk finally broke his silence, showing up at the protest camp himself and praising the demonstrators’ spirit. “The most important is that Ukrainian civil society has shown its strength,” he told the Financial Times this week. “Nothing is more powerful. It gives me huge optimism for the future of our country.”…
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/155976/ukraines-western-face
oligarghs: 1 people: 0
great going Guardian. it’s only the Crimea situation that is causing the price rises!
4 Mar – Guardian: Sean Farrell: Ukraine crisis sends wheat and corn prices soaring
Price of wheat up by as much as 5.9% while price of corn rises by up to 3.7% in response to the situation in Crimea
Ukraine has become an important crop exporter. It was the fourth biggest seller of corn last year and is set to be the sixth largest wheat supplier this year.
About 85% of wheat milled in the UK is home-grown and the rest comes mainly from the European Union and Canada. Much of Ukraine’s supply goes to the Middle East and north Africa, and it is a bigger supplier of corn than of wheat…
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/03/ukraine-crisis-crimea-hits-price-wheat-corn
heard an interview with BBC reporter, Greg Palast, the other day. he described the protests in Venezuela & Ukraine as counter-revolutions by the 1% – their Occupy moment. he included Thailand, but i think in Thailand it might be the 1% protesting against the .001% (Thaksin)!
Evgeni,
Thanks for your comments. Inevitably, you will be criticized by people who see the hands of the lizard people in all this. It seems to me that most people who know what they are talking about; yourself, Uzbek in the UK, Craig Murray, Timothy Snyder, et. al. are on the side of the Ukrainian revolt against Yanukovych, those that get their information from Russia Today, Voice of Russia, and Global Research are on the side of Putin and his deployment of troops on Ukrainian territory. It seems to be no coincidence that the majority of them see conspiracy everywhere, except among ex-KGB agents – curiously enough – and that the majority of them are Truthers. Or in this case Pravders.
Oh, no, there are conspiracies galore. You just got out-conspiracied, that’s all. When the red team kicks the blue team’s ass, the brass stops the game and makes it come out right. But life is not like war college. The enemy is not just another bunch of US dumbshits. The blue team looked out 3 moves and the red team looked out six. Ha ha, you lose. Maybe in ten years you get a do-over. Till then you say uncle and eat the shit.
Losers.
” It seems to be no coincidence that the majority of them see conspiracy everywhere, except among ex-KGB agents”
Well they do have a tape of Victoria Newland conspiring with Geoffrey Pyatt to overthrow the Ukrainian government and choosing who they would put in to replace them three weeks before the event.
Wanna hear it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSxaa-67yGM
That recording was made public on Feb 2nd, they already knew the government would be overthrown, who the next Prime Minister would be and were deciding on who would be Deputy PM.
If you don’t call that a conspiracy I don’t know what is.
Craig,
I only scanned your rant and didn’t bother to read the comments. But you might appear to be a little more of substance if you called the moslem inhabitants of Crimea by their correct name (Tatar) rather than a sauce.
Either spelling is acceptable.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/584107/Tatar
A much more sensible and balanced analysis from another ex-diplomat who remains sane:
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/03/03/ukraine-imperils-obamas-foreign-policy-legacy/
Listening to Samantha Power last night was like listening to the voice of reason for a few seconds. US hypocrisy knows no bounds.If they had stayed at home for the last 70 years then it might have made sense.They haven’t and there isn’t a country that hasn’t suffered from their interference or had a military base built.The US nose is in every bodies business.
And Britain’s performance was no better. The rhetoric was bellicose and confrontational, and at the same time Govt ministers papers have been shown the opposite.”The City” does not want their applecart and Russian customers upset.They’ve been too good for business.
Nothing will happen.The US;NATO Uncle Tom Cobbly are bogged down still in Afghanistan with tens of thousands of men and equipment, and their get out of jail free card is Russia.
The democratic West has sunk to new lows in their support for the Nazi salute wielding thugs in the Ukraine.Snipers were shooting the police and yet our politicians support it and the petrol bombers as being legit.In London it’s almost impossible to demonstrate anymore.We don’t tolerate spontaneous peaceful protest,and neither does the US.
Great comment DoNNyDarKo.
For readers who want a truly (non British Empire) perspective I recommend:
vineyardsaker.blogspot.com
Apologies if this has already been posted but there are people here – and especially Craig – who ought to watch and listen to it.
If you want to know what is really happening in the Ukraine and what is really behind it, it’s pretty much all in this RT 27 minute long video
And it also seems that the only remaining constitutionally and internationally legal authority in remain has formally asked Russia to do exactly what it is doing.
It is also pretty damn certain that the only thing holding the Ukraine together as a unitary state at this point is Russia’s continuing recognition of it. If that recognition were withdrawn there can be no doubt that there WOULD be civil war in short order and the state would fragment.
“Well they do have a tape of Victoria Newland conspiring with Geoffrey Pyatt to overthrow the Ukrainian government and choosing who they would put in to replace them three weeks before the event.”
__________________
When lies are repeated it is necessary to nail those replies – repeatedly.
The tape mentioned above shows AS Nuland discussing events in Ukraine with the US ambassador in Kiev. As Craig could confirm, it is not unusual for officials in Foreign ministries to discuss events in the country concerned with the ambassador en poste; this is one of the reasons why countries have embassies and ambassadors in other countries.
Listening to the tape, you will hear AS Nuland expressing the opinion that Yats would probably be the best person to head the new Ukraine govt (given his economic and governing credentials) and that it would be better if Klitschko and one other person were not in the govt.
Could those who claim the tape reveals AS Nuland and the US ambassador “conspiring” to “overthrow” the then Ukraine govt and “choosing who they would put in” please cite – verbatim – the expressions which prove those claims? Verbatim, please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As to the claim that the US has spent $5 billion to sugvert/overthrow the Ukrainian govt (with the implication that this has been spent recently), I think I nailed that particular lie on the previous thread, but it appears that I’ll have to do so again.
This is the verbatim of what AS Niland said at her briefing (listen for yourselves):
“Since Ukrainian independence in 1991 the US has supported Ukrainians as they build democratic skills and institutions, as they promote civic participation and good governance, all of which are preconditions for Ukraine to achieve its European aspirations. We’ve inc-vested over $5 billion to assist the Ukrainian govt in these and other goals.”. (I also pointed out, for the sake of context, that US federal govt spending in fiscal 2013 ALONE totalled $3454 billion).
As you’ll all be aware, the EU had several programmes in the 1990s – ie, after the fall of the Russian Empire in Eastern Europe – to promote civil society, good governance and the building of democratic institutions. So what is the problem with similar US programmes since 1991?
Resident Dissident (22h38, yesterday)
You are quite right. I used the term “lefties” incorrectly (perhaps as ‘shorthand’)and am happy to accept your expression “useful idiots” as a better description of many of the contributors to this and the previous thread.
Evgueni
4 Mar, 2014 – 1:36 am
“…so this should give pause for thought to those who claim a nazi coup has taken place. Unless they think that we can see better from a distance than the Ukrainians can see for themselves.”
Evgueni, it’s called: not being able to see the wood for the trees.
Meaning: If you can’t see the wood for the trees, you can’t see the whole situation clearly because you’re looking too closely at small details, or because you’re too closely involved.
Oddie
4 Mar, 2014 – 2:16 am
“The document, which was photographed as a senior official carried it into a meeting in Downing Street…”
This is an old trick by the state to get information into the public domain by letting a confidential document get photographed by the press and make it appear as if it was an error made by some official.
The same happened here:
“A white document marked “secret”, which carried details of the operation being planned by MI5 and several police forces, was clearly visible to press photographers equipped with telephoto lenses.”
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/apr/09/bob-quick-terror-raids-leak
And here:
Photo reveals UK police arrest plan for Assange
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/25/world/europe/uk-assange-police/
They really do think we are all stupid.
Evgueni.
You are correct to point out that commenters here are not “on the spot”.
Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of the internet we can see what it looks like to those who are there. Here’s what it looks like to Ukrainian author Lada Ray.
https://futuristrendcast.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/what-is-really-happening-in-ukraine-part-4-nazi-coup-succeeds/
Of course there are others on the spot who believe that a New Age of peace and prosperity will be forged by Victoria Nuland’s ultra-right warriors.