I have never ruled out the possibility that Russia is responsible for the attack in Salisbury, amongst other possibilities. But I do rule out the possibility that Assad is dropping chemical weapons in Ghouta. In this extraordinary war, where Saudi-funded jihadist head choppers have Israeli air support and US and UK military “advisers”, every time the Syrian army is about to take complete control of a major jihadist enclave, at the last moment when victory is in their grasp, the Syrian Army allegedly attacks children with chemical weapons, for no military reason at all. We have been fed this narrative again and again and again.
We then face a propaganda onslaught from neo-con politicians, think tanks and “charities” urging a great rain of Western bombs and missiles, and are accused of callousness towards suffering children if we demur. This despite the certain knowledge that Western military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have had consequences which remain to this day utterly disastrous.
I fear that the massive orchestration of Russophobia over the last two years is intended to prepare public opinion for a wider military conflict centred on the Middle East, but likely to spread, and that we are approaching that endgame. The dislocation of the political and media class from the general population is such, that the levers for people of goodwill to prevent this are, as with Iraq, extremely few as politicians quake in the face of media jingoism. These feel like extremely dangerous times.
I remain mystified why anyone in the West cares about Syria, or Yemen. I mean, cares so deeply they are willing to go to war with Russia. Truly bizarre behavior, and I’m not convinced it’s entirely about oil either. I suspect whack jobs like Kissinger and Brzezinski (whilst alive) are\were basically evil puppet masters with a gift for persuading people that their completely insane geopolitical strategies are, in fact, rational and sober, and in US interests. So off we all go to war, entirely unaware that it’s all completely nuts. The motives of Kissinger et al are best not explored too much, coz that rabbit hole is deep and wide.
I expect it all to calm down, once Putin makes it clear that Russia has had enough. Trump isn’t stupid, and must see that it’s really not worth it. I’m less concerned than the hawks, whose concern trolling seems to never end. However, I do have a concern that the war train is hard to stop, once it gets going. And even Presidents may be unable to stop it.
People in the West care about Syria and Yemen because their governments are owned by Israel and Saudia Arabia, in that order.
Your last sentence says it all I fear. Trump isn’t in control anymore. For whatever reason he has appointed Pompeo and Bolton – neither of whom are isolationists which seemed to be his policy at the beginning. Who is pulling the strings over there? Certainly not Trump
The west wants it because Israel wants it.
It is planned that the occupied Golan be extended eastwards.
It’s about Iran.
Des navires de guerre chinois en Méditerranée reçoivent l’ordre de rallier la marine russe en cas d’une attaque massive contre la Syrie
https://strategika51.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/des-navires-de-guerre-chinois-en-mediterranee-recoivent-lordre-de-rallier-la-marine-russe-en-cas-dune-attaque-massive-contre-la-syrie/
China Orders Navy to Join Russian Fleet
WTF, couldn’t anyone just squash that idiotic May b***tch ?
I agree … So frightened and worried.
How would you like your Programming? My wife and I got this, and we may have actually met one of the ladies responsible for it. We know a few very old people who used to work for The BBC. They now go on a lot of Cruises…but I am not knocking it – I think they are very artitistic, and very polite, and we just love to be invited to their house parties. They like ours too.
“Bill and Ben The Flower Pot Men: Cabbages – FULL EPISODE”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozp8uwUWtBY
Meanwhile the Americans got Pop Eye (Spinach) and Olive Oil and
“Duck And Cover (1951) Bert The Turtle”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60
The BBC, said we are not broadcasting that, but we will take Pop Eye and Olive Oil.
So unlike the Americans, us English were not Terrorized when we were kids.
Harold Wilson said No. We are Not Going To War.
Still The Americans did, but they did it without us British.
Our Prime Minister said No. My older brothers both in the TA may not have survived it (RAMC), but they would both have gone.
What have we got now? It is Not very impressive.
“Theresa May and the holy grail – the movie”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTPLdVlyjxc
Tony
Thank you Tony.
Theresa May and the holy grail – the movie is absolutely brilliant
Tony – that May video is hilarious
Thank you.
I will pass it on.
A must watch.
I normally wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Russia being responsible for the attack in Salisbury, except when the official evidence is preposterous: “the Russians did it because Novichok was invented in Russia.” And the source of the poisoning has migrated now from the luggage, to the door, to the cereal, to the glass of wine, to the park bench, and so on. But these stories are not made with the informed, intelligent minority in mind, but to catch the fleeting, uncritical attention of the uninformed, unthinking majority to be repeated by unscrupulous politicians. I give the lying spooks credit, they will probably succeed in keeping the public blinkered within their one-dimensional prejudices at least up to the point when they are to be drafted into the next war. Maybe then the self-preservation instinct will kick in, but unfortunately it will be too late.
Good comment, Nathan. “I give the lying spooks credit …” Ah yes, one has to give them that. They have been running a 20 year campaign toward a major war. And they are getting there.
Brilliant comment, Nathan!
daesh and the Syrian rebels don’t have an air force Craig. Assad does.
Well, you are actually totally wrong, you must have missed that, probably watching nothing but France24, CNN and BBC.
“daesh and the Syrian rebels” do have extremely powerful Air Force:
1) US Air Force bomb Syrian Army and Russians in support of daesh and “rebels” (head-chopping jihadists).
2) NATO (UK, France, Germany and eastern-european parasites) Air Force work hard on behalf of daesh and “rebels” (head-chopping jihadists).
You forgot the most important one Freddy. The one that has impunity to bomb anywhere in Syria and has recently lost an F16 and that always hides behind Lebanon‘s airspace.
You don’t need an air force to simulate a chemical attack.
Quite valuable analysis, Charles.
If this helps any, the lettering on the yellow and green chopper says “funded by you, flying for you” The tail numbers read GL..NL15 or similar. At the time, Zizzi’s was assumed to be where they were poisoned (mussel azaspiracids in their risotto pesce? bendiocarb for vermin dusted in by their irate chef?) and no controversy existed then about the air ambulance. Yulia was affected far more seriously than Sergei, with seizures, severe miosis, and loss of bowel and bladder control. He had none of those and there was an hour delay to his hospital ride, bystanders holding umbrellas over the two of them as it was raining.
“This is the moment the daughter of a Russian who spied for MI6 was airlifted to hospital after she and her father were found collapsed in Salisbury following a suspected poisoning” by Spencer Mulholland, Solent News
4:15 pm. Emergency services are called. Yulia is taken to hospital by air ambulance, her father is taken by road…
Detectives are trying to work out if Skripal was given the mystery substance in the restaurant.
Yes, the door handle time release gel, the powder dusted into the BMW ventilation … none of these make the slightest sense. It is physiologically impossible for the two of them to be simultaneously affected hours after exposure — she was young and healthy, he was older, unfit, obese (BMI 30+) and diabetic.
No evidence whatsoever has been put forward that Sergei’s home or care were contaminated. It is all theatre. (Recall the fat policewoman seen inside the house wearing no gloves or protective gear, the pets that lasted for weeks of constant exposures, the disappeared Dr Davies’ letter.) Basically, all the hospital and PD did with swabs was measure inhibition of acetylcholine esterase on the surface of red blood cells (or in the standard lab kit any hospital would have around because of insecticide poisoning). They do not have any ability to weight micrograms of actual poison as none has been collected. The hospital did nothing but manage symptoms and give atropine which again any hospital would have in the pharmacy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5473177/Woman-40s-taken-hospital.html
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/03/07/11/49F6FE4300000578-5470361-image-a-39_1520423247794.jpg
Yulia (left) reported the death of her father’s wife to Wiltshire Police when she died in 2012
hello. there is two separate videos posted online, one by the white helmets, and one by someone on youtube, both which feature the same chemical attack that the BBC is plastering eveywhere – but with two different watermarked logos in the video footage. and both videos published online on saturday within hours of the suspected chemical attack. my guess is this footage is at least a few months old, and likely to be from when ‘rebels’ (terrorists) were ruling Douma
the youtube video :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TElceE3aLI&has_verified=1&pbjreload=10
and the white helmets video:
https://twitter.com/AsaadHannaa/status/982732701471043585
We have some really good news from The Royal Army Medical Corps sponsored by The Coca Cola Company (Registered TM 6759520016887 (don’t drink The Diet Coke – it is full of Aspartame (Rat Poison)) US Reg Poison 6759520016888 ..but the Sugar Version is OK in the UK, providing it is in Glass Bottles. They say the coffee is O.K. too, but under no cicumsatnces should English people eat American Beef. The genetically modified High Fructose Corn Syrup, might taste nice, but if you have it in Your Coca Cola..soon you are going to be as fat as the Average American Women. (I made up those numbers – the rest of it is mostly true)
They are Canadians.
“American Woman The Guess Who”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8z1EzDouNs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guess_Who
Tony
I think you are right about how dangerous this is all getting with John Bolton now in the White House.
I do think the Russians could be behind the Salisbury attack. I think their motive was simply to demonstrate the reach of their power, to show us that none of us are safe and they can get us any time with these weapons. And now that the US is criticising them over Syria, they could do just that.
And whom would it serve best were we to believe that he could reach us all in our beds? Would it be Dr. Evil in his lust to be seen as scary, or the military industrial media complex whose budgets and raison d’etre derive from the scary challenge of keeping us safe?
On the eve of a presidential election, in a campaign in which he has a massive lead, with a 50 billion $ investment in the World Cup, and NordStream 2 in the balance–at this precise moment he wants the innocent West to bear witness to his Eeevil…
Knowing now what we didn’t know then, not only did they attack us in Europe (official version) but immediately after they blatantly showed they can act with impunity by allowing the Syrian government to use chlorine to gas ‘thier own people’ when they didn’t need to.
Meanwhile in a neighbouring country known for its impunity in every field, innocent civilians can be shot by snipers because they are not ‘thier own people’,
Top comment, SA.
MBC
” I think their motive was simply to demonstrate the reach of their power, to show us that … ”
You obviously ate Mrs May’s Lord Mayor of London speech in toto. You must have not ever been done over by your ex-wife, mother, sisters, and female psychologists. I’m happy for you. All these delights await.
In the meantime, back in the real world, women do lie, yes women. That’s why they binned Cameron because he looked like a shifty 2nd hand car salesman clocking the cars and sticking the old milometers in the skip.
Maria von Trap is real. Back projection of moving landscapes is real. Hollywood is all real. And we live in the best of all possible worlds in the best of all possible tastes.
I do also find Boris von Trap very believable, because he is blonde. I know that’s not 100% proof but it makes him kinda cute.
Von Trap? That’s a strange surname for a member of the Aryan race, no?
“I do think the Russians could be behind the Salisbury attack. “
Yes of course you are entitled to make a guess based on surmise.
“I think their motive was simply to demonstrate the reach of their power, to show us that none of us are safe and they can get us any time with these weapons.”
They are trying to tell us something we know anyway? We know they have ICBMs that can reach anywhere in the world but that seems not to frighten us as much as an agent that doesn’t kill anyone?
“ And now that the US is criticising them over Syria, they could do just that.”
This really is the clincher. The link and real proof is that the Russians are so stupid they said: Look here the Americans are trying to make excuses to invade Syria by repeated false flags on the use of chemical weapons. Let us just do this cunning little job where we use some insecticide to frighten them and do it so near Porton Down to show them that nothing is sacred. They will then be able to very quickly detect the signature that this was of a type developed in the USSR and will quake in thier shoes. The wobbly May government will then fall and we will walk over not just Syria but the whole of Europe.
Very likely scenario.
You know, they have 7000 nuclear bombs. Do you think they need to demonstrate their power buy attacking old guy who they prosecuted and exchanged, all that one week before elections (old guy who btw seems to recover well). One of their bombs (Sarmat) would be quite enough to send UK to stone age.
I think western people are prepared for war that is coming. If we enter in the war with Russia it will be the end of civilization we know. This is scary. It is especially scary if we take into account reason for entering the war which looks very much fake. and it looks like it could happen within next few days.
This needs to be put before the ‘great unwashed’ – the largest nuclear bombs tested were by the former USSR, at the time I seem to recall that it was said that an airburst at 15km above central London would also destroy everything out as far as Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds – all that would be left would be ‘Big Trees’ in their nuclear bunkers, and parts of Northern England, West Wales, and Scotland (although Faslane would be in the second strike so the Midland Valley would be gone too.).
And we have no defence against a Russian attack – first or retaliation.
MBC I can’t see any motive at all or in fact, any evidence that Russia is behind the Salisbury attack. Why would Russia want to demonstrate the reach of their power, I believe it’s Trump that’s doing that. Russia, in all of this, is the only party that has asked intelligent questions, is asking for an independent investigation and has requested that the Russian Ambassador to the UK meet with Boris Johnson so that diplomatic channels of dialogue can be established. I don’t believe for one minute that Putin is so obsessed with an agent he swapped in 2010 to the exclusion of all else – it’s ridiculous to believe that. Salisbury was in some way stage managed by our own security services in order to fuel anti-russian hysteria as a false flag for a false flag incident of chemical weapons used in Syria which would allow the USA/UK and Israel to invade it. Wait a minute, that has been predicted all along, it happened on Saturday. The mobilising of anti-russian hysteria hasn’t really taken hold has it though, thus causing more frustration for the UK Government, the tide of public opinion has turned against the Government in favour of Russia.
The Turkish government boasts about having abducted 80 if its citizens abroad. How is that about “reach of power”? Do we sanction Turkey?
Do you really think that Russia needs to demonstrate its “reach of power” in such an inadequate and incompetent way? And by doing so revealing its alleged “top secrete chemical weapon” nobody has ever found any trace of?
All of these speculations simply don’t make any sense. What we do know for certain is that the Skripal incident was to damage Russia. That is working!
There are numerous parties including anti-Putin oligarchs and dissidents pampered by MI6 and the Tory establishment in the UK. There are Chechen terrorists and Mafia bosses who have found sanctuary in the UK, etc., they all have very good motives to damage Russia.
If you harbor vipers don’t complain about getting bitten. Just like the Libyan anti-Qaddafi terrorists and jihadists given refuge by the UK in view of future regime change; their offspring have committed terrorists acts in the UK.
You reap what you sow!
Never thought I’ll see something like this on Fox
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/04/09/tucker-syrian-gas-attacks-civilians-dont-jump-war-conclusion
I want Senator Kennedy for President.
Oh I would wish for this too. It was thanks to him and Kruschev who actually got on the telephone to each other that prevented any further escalation of the Cuban missile crisis.
May be Tucker Carlson saw this video : https://youtu.be/EHTLkk9D68w:
here are a few warning shots that do not actually strike US or AZ assets but offering sobering opportunities for reflection:
A Russkie Father of All Bombs blast 3 miles off the beam of the USS Donald Duck–calculated for maximum effect but no physical injury, other than a mother of a wave.
Kinzhal strike at the very end of the runway that Israel used for its latest strike. Again, massive mach 20 striking effect but ideally no loss of life–just a massive crater.
Satan 2 laying down 150 separate missiles across the path of the carrier group in mid-Atlantic. Again, targeting to miss by a few miles but essentially turning the path ahead into pure chaos.
This is the creative Black Sea freakout strategy employed against the Donald Cook last year, but writ a little larger.
i am really disappointed that that the British Labour party are not saying anything. I though that Corbyn was a man of peace. Some statements urging sanity and stopping the mad rush to war would help a lot and gain them credibility.
The sad thing is that the Anglo-Americans think that they are invulnerable and that military action does not have any consequences for them, just for the mostly brown people on the receiving end. A war with countries that can strike back, or in Russia’s case lead to mutually assured destruction is not something any mainstream commentator is mentioning because this concept is outside their logic bubble.
Somebody needs to puncture the bubble. May , Trump and Macron make the politicians of 1914 seem like geniuses.
i used to comment on the Labour site called Labour List, its full of Blairite trash, and Tory trolls who hate Corbyn, i really wouldn’t put any faith in Labour, they aren’t even discussing this issue, and if you go to their site these Labour people of “peace” simply abuse you as a “Putin troll” they’ve got some sort of death wish they simply can’t comprehend how dangerous this situation is
frankly its deeply depressing, whichever site you go on you’ll find the same insane warmongering, from LabourList to the Guardian, from the Guardian to the Spectator, its the same insanity, its Orwellian continous hate, not 2 minutes, continuous!
Something has gone wrong with our press. They don’t explore anything – just follow a party line. RT has a story about a BBC journalist who tweeted that he didn’t think the Syrian chemical attack was for real. After a short time, this tweet was deleted, and the journalist explained that he removed it because it had broken the BBC’s editorial policy!
I think the gradual censorship of the Western free press, enabled the events which I fear will end in a hideous tragedy.
Corbyn is a man of peace and has made strong statements to this effect. However, he is not quoted in the media other than to be demonised as a commie, a pacifist, a traitor – a vicious and malicious press campaign against him in fact. However, one that has backfired spectacularly on the media and the Government. The problem is some stupid MPs in the Labour Party who are acting as hysterical as our Government over this issue who don’t help matters. At least Corbyn is talking common sense and is advocating proper diplomatic dialogue between the nations, which no-one other than Russia has been doing.
Also lets not forget that Corbyn has recently been denounced as an anti-semite. Coincidence?
its no coincidence though is it! its carefully planned to rid the Labour party of Corbyn and get true NATO loving stooge in post
Craig you’ve been had, the whole things a hoax, pure theatre to prime the public for what had recently been done in Syria, another false flag, the blame put onto Assad and now Russia, the message is simple “Putin, Assad are murdering killers, leaders of rogue states”
personally i wouldn’t pay any more attention to what happened in Salisbury, it wasn’t a false flag, or a killing ordered by Putin, no chemical weapons were used, its looking like the Skripals have been involved in a hoax to create the right war psychosis, they’ve been payed a stack of money, now they’ll conveniently dissapear, they had there meal, walked to the park bench sat down took whatever it was they’d been told to take, the rest is history
this was the first act of this this theatre for war, Syria was the second part, and now we are waiting for what could be the third and final act, an act which could take us all down into WW3 and nuclear destruction, what happens in the next 72 hours in Syria could be critical for the continued existence of mankind as we’ve passed the point of danger during the Cuban missile crisis, the clock is almost at midnight, and theres absolutely no one out on the streets to stop it, we’ve effectively been infected by a perverse war and violence virus which has stopped all critical thought, we’ve lost all sense of our collective survival, as our politicians are essentially part of a grotesque death cult speeding us to our doom
One more detail into the picture – Julian Assange was cut off of the Internet in the end of March
Russia Today is banned off broadcasting in Washington
I don’t mention Snowden, but he perfectly fits into the picture. He is wanted by US authorities, though he didn’t sell secrets or betrayed his country – just stood up and said what he witnessed.
Skripals would not be allowed to speak.
Freedom of speech doesn’t exist any more. Governments know better what info is good for you. Here is how and on which pretext censorship will be implyed:
“… Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a Democrat, referenced a fake account built in his name. “Isn’t it Facebook’s job to better protect users and why do you shift the burden to users to flag inappropriate content and make sure it’s taken down?”
“This is an area that we need to do a lot better on,” Zuckerberg said.”…
Informed consent required before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person.
‘Highly likely’ is enough to intervene a sovereign country.
I read it online – hopefully people who find it censored, will go online – for as long as civilisation lasts.
I couldn’t put it better myself alwaywrite. Craig is right about our Government being led by the nose into war by our war hungry media – the relationship between the media and our Government is truly worrying – it is the media propaganda machine that is fuelling war and our Government are just doing their bidding. I am deeply concerned about the BBC coverage of all of this – it seems to have lost all semblance of impartiality and responsible reporting and has just turned into the Government mouthpiece. My God, even Tucker Carlson, a right wing Republican on Fox News put his head way above the parapet yesterday in an impassioned anti-war speech. Our press, I would have expected something far better and more critical from the Guardian, the BBC and the Observer but none. The only newspaper that has put its head slightly above the parapet appears to be the Independent. Orwellian vision of really dangerous times ahead and creeping fascism.
I think the Brexit government is far too incompetent to hedge such a sophisticated plot. They are just using the poisoning in an opportunistic way, inventing their story as they go along. Anyways, the OPCW has taken blood sample from the Skripals. If it was a hoax, the blood samples would have to test negative.
so the exact same footage that the BBC have been showing on a loop since saturday-only hours after the suspected chemical attack happend in Douma- is posted onilne with two different watermarks. if the msn bbc narrative is correct this must mean that having captured the video footage of the aftermath of the attack the video footage was then composited/watermarked on computer editing software- twice, with two different logos, and then both videos were then uploaded onilne at roughly the same time….
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/04/08/syria-chemical-attack-video-foam-mouth-barrel-bomb-civilians-pleitgen-newday.cnn
https://www.facebook.com/Douma.Revolution.2011/videos/1739271562820418/
I am surprised that not more is made of Hillary Clinton’s guidelines for delegates at a disarmament conference a propos the publication in 2009 of Dr. Vil S.Mirzayanov’s book “State Secrets: An Insider’s View of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program”. In this book Mirzayanov provides not only a chemical formula for the production of novichok but apparently also repeats his earlier warning that novichok consists of ordinary organophosphates that can be surreptitiously produced in seemingly innocuous factories for fertilisers and pesticides.
The guidelines concerned were found by Steven McIntyre of the blog Climate Audit when he was rummaging through Wikileaks papers. They were subsequently published in the blogs Moon of Alabama, ICH etc.
“7. © If AG participants raise the issue of Vils Mirayazonov’s (sic) book “State Secrets: An Insider’s View of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program” the Del should:
—Report any instances in which the book is raised.
—Not / not start or provoke conversations about the book or engage substantively if it comes up in conversation.
—Express a lack of familiarity with the issue.
—Quietly discourage substantive discussions by suggesting that the issue is “best left to experts in capitals.”
CLINTON
How to interprete these guidelines. My interpretation is: let us keep the fact that knowledge about this substance is in the public domain under wraps so that when we make use of it the fingerr can be pointed at Russia.
Hang on a minute, has Putin kidnapped the Prime Minister and replaced her with someone sensible who looks like her?.. –https://www.rt.com/uk/423768-syria-may-hesitate-strike-trump/
A post by my favourite commentator Indian ambassador MK Bhadrakumar – http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2018/04/11/us-attack-on-syria-is-futile-but-serves-a-purpose/
He hopes that there may be some sanity
“First, a US attack on the Syrian regime at this stage of the 7-year old war doesn’t make sense insofar as it cannot stop President Bashar Al-Assad on his tracks from attaining total victory. Bashar’s victory is a fait accompli. Period.
On the other hand, in order for the Syrian regime to be degraded to a point — like in Libya for example — and deposed from power, there has to be a massive western military intervention, including deployment of ground forces in tens of thousands. That seems improbable, given the level of disenchantment in Europe regarding Trump. So, the US has to go alone — at best with the (British) poodle. In such an enterprise, what does US hope to gain? Again, the chaos that follows will be beyond imagination.
Indeed, the risk of escalation is exceedingly high and that is not in the interests of Trump’s ‘America First’. By the way, hey, what about the “trade war” with China? What about the meet with Kim Jong Un? What about Afghanistan? What about Yemen? Above all, will another Middle Eastern war go down well in the US opinion? Will the US Congress support an attack on Syria when American interests are not directly facing threat?
Finally, the US cannot afford to overlook the explicit – and repeated – Russian warnings at various levels that an American attack on Syria will have grave consequences. Trump would know Vladimir Putin is “smart” and means business when he says something to the effect that Russia will ensure that what happened in Libya does not repeat. (TASS)”
I hope that he is correct but fear that the lunatics at the top of the US and their poodle (UK) will end up destroying humanity
we are now surely at the point where this whole fiasco has nothing whatsoever to do with chemical weapons, Syria, or any concept of International Law – it is now simply a game of poker, with the only uncertainty being who will blink first
so, this is what epochal events ultimately come down to – “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing”
if Trump folds first, he is toast; if he doesn’t, then we are probably all toast. one thing is now quite obvious – someone’s bluff is about to be called, and we as a species have learnt absolutely nothing over the past 14,000 years
“it is now simply a game of poker, with the only uncertainty being who will blink first”
Yes. Maria Zakharova complained at a press conference about the Skripal affair, that the West was playing poker instead of international diplomacy. Trump will loose face unless he doubles down, but as the Russians are now integrated into the Syrian Army at all levels, that’s obviously not risk free.
That is a very good post. What a pity he refers to the ‘Syrian regime’ rather than the Syrian Government.
I’m in a hurry but the BBC has on this morning’s news announced clandestinely an event at 1700 hours UK time. I suspect this could be the missile attack. We’ll see.
I don’t understand how it works. How come press announces about a secret operation? Is this a real leak? Or an intentional one to inform everyone? Same is in US when they publish in the newspapers what they were secretly talking about in oval office.
Here in Russia nothing ever leaks when it comes to secret operations.
Another thing is, now Russia knows for sure it may be attacked it is under no obligation to wait until then and has every right to strike first. The US claims the right to preemptive defense all the time so they’re last people who can bitch about coming under attack. Have a bit of shock-and-awe yourselves you mass-murdering b******s.
So, draw your conclusion: it’s windbagging. Russia has successfully deterred USUK agression by taking a consistent, polite, toned-down but extremely clear position, and expressing the consequences. The USUK now have their hands full containing rogue states Israel and Saudi Arabia, and coming up with some solution to what tom do about the war criminal psychopath Tony Blair who now has lost face by NOT going to war; to contain him might even involve starting procedures to bring him to trial.
The latest from Zerohedge.
War could be imminent…….
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-10/alert-issued-syria-air-strike-within-hours-russia-relcates-military-helicopters
BritMilitaryType on BritVox prog Today opining that ‘we’ will destroy Assad’s chemical weapon capability when we find where it is. Like those WMDs?. Ye can’t beat the old ones….guffaw!
That’s interesting because the OPCW confirmed that Syria has destroyed all its chemical weapons and so has Russia so I wonder where this Brit Military Type is actually going to find them? What about Israel and the USA’s stock of chemical weapons? Remember, Israel are the only country who have used chemical weapons in an assassination. Are they going to destroy those too?
Chem weapons are a media useful smoke screen. Conventional weapons used in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya etc are just as efficient killers and maimers of the innocent aka the colaterals. Yemen is latest exemplar of that.
However, the US use of chemical substances in former Indo-China ought to land American, in a just world, before the courts to compensate the disfigured and mutilated.
They still have stocks, being destroyed, so they claim.
Bibi’s Israeli and the new prince of the house of Sa3ud are concerned about Iran’s supposed intentions. They both might lead Trump by the nose into conflict with world Shiadom setting Iraq, Lebanon, Syria etc ablaze with old sectarian rivalry.
Arabs need a homegrown, magnificent superhero who will cut through this mess. Alas the stuff only of vidgames and graphic novels.
‘Any US missiles fired at Syria will be shot down, launch sites targeted – Russian envoy to Lebanon’:
https://www.rt.com/news/423774-us-missiles-targeted-russia/?
‘The Russian military reserves the right to shoot down missiles and destroy launch sites in the event of US aggression against Syria, Moscow’s envoy to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin has warned.
Zasypkin stressed that “the Russian forces will confront any US aggression on Syria, by intercepting the missiles and striking their launch pads,” al-Manar TV website reported, citing the envoy….’
Forget viagra – stock up on potassium iodide; deep tin mine in Wales going cheap – only £3.4 billion.
Mother Tereza asking for more evidence before joining Donald on his action man adventure. Are we not lucky to have such a wonderfully wise and astute leader in whom we can place our trust where justice and true democracy shall prevail ??
It’s good to see another former Ambassador producing a measured response. “Peter Ford Dropping Truth Bombs on BBC Radio Scotland”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j_Z1f84Ps8
I don’t think Gary Robertson was expecting that… at all!
Presumably an ex-ambassador to Stria might hold some sway with TM, which is why she’s not as gung-ho as everybody’s been expecting?
I doubt if Ford has much influence with May or the Foreign Office. He speaks too much good sense, born of his experience in Syria.
Ford’s reaction was very strong – he treated the interviewer like an idiot (as the latter indeed deserved). I was surprised, although I know Ford is a man of good sense, with a good vision of the situation in Syria.
Thanks. What a great respite to hear such calm rationality.
Remember ?
“Mar 28, 2018 – Ecuador has cut Julian Assange’s communications with the outside world from its London embassy,”
This is when the final stage of preparation for the upcoming strike began.
That indicates they were not afraid of Russian spies at that stage, but rather of Chelsea Manning types inside the US military or the State Dept. or a sane person, a leaker, a whistle blower inside one of the tree-letter spook shops who could leak info regarding preparation for the strike; which at that stage could be a total show-stopper.
Why doesn’t someone toss a smartphone over onto the balcony there??
All wars are Bankers wars is an old saw, but relevant in many cases. Behind the present war on Syria is the ultimate aim of preserving the Western system of Finance Capitalism.
The side issue of gas pipelines, oil ,Turkish expansionism,Kurdish independence suppression, the Greater Israel ambition and Sunni/Shia conflict are obfuscations of the REAL issue at the heart of the destruction of Syria.
The US since the Bretton Woods Agreement in 46/47 has had the great privilege of the US dollar as Reserve Currency, This was re-inforced in 1972 by the adoption of oil and gas payments in Petro dollars. This forces ALL countries who buy or sell oil/gas to procure dollars and park their excess in US Treasury Bonds, Thus supporting their enslavement.
The US abuse of the enormous privilege of having the Dollar as Reserve currency is also its Achilles heel. It has allowed its wealth producing Industries to wither and lived off the returns from its money lending Finance system, as has Britain.
Iraq was destroyed when it attempted to trade in Euros, as was Libya, when it attempted to create a Gold backed African Dinar.
It is estimated that Finance Capitalism skims in the region of 40% off a productive economy, Not much different from a Mafia extortion racket.
US hegemonic power is based on the dollar Reserve currency, enforced by its military machine and the US Navy control of the world sea trade routes with its 11 carrier fleet.
The greatest threat to this stranglehold on world economies is the emergence of China and its construction of the New Silk Road hi-speed rail routes to Europe. All connecting economies along this route will trade in their own currencies. This spells the end of US hegemonic power and makes its Navy largely redundant.
The issue of the Petroyuan in recent weeks ,means the end game is approaching for the Dollar.
China has stopped buying US Treasury Bonds altho’ it still possesses billions on its books. It may have decided to accept these losses.
To continue to exploit its Reserve Dollar privilege, the US must control the New Silk Road. The US military machine must drive up into Central Asia to cut ,control and impose its Dollar Toll on all trade along the route.
Syria and Iran are but stops along the way and their utter destruction are not a concern for the purveyors of this long term, ultimate goal.
Get ready West, especially the States, UK, and France, whatever missiles you shoot at Syria will be shot down, and the bases they come from will hit by Russia, Iran and Assad.
It’s how to make WWIII.
As Neil has shown elsewhere it would be physically impossible for one barrel bomb to cause the number of deaths claimed at Douma in the circumstances described by the terrorists.Now there are other ,”victims” being claimed which makes the original report even more blatantly false. One bomb caused all those people to be affected? NO.
Anyone in USA regret voting for a maniac now?
There is no doubt that Assad, backed by Putin, has used chemical weapons against his own people including nerve agents. There is no doubt that this contravenes all international laws and conventions on the use of such weapons of mass destruction. What is the point of having such laws if they are not enforced. Both Russia and Assad have committed atrocities all over Syria and both should be held to account.
A perfectly natural response to Russia’s behaviour on the streets of our country does not qualify as “Russophobia”. After all he has a lot of form having smuggled Polonium 210 across international borders, including our own, again in direct contravention of the aforesaid conventions, in order to murder Litvinyenko. Russia are orchestrating a sustained and multifaceted assault on the west through the free press and social media and Putin has the morals of an alleycat when it comes to murdering his own people when they become a threat to his grasp on power.
Russophobia or appropriate reaction to gross provocation?
You need to substantiate your propositions beyond having read them in the Daily Mail or heard them on the BBC.
The claims are unsubstantiated by anyone except the fiction-writers in Westminster and Washington who are frothing at the mouth at the prospect of war – somewhere a safe distance geographically from Westminster and Washington.
If you like the idea of 2003’s WMD catastrophe revisited, I hope you will not be disappointed
I am truly sorry to hear of the affliction that you suffer from. Gullibility is nasty. Get well soon!
Wow, what a blow from a propaganda trumpet! It seems Reg Lee got lost on his way to the BBC.
There is no doubt that Assad, backed by Putin, has used chemical weapons against his own people including nerve agents.
There is plenty of doubt, which is why OPCW’s currently mounting a mission to Syria and the UN Security Council spent yesterday arguing about the best way to conduct an international inquiry. As to UK, “Theresa May has made Britain’s participation in US-led strikes on the Assad regime conditional on more evidence that the Syrian regime was responsible for a gas attack. Yesterday she resisted pressure to join immediate military retaliation repeating that it was necessary to confirm what had happened at Douma before any action to “hold to account” those responsible.” ( https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/may-resists-calls-to-join-us-action-against-syria-kmdg697xg ). So you’re well ahead of the curve there, bud!
Both Russia and Assad have committed atrocities all over Syria and both should be held to account.
Tell me first who’s going to hold to account the USA, the UK, and all other NATO thugs for atrocities committed in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and Syria itself?
A perfectly natural response to Russia’s behaviour on the streets of our country does not qualify as “Russophobia”.
If by “perfectly natural” you mean “always blame Russia without any evidence upon claims from your government, despite that government’s long list of lies that led to pointless wars”, then yeah, it qualifies as Russophobia, but more importantly it undermines the democratic institutions of the UK itself, eroding freedom of speech, of opinion, of the press etc. in favour of mindlessly following the “official line” – something we normally attribute to totalitarian states.
After all he has a lot of form having smuggled Polonium 210 across international borders… in order to murder Litvinyenko.
Who’s “he”? Putin, himself, personally? Anyway, the Litvinenko line has been debunked by German prosecutors, who concluded that Polonium 210 found in Litvinenko was in Britain long before London’s designated “Russian hit men” Lugovoy and Kovtun entered the country. This Polonium was also found on Mario Scaramella, a CIA asset, who was accused of the murder by Litvinenko himself on his deathbed, and who was closely connected to the Russian oligarch-in-exile Berezovsky. Here’s a writeup: https://www.rt.com/news/423554-litvinenko-polonium-london-berezovsky/
Russia are orchestrating a sustained and multifaceted assault on the west through the free press and social media and Putin has the morals of an alleycat when it comes to murdering his own people when they become a threat to his grasp on power.
While comparing the “most powerful man in the world” to a cat is certainly cute (if unappropriate), the rest of your statement is just baloney. The greatest threats to Putin’s power were Yeltsin era oligarchs, and they are all alive (even Putin’s self-proclaimed “personal enemy” Khodorkovsky, who continues to enjoy the remnants of his vast wealth in Europe), with the sole exception of Boris Berezovsky who died in the UK. Putin’s current political critics are also alive and well, most of them living in Russia and pursuing their political careers (such as Navalny).
As to “free press and social media”, labeling anyone not supporting the official line as a “Russian troll” or “Putin sympathizer” has more in common with totalitarianism than democracy & freedom. Case in point: the ongoing witchhunt against Jeremy Corbyn, who appears to be one of the few voices of reason in Britain’s political establishment.
Russophobia or appropriate reaction to gross provocation?
Of these two, “appropriate reaction” is the sure winner. The appropriate way to react to the gross provocation in Salisbury would be immediate resignation of May and her cabinet, starting with BoJo. I’m sure many would agree.
Oh and regarding Berezovsky’s death, here’s from the Wikipedia:
“Following the inquest the coroner, Peter Bedford, recorded an open verdict commenting, “I am not saying Mr Berezovsky took his own life, I am not saying Mr Berezovsky was unlawfully killed. What I am saying is that the burden of proof sets such a high standard it is impossible for me to say.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Berezovsky_(businessman)#Death
That’s it from the British Justice System on the incident.
Reg, Do you actually have any evidence for your assertions. Do some better and more in-depth reading and you will realise you are oh so wrong
I came across this article, regarding Mr Skripal’s now deceased cat and guinea pigs:
http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/17/poisoned-russian-agents-cat-guinea-pigs-taken-away-tests-7394516/
It’s dated 17 March and states: “A poisoned Russian double agent’s cat and two guinea pigs were taken from his home to be tested, according to a source.”
I’d tend to believe that over the “whoops, we forgot about them” story being peddled a few days back. Clearly, they killed them all but I find the cynicism of the official story to be utterly breathtaking.
They really don’t care if their story is full of holes since, as was so well put in Nathan’s post of
April 11, 2018 at 01:28, most people will simply not look critically at the garbage news they’re being fed. It’s the old 80:20 rule, whereby you can fool 80% often enough to get away with it – and the other 20% can usually be ignored.