Does anyone know anyone in Russia?

I am shocked and disgusted by your comparisons!! I am not aware that the Russian people had a democratic vote about whether or not to bomb a country out of existence or to shoot people in the back of their heads while hands were tied behind their back., or to bomb maternity hospitals. Regardless of whether Brexit was good or bad, we had a democratic vote.

Lizbethhann55 one of the most precious things we have here is a democratic system. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. But democracy isn’t just turning up on the day and putting a cross in the box, then knowing that the count will be fair. Its about making the decision about where to put your cross based on truth.

Before Brexit we were told so many lies, and they are still telling lies. The £350million on the side of the bus. Rees Mogg was on the radio yesterday complaining about the EU treating us as a third party country, when that is exactly what we voted for. The Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of GB, lying about whether he was at an illegal party.

The extremes of governments lying to their own populations are what we are seeing in Russia right now. And if we refuse to admit that our government is lying to us right now, things will get worse. And if we don’t do something about it, its our fault.

So, Volver, what would you do?

For a start, I wouldn't allow politicians' lies to go unchallenged in the media and I wouldn't allow false claims in election material. Then when politicians are under scrutiny for breaking the law, I wouldn't allow excuses like "we've moved on." I'd probably also want to see rules about the character of people and organisations who want to own media outlets.

I'm sure other grans have further actionable ideas.

One small good thing that has come out of this terrible war is the level of journalism and technology.

The lies are less easy to tell and the truth less easy to stifle. The idea Russia put forward, that Ukraine killed the people who lay dead in Bucha, can be shown to be a lie by using satellite material.

Volodymyr Zelensky has brought the most desperate pictures of the killings in Ukraine into the chamber of the UN security council. As far as I am aware this is the first time they have had to see such things. The intelligence community appears to be getting 90 - 95% of its information from open sources as used by the general public.

Sadly this still does not stop those who want to believe what they see in the propaganda.

Lizbethann55 you may be "shocked and disgusted" but how do you think those who had to listen to the lies and obfuscation have felt.

Do you have no sense that what was going on verged on civil war? We may not have picked up our pikes but that could always happen when you undermine democracy.

The "third estate" has been subverted for years. I certainly agree with volver there. This pervasive idea that a journalist has to bring the person who doesn't believe it's raining into the discussion if they are interviewing the person who says it is, has to stop. It is the journalists' job to look out of the window and tell us the truth not enable lies.

I would add to the list that we must strengthen the position of the speaker. MPs must ask a question and provide an answer, not a party political broadcast and not lies. If not the Commons itself is useless and we should just expand and broadcast the Committees. Otherwise, Lizbethann you may be asking just why we see an attack on the commons by a modern-day Guy Fawkes and think that shocking and disgusting too.

People take their democracy seriously and some will not forgive or forget those who try to destroy it, or their fellow travellers.

20 years ago i went to Russia on a trekking holiday. We had a team of 13 Russian men with us as guides and helpers. They were wonderful and one I remembered had lost two brothers in the Afghan war and he hated war, could not see the reason for invading another country. I often wonder what he is thinking about the war now.