Russian spy attempted murder - what should the UK do?

Strange that those who want to stop Polish builders coming here are in favour off Russians buying luxury homes in London (and not living in them), plus buying British passports. Many of the fabulously wealthy Russians are here as it is easy to launder dirty money in the London property market, as the rules as so lax. There are over 750,000 Russians in London, many are in legitimate jobs scientists, lawyers etc, but many are well known to be gangsters who have got rich through corrupt practices in Russia ( legitimised by the Putin government) , and I certainly am not happy about giving such people haven. Are the government really going to tackle this?

Putin has succeeded in his aim then. Russian voters do like a strong leader don’t they?

Putin wants both power and an excuse to strengthen his borders. If he can show that the west is a threat he could be on manoeuvres again.

I am still concerned about whether our government is sharing all necessary information with the opposition. I don't expect them to tell us necessarily but, just as they are our government they are also our opposition and have a job to do for us. Just because the MSM thought they were being clever by attacking our democratically elected leader of the opposition does not mean we should have that part of government kept out of the loop.

I sometimes wonder if this government is taking lessons from countries like Russia

Listening to Radio 4 Russian spokesperson he stated what really should be obvious but isn’t apparently to many in the UK.

“Russia sees its most important relationship as being with the EU. It would be concerned if the EU took economic action, or indeed action of any sort.

Putin sees the UK as weakened and obviously easy pickings.

Putin isn't the only one who sees us as weakened, etc., whitewave. The US, for all we may hear fine words, is obviously seeing us in the same way, and how about China, Japan, etc. Even New Zealand feels it can dictate a very different sort of trade bargain with a solo UK.

I cannot understand why people do not see that, although Britain is still a wealthy country (at this point in time at least) we are not the power we used to be and will certainly not be as a country on our own.

thegreatcritique.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/hang-on-bojob-now-you-announce-that-the-russians-have-been-stockpiling-novichoks/

I agree with Martin Odone.
They see us as weak because we have a ridiculous foreign minister.

They see any country as weak who refuses to move against them.That’s why we need a strong response.

They see thew UK as weak because they succeeded in weakening us by getting the result they wanted in the EU referendum. The Russian agenda has always been to destabilise the West and the help they gave to Trump and Brexit have to be seen in that light. Russia hates the EU because of the solidarity of the European democracies.

They see thew UK as weak because they succeeded in weakening us by getting the result they wanted in the EU referendum.

Precisely, varian.

As in the facebook thread.

They also see the Uk as weak as it harbours so many of their gangsters and its easy for them to wash money here.

There was an interesting piece on PM this evening. The commented the fact that everyone, the PM, the EU, the USA, are all using the same phrase - "a military grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia.

On a blog by the former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, he says he's been told that Porton Down scientists are not able to identify the nerve agent as being of Russian manufacture, and have been resentful of the pressure being placed on them to do so. Porton Down would only sign up to the formulation of "a type developed by Russia" after a difficult meeting where this was agreed as a compromise formulation.

PM has been in touch with Porton Down and were refered to the foreign office who had not replied at that point.

They then interviewed Gerry Smith, a risk consultant and was an inspector for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He was very interesting and its well worth going on to the PM site and listening to his interview. He was asked what he thought about what Craig Murray had blogged and he said:

The tension they you mentioned between Porton and the Government is entirely credible; I don't know whether it's true or not, but it's entirely credible where scientists are always looking to ensure that degree of accuracy whereas politicians do thrive a little more on ambiguity.

Interesting ...

My daughter said that they (Portland) couldn’t possibly have known what the substance was in such a short time. She reckons that they were lent on to come up with an educated guess.

Porton - !

How would the other 16 groups who have to verify it do so if nobody has any Novichok?

They did seem to oddly get a large amount of money soon after. £48m as a thank you for what they had done.

How about a connection to Cambridge Analytica, as we are into conspiracy theories.

I wasn't trying to offer a conspiracy theory really. Just make the point that perhaps Corbyn was right to ask the questions he did.

Of course he is. Others are asking the same questions.

But his opponents - in or out of the party - are still trying to say he was wrong.
Which ones have been manipulated by CA?

Tom London tweeted

Torres take £3million from assorted oligarchs and Putin associates.
Totes fight for years to stop an enquiry into Litvineko

Corbyn takes NO Russian Donations
Corbyns careful international law based approach, endorsed by Merkel, Macron and NATO,

MSM attack Corbyn”

That should have been Tories - clearly my iPad can’t bear to print the word ?

Breaking News.
Sergei and Alexander have been ordered to leave the country but Oleg can stay because he was born here.

Does that mean Sergei and Alexander are spies?

trisher
No! it was a little light humour for people who watch tv.