A surprising degree of unanimity amongst EU countries will see Russian intelligence agents and diplomats expelled next week from at least 10 EU member states in response to the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, described by Emmanuel Macron as an “attack on European sovereignty”. EU leaders agreed unanimously that Moscow was “highly likely” to be responsible for the assault and Angela Merkel, said there should be further measures, beyond the recall of the EU’s ambassador to Moscow.

So the confusing and devastating tr Pluto squaring Neptune on Vladimir Putin’s chart now makes sense, despite his election win, which was widely criticised as rigged (see post below).

The chart for modern Russia has always been a quandary, given the multiplicity of dates and times around 1990/91 but I’ve gone back to the 12 June 1990 9.45am GMT Moscow chart, which seems to work better than the others. It puts an aggressive Mars in Aries in the 7^th square a 10^th house Jupiter opposition a can-be-fanatical Uranus Neptune; with Pluto opposition the Sun/Mars midpoint – which last Ebertin describes as ‘unscrupulous procedures, violent, ruthless.’ Though the 1917 chart also holds good.

Amidst all the conflicting theories about the Skripal attack, there have been two interesting pieces this week (URLs below). One in the Guardian about the crossover between organised crime and government in Russia. One defector suggested the poisoning was less likely to have been by Russian state operatives, more likely one of Putin’s corrupt inner circle.

The other today in the Times magazine (sadly behind paywall) in an interview with Boris Volodarsky, a former member of the GRU, the foreign intelligence service. Skirpal evidently was also GRU, the only former agent in the West for decades. ‘The clue, he says, is in the poison used. It was a nerve agent produced with Russian technology, money and scientists at the Scientific Studies and Research Centre (known by its French acronym, CERS) in Syria. This, for decades, is where all Russian chemical weapons have been developed. In December, the centre was bombed by the Israelis acting on American and British intelligence.’ He also thought the most likely point of poisoning was the cross in the church they would have visited and kissed to honour Skripal’s dead son’s memory. Whether that is all too far-fetched, time will tell (maybe). But another piece to add to the confusing puzzle.

On the Russia 1990 chart, tr Saturn is exactly conjunct Uranus and square Mars, so an aggravating and jolting setback. With tr Pluto opposition the Solar Arc midheaven for more pressure.

The Russia 1990/EU relationship chart is logjammed at the moment and through this year with tr Saturn square Pluto; and much the same with the UK, indeed worsening through April.

Putin fits the 1990 chart well – with the relationship chart having an inspirational, entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Jupiter, Uranus, Mars, formed into a Kite by Mars opposition Sun Venus.  With a reasonable amount of suspicion and doubt as well from Saturn Neptune trine Moon opposition Pluto. But he’s the strongest and most enduring leader they had had for decades, whose driving ambition is to make Russia great again.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/23/how-organised-crime-took-over-russia-vory-super-mafia

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/magazine/the-times-magazine/the-skripals-the-kremlin-threat-and-the-russian-security-expert-who-thinks-he-knows-why-they-were-poisoned-8bqdsh0k2

The hawkish John Bolton – for bombing Iran and North Korea –  has been announced as HR McMaster’s replacement for National Security Adviser, a post which requires no Senate confirmation. He was for the Iraq attack on Saddam Hussein and still thinks it was a good idea. He is a frequent Fox News commentator who has impressed Trump with his appearances; though he differs on Putin whom he distrusts and on free trade. Known for his intelligence, stubborn ideology, rudeness, arrogance and contempt for those who questions his views, he has been described as “stunningly impolitic”.

Born 20 November 1948, he has an intense late Scorpio Sun with Mercury also in Scorpio square Pluto, which will give him a forceful way of arguing. He’s also got a volatile, overly-excitable Mars in outspoken Sagittarius opposition Uranus. This latter sits on top of Trump’s Sun opposition Moon, so he’ll either irritate Trump or provoke him into wild decisions and actions.

Their relationship chart (without one birth time) is friendly with a composite Sun Venus Mercury; though there is also an unstable composite Uranus which is inconjunct Jupiter and trine Mars.

Bolton’s chart is looking surprisingly stressed and undermined this year for a man who has just been handed a prized job. He’s got Solar Arc Mars opposition his Saturn around now which is usually a major setback; a panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune conjunct Mars and a totally deadlocked Solar Arc Saturn square Pluto. Plus a couple of undermining Neptune transits to midpoints till early 2019; and stuck/infuriated tr Pluto square Mars/Pluto 2018/2019.

He takes over on 9^th April, assuming 12 am, which is a very aggravated chart with Mars Saturn conjunct; with Sun square Mars and Pluto and Uranus square Pluto (and Moon). Not a trip he’ll enjoy.

Just a reminder from a previous post – Trump’s relationship charts with both Republican charts, 22 Feb 1856 and 28 Feb 1854, are moving into rocky territory. On the 1856 one – really from now, but peaking from April 11^th to late month, and repeating early 2019 with tr Uranus in a disruptive conjunction to the composite Sun and then Mercury. On the 1854 – tr Uranus conjunct the Sun this July and trine Mars, repeating Sept/Oct and early next year, so much the same.

Pic of John Bolton by Michael Vadon.

Amongst the jostle for contenders for the after-Jeremy Corbyn slot if he does depart in 2019/2020 are Emily Thornberry, Keir Starmer and Angela Raynor. The two women face up uphill struggle since the Labour Party has never had a female leader, except by default when a Deputy briefly stepped up briefly. And despite the general global climate for equality, the shift to harder left in the Labour Party plays against women since they are more misogynist than most.

None of these charts have birth time so there is missing info.

Emily Thornberry, 27 July 1960 is a showy and idealistic Sun Venus in Leo square Neptune; with a volatile and outspoken Mars in Taurus square Uranus, with a Virgo Moon. She looks enlivened and lucky this year as well as uncertain and frustrated. She’ll stay on the good side of the fates in 2019 but starts hitting major headaches by 2020, which looks highly discouraging and undermining.

Angela Raynor, 28 March 1980, is a go-ahead Sun Aries with a flamboyant Mars in Leo on the point of a Fixed T Square to Venus in Taurus opposition Uranus – lively and stubborn. She looks much like EmilyT – upbeat at points this year and then sagging and blocked through 2019/2020.

Keir Starmer, 2 September 1962, a reforming and changeable Sun, Uranus, Pluto in practical Virgo; with a Water Grand Trine of Mars in Cancer trine Neptune in Scorpio trine Jupiter in Pisces, formed into a Kite with Jupiter opposition Pluto – caring, influential, pushily confident. He was previously Director of Public Prosecutions and is in charge of exiting the EU from the opposition benches. He’s looking more than aggravated and stuck this year and next. But starts to pick up more Jupiter from 2019 into 2020 which should stand him in good stead. His is by far the strongest chart.

The Austin Texas bomber, Mark Anthony Conditt, was responsible, police believe, for a 19-day spell of five explosions that killed two people and injured five more. He then blew himself up.

Net sources put the date of his birth as 16 June 1994. He was home schooled in a “conservative, strictly religious” family; attended a teenage Christian “survivalist” group that discussed weapons and dangerous chemicals; and took part in a conservative outdoors club called Righteous Invasion of Truth (RIOT), in which home-schooled young people studied the Bible and were taught gun skills. He posted a “Defining my Stance” piece in which he said gay marriage should be illegal, was pro-death penalty and mused on “why we might want to consider” eliminating sex offender registries. He gave no indication of motive in the video he left behind; and police say it wasn’t terrorism related, more about challenging personal issues.

If his birth date is sound, then he has an exact Yod of Pluto (+ North Node) in Scorpio sextile Uranus (+ Neptune) in Capricorn inconjunct a Gemini Sun – a Sun focal point Yod would tend to make him self-conscious, feel awkward in social situations and have difficulty establish a strong core identity. He’d veer between being withdrawn and being overly-assertive. Plus he has an enraged frustrated Mars in heavyweight Taurus opposition Pluto, trine Uranus Neptune. Mars is slow-burn in Taurus but volcanic when it blows and in aspect to the three outer planets would be all the more unstable. Plus he had a Water Grand Trine of Jupiter trine Mercury in Cancer trine Saturn in regretful Pisces, so would live in his own bubble and not relate well to reality at times.

The 18^th Harmonic from this chart, usually notable amongst mass killers, is very strong; is the self-defeating 10H.

Katie Boyle, a vibrant compere of the Eurovision Song context in years gone by and a UK television favourite for three decades, has died.

She was born 29 May 1926 to an English mother and a mad Italian aristo father, who took custody of her aged five when the marriage split. She was expelled from various schools and eventually consigned to a mental asylum after she had an affair with an Italian secret policeman aged 18. As the war finished she was despatched back to her mother in England, took up modelling, married Viscount Boyle, an Irish aristo, divorced him seven years later and married a Lloyds Underwriter. He was the love of her life and after he died she went on to marry a theatre impresario.

She wrote on fashion and beauty as well as presenting, became an agony aunt for years; and had a strong interest in dogs, always regretting not having been asked to present Animal Hospital. A life lived to the full.

She was a Sun Gemini with a sparky Mars and Uranus in Pisces, and a determined, resourceful Mars trine Pluto. Her Venus in upfront Aries was trine Neptune and sextile Jupiter which fits her bubbly and sophisticated image. Her enduring qualities came from a Fixed Grand Cross of Neptune opposition Jupiter in Aquarius square Saturn in Scorpio opposition Mercury.

A lovely lady from a bygone era.

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Nicolas Sarkozy, former French President has been taken into police custody for questioning over allegations that he received campaign funding from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. Possible charges in this case would be influence peddling, fraud, handling of stolen goods and money laundering though it has not yet reached the stage where charges may or may not be laid.  He was detained in 2014 in a separate investigation into alleged campaign funding abuses – the first time ever for a French ex-president; and has been ordered to stand trial in a separate case of alleged illicit campaign financing. He was previously cleared over claims that he had used secret funding from L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt and that he had tried to influence investigating magistrates. He denies everything.

Born 28 January 1955 10pm Paris, he’s not as his most equable with tr Saturn just over the square to his Moon and squaring his Mars for a setback in April, and again later in the year. His Solar Arc Saturn is also opposing his ‘lucky’ Jupiter Uranus conjunction now until late 2019, so he’ll be less exuberant than usual. Tr Uranus also makes a catastrophic square to his Mars/Saturn midpoint from mid May, on and off through into 2019. He’ll revive by 2020 but he’ll have a few mountains to climb before then.

The cracks in the UK Labour Party are widening with moderates up in arms at what they see as Jeremy Corbyn’s anti-western stance in his slippery response to the Skripal poisoning. As one former minister puts it: “The instinct is to support Russia because your enemy’s enemy is your friend. It’s not anti-war, it’s anti-West.”  And one MP said if he were elected as PM: “If I’m honest, I think he would be a threat to national security.” He’s winning on the economic arguments, but the takeover of the party at all levels by hardliners is causing alarm as well.

The Labour Party, 27 February 1900 chart, is on a Saturn Return this year, so a sobering moment and the question whither next looming large. With the Solar Arc Sun opposition Saturn for a discouraging mood; high anxiety in April and a sinker of a Solar Arc Mars conjunct Neptune later this year which usually marks a sense of failure.

The 12 February 1906 chart is similarly weighed down this year by tr Saturn moving in hard aspect round its Grand Cross of Uranus, Neptune, Mars and Moon.

Corbyn’s relationship with both charts is seriously at odds in 2018/19. On the 1900 chart: With tr Pluto square the composite Sun, trine Uranus; and tr Saturn square Mars and conjunct Jupiter this year, with more aggro in April, and again in December; with a widening gulf in 2019 as tr Saturn opposes Pluto and squares the Sun.

On the 1906: High insecurity, outbursts and rash decisions late this month into March with tr Uranus conjunct the composite Mars; and a separating freeze in 2019 as tr Saturn squares the Sun, Mercury, Venus and opposes Pluto.

His personal chart is mired in confusion and setbacks this year; worse next. His Leadership chart, 24 September 2016 12.51 pm does have a successful Sun Jupiter in the 10^th but the high point of that is slowly passing over; with mis-speaks, evasions and indecisions looming large from April onwards into 2019. Where it will be at its most unstable is in 2019/2020 with tr Pluto square Uranus which could see his exit.

The inseparable duo of Ant & Dec, the hugely popular Brit TV hosts for Saturday Night Takeaway and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, has taken a knock after Ant McParlin was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of drunk driving after a car crash.  He went into rehab last year for addiction to painkillers and alcohol. ITV’s Primetime show has been cancelled this Saturday.

He has been in a highly lucrative partnership for 20 years with Declan Donnelly, who wrote in their autobiography: ‘‘We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have enjoyed such a remarkable time. Throughout it all, we’ve always had one constant that’s kept us sane – each other. In two decades, we’ve never spent more than two weeks apart. ‘Some people might not understand it, but our friendship is a massive, massive part of where we are today.’

Ant, 18 November 1975, is a Sun, Mercury, Uranus in Scorpio; with a charming and intense Venus Pluto in Libra opposition Jupiter with Mars in Cancer – so quite a dynamo. His Moon is in Taurus.

Dec, 25 September 1975, is a Sun Pluto in Libra sextile Saturn on one side in Leo and Neptune on the other; his talkative Mars in Gemini is trine Mercury and sextile Jupiter in upfront Aries. His Moon is probably Taurus.

Both with Taurus Moons and the Libra connection will help though it’s not intuitively that easy a mix.

Their relationship chart has a composite Sun Uranus Mercury conjunction square Saturn and trine Mars – so they don’t fit together as harmoniously as it sounds – tensions, arguments, differing approaches. The slightly hysterical world of live and reality television will help to soak some of that up. There’s also a confident Jupiter opposition Pluto, though that can also prompt each to push the other into unwise actions.

Their relationship is taking a fair knock through 2018/19 with tr Uranus opposing the Sun in April, then Uranus and square Saturn and those extend into 2019 as well; with blocks and lowered enthusiasm from tr Saturn hitting the Pluto this year and Jupiter next.

Dec looks flummoxed this year but will revive to a degree in 2019/2020, finding his mojo again, possibly partner-less.

Ant has more of a struggle ahead for the next two or maybe three years. He will bounce back after 2020.

Facebook’s stock fell roughly 5 per cent ($25 billion) when markets opened because of the huge “data breach” scandal that the Guardian broke over the weekend. It’s a complicated story (see URL) involving Cambridge Analytica acquiring and using Facebook data on users personal interests to target voters in the 2016 US election. Chris Wylie, the whistleblower describes himself as creating “Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare mindfuck tool”. ‘In 2014, Steve Bannon – then executive chairman of the “alt-right” news network Breitbart – was Wylie’s boss. And Robert Mercer, the secretive US hedge-fund billionaire and Republican donor, was Cambridge Analytica’s investor. And the idea they bought into was to bring big data and social media to an established military methodology – “information operations” – then turn it on the US electorate.’ (Guardian)

Cambridge Analytica (CA) is a privately held company that combines data mining and data analysis with strategic communication for the electoral process. It was created in 2013 as an offshoot of its British parent company SCL Group to participate in American politics. The company is partly owned by the family of Robert Mercer. Cambridge Analytica worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and on the Leave.EU-campaign for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. CA’s role and effect on those campaigns has been controversial and is the subject of ongoing criminal investigations in both countries. (wiki). SCL Group describes itself on its website as: providing ‘data, analytics and strategy to governments and military organizations worldwide. For over 25 years, we have conducted behavioral change programs in over 60 countries & have been formally recognized for our work in defense & social change.’

The Facebook IPO chart, 18 May 2012 11.31am New York, looks rattled and blocked this year with tr Saturn square Uranus, conjunct Pluto and sextile Mars until the year end. With a tough, discouraging slog through 2019/2020 with tr Pluto square Saturn; though will bounce again come 2020 with tr Pluto trine Jupiter.

The Facebook start chart, 4 February 2004, looks agitated at the moment with tr Uranus square Mercury; and alarmed come mid May with tr Uranus conjunct Mars, continuing on into 2019. 2020 looks less enthusiastic than the IPO chart with Solar Arc Sun conjunct Uranus and Solar Arc Mercury conjunct Neptune – though if it was a 12am start, then could pull those two influences forward to 2019.

Mark Zuckerburg also doesn’t look that easy this year with undermining and uncertain Neptune transits to midpoints 2018 to 2020; plus a disruptive tr Uranus opposition Pluto from mid May this year into 2019.

Cambridge Analytica (I have a date of 30 July 2014 though don’t know where that came from since incorporation was 6 January 2015) but neither chart is exactly informative. The 2014 chart has an opportunistic Sun Jupiter square Mars, which is getting a sharp elbow in July from tr Uranus opposition Mars, running into 2019. And the 2015 chart has an equally opportunistic Mars opposition Jupiter; with a controlling Sun Pluto in an innovative square to Uranus. 2019 will be restrictive with tr Saturn crossing Sun Pluto and squaring Uranus.

The SCL Group,20 July 2005, is more obviously racked with insecurity with tr Uranus in hard aspect to its Cancer Sun square Mars in Aries; with more sharp shocks and tensions as tr Uranus starts to square the Saturn from mid May.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/data-war-whistleblower-christopher-wylie-faceook-nix-bannon-trump