The Kremlin is “highly likely” to be behind the attack on a former Russian spy in the UK, PM Theresa May has confirmed. She revealed that the nerve agent used on Sergei Skripal and his daughter was a “military-grade” gas almost certainly created in Russia, part of a group of nerve agents known as ‘Novichok’. Russia’s ambassador had been asked to explain whether it was “direct action” by the state or due to it “losing control” of its nerve agent stock. And she insisted Moscow must provide “full and complete disclosure” of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons by the end of Tuesday.
And good luck with that, but at least she is trying, given her dismal performance over Litvinenko’s death, which even David Cameron admitted he wished he’d been more robust about.
The worms are beginning to turn. Even John McDonnell, the Marxist/Trotskyist Shadow Chancellor, has said he won’t be making any more appearances on Kremlin-sponsored TV station Russia Today (RT). He said RT’s coverage “goes beyond objective journalism” and it was “right”, after events in Salisbury, that Labour MPs did not appear on it; and he also backed visa sanctions against Russians suspected of corruption.
What is alarming some football fans is how it will affect the World Cup in Russia in June. Official UK representatives won’t go, which won’t be noticed; but fans may be at risk if they go and Boris Johnson is even suggesting the UK team may pull out.
The first match will be played in Moscow 14 June 2018 at 6pm which gives a very hidden chart with Sun, Moon, Mercury in the 8th, Jupiter in the 12th and undermining Neptune in the domestic 4th; with a pressured and angry 3rd house Pluto and Mars with Mars in a volatile square to Uranus.
Vladimir Putin himself looks less than ecstatic at that point with the panicky-failure Solar Arc Neptune still conjunct his Mars; and tr Saturn opposition his Jupiter/Pluto, curbing his sense of power. Though he will get some relief from tr Uranus square his Sun/Jupiter.
Russia Today, 15 September 2005, an international TV network funded by the Russian government, looks more than aggravated and boxed-in from later this month onwards with tr Pluto trine the Mars in Taurus, running on till late 2019; with the loss-making tr Neptune opposition Jupiter/Saturn this month, and till early 2019.
Much will depend on how much support the UK can rally in the EU to make any impact. Relations between Putin and the EU are certainly stressed, more so than usual in 2018/19; and the Russia/EU relationship chart is angry, undermined and under more pressure than usual, extending and worsening in 2019.
The USA/Russia relationship chart is hitting another low dip of suspicion and uncertainty this month, following on from the slump mid 2017 – with tr Neptune opposition the composite Sun Saturn, repeating September/October and across the New Year till February 2019.
shinrykyo?
it cant be manufactured without special lab( gear)
aum shinyo found it out
you should break diplomatic realtions with Russia!
stalin(his mage) was a veteran poisoner! one day a real accident will occur and many will die from the stuff they are using.
It doesn’t make sense to me either Marjorie. Theresa May definitely didn’t ‘ask’ for this, if for no other reason than it opens up a can of worms relating to the murder of numerous Russians that weren’t properly investigated, Russian money being laundered in the UK, Russian donations to the Tory party and even donations from some of Putin’s cronies to dine privately with, as examples, Theresa May, Ruth Davidson and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/russian-oligarchs-alexander-litvinenko-sergei-skripal-tory-donations-marina-philip-hammond-a8250321.html
On the other hand Putin’s involvement doesn’t make sense either. What did he have to gain from this? Is Russia the only country on the planet that has access to such a nerve agent? I reckon that the authorities should be looking further afield, at countries that could be using the UK to support their political and economical ‘agenda’. I’d start with Israel.
As to John McDonnell disawowing RT, well I’d say that the last thing that the Labour Party needs right now is to be seen to be supporting Putin, so making some kind of a ‘small gesture’ is in order. Dozens of Tory, Labour and Libdem politicians have appeared on RT over time and none have complained about the programme / output. Not one. And as I’ve said already there has been more complaints made to Ofcom relating to BBC bias and so on than complaints about RT, so why shut RT down? If they do I reckon that we’re on the ‘undemocratic’ slippery slope here, especially taking into account that the Tories are trying to quash freedom of speech in relation to University students and journalists.
‘Journalists in the UK are less free to hold power to account than those working in South Africa, Chile or Lithuania, according to an index of press freedom around the world.
Downward spiral: UK slips to 40th place in press freedom rankings. Reporters Without Borders says Britain is approaching tipping point in wake of passage of Investigatory Powers Act.
The organisation’s secretary general, Christophe Deloire, added: “The rate at which democracies are approaching the tipping point is alarming for all those who understand that if media freedom is not secure, then none of the other freedoms can be guaranteed.”
Among the concerns raised by RSF was the passage of the UK’s “menacing” Investigatory Powers Act last November, which met only token resistance within parliament, despite giving UK intelligence agencies and police the most sweeping surveillance powers in the western world.’
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/apr/26/uk-world-press-freedom-index-reporters-without-borders
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An interesting book authorised by Annie Machon, ex-MI5 agent:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/57439336/Spies-Lies-and-Whistle-Blowers
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/03/the-novichok-story-is-indeed-another-iraqi-wmd-scam/
I have to agree with Shirley. Look to Israel and its useful idiots. Putin interceding in Syria was defining and caused the usual suspects, Is/SA/UK/US and the Gulf states apoplexy as their plans for the region were seriously kibboshed. The long planned assault on Iran is also set back as a consequence. Vlad has to go….Craig Murray’s blog is an excellent resource and this piece is at the very least challenging to the official narrative…
What’s that old saying? – if you’re going to attack a giant – best be in a position to finish him off.
The last round of Russian diplomat/spook expulsions under Maggie Thatcher, following a defector who spilled the beans, caused the Brit Ambassador to Moscow to memorably remark: “Never engage in a pissing match with a skunk: he possesses important natural advantages”.
Shirley, Thanks for the links. As I said earlier to Alex, once spooks (on both sides) get involved the waters only get muddier and the fog deeper.
But if even John McDonnell is disavowing RT, then I’d think there are major questionmarks over the accuracy of some of its output.
None of this makes any sense – TMay certainly wasn’t looking to pick another fight given she can’t cope with what’s on her plate already and she’s not into Trumpian distractions.
‘The nerve agent novichok was developed and produced in Shikhany, home of a military research establishment in central Russia- the information was contained in a report submitted several years ago by Russia to the international body that monitors chemical weapons, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/nerve-agent-novichok-produced-russia-site-expert
It’s a sad day when football becomes a key factor in such a profoundly serious issue! Who cares about football when the planet staggers ever closer to a 3rd world war.
We have Theresa May barging ahead with no proof whatsoever that Putin had anything to do with this at all and refusing to give the Russians a sample to test. A strange case in fact with troops wandering around Salisbury covered from head to toe in protective gear as policemen and woman stand amongst them with no protective clothing whatsoever.
”It was Putin that dun it”, that is manufactured a nerve agent that can be produced from natural substances that can be bought over a counter.
And I see that Theresa May is pushing for RT to be shut down. Why would that be taking into account that there has been more complaints made about the BBC to Ofcom since it took over regulating the BBC last May? Prior to that it regulated itself for 90 years. Says it all.
A few links of interest:
Craig Murray former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/03/russian-to-judgement/
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/03/the-novichok-story-is-indeed-another-iraqi-wmd-scam/
Annie Machon former MI5 agent:
https://evolvepolitics.com/watch-an-ex-mi5-agent-just-showed-precisely-why-the-tories-are-so-desperate-to-ban-russia-today-video/
Séamus Martin former Irish Times Moscow correspondent:
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/unlikely-that-vladimir-putin-behind-skripal-poisoning-1.3425736
Ulf Schmidt, Professor of Modern History at the University of Kent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/how-the-british-government-subjected-thousands-of-people-to-chemical-and-biological-warfare-trials-10376411.html