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[Varche]

So back to the present issue.

The UK would respond "robustly" to any evidence of Russian involvement in the collapse of former spy Sergei Skripal, Boris Johnson has said.

What some sanctions? Maybe not buy their vodka. Better of course would be to boycott the World football cup and hold it elsewhere like on the beach on Majorca

Russia is already holding The Ukraine hostage with gas supplies.

Maybe Putin will sacrifice an agent . Swift death while trying to "resist" arrest. Sorry he/she did what they did, nowt to do with us.

[Lizzie Zoom]

So back to the present issue.

The UK would respond "robustly" to any evidence of Russian involvement in the collapse of former spy Sergei Skripal, Boris Johnson has said.

What some sanctions? Maybe not buy their vodka. Better of course would be to boycott the World football cup and hold it elsewhere like on the beach on Majorca

Russia is already holding The Ukraine hostage with gas supplies.

Maybe Putin will sacrifice an agent . Swift death while trying to "resist" arrest. Sorry he/she did what they did, nowt to do with us.

Yes, indeed.

Britain or the West as a whole cannot and will not do a thing about this.  We cannot even stop a war in Syria via the United Nations, as I have stated on many occasions, International Law, whatever that is, is completely toothless!

[Doctor Gollum]

A former President was once asked what he was afriad of...

He replied simply that as the most powerful person in the world, he had nothing to fear.

The statement of a rational person, or a power crazed loon... history will tell.

Meanwhile, blocking the money doesn't work and banning them from competition doesn't work either... that's to say that the IOC/FIFA etc would only overturn any restriction upon appeal.

Putin will continue to do whatever he wants regardless of opinion or posture.

[Varche]

Here is a scenario

North Korea and the USA engage in missile exchange.  It doesn't go quite the way everyone thinks as the N Korea technology is bolstered by Russian know how. The USA retreats to lick its wounds.

Putin encroaches in Eastern Europe to take back the lands and more that it believes are or should be theirs. NATO prevaricates on a response but years of failing to meet 2% of GDP spending on armed forces by many of our good European neighbours means a limited response, especially as the USA has said they won't engage in the West after their Eastern bloody nose, and deciding to man a natural border say the Danube and let Putin have the rest. Russia becomes great again. The EU struggles with the humanitarian crisis of millions of refugees from the East of what was Europe.

[Doctor Gollum]

Wouldn't rule it out, but I would rather hope that this is but one possibility.

Anyone brave enough to take Putin out would need to do something pretty impressive and decisive in order to maintain support at home... 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Here is a scenario

North Korea and the USA engage in missile exchange.  It doesn't go quite the way everyone thinks as the N Korea technology is bolstered by Russian know how. The USA retreats to lick its wounds.

Putin encroaches in Eastern Europe to take back the lands and more that it believes are or should be theirs. NATO prevaricates on a response but years of failing to meet 2% of GDP spending on armed forces by many of our good European neighbours means a limited response, especially as the USA has said they won't engage in the West after their Eastern bloody nose, and deciding to man a natural border say the Danube and let Putin have the rest. Russia becomes great again. The EU struggles with the humanitarian crisis of millions of refugees from the East of what was Europe.

There is a great dystopian novel in you, Mr Varche........ just waiting to get out.

[Sir Tigger KC]

North Korea and the USA engage in missile exchange. 

It seems more likely the USA and North Korea will be exchanging words rather than missiles in the near future! 

[BazaJT]

All will be fine.The Russians have offered to co-operate with any investigation and according to some Russian geezer speaking from Moscow in an interview on Sky News earlier today Russia does not bump off those opposed to the regime and they weren't the ones responsible for dropping that other guy with polonium not long ago.So there you have we have their assurances that it wasn't them and they're being fitted up

[Varche]

That is reassuring, back to my utopia 

[Lizzie Zoom]

All will be fine.The Russians have offered to co-operate with any investigation and according to some Russian geezer speaking from Moscow in an interview on Sky News earlier today Russia does not bump off those opposed to the regime and they weren't the ones responsible for dropping that other guy with polonium not long ago.So there you have we have their assurances that it wasn't them and they're being fitted up

Yes, and even North Korea and South Korea are agreeing to talks together with an aim to de-escalate the nuclear threat with Kim Jong-un perhaps willing to dismantle his nuclear programme

Is it possible?  Has Kim Jong finally realised he is out of time and money, with China along with the USA on his case?

We can only hope!

[aaronjb]

That is reassuring, back to my utopia 

A German friend of mine was telling me just yesterday how he expects either a nuclear or financial armageddon resulting in the complete collapse of western (capitalist) society within the next 10 years.. so don't get too comfortable in your utopia

[Lizzie Zoom]

That is reassuring, back to my utopia 

A German friend of mine was telling me just yesterday how he expects either a nuclear or financial armageddon resulting in the complete collapse of western (capitalist) society within the next 10 years.. so don't get too comfortable in your utopia

They were saying that in the 1980's, and Marx was predicting the end of capitalism in the 19th century.

Churchill once said on capitalism: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the
inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

I cannot begin to foresee the future, but all I know is I have lived and worked successfully in a capitalist society, and rather like it with all it's failings.  Nothing else I believe will work, and so far that has proved true to date.


 

[Rods2]

Putin is a former FSB (KGB) Colonel and once a Soviet Checkist always a Checkist. Russia (Putin) has got much more aggressive over traitors over the last 10 years and generally deals with them in normal Checkist fashion very vindictive in what is known as Checkist 'wetwork'. What is much more alarming this has not only included Russian 'dissidents' but also UK citizens where they have helped and prospered from the 'dissidents' fraud/wealth creating activities that have p*ssed off Putin. The worry is that the UK government has the IMO unacceptable attitude it's about 'the money'. In other words as long as UK PLC and politicians are benefiting from massive corruption and money laundering through one of the global money laundering capitals of the world London they will turn a blind eye to it. Personally, I think this is very, very dangerous and could get out of hand and does the UK's global standing and corruption index no favours at all.

Putin is an aggressive bloodthirsty murdering tyrant who has been involved with the deaths of ~0.5m people in Chechnya, Syria and Ukraine. Appeasement, like with Stalin and Hitler only encourages him and also makes him bolder and more reckless where he is currently adding (for his own survival and ends) to global instability, which includes providing DPRK with their ICBM and nukes technology. We have already had the major miscalculation and mass murder of innocent passengers with MH17, his future miscalculations, like Hitlers maybe much, much worse.

I agree, as usual, with your great assessment of Putin, but he, on his actions to date is nothing like Hitler and will not make manic
miscalculations as he did, only very clever ones

1. So what would call MH17 other than a major mistake, which they are still trying to blame every man and his dog for.

2. You don't call the direct Russian mercenary attack against US forces a few weeks ago reckless, where it broke the unwritten law where the two nuclear powers don't deliberately directly attack each other, because this creates the very real danger of escalation all the way to nuclear weapon. Fortunately, after the USAAF bombed the sh*t out of them during the attack and killed up to 200 of them and Assad's forces they broke off the attack and retreated.

3. Russian military aircraft every few months do very aggressive close passes within feet of USAAF aircraft, at some point there will probably be a miscalculation and accident.

4. Breaking sanctions and arming DPRK with ICBMs and nukes that can reach the USA is a very highly dangerous, IMO stupid, escalation of nuclear armed countries who in turn may well export them to Iran, who in turn may well export them to ISIS, Hezbollah, the Taliban etc. Remember the latest Russian exports to DPRK includes the capability for mobile launched ICBMs.

5. Putin is cunning and vindictive, a tactical chancer and risk taker for any potential gains that come along (a big danger) to further his geopolitical agendas and he is strategically very poor, hence being bogged down and not achieving his targets in the Donbas Ukraine and the continuing distancing of Ukraine from Russia's orbit into the Wests.

Wars are often started as the result of miscalculations.

[Lizzie Zoom]

In answer to some of the above Rod:

1.  It was a war situation and MH17 for some reason was allowed to fly above a battle zone when other airlines went around it. So it was a terrible accident that should never have transpired, but it did. Who was responsible? Probably Russia. But who can do what about that?

2. The 'Russian' mercenaries you mention are NOT recognised as being part of the Russian forces, and are disowned by President Putin.  Like British or American mercenaries working in war zones they are not adopted by their home countries and are disowned accordingly. So what is the difference, apart from the propaganda?

3. Russian aircraft regularly fly close to British and American aircraft over Britain, as do RAF and USAF aircraft, including spying drones fly close to Russian planes and over their terroritry. So, what is the difference apart from we are Westerners and will always be in favour of what our forces do, as indeed the Russians will favour their forces?

4. Yes that is all very worrying and dangerous, but what should the West do? The West invented the bloody nuclear weapons, so now we live with other nations acquiring them. Apart from the very war none of us can want, what does the West do?

5. Yes, Putin is always going to still be, under his clokes of a "new modern democratic Russian" ( those who believe that really are deluding themselves) a true Soviet KGB officer who believes in manipulation of the masses as Stalin did. Yes, he is very dangerous, but thank God not a Hitler; he is not a manic destroyer of people who will gamble and chance his way with thousands of tanks crossing national borders, with millions of ground troops, whilst World powers decide on what to do with no military back up.  No, the USA and the other NATO forces will react to stop any further terratorial advances by Putin towards the West. But, then we have to be prepared for war, and yes, in war as Hitler well proved, miscalculations will happen, and like the later Putin may well find his miscalculations fatal.

The coming years are going to be very testing for all.  Just pray to whatever God you believe in that we will be spared.  The end could be very quick, but we have been here before.

[Kevin Wood]

Well it has been confirmed that it was a "nerve agent" and it seems the Police officer who responded is among those it affected.

Nothing suspicious there, they've probably eaten something that disagreed with them.

I do wonder if it'll be brushed under the carpet and forgotten as easy as Litvinenko now.