Salisbury poisonings: Tories slip into hysteria while the opposition calls for evidence
They’re not being asked by the Conservative Government, of course – that would be too much to ask. They want to rattle the sabre at Russia in the hope that it will make them more popular with the public, while not actually getting us all squashed like bugs if that superpower chooses to retaliate hard.
Some of the rest of us would like to know whether the proper investigation procedures have been followed in Salisbury. Here’s Abnormal Abner:
Is Salisbury the only place in the UK without CCTV.. ?
Why was a Russian embassy official denied access to Skripal’s daughter, her being a Russian citizen?
Why, given the alleged toxicity of the claimed agent, is no one other than the three affected?— Abnormal Abner (forensically ramping up capacity) (@AbnormalAbner) March 17, 2018
And here’s Mel Melvin:
No pictures of the poisoned pair. Unlike with Litvinenko.
No testimony from medics.
No manhunt.
No police taking to us.
No photos.
No CCTV footage.#Russiagate— MM (@2SpencerRoad) March 16, 2018
Theresa May was also heckled by a disability campaigner and regular voice on Twitter, Jessica McCarnun:
Salisbury resident Jessica McCarnun explained that she felt angry that Theresa May had not provided more clarity as to what makes the UK Government so certain it knows who was behind the plot.
On Thursday during the Prime Minister’s visit to the area around The Mill pub Ms McCarnun shouted: “How can you accuse Russia when you have no clear evidence?”
The anti-poverty campaigner told Sky News: “It isn’t good enough – it’s not how we conduct matters in our own courts where you present evidence to the people.”
“We need to know why she is so sure she hasn’t jumped the gun.”
She – and the others – make good points. The Government appears to have decided simply that the Russian government must be responsible for the poisonings and isn’t even bothering to ask the police for a rudimentary criminal investigation.
If a man was poisoned by a foreign power, somebody must have administered it. Who?
Find that person and we will have all the proof we need, one way or the other.
Is that why the Tories aren’t bothering?
Instead, we were treated to the spectacle of Boris Johnson stuttering his way through a highly uncomfortable interview with Andrew Marr.
Unable to provide any proof to support his latest bizarre claim that it is overwhelmingly likely that Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning of Mr Skripal and his daughter, Mr Johnson instead claimed that the Tories had evidence to show Russia had been creating and stockpiling Novichok nerve agents for the past 10 years.
It’s easy to say a thing when you don’t have to provide that proof, though, isn’t it?
BREAK – UK has evidence gathered within past 10 years that Russia has been gathering & stockpiling the deadly nerve agent #novichok, @BorisJohnson says. This suggests a desire for using chemical weapons in military forces, not just as a tool of assassination. Clear CWC violation
— Deborah Haynes (@haynesdeborah) March 18, 2018
She later clarified: “Creating, not gathering.”
https://twitter.com/furstc2/status/975351087543865346
It's also in complete contrast to what the OPCW have independently verified. You know, the OPCW – the independent organisation who will be carrying out the testing of the Salisbury nerve agent sample, whom Boris Johnson just said were extremely "reliable"https://t.co/BmWJHNvBME https://t.co/t9HlR7B3qW
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) March 18, 2018
in other words May has not got a clue what the toxins are, where they came from, who smuggled them, let alone who authorised their use, whilst we have an internation situation going on… total utter madness, Corbyn was correct. https://t.co/an86PsGAr6
— Isobel_Waby we NEED a COALITION (@Isobel_waby) March 17, 2018
Mr Johnson went on to say the OPCW was “reliable”.
It says one thing; he says another – and it is “reliable”. Contradictory, much?
Moving on, Mr Johnson said he had no quarrel with the people of Russia…
What #BorisJohnson really means is he has no quarrel with Russians who prop up the #Tory party!
This is a government with no scruples or conscience. Dirty money is dirty money and those who handle it are culpable. #Marr
— Nick (@Mylegalforum) March 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/DancingTheMind/status/975309198711017472
Yes indeed. Owen Jones had already raised the issue of dirty Tory money, earlier in the Marr show:
https://twitter.com/benfolley/status/975329024879878145
But here’s a good point:
NOTE to #marr
Are you going to ask why the PM defied convention & did not include HM Leader of the Opposition or his Chief of Staff in high level security briefing,#Salisbury
The Times carried the story.— Clare Hepworth OBE (@Hepworthclare) March 18, 2018
No he did not!
Meanwhile, in the Tory corner, it seemed MPs had been told to go out and insult Jeremy Corbyn in whatever hysterical ways they could – leading to this idiocy from Nick Boles…
https://twitter.com/NickBoles/status/975049624170921984
Btw this is absolutely brain dead by @NickBoles. @jeremycorbyn comes from a socialist tradition (that of John Saville, E.P Thompson etc) which was founded on criticism of & distancing from the Soviet Union. Pretty basic stuff. @WinColl, is it too late for Nick get his money back? https://t.co/HarL8Ba5AL
— Ben Sellers (@MrBenSellers) March 17, 2018
This is simply, factually incorrect. It’s the sort of thing that a Tory MP might assume must be true because, well, it must be, but Corbyn was formed by the New Left critique of Stalinism. https://t.co/6VZGgMYTqi
— Richard Seymour (@leninology) March 17, 2018
…and this from Nadine Dorries:
Corbyn’s pedestal begins topple Expect theoutrage to get worse People were prepared to give benefit of the doubt to his murderous IRA Venezuela Nicaragua Cuba Marxism loving rhetoric but Russia, Putin, that’s tipped the scales that have fallen from peoples eyes https://t.co/MYqBSZKF9n
— Rt Hon Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 17, 2018
I know it's Saturday night but put the cork back in Nadine. You're going to have a bad head in the morning. https://t.co/WyKgjIgutl
— Tweets by Sue (@marthasydenham) March 18, 2018
Maybe it’s time for a recap of why, on the Russian question, people trust Labour more than the Conservatives. Here’s Tom London:
Party leader who has the strongest links with Putin’s nasty regime is May
May’s party has accepted £millions from Putin associates in donations
Corbyn’s party has accepted nothing from Putin associates in donations
May tried to block Litvinenko enquiry – Labour opposed her
— Tom London (@TomLondon6) March 18, 2018
Of course, on the social media, the Tories are taking their usual drubbing. The following are just a handful of the infographics doing the rounds:
says it all !!! pic.twitter.com/3EnysrUang
— #ron think about the 130,000 (@foxglove53) March 18, 2018
Mrs may what have you done? #Novichok pic.twitter.com/nginOg6iMM
— Gracie Samuels (@GracieSamuels) March 18, 2018
— UnityNewsUK 🕊 Palestine Affiliated Media (@UnityNewsIndie) March 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/Barkercartoons/status/975317646546735104
How could all this be summed up for the best? Like this, perhaps:
https://twitter.com/UKDemockery/status/975310682374713344
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had to smile at that pic of May holding a baby. good God ,the woman cant even hold that baby right. looks like its going to slip through the crook of her elbow. most uncomfy..
Many Tories are not happy until they have a war, but I cannot for the life of me believe that any of them would ever contemplate a war against Russia.
I can’t understand why members of the public are demanding to see the evidence, do they not realise that in the murky underworld of espionage that they would be placing more lives at risk to satiate their self importance.
Are we really sure this has Russian finger prints all over it? The US intelligence and political agents along with biased tame media have been well OTT with Trump and Russia baiting. Is this, and other attacks, part of the Elites Russia baiting plans that have now moved into the UK arena to politically stir up the anti Russia mantra. Are we still US poodles?
No “Cool Heads” in new emergence of “Cold War”
We should be nuked to save us from the sheer embarrassment of the incompetence and crassness of our government toffee-for-brains officials.