So many things unfolded in recent days that ridiculed almost every vitriolic claim Theresa May’s government directed against Russia, and Putin personally, over the Skripal case, as well as brought us new information.
First let’s deal with this fact; Skripal’s daughter Yulia and her father Sergei have made a full recovery, when it was said they were at “death’s door” itself, a huge inconsistency contrary to the UK government statements these past weeks – as well as the last announcement from Porton Down that proves beyond doubt that the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson blatantly lied; all these and more change this whole affair.
To be specific, Porton Down CEO Gary Aitkenhead said it was of “a type” of Novichok, adding a caveat which was that his scientists cannot determine where the poison came from. This directly contradicts the May government’s version of the so-called facts.
If Porton Down established it was really military grade ‘Novichok’, it would have killed anyone in its vicinity in minutes. A question therefore is why is the CEO of Porton Down being, shall we say, economic with the truth? Is it due to political pressure from No.10 or some other Whitehall department?
The British Conservative government’s popularity has tumbled; they therefore are now attacking the man who probably will be the next prime minister, Jeremy Corbyn, and possibly with a Labour majority.
Polls in the UK are being manipulated to state otherwise, that the Conservatives are in the lead, much like happened in the US with Hillary Clinton.
Not wishing to bring levity to this important subject, it is unavoidable not to mention that the police removed one dead cat and two dead hamsters from Skripal’s home who were taken to Porton Down where they were immediately incinerated – no information was forthcoming if there were any forensic tests carried out on these animals, specifically if they ingested any type of poison. Why incinerate? Something to hide?
The reason(s) and speculations, true or not, will be in newspapers and in the coming week’s real and fake news in the main-stream press and media.
The British government has been caught in a huge number of lies, demonising and provoking irresponsibly a nuclear power but also their unprincipled stance to use this incident for domestic party political politics. Specifically by slandering the leader of the opposition in the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, accusing him of being a “Putin lackey”. An outrageous tactic and attack.
The Conservative Party have tremendously underestimated the degree of sophistication of the British electorate. This is the final straw for the British people.
The Conservative government’s rush to judgement within hours of the Skripal event will be a major reason why they will lose the next general election.
Also damning was the way the government flip-flopped in its story saying the “substance”, whatever it was, was most concentrated on the front door knob of the house. Then saying it might have been in breakfast cereal, both silly conclusions even for us laymen. We can expect more fabricated excuses, lies, as if as they make it up as they go along, day by day.
How much more ridiculous can this affair get and how many more lies, revelations and disinformation can we expect in weeks to come?
All humbug.
Though many countries, including the US, expelled Russian diplomats, no ambassadors it should be added, that ruse is also backfiring as most countries are reconsidering the veracity of the British government’s statements. Importantly, Germany has already changed its view.
A person with a great deal of experience in Russia, Tony Brenton (the UK’s ambassador in Moscow in the aftermath of the Alexander Litvinenko poisoning), tried to give wise counsel to May and the FCO but obviously to no avail.
An interesting aside is that when voluntarily commenting on the alleged attack by Russia on the Skripals, the father of Litvinenko categorically stated that he too questioned the veracity of the British government’s claims about the Skirpal poisoning. Even more intriguing is a rumour emanating from a French former security services individual that he has evidence that UK actors murdered Litvinenko. The plot thickens.
Also, a very curious recording, content wise, of a phone conversation surfaced that took place between Skripal’s daughter and Sergei’s niece in Moscow.
That was followed by an astoundingly stupid decision; the British embassy in Moscow refused to grant a visa to UK to the niece.
What is the British government hiding? Are the Skripals now prisoners in Britain?
The “organic chemistry” comment by Cornell professor Dave Collum is particularly insightful and important for an external observer. Those wishing to move beyond “the Russia motive”, may want to take a look at Noam Chomsky’s propaganda model and Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm shifts.
Many Brits intuitively feel that this Skripal subject is as much to do with domestic British politics as anything else and that the path of ‘untruths’ chosen by May and Johnson is motivated more by a desire to covertly and overtly as well as subliminally attack Corbyn, and to infer he to be an unpatriotic Brit, due to his growing popularity among the British electorate.
To add and complicate this subject even further here is more intrigue. There seems some connection to ‘the Steele Dossier’ and therefore American domestic politics.
It’s certainly a multi-layered conundrum that will un-fold slowly.
By the way, Trump has agreed to meet Putin, inviting him to the White House. This fact can hardly be found in the mainstream media.
One conclusion which deserves extensive debate on another occasion is this. The Skripal lies will have a definite consequence; they will prove the undoing of the Conservative Party and their loss of power in the next election.
This brings new and important questions for Britain’s future relationship with the US, and in fact all countries, as Jeremy Corbyn’s view of the world is diametrically opposite to May’s and in fact also to, in particular, all the Neocon warmongers in the US.
Corbyn has a very different position as regards the Palestinian cause for one. He also has what can best be described as an ambivalence towards Nato and its role.
To add an almost farcical note to the Skripal affair is that the British government announced it wants to send father and daughter to the US “for their own protection”.
How much more ridiculous can this affair get and how many more lies, revelations and disinformation can we expect in weeks to come?
We live, as they say, in interesting as well as dangerous times.
Richard Galustian is a political and security advisor based in MENA countries for nearly 40 years.