Much forced outrage and posturing – among the Tories and a few adventurist Labour backbenchers, as well as in the ‘MSM’ – has followed Jeremy Corbyn’s call for the government to behave in accordance with international law, to take evidence-based actions and to involve the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) in the investigation into the Salisbury nerve-agent attacks:
The usual right-wing rags have blared nonsense from their front pages. Tories and the ‘anyone but Corbyn’ Labour handful made blustering noises at and after Corbyn’s Commons speech – and a craven ‘Early Day Motion’ (EDM) was scrabbled together by a few backbenchers offering sycophantic support to Theresa May’s unproven determination to blame Russia.
Ho hum.
Today, the Number 10 press office has issued a statement… confirming the government has done exactly what Corbyn called for:
We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, UK, on 4 March 2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been threatened. We express our sympathies to them all, and our admiration for the UK police and emergency services for their courageous response.This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War. It is an assault on UK sovereignty and any such use by a State party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all.The United Kingdom briefed thoroughly its allies that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack. We share the UK assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russia´s failure to address the legitimate request by the UK government further underlines its responsibility. We call on Russia to address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should in particular provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behaviour. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security.
- Invoke the UN – check
- Involve international allies – check
- Call on Russia to cooperate with the OPCW – check
- Take a measured approach – ‘highly likely’ rather than the categoric Tory claims yesterday and the adventurist Labour ‘unequivocal’ – check
Comment:
After all that bluster, chest-beating, posturing propaganda by Corbyn’s opponents, they prove – without acknowledging it, of course – that he was once again on the right side of the issue.
By meekly doing exactly what he called for in the Commons yesterday amid all the nonsensical hoo-ha of his opponents.
Corbyn, the anti-Establishment statesman got it right again.
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