Top adviser and Blair’s former right-hand man has history of toadying to Russian leader, as well as wider Russian links – and he’s only one of Starmer’s advisers to have form on Russia that hasn’t aged well
Keir Starmer’s act – once again giving his full backing to Boris Johnson in yet another ‘we support the government‘ moment – has been called his ‘Start the war’ campaign, with Labour’s notional leader keen to burnish his anti-Russia credentials during yesterday’s Commons session and since.
But the fact that Tony Blair’s right-hand man is still his chief adviser makes a mockery of Starmer’s posturing. Peter Mandelson’s closeness to Russian oligarch leg Deripaska is well known, particularly because of embarrassing photos of Mandelson on Deripaska’s yacht when Mandelson was European Trade Commissioner – and the fact that in that role Mandelson had twice cut aluminium import tariffs, benefiting Deripaska’s company, despite Mandelson’s denial that there was any link.
But Mandelson also has strong links with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president with whom Keir Starmer is now at least posturing as seeking confrontation. In 2013, Mandelson publicly stated that Vladimir Putin was taking Russia ‘in the right direction’ – and in 2017 he was revealed to have interceded with Putin on behalf of a Russian firm that had paid Mandelson a huge amount of cash to work for it:
And Mandelson’s links with Russia go far beyond just Deripaska and Putin. The company for which Mandelson interceded, Sistema, represents just one branch of Mandelson’s deep roots among the Russian elites. According to a 2014 Daily Mail article Global Counsel, the firm Mandelson co-founded and chairs, has close links with at least 25 people and businesses tied to Russia:
Our research reveals that at least 25 of them work for oligarchs, their firms or the Putin regime. A further 27 are either based in Russia or work for the Russian divisions of international companies. The former category includes three Putin appointees.
They are Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a $10 billion Kremlin-run equity fund; Denis Morozov, whom Putin personally hired in 2011 to represent the Russian Federation at the European Bank For Reconstruction And Development; and Alexander Losyukov, deputy director-general of Rusnano, the Russian state-owned tech company…
Dmitriev and Losyukov did not respond to a request for comment about the nature of their relationship with Global Counsel. Morozov denied being a paying client of the firm.
The latter category includes heads of Russian operations for everyone from City firms HBSC, PWC and KPMG to law companies such as Linklaters.
These are the contacts on which Mandelson’s business empire is built. And, for the first category, their wealth and influence can often be traced directly back to the Kremlin…
Take also Oleg Mukhamedshin, the deputy chief executive of Rusal, the aluminium giant founded by Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and now controlled by steel oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Mr Mukhamedshin features prominently on the list, but did not respond to inquiries yesterday. However, Mandelson has a long-standing and contentious relationship with Rusal…
Elsewhere, the ‘clients and network’ list contains several powerful London-based Russians, including staff at the country’s embassy (why they should be part of this circle is anyone’s guess), and Paolo Zaniboni, who heads the UK arm of Russian investment bank Troika Dialog.
Since 2011, Trokia Dailog has been owned by OAO Sberbank, a Russian state-owned bank run by German Gref, who — surprise! — turns out to have been Putin’s trade minister from 2000 to 2007.
Then there are the men and women on the payroll of oligarchs, several of whom feature prominently on Global Counsel’s ‘client and network’ list…
Many Starmer critics have questioned why Mandelson was appointed and has been kept on as an adviser despite his documented links to the deceased child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, especially after Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted late last year.
But now the question has to be asked: how seriously can Starmer’s ‘hawkish’ pose toward Russia be taken when a man with such deep links to the Russian regime and elites stands so close – and if he does mean it, how can he and his judgment be taken seriously while Mandelson remains at his elbow?
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Follow the money
War Criminal puts them all to shame
Our PRIORITY should be to help people disabuse themselves of self destructive myths symptomatic of Labour-Label itis. The infection is intellectually destructive while extremely dulling to eyesight and hearing. Even mildly infected, people with the best intentions, “listen and listen but dont hear”. They look and look but dont see”.
Parasites enabled includes one PETER MANDELSON who famously with Nathaniel Rothschild, hosted George Osborne on OLEG DERIPASKA’s yacht in Corfu while Osborne was Shadow BLUE TORY CHANCELLOR.
SH aka SteveH davidH et al’s “Ⓜ️🅰️NDY” was then EUROPEAN UNION TRADE COMMISSIONER when aluminium tariffs were reduced to 3% which happened to enrich further a company called RUSAL.
QUESTION – Who owned RusAl❔❔❔
Ah‼️‼️‼️ Peter Mandelson’s freind Oleg Deripaska BILLIONAIRE OLIGARCH.
Mesmerised by by RED ROSETTE WAVERS??? Try this. PAUSE. Reflect. Think for yourself. Investigate and FOCUS on YOUR findings.
1️⃣• Who said on October 26th 2008 “whole country” wanted “transparency” about Mandelson’s previous meetings with Deripaska. ???
2️⃣• “Mandelson’s dealings with Deripaska had been “found to be above board”. ???
3️⃣• WHO in October 2008 or 2005, while visiting Deripraska Moscow on a MINISTERIAL trip, allegedly had a SWIFT visa arranged for him by Valery Pechenkin, the head of security at Deripaska’s company Basic Element. ???
🟡👀🪱🟡👀🪱🟡👀🪱
HINTS:
Q 1️⃣• A then BLUE Tory Shadow Foreign Secretary.
Q 2️⃣• A Prime Minister with a Labour label. said “Mandelson’s dealings with Deripaska” were “above board.”
Q 3️⃣• A character regarded as a prominent “Labour” operator.
☢️💈📝☢️💈📝☢️💈📝
I am horrified at the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I stand with the people of Ukraine and have unequivocally condemned Putin’s actions; I loathe his authoritarian, nationalist and right-wing regime.
Willi you equally condemn NATO and the USA aa ell who instigated this? Otherwise yiu are just another hypocrite.
You do know that the USA backed neo Nazis and other fascists (Zelensky’s mates) who have been killing fellow Ukrainians in Donbas for 8 years?
Stephen Kelly – This is actually a direct quote from Labour MP Zarah Sultana that I wholeheartedly agree with.
And you know bloody well nobody here disagrees with any of those three statements, so stop acting as if anybody here is suspect on that. You are not entitled to be the Joseph McCarthy of these comments.
kenburch – Oh dear, have I touched a sensitive nerve.
Ukraine is dominated, p0llitically and militarily by fascists. Literal fascists. It is asking too much of Starmer not to rally to their support.
Nothing frightens his like more than the fear that Russia, in its determination to protect the people of Donbass and the millions of Russian speakers from a revived SS, will cause the collapse of NATO which socialists in the Labour Party have been opposing since 1949.
What a load of bollocks
SteveH
Is that you marking your own homework again
Well said Bevin. Starmer, so predictable considering who funds him. The SCG, so predictable that they caved in to the racist, fascist leader of the Labour Party. When did the SCG ever stand up for human rights in Palestine, or Starmer come to think of it?
Bevin – Well said!
UK COMMANDERS IN UKRAINE MET NEO-NAZI-LINKED NATIONAL GUARD TO ‘DEEPEN MILITARY COOPERATION’
https://declassifieduk.org/uk-commanders-in-ukraine-met-neo-nazi-linked-national-guard-to-deepen-military-cooperation/
This report is nothing like Ukraine
military being dominated by Fascists ..
Novara mentioned the stories coming out of Russia –
that “there is now genocide in Ukraine “- as wartime
propaganda.
Ukraine is still coming out of many years of
being dominated by Russia. Do you think there are
no Fascists in Russia – like skin heads etc ? There
definitely are and they make their presence felt
around football crowds.
AS the Russian Federation broke up – it was
every man for himself and the Party members were
formost in the scramble for what were previous State
assets.
Nonsense Holby fan…The Asov battalions and the Ukrainian fascists stretch back to the second world war and you must remember if you are near my age of fascist refugees from the Ukraine who fled Ukraine and Hungary and sent their kids to Catholic schools and many of those kids had Nazi fathers and mothers like my friend Stefan who ended up in New York with his family after they were exported to the US to help with the development of nuclear weapons as his father was a scientist.I kept in touch with Stefan Zsabo for many years until his death a few years back.We were united in Catholicism but divided on politics.
More Holby idiocy and or ignorance. Which is it?
Ukranian Professor at Canadian University Ivan Katchanovski proved not only UkroNazi presence at Maidan but also collusion/cooperation with Maidan Snipers. It’s all documented.
In January 2014, even the BBC had to report in the torch lit parade inside Ukraine.
Stephan Bandera?
How can you be so ignorant?!?!
Surprised? I wouldn’t expect a high level of debate from someone naming themselves after a hospital drama! 😛
Complete bollocks HolbyFan. I have friends there you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
Would just like to add that Novara are _not_ trustworthy. They are too high profile to not be toeing the line.
That they threw both Chris Williamson and Jackie Walker under the bus was enough for me to know they aren’t my mates.
Controlled opposition
We have had problems in and around the world with Russian gangsters for many decades and thats a fact.Weve had problems with Chinese gangsters who travel the world dealing drugs and traffiking in prostitution and slavery.None of these groups are much interested in setting the foriegn policys of China or Russia and the actions of scum like Mandelson as nothing to do with whats happining in the Dombass region of the two Republics..were ethnic russians the majority there have been at war with Nazi Ukrainian special forces for many years.and the fascists gangster government.The Biden family’s up to their necks in corruption with the Ukrainian regime and will basically leave the fascists to hang themselves.Squawkbox has a veiw on corruption and banksters in the neo liberal alliance including the likes of Mandelson.Thats nothing to do with Nato camping out on Russias doorstep or the USA dictating Warlike provocations on Russia or its allies in the S.China sea and the perilous state of a minor player like Britain running behind the coat tails of the US nato warmongers
.Decade after decade we see countrys bombed into the stone age by US led Britain france and the usual suspects and not a whimper from the media..Weve seen the Balkans turned into a breeding ground for gangsters and the depraved individuals that wander the world exporting misery.The fact that Mandelson and co slither around the world courting controversy and criminal behaviour is not a suprise considering his track record in depravity.Thats nothing to do with the continued destruction of the Dombass area by the Ukrainian regime and nothing to do with Putins government of Russia that has run out of patiance with the Ukrainian regime and its two fingered salute to the agreements that were signed by the Ukrainian regime and reneged on..Leave the Russian people to clean house and the sooner the better.
Joseph – “Leave the Russian people to clean house and the sooner the better”.
The only way that is going to happen is if the Russian people rise up and depose Putin.
PS and thankyou for Squawkbox for allowing another veiw without moderating us out of existence because we don’t follow the increasingly media and government narrative.We don’t know the results yet of the attempts to close down another veiw by RT but the fact that Squawkbox the canary can still operate within the world of neoliberal censorship is more than just luck and more about survival tactics to duck and dive when needed and occasionally follow the media Narrative with a touch of class.
Joseph – As we saw when a demonstration against the war was brutally broken up in Moscow tonight freedom of expression isn’t something that is tolerated in Putin’s Russia. What is it about corrupt dictators that ‘the left’ find so appealing.
Joseph, fortunately Boris Johnson firmly reminded Starmer that censoring media outlets is what Russia does (and what we have Ofcom for), not the sort of thing allegedly democratic societies do. It’s just a shame it took Boris Johnson to say it.
At least it sends a signal to RT they’ll be alright as long as they tread carefully and don’t give Ofcom any ammunition. They’ll surely be watching…
Steve H its not left or right anymore its the depraved individuals who make up the neo liberal alliance including those like you who are short on principles and even less on morality.
Joseph – WTF is that load of nonsense supposed to mean. You are the one supporting Putin
timfrom – Keir Starmer didn’t need reminding by Johnson or anybody else, this is what Keir actually said in parliament.
“We must also do more to defeat Putin’s campaign of lies and disinformation. Russia Today is his personal propaganda tool. I can see no reason why it should be allowed to continue broadcasting in this country, so will the Prime Minister now ask Ofcom to review its licence?”
Steve H fascist dad Anti war demonstrations are a sign of a healthy democracy,and I agree that there were plenty across Russia.The fact “that the removal of democratic rights to peacefully demonstrate have been agreed by the collusion of the Labour party and the Conservatives is a absolute abomination for democratic expression in the increasingly fascist state of the disunited kingdom…..God save the queen?
SteveH
What will Temporary Embarrassment do when the average household electricity bill goes to £3,000 and dont forget industry has no cap on their bills, so expect large scale bankruptcies and unemployment all on top of the cost of Lickdown
The problem with the ‘let them eat cake’s ‘ is they dont suffer until the moment their heads drop into the bread basket
This might be a good time to disappear under your tax haven rock and let good people restore our freedoms and economies
Doug – If Putin takes his toys back home then the problem is solved.
Steve, sorry Luke is on fire LOL.
I didn’t see police trying to feed protestors to dogs like in Holland, nor did I see police batter elderly men because they had no face mask like in Germany. I didn’t see crying women being arrested like I did in London and I didn’t see cops standing on necks like I did in America.
You’re so deep into propaganda I doubt you can tell me which direction is up.
Say what you like about Putin, he is not a fascist like so many European politicians.
And why do I describe folks like Johnson and Starmer as fascist?
“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” — Benito Mussolini
We’re the bad guys and you’re cheerleading for the overlords…
NVLA – See my response below at 1:48am.
https://skwawkbox.org/2022/02/24/mandelsons-putin-links-make-mockery-of-starmers-self-righteousness-on-russia/#comment-216619
Doesn’t bode well for the next government of Ireland if the leader of the Torys Sir keir Starmer believes in banning of media you don’t agree with.
I am sure that Squawkbox will have taken note of this and posters on here that Steve H Hall centrist Dad and fascists supporter also disagrees with virtually everything the Squawkbox says and the posters.I still believe though that the oxygen of publicity for the knight and his minions including fascist Dad will eventually choke them….carry on stevie boy 👦digging your hole….
9 of the 11 so called Socialists just shit in our laps, this party is Done!.
Good morning Andrew and as you can see Steve H has been bombing us all through the night before deciding to retreat.in a hopless statement of defeat.You may have noticed that the head honcho of the Ukrainian fascists regime has claimed that hes been left to fight alone against advancing Russian armys.Now this might be a leathel lesson for all dictators that you keep your enemys close and carefully choose your alliances.
Now Vlod the bad Levensky ex actor and comedian has seen that his Nato \european ambitions have ended in a spectacular fashion and a hard lesson.that Russia will not tolerate being sorounded anymore than the USA or China would.Has a ex comedian actor he should have realised that the USA have some of the best actors and comedians in the western world.The people will suffer whilst vlod the bod runs away to israel,or maybe USA were Holywood appreciate good actors and comedians.And Britain well its already in serious trouble without all of this whilst the working-class will be once again be asked to pay the burden for the shambles of a government and Opposition party..
For those who wish to have a bias free analysis of events leading up to where we are, then may I suggest the excellent;
PROFESSOR JOHN MEARSHEIMER: THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE | KING’S POLITICS
Sorry for caps, copy/paste. Easily found on utoob, the first twenty minutes will bring you up to speed without agenda
NVLA, seen that before. He’s a very good resource and along with Chomsky are sane voices in a sea of bullshit and disinformation. Try and watch this too: https://twitter.com/zei_squirrel/status/1496477076571967495?s=20&t=BpSmYsC7i7xuKImu7bTktw
Baz, how old is that footage? Maybe 10 years?
Not sure how sane he is any more. The last I saw, he was calling for the shunning of the unvaccinated by the rest of society! Jonathan Cook wrote an article about it, which he then mysteriously took down from his blog a few days later (perhaps Allan Howard archived it in time) I wrote him a message, asking what was going on. No reply. I think he thought it better for Chomsky’s legacy to draw a discreet veil over this sad example of dementia being an equal-opportunity, non-discriminating afflicition…
@baz2001
Exactly that! NATO is unfit for purposes intended. It’s become a tool to steal resources, and boy does Russia have resources.
As did Afghanistan, and Bolivia, Iraq, Syria and of course Libya.
To all critics – yes I know that fascists were present
\in the Maidan and took part in the sniping.
However this was in addition to the thugs from the
then pro- Russian president. There was corruption
in Ukraine then and it is unfortunately still present
and that is what they were protesting about.
When the Soviet Empire split up there were many
who hurried to privatise – and as was said wryly –
the Party members were first in the queue. The ones
with the sharpest elbows became very rich indeed,
robbing the Ukrainian people – as the Russian
Oligarchs robbed the Russian people. These are
the people who laundered their money through
the City of London and also contributed to the Tory
coffers. (Corbyn and McDonnell wanted the Magnitsky
Act put through Parliament but it was not enacted till
last year.)
However there are fascists in Russia too ..as in Hungary
and in many ex Warsaw pact countries – these are
Nationalists who think the Islamists and Jewish will
sully the purity of a Christian nation. I remember in the
80s marching in solidarity on account of some Russian
Jewish academics who were persecuted by the regime.
The antisemitism of Tsarist Russia was still present in
Soviet Russia – as it still is in some of Eastern Europe
as you say.
I do remember Catholic children fleeing with their
parents from Stalin – but I do not recall them as being
fascists – just frightened of Beria and his ilk. Many of
the academics in the Maths and Physics depts of the
Northern Universities were refugees from either Stalin
or Hitler – or both.
I remember praying for the various Catholic prelates
who were given show trials by the Soviets – one of whom
took refuge in one of the Embassies after the Hungarian
uprising. I also have relatives who were taken to camps
in Siberia from Poland along with their parents after
they had been invaded by the Soviets. Those who survived
were rescued and later ended in camps in Palestine and
South Africa.
They were lucky though in comparison
with the Polish military who were murdered – unfortunately
for Stalin and the Russian people for they were
then needed when Hitler turned on the Soviets ..
That part of Poland was annexed and is now a part
of Ukraine.
Assume the worst about New New labour, you’ll be probably right.
Thugs are not comparable to Nazis…
It is claimed that Putin is “not a fascist” – well he is not an anything
and CERTAINLY not a socialist. It was put to him by his previous
Soviet comrade when he was climbing the slippery ladder and
at the same time acruing billions “Have you lost all your principles”
and he admitted he had.
AS for NATO – there was one time when Putin was crawling to
gain favour with the West and plaintively asked “When can
we join NATO?” Both Blair and his ilk were then fawning all
over him aiding him in his climb to power and not bothering
about his Big Steal from the public. As skwawkie states
Mandelson was STILL fawning over him up till a few years ago.
There is an item in “Labour List” concerning Starmer who
turned on some Labour MPs threatening to withdraw the whip:
>>Momentum co-chair Andrew Scattergood said the MPs’ “steadfast commitment to the Ukrainian people and against Russia’s invasion is beyond question” and it “beggars belief” that the leadership “focuses on a week-old statement in an attempt to wage factional warfare against them while a real war wages on against the Ukrainian people”.
>>
I don’t recall Starmer pursuing the Tories for the millions they
were given by Putin and his mates – or for getting the London
Markets free of the dirty money which is slopping about.
Even The Times reported that the children of those Rich Oligarch
Thieves were buying up the UK property market. The US
complainedabout the dirty money in London – and how it was
hampering efforts to restrain Putin – they adopted the Magnitsky Act
long before we did.
HolbyFan @25/5 8.55
“I don’t recall Starmer pursuing the Tories for the millions they were given by Putin and his mates – or for getting the London Markets free of the dirty money which is slopping about”.
Starmer is late to this party, but once again Corbyn has been show to be on the right side of history. This must be really grating on Starmer’s ego. This clip from 2018 was shared widely on twitter yesterday, where Corbyn was calling for sanctions on Russian oligarchs. As an authoritairian bully, with no ability to defend his position by reasoned argument, Starmer resorts to sanctions and threats to close down any debate or dissent from his world view. it’s disappointing that the SCG have caved into his bullying.
It show’s what a weak, vindictive man he is and should never be allowed near the keys to Downing Street – metaphorically speaking.
https://twitter.com/iliad1orig/status/1496795492629585923?s=20&t=KgXnRVQX5Mry8Ei7RfPe8Q
I am glad Corbyns efforts concerning sanctions has been
publicised – I don’t know how many rants I had about
that at the time! I could not believe the hypocrisy of the Tories
and how it went unchallenged ..
Re: Mandelson
Folk like him (and Starmer) are, like the Tories, capable of the most amazing contortions. There must be good Russian oligarchs and bad ones?
Re: Ukraine
In the same way, it appears that there are those who seem to think that there are good fascists as well as bad ones. Otherwise we would not be in NATO with Hungary and Poland or have our media doing puffs about a 78 y-o woman receiving training from the Azov mob.
Those of us who do not join in the pile on against Russia do not do so out of any admiration for the current government of Russia. We do so because of the utter hypocrisy of those who rage about Russian aggression and disregard for international law whilst ignoring, or even lauding, the multiple examples of when the US and its puppy dogs have done the same.
Finally, can anyone help? I vaguely recall a report which said that there is a plaque in the cathedral in Bradford, W. Yorkshire erected by a Ukrainian far right group. I can’t find the report on the internet. Such a plaque would support the view that fascist elements did flee eastern Europe after WWll. Can anyone find the report? Does anyone living nearby the site know of it?
Those early bullshit puff pieces Orla Guerin of the BBC did for MI6 from Ukraine are nothing to what the BBC have been doing these last couple of days. Utter, utter distortions and lies. Truly sickening stuff.
baz2001 – Could you give us some specific examples of these ‘utter,utter distortions and lies’
Why don’t you familiarise yourself with facts on the ground stevieh – then you will be able to recognise the omissions, the distortions and the lies yourself.
qwertboi – Like this?
We have one chance at this, we cannot afford to fail the Ukrainian people – Mick Antoniw
Russia’s attack on Ukraine is probably the most serious act of aggression in Europe since the Second World War. As one Ukrainian said: “This is not 1938… it is 1939.” After the invasion of Georgia, the Chechen war in which Vladimir Putin razed the city of Grozny to the ground, after the illegal seizure of Crimea and parts of Eastern Ukraine and after events in Belarus and Kazakhstan, it is more like 1941 – when Nazi Germany invaded Eastern Poland (now Western Ukraine).
There are many other similarities. Putin, like Hitler was also elected and has also become in effect an elected dictator. His political control of the Duma and the justice system is absolute. Nearly all oppositional media has been suppressed or become subservient with only a few exceptions that in all likelihood have a limited lifespan. He controls the electoral system ensuring no effective candidate can succeed against him. He is, in effect now, the head of a gangster clan operating a model of gangster capitalism to which the rule of law no longer applies or even exists.
He is an extreme Russian nationalist who, together with the support of the Russian Orthodox Church, sees Belarus and Ukraine as part of a greater Russia. With is massively superior military resources and air power he may win the short-term military war against Ukraine, but there is little prospect of holding the country in the long term against a population where the majority hate him and what he stands for and are prepared to resist.
I was in Ukraine for four days with a trade union and socialist delegation. We only managed to exit the country just 48 hours before the full-scale invasion. Everyone we met from trade unions, socialist and human rights groups, Crimean Tartars to the families of prisoners in the temporarily occupied territories, civic and government organisations – all told us the same thing: they did not want to live under Russian rule and they would fight to defend Ukraine’s independence.
There was in fact an eery sense of unity amongst all the people we met, calm but under the surface a knowledge that something terrible was about to happen. I am glad we went because I know that many of the people we met are now fighting for their freedom and I don’t know how many we will see again. Civilians have taken up arms and will fight for their homes and country. Many may not survive, and they know it, but they will fight all the more.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not just a breach of international law, it is a rejection of it and the rule of law. Under international law, an ‘act of aggression’ by the armed forces of a state for any purpose other than national or collective self defence is an offence against the peace and the security of mankind. It includes invasion and bombardment – both of which Russia is guilty. (This probably explains the ludicrous narrative, being used by Putin to attempt to justify his actions, that he is purportedly defending Russia.)………………
You can read the rest of the article here
https://labourlist.org/2022/02/we-have-one-chance-at-this-we-cannot-afford-to-fail-the-ukrainian-people/
ITN, GB News, NM are all culpable. As for peace-loving demos getting smashed in Moscow, I suggest a visit to Paris, Amsterdam and London on a weekend would offend you. X
Yes, a plaque was laid in 1983. You’ll find details here: http://www.speel.me.uk/sculptplaces/bradfordcath.htm.
“Freedom for Nations and Freedom for Individuals, plaque unveiled by Yaroslav Stetsko, president of the Anti-Bolshevik bloc of nations, 1983, for the captive nations of Byelo-Russia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, plain plaque with flags, cross and a small device of a sword striking the chain binding a pair of hands. Rather poignant given the current history of this part of the world. For those interested in Ukraine, in London is the statue of St Volodymyr – see this page. ”
FWIW 1) Ukraninia has been in an undeclared state of war with the two Russian States to their east since 2014. The current (far right) government ecalated this war, and it is this which caused a request ‘for protection’ t be made by two eople’s republics to the Kremlin. Putin refers to the current activites as a “Special Operation” and has stated that he does not want Russian forces to ‘enter’ the two states. This is not an “invasion” they claim.
2) In Bradford Ukranians are quite numerous and the are certainly involved in far-right UK politics (as are man Hungaians and Poles).No numbers or further details for you, but locally Ukranian groups are assumed to be far-right leaning. I know a Jewish Hasidic family from Bradford (lives in M’chester) of Ukranian descent inLeeds/Bradford and they omit to mention their origins for this reason. Ukranian expats tend generaly to be v right wing – but, nevertheless, 40% of Ukranian citizens are believed to disapprove of their Government’s aggression in Ukraine.
Thank you.
I remember now.
The plaque is for the “Anti-Bolshevik Bloc” which was a renaming of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists – A RW organisation which allied itself with Germany during WWII and sought to raise troops to make up for losses suffered by the Wehrmacht on the eastern front.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Bolshevik_Bloc_of_Nations
A couple of relevant reports from a while age. Here’s the first Russian speakers burnt to death by RW Urkainians.
Five years later there was a vigil at a memorial to those killed. Some people, it seems, didn’t feel so sad.
For a while I lived in a shared flat in bradford above a ukrainian ‘refugee’. bradford had quite a few empty pockets post war holy runaways who gathered in ethnic clubs where the clocks were stopped (the rumour was that they were fascist escapees). every saturday night the hero would return to the flat and re-enact the war with his sad but loyal mrs.
Tragically this could have all been avoided as NATO has expanded 800 miles East in the last 30 years after saying it wouldn’t go one more inch East post German reunification.
So understandably Russia has legitimate concerns.
But all we have had is sabre rattling from Western leaders trying to score political points but resulting in counter sabre rattling from Putin.
This tragedy is not down to a failure of Western diplomacy but to a complete absence of Western diplomacy and a complete lack of Western political heavyweights.
Socialists would have sorted this out, scrapping NATO (it is there to protect Western capitalism) and we would have treated Russia as an equal and with respect and secured a deal and as I’ve said the world needs a new security system which puts diverse working people first.
By the way China has refused to condemn Russia.
Also Starmer threatened to take the whip away from Left Labour MPs unless they removed their names from a Stop The War Letter.
And read last night that the Ukraine National Guard (which has some fascist elements) said no men between the age of 16 and 60 should leave the country, which is disturbing; some people are fighters others are not and this should be respected.
But would it be better if Ukraine sued for peace to save lives?
And now those who invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and bombed Syria lecture the world and by the way the Sudanese people are currently being slaughtered by its military dictators but not a word or action from the West.
And the Right and Right wing Labour now attack the Left but we are only doing what Rosa Luxemburg argued, bringing our independent socialist critical thinking to the table.
Yours in peace.
Odda are that, before taking action against Ukraine, Putin checked with China..
Was there ever anyone as utterly loathsome as Keir Starmer?
The call to remove the whip was made by Boris Johnson. Frankly, it would not surprise me if Starmer did not put him up to it.
Yes I heard Boris Johnson urge Starmer
to remove the whip from them.
I posted here to the effect of “I wonder if he will be
stupid enough to do what he says” – not believing
he would! As usual he exceeded my expectations
of sheer ineptness.
The Left: “Putin is (was, before full scale invasion) acting rationally in the face of NATO provocation. Perhaps we should try to understand their grievance and not poke the bear to find a long term peaceful solution. *whisper* and clean London of their dirty money”
The Far Right: “Let’s praise the Great Russian Leader! The greatest of all. *whisper* we like their money”
Centrists: “LOOK, THE LEFT IS SUPPORTING PUTIN!!!” *then cash their cheques quietly.
I see that Kwarteng is “pressurising” BP to sell its shares in a Russian oil company. Can’t see how that would affect anything – other than BP not getting the profits from the rising oil prices.
One wonderful thing we learn from the report is that the CE of BP is called Bernard Looney.
Many Western companies have large shareholdings in Russian companies such as Goldman Sachs in Russian gas.
As someone said:
Capitalism Will Eat Itself.
Ive been reading comments about Ukraine being run by
fascists*** – but it seems that the Greek Catholic Church
does not agree with this, the Orthodox siding with Russia
and the Catholics siding with Europe.
Well Quelle Surprise..!
If you read the Catholic reports on the situation in Ukraine
you read something completely different from some posts
I read here ..
*** Yes there are fascists – but this is something shared with
other previously Warsaw Pact countries – and this became
evident in the Balkan Wars with many nationalistic fascist
elements – a group from the Serbs being one.
NVLA – I’m sure that the peace protesters in Russia will ‘really appreciate’ your ‘solidarity’ and ‘comradeship’ with their protest against the war and Putin the thuggish war criminal dictator who enriches himself and his cronies by stealing from the people of Russia.
The demonisation of Putin began in 2003 because he opposed the invasion of Iraq.
No western leader then minded his abuse of power or the flattening of Chechnya.
You call it demonisation – some might call it
blatant hypocrisy.
As for Putins opposition to the Iraq War – at least it
shows in those days he used his common sense
for most of the UK population opposed the Iraq War.
Those who marched against it included Tory ladies
from the shires as well as people from the Left.
These days Putin appears to have lost any semblance
of the common sense he once had. This contrasts with the
Tory Party who never did have common sense or logic
who managed to have two contradictory opinions at
the same time:
GOOD Russians = rich oligarchs who contributed to
the Tory Party and – a bi-product -managed to
increase the monetary value of their own UK properties.
This included Putin with his oligarch hat on plus his
cronies.
BAD Russians = Putin plus his cronies with their Russian
hats on.
Sometimes it make a persons head spin.
us and uk (and a surprisingly obsequious europe) are at the fag end of gas’n oil and both run on quick and cheap profits. manufacture, which was once the ambition, has shifted to the production of war materials and propaganda which services the easily earned wealth and consent. on the drive to china there are many petrol stations to pump, not with silk but with blood.
Not quite the point of the article
but Zarah Sultana has been getting death
threats
(see Labour List)
This was because of a letter she signed
which was dishonestly misquoted by the MSM.
She did however get an apology from the local
radio station for this.
She quoted the letter and expanded on it
and her opinions ..
She then quoted some of the abusive responses
she had had – one of which threatened her life.
She had reported the abuse and threat to the
police and the Labour party. In her representation
to the LP she criticisised them for the way her views
had been distorted and demanding that in
future her views should be correctly stated.
PS I wonder if she will get a response
from the Labour Party ..
?
A flying ..
\\\\ 🐷////
There was a brief item in the News about
Zarah being threatened – which is an
improvement for they usually ignore it.