Current Affairs

[Mervyn and Trish]

The essential word in Secret Service is the first one.

Don't expect to find what they're doing in a public report.

[barney]

There are no hard facts because there is really nothing to see.
Does Russia attempt to meddle?
Absolutely.
But so does every other major country.
This social media influence is just a modern version of what has always happened in print.

Given that I know a bit about this, I’m not surprised that our politicians know so little about it.
They are not supposed to.
The Intelligence Service prefer it this way.
Those on the privy council are briefed, the rest just guess.

[towny44]

There are no hard facts because there is really nothing to see.
Does Russia attempt to meddle?
Absolutely.
But so does every other major country.
This social media influence is just a modern version of what has always happened in print.

Given that I know a bit about this, I’m not surprised that our politicians know so little about it.
They are not supposed to.
The Intelligence Service prefer it this way.
Those on the privy council are briefed, the rest just guess.

So it appears that Dominic Grieve used his briefing info as a privy counsellor to try and find some evidence that senior govt officials were trying to hide possible Russian interference in our election process. He clearly found none but the ultimate report still tried to tarnish the govt for not looking hard enough.
I thi k that says far more about his underhand tactics that it does about the govts.

[oldbluefox]

All the furore and speculation over this report. Is that it? Damp squib if that's it no matter how much the Remoaners and he Boris bashers try to blow it up but that's from someone who is little influenced, if at all, by social media.
As for Dominic Grieve who stood as an independent in Beaconsfield and lost his seat so clearly out of touch with his local constituents. Says it all really.

[Gill W]

There are no hard facts because the government has looked the other way and has not investigated to find out what the facts are ... .

On the basis that you cannot possibly have any inside information that should surely read ...

" As far as I am aware " .... There are no hard facts because the government has looked the other way and has not investigated to find out what the facts are ... .

It’s what the ISC members actually said yesterday at the press conference - no caveats are required by me.

[johnds]

Over and out on this subject.

?

[Manoverboard]

There are no hard facts because the government has looked the other way and has not investigated to find out what the facts are ... .

On the basis that you cannot possibly have any inside information that should surely read ...

" As far as I am aware " .... There are no hard facts because the government has looked the other way and has not investigated to find out what the facts are ... .

It’s what the ISC members actually said yesterday at the press conference - no caveats are required by me.

Fair enough although it did read as if it was your own opinion .... my error.

[barney]

I think if the truth be known, the ISC was hoping to find a smoking gun but in reality, found nothing so have tried to move the goalposts.
Remember the Mueller report in America?
They couldn’t find evidence of Russian collusion so moved on to obstructing the investigation.

Imagine this hypothetical.
The Government instructs the Intelligence Service to dedicate many hours looking for some kind of Russian interference, and while doing this, there is a major terror attack.
The press would have a field day.
Can you imagine if the Director had to say that he’d moved staff away from critical work.

I know see that there is a proposal for all foreign spies to register on arrival.
It’s not April 1st is it ?

[Gill W]

Well, you are all trying manfully to dismiss this report as Remainer whining and Boris bashing.

But that doesn’t wash.

It’s suspected that Russian interference in U.K. elections goes back as far as the 2014 Indy Ref.


This report that was made public yesterday, landed on Johnsons’s desk in October. Instead of doing the right thing and ordering an investigation, he suppressed the report - and even worse called another general election that the Russians could get involved in.

Then he further suppressed the report, even going so far as to install his own puppet into the chair of the ISC.

That failed, and Julian Lewis was installed and the report was issued. Julian Lewis is pro Brexit, so hardly a Remainer plot.

If you can’t see that there’s something not quite right here - you are with doing a Boris Johnson and are turning a blind eye - or have allowed yourselves to be deluded.

[towny44]

Well, you are all trying manfully to dismiss this report as Remainer whining and Boris bashing.

But that doesn’t wash.

It’s suspected that Russian interference in U.K. elections goes back as far as the 2014 Indy Ref.


This report that was made public yesterday, landed on Johnsons’s desk in October. Instead of doing the right thing and ordering an investigation, he suppressed the report - and even worse called another general election that the Russians could get involved in.

Then he further suppressed the report, even going so far as to install his own puppet into the chair of the ISC.

That failed, and Julian Lewis was installed and the report was issued. Julian Lewis is pro Brexit, so hardly a Remainer plot.

If you can’t see that there’s something not quite right here - you are with doing a Boris Johnson and are turning a blind eye - or have allowed yourselves to be deluded.

Gill, why must your opinion always be the right one?

[barney]

McCarthyism is alive and well in the U.K.
Reds under the bed, anyone.

What this is really all about is a certain faction trying to throw a dirt cloud over the result of the Eu referendum.
They didn’t see it coming.
They lost.
They can’t get over it.

It’s really as simple as that.
Anti democrats out in force ?

[Onelife]

If l were a betting man l would put my money on Gill because the form suggests to me that there has been some race fixing....

Squeak! squeak!

[barney]

If l were a betting man l would put my money on Gill because the form suggests to me that there has been some race fixing....

Squeak! squeak!

Every country is in bed with Russia to some degree or another keefy.
Just Google Nordstream 2 to see how far Germany in particular but also the rest of Europe are involved.
There is plenty of evidence of rich Russians buying EU passports if you know where to look.
There is plenty of evidence of Russians laundering money in the UK and all over Europe.

Shock horror but some Russians have even purchased English football teams with money from dubious sources.

Generally, in life, when someone spends some money, they expect something back in return.

As someone who doesn't use social media, this forum excepted, I actually have no idea as to the amount of influencing that goes on.
Others will be more knowledgeable than me on that subject.

But to answer the basic question of did the Russians attempt to influence UK politics ?
Of course the did and still do, but there is nothing unique in that.
We do the same.
Why would this or any other government want to put resources into something that they already know the answer to.

[Stephen]

Russian oil and gas talk.

[Manoverboard]

Gassing is talking .... just saying

[Gill W]

McCarthyism is alive and well in the U.K.
Reds under the bed, anyone.

What this is really all about is a certain faction trying to throw a dirt cloud over the result of the Eu referendum.
They didn’t see it coming.
They lost.
They can’t get over it.

It’s really as simple as that.
Anti democrats out in force ?

It’s really not a good time to dig up the anti democrat line when certain people are turning a blind eye to the probability of foreign powers meddling in our democratic process !

[oldbluefox]

Fake news on Twitter and Facecloth. Who would have seen that coming?

[Stephen]

Gassing is talking .... just saying

And there's plenty of it on here.

[Mervyn and Trish]

McCarthyism is alive and well in the U.K.
Reds under the bed, anyone.

What this is really all about is a certain faction trying to throw a dirt cloud over the result of the Eu referendum.
They didn’t see it coming.
They lost.
They can’t get over it.

It’s really as simple as that.
Anti democrats out in force ?

It’s really not a good time to dig up the anti democrat line when certain people are turning a blind eye to the probability of foreign powers meddling in our democratic process !

I'm much more concerned about people in this country trying to overthrow the democratic process than foreign powers meddling and failing.

[screwy]

You mean, BLM and Antifa who are heavily funded by the Hungarian who funded the anti Brexit campaign.?

[Gill W]

I'm really going to have to let you guys get on with it if George Soros is being dragged out.

The only time I every hear that bloke's name mentioned or alluded to is on this forum - I don't see this weird obsession anywhere else.

I'm going out for the day tomorrow, so I'll leave you all to have a good old moan about George Soros, Dominic Grieve and anybody else you can think of. Get it all out of your system.

Then on Friday, I'll report back on what it's like getting further out into the world (well, Rye and Hastings at least)

Have fun

[towny44]

I'm really going to have to let you guys get on with it if George Soros is being dragged out.

The only time I every hear that bloke's name mentioned or alluded to is on this forum - I don't see this weird obsession anywhere else,

Might that be because you tend to follow remainers on twitter, who probably revere Soros because he was their paymaster genera?

I'm going out for the day tomorrow, so I'll leave you all to have a good old moan about George Soros, Dominic Grieve and anybody else you can think of. Get it all out of your system.

Then on Friday, I'll report back on what it's like getting further out into the world (well, Rye and Hastings at least)

Have fun

.

[Onelife]

There is no doubt in my mind that this report was suppressed for no other reason than party political advantage, but in the interest of fair politics I’m happy to turn a blind eye because the labour party and its conspirators have done more damage to our political system in 12 months than what any Russia spy has done in the past 60 years.

[Manoverboard]

There is no doubt in my mind that this report was suppressed for no other reason than party political advantage, but in the interest of fair politics I’m happy to turn a blind eye because the labour party and its conspirators have done more damage to our political system in 12 months than what any Russia spy has done in the past 60 years.

How long ago was Profumo ?

[Mervyn and Trish]

59 years. 1961.