Current Affairs Critically ill man is former Russian spy

[OnlyBlueWillDo]

I watched this fella on Newsnight lastnight, former richest man in Russia, thrown in jail for 10 years by Putin, he has interesting insight into how things are run, basically an inner circle around Putin in the Kremlin like a Mafia, all of them criminals, all getting rich together.

 

[peteblue]

That's the Trident upgrade sorted then.

I would think so......as I believe the Russians said themselves ‘you shouldn’t threaten a nuclear power’.........

 

[peteblue]

I watched this fella on Newsnight lastnight, former richest man in Russia, thrown in jail for 10 years by Putin, he has interesting insight into how things are run, basically an inner circle around Putin in the Kremlin like a Mafia, all of them criminals, all getting rich together.

An excellent interview and pretty well sums up the workings of this mafia gang. As you say, they generate enormous wealth on the back of the people and just like the mafia at some point they need a way out in order to enjoy it. The scary bit was the thought that Putin may not even be in control anymore, but that may well be the way to rein them in, don’t allow them access to Europe and America etc where they can enjoy life and have their funds secure.....

 

[davek]

I watched this fella on Newsnight lastnight, former richest man in Russia, thrown in jail for 10 years by Putin, he has interesting insight into how things are run, basically an inner circle around Putin in the Kremlin like a Mafia, all of them criminals, all getting rich together.

Khodorkovsky is the biggest gangster of them all. He stole huge chunks of the FSUs natural resources via Yukos and with the corrupt Yeltsin's blessing. He was hated by most ordinary Russians as the face of gangster capitalism in the 1990s.

He's got some cheek talking about a mafia set up when he was one of the originators of business + murder in that country.

 

[peteblue]

Hahaha, Andrew Neil talking about people having a go at Corbyn......

“I think that’s unfair. I can see where Jezza is coming from. After all, in almost every major foreign policy issue for the past 40 years, he’s unfailingly taken an anti-western line.”

“He’s rarely said anything hostile about the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation that succeeded it.

“He even went on a motorbike holiday to one of its colonies with Diane Abbott – that’s sacrifice for you.

"He’s never mustered his 'stop the war' mates outside the Russian embassy to embarrass those within.

“He’s toiled under the studio lights of Russia Today, even when only three conspiracy nut-jobs and his cat were watching.

“He’s even hired a chief spin doctor who has opined that old Uncle Joe Stalin wasn’t such a bad chap. And the Soviet Union, not such a bad place.

“And yet, still, these damn Russkies give all their ill-gotten gains to the bloody Tories. I mean, I can see why he’s miffed.”

 

[peteblue]

Khodorkovsky is the biggest gangster of them all. He stole huge chunks of the FSUs natural resources via Yukos and with the corrupt Yeltsin's blessing. He was hated by most ordinary Russians as the face of gangster capitalism in the 1990s.

He's got some cheek talking about a mafia set up when he was one of the originators of business + murder in that country.

So he probably knows how it works then......

 

[davek]

So he probably knows how it works then......

He was the architect of the model - therefore his protestations are meaningless.

 

[peteblue]

He was the architect of the model - therefore his protestations are meaningless.

So he does know how it works then........

 

[davek]

So he does know how it works then........

There's no doubting Putin is not a very nice man. Then again what recent British PM has been, ordering wars in the middle east, giving the go ahead to drone strikes as a means to assassinate, interning migrants and expelling them, destroying the NHS and forcing its population to their knees through austerity just so they could pay for their friends the bankers's crisis?

You want to talk about gangsterism....

 

[orchard]

It's hilarious in Punch and Judy sort of way.
The funniest thing i've heard recently is our government's proposed measures against the regime they consider culpable being weaker than someone who allegedly sympathises with them...

Hahaha, Andrew Neil talking about people having a go at Corbyn......

“I think that’s unfair. I can see where Jezza is coming from. After all, in almost every major foreign policy issue for the past 40 years, he’s unfailingly taken an anti-western line.”

“He’s rarely said anything hostile about the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation that succeeded it.

“He even went on a motorbike holiday to one of its colonies with Diane Abbott – that’s sacrifice for you.

"He’s never mustered his 'stop the war' mates outside the Russian embassy to embarrass those within.

“He’s toiled under the studio lights of Russia Today, even when only three conspiracy nut-jobs and his cat were watching.

“He’s even hired a chief spin doctor who has opined that old Uncle Joe Stalin wasn’t such a bad chap. And the Soviet Union, not such a bad place.

“And yet, still, these damn Russkies give all their ill-gotten gains to the bloody Tories. I mean, I can see why he’s miffed.”

 

[peteblue]

There's no doubting Putin is not a very nice man. Then again what recent British PM has been, ordering wars in the middle east, giving the go ahead to drone strikes as a means to assassinate, interning migrants and expelling them, destroying the NHS and forcing its population to their knees through austerity just so they could pay for their friends the bankers's crisis?

You want to talk about gangsterism....

I’ve no problem with Putin as a leader, apart from his kleptomaniac tendencies. I’ve no doubt that our lot are equally as tough and nasty. His problem is that he has overplayed it, publicly and dangerously,and indeed likes the idea of being seen as this nasty bogey-man. If Russia decides to murder its own people, so be it, after all I expect that quite a few in Russia just disappear, but just don’t endanger any of ours. Another issue is that we did a trade, one spy for many, and they have reneged on the deal by killing the one we got, so it’s bad faith. The great game has been going on a long while and there are unspoken rules that stop it breaking into war, so I’ve no problem with Putin, just so long as he plays the game....

 

[davek]

I’ve no problem with Putin as a leader, apart from his kleptomaniac tendencies. I’ve no doubt that our lot are equally as tough and nasty. His problem is that he has overplayed it, publicly and dangerously,and indeed likes the idea of being seen as this nasty bogey-man. If Russia decides to murder its own people, so be it, after all I expect that quite a few in Russia just disappear, but just don’t endanger any of ours. Another issue is that we did a trade, one spy for many, and they have reneged on the deal by killing the one we got, so it’s bad faith. The great game has been going on a long while and there are unspoken rules that stop it breaking into war, so I’ve no problem with Putin, just so long as he plays the game....

That's all speculation.

 

[peteblue]

That's all speculation.

Well one of our policemen is in hospital, I agree the killing of the other guy hasn’t happened yet......

 

[davek]

Well one of our policemen is in hospital, I agree the killing of the other guy hasn’t happened yet......

I'll wait for proof first. Proof of delivery rather than proof of where the nerve agent was produced.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

As if things arent tense enough, Arsenal drew CSKA, second leg to be played in Moscow.