KTHSullivan wrote:We could of course say nothing and glibly accept that a foreign power can run amuck at will in the UK. Or we could complain. Do we now consider that the murder of whistle blowers and or dissidents to be de rigour? The UK is a democracy, its not perfect by any means but we do have certain rights set in law. Whereas Russia unfortunately is run by an "elected government" that has effectively no opposition, where the opinion of the state is reinforced by thugs and now apparently murderers. We may well be "clucking" when compared to the might of the Russian state, but to do or say nothing would however be somewhat abhorrent.
I don't condone what's happened in any shape or form. I'm acutely aware that in the mid 1970's, the widely-published pic of Sergeant Bailey might just as easily been one of me when I had no grey hair (although when they were dishing out Silver Jubilee medals in 1977, my name was inexplicably missed off the list
) That's not to claim I have ever done anything special; just to note that he was doing a normal job in a normal way when he became a presumably unintended target.
However, do we believe that the Foreign Secretary has any credibility beyond Conservative Associations, especially in the Home Counties? International diplomacy isn't clean cut. Like so many other sorts of negotiations, it's not advanced by triumphalism and the rest of it. It's hard to deal successfully with a foreign power and playing to the home audience at the same time makes it harder still.
PS: Sergei Skripal is neither a whistle blower nor a dissident. He was apparently a colonel in some part of the Russian military and a spy. That's not to say I think he's fair game for this sort of thing. If there's any long-term damage, it could be to reduce the willingness of others to do the same.