[0762]

I rarely watch the bbc these days, but I was caught up in a discussion in which one of the speakers stated we needed to stand up to Putin. Otherwise it would mean letting him damage international law and international agreements. My immediate thoughts reflected back to Iraq and the illegal invasion based on lies uttered by Blair and Bush plus the admitted lies to the UN itself by Colin Powell, one of his huge regrets before he passed last year. Don't forget the loss of 100s of 1000s of innocent lives, both in the war and in the lead up via sanctions. Over decades, millions have been killed or displaced due to foreign policies which take no account of the genuine interests of the ordinary people of the West or international law. It may be necessary for our interest and self-defence to take action against Russia/Putin for this disgraceful action against a sovereign country (note Iraq was also a sovereign country!), but we need to do it honestly and with a clear vision in order to avoid the creation of an all-out war in Europe. IMO we can do without the hypocrisy and jingoism that is spouting out of a lotta the MS media (and others), the "usual suspects" in this country at the mo, as it does nothing to help as well as laying the groundwork for future "military adventures" by leaders who IMO are "lightweight" and dodgy "into the bargain".