Appeasers must share the blame

Last weekend the Sunday Times published a three-page report detailing the failure of successive Conservative governments to give Ukraine the support it needed following the Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014.

It revealed that the Defence Secretary, Kent MP Michael Fallon, supported by senior generals, had repeatedly warned of Putin’s aggressive intentions and arming Ukraine properly but was overruled. Appeasement was the order of the day.

The role of Canterbury’s then-mp in the great appeasement should be remembered.

Despite being a junior defence minister, Julian Brazier openly attacked the position of his Secretary of State.

On April 8, 2016, during the Referendum campaign, Brazier helped launch Veterans for Britain. Echoing the position of Farage, he attacked EU sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Crimea and the downing of a Malaysian airliner: “It is all very well for western leaders to cry for a ‘rules-based’

international order but I believe that through this route, the EU got into the dangerous position of provoking the Russians.” [Daily Mail, April 8, 2016].

He later repeated his argument that the UK should leave the EU because it was annoying Putin in a meeting in Waterstones.

In the 2017 general election, Nigel Farage duly rewarded his fellow appeaser of Putin when Geoff Wimble, Ukip’s Canterbury chairman, said: “We’ll promote Ukippers to back him” [‘Ukip urges supporters to back Brazier’, Kentonline, April 27, 2017].

If Michael Fallon had been supported rather than undermined, and the UK had responded to Russian aggression in 2014 by arming Ukraine to the teeth to resist any further attack, Putin might not have disastrously miscalculated and countless lives could have been saved.

As it was the appeasers signalled to Putin that he could get away with murder and they must share the blame for encouraging this evil man.

Joe Egerton

Palace Street, Canterbury