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War shows how small ‘Global Britain’ truly is

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DOTS to be joined – Farage, Hannon, were – are – supporters, apologists for the great leader Putin.

Aron Banks, Vote Leave had links with Russia, broke electoral law, worked with neo-Nazi Bannon and ultra-right allies and cyber/ hybrid warfare platforms for Brexit.

Trump aided by Russia, still admiring Putin. Conservati­ve friends of Russia include Carrie Symonds-Johnson, Matthew Elliott.

City of London Laundromat awash with Russian oligarch cash. Since 2014 UK entry clearance visas to 1,261 Russian oligarchs.

We see a proud nation sacrificin­g its young, fighting for its independen­ce, against the most powerful military force in Europe, precisely because it wants to be a part of the European community of nations little England left.

Now Johnson rushes to catch up.

In a week – for our security too – the EU has coordinate­d its potential as an economic superpower, demonstrat­ed its capacity as a moral, social and political superpower, and harnessed its economic capacity to enable independen­t member states to rearm Ukraine.

Germany, the ultrademoc­ratic, cautious driver of forging links with Russia for the sake of peace, has reversed a policy entrenched for 30 years and will arm Ukraine and vastly improve its military capacity – not for foreign adventurin­g but for democracy and a free Europe. Germany gives open access to fleeing Ukrainians for at least three years. The Republic of Ireland shames little England in this.

There will be a new global ordering. ‘Global’ Britain is hugely diminished from when it had a highly privileged position at the heart of Europe.

Who are the real patriots? Surely not those Putin enablers who cheated and duped us in a referendum, and when in power denied us a chance to consider what their destructiv­e Brexit demanded.

In the words of Professor Michael Clarke, former director general of the Royal United Services Institute, ‘Brexit is a strategic mistake you can see from space.’

Germany was big enough to reverse its strategic policies of 30 years in a week. Couldn’t we ‘join the dots’ and rethink ours of a few years? Solidarity with Ukraine!

David Powell TORIES FUNDED BY MOSCOW FOR YEARS

AS A BBC journalist stood outside the maternity hospital in Mariupol which had been destroyed by Russian aircraft dropping bombs even while women gave birth inside, he said that anyone who was surprised by Russian savagery has not been paying attention – because the same tactics of deliberate­ly targeting civilians to create terror have been used by Russia in Syria for many years.

Yet during these years, cronies of Russian President Putin have inserted themselves into British society, purchasing multimilli­on pound houses, buying political influence by donations to the Conservati­ve party, and being served by an army of wealthy London lawyers, accountant­s, estate agents and PR spin merchants.

While Russia facilitate­d the use of chemical weapons against brave Syrians wanting freedom, Boris Johnson and David Cameron played tennis with the wife of Putin’s finance minister, who had won the auction for their time at a Tory fundraisin­g event.

Even after the Russians used a chemical weapon in the Salisbury attack – and then dumped the fake perfume bottle with the remainder in a rubbish bin, which killed local woman Dawn Sturgess but reputedly could have killed thousands if the bottle had been crushed in the back of a dustmen’s lorry – the Tories took donations from Russian oligarchs and their families.

Despite already knowing that Putin’s agents had used radioactiv­e polonium to murder former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, the Conservati­ves have been funded by Moscow gold for many years – until now it has all blown up in their face. They should be held to account.

Phil Tate IT’S MAD TO PUT A SPY’S SON IN LORDS

IN 2020 Boris Johnson gave a Russian businessma­n a peerage – despite him being the son of a former KGB agent.

This means that, despite having no democratic mandate from the British people, he could vote on this country’s laws in the House of Lords and rub shoulders with the top echelon of the country’s leaders where confidenti­al informatio­n circulates.

At the time, MI5 and MI6 were opposing the nomination, yet Boris

Johnson pushed forward with it and denounced opposition to it as anti-Russianism. We must be mad, literally mad, in this country. No wonder Putin thinks he can get away with literally anything in Ukraine.

Janet Black WHY NO HELP TO HOUSE VETERANS?

BRITS are to get £350 a month to open their homes to Ukrainian refugees.

That offer should be extended to accommodat­ing homeless UK veterans.

In 2020 the Royal British Legion estimated there were 6,000 homeless veterans in the UK.

It is a national scandal that more is not done for our veterans.

Brian Silvester

 ?? Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images ?? Police officers in riot gear arrive after protesters occupied a building reported to belong to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripsaka in Belgrave Square, London
Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Police officers in riot gear arrive after protesters occupied a building reported to belong to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripsaka in Belgrave Square, London
 ?? Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire ?? Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner

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