Johnson isn’t up to task of tackling Putin
ANOTHER week goes by where innocent men women and children are being subjected to the hostilities of war as a direct result of one man’s actions which are having profound implications across the world.
This was illustrated by the reporting by ITV journalist Rohit Kachroo who, while interviewing an elderly woman in Ukraine, took her hand as she was visibly having difficulty walking.
She spoke about the suffering that she was going through while children were being escorted to safety by soldiers.
Anyone watching that report would surely have felt as heartbroken and angry as me. But in the long term, Vladimir Putin will be defeated and Ukraine will emerge even stronger.
Domestically, we are starting to see the impact the conflict in Ukraine is having first hand, and the reality is that there are no winners.
In the UK, we have a growing cost-of-living crisis which will only get worse. This will require a crossparty approach to ensure we have policies that help. Yet another week goes by where this shambolic Conservative government’s strong rhetoric and narrative of solidarity is exposed as a lie.
It hides behind bureaucracy to turn desperate people away rather than supporting the displaced who are seeking refuge.
This is not the Britain I know or recognise. The Britain I know is one that plays its part and leads from the front.
Along with partygate and the cost-of-living crisis, it’s as if the Conservatives are intentionally trying to lose the next election. What do you expect from what has been the most right-wing Conservative government for decades that is now essentially the Brexit Party?
A government which panders to Russian oligarchs. A party that puts money before people, and party before country.
Getting tough on Putin requires courage, conviction, self-belief and a resolve that we haven’t seen since the Second World War.
The truth is that Boris Johnson isn’t up to the task.
What this Government is doing right now doesn’t even touch the sides when it comes to having an impact on Putin and his regime. Why would you get tough when oligarchs have been major donors to your party and receive a peerage even against the advice of the security service?
We should always seek a diplomatic solution, but we should always be prepared to step up for what we believe in – and that starts with getting tough and serious on Putin.
Never mind six months or 28 days for Putin’s cronies to get their affairs in order to avoid sanctions – we should take a hardline approach.
We should tell them that they have six days then all their assets and accumulated wealth, which includes businesses and property, will go to the state and the money from that wealth will be given to Ukraine as they continue to fight against Russia.
We all know war is a costly business. The sanctions that have been agreed are designed to hit Russia’s economy in the hope they will end their assault on Ukraine.
But the real cost in any conflict is always human.
History, time and time again, show us what happens if we fail to take the necessary action to deal with tyrants. It is always the people, the innocent, the civilians who pay the price.
If the UK Government is serious about helping and supporting the people of Ukraine, it should issue emergency visas to those seeking refuge.
It is a sad day when Britain, known previously as a leading player on the global stage, shirks its moral duty and resorts to sound bites – the most recent being that Johnson, Raab and Patel are descended from refugees.
This is nothing more than a desperate bid to come across as being sympathetic to the plight of those seeking refuge.
In my opinion, it adds insult to injury.
What is needed right now is decisive action to back up those words.