It’s baffling to consider why Russia would murder a former spy so blatantly
Knowingwelljeremycorbyn’s attitude in the past to ruthless individuals and dodgy organisations all over the world, I must confess to a little bewilderment at his reaction to the Salisbury poisoning. There remain, however, some puzzling questions that Mr Corbyn has touched on.
I cannot fathom why the Russian authorities would sanction such a high-profile attempt at the most despicable kind of murder when the victim could have been got at much easier and with less universal opprobrium. It may have been a ‘’who will rid me of this turbulent priest?’’ request from on high, carried out by a rogue element to please the Kremlin bosses, who knows? Whoever carried out the poisoning would surely have known the consequences, considering the previous poisoning death of a dissident in London. Even if it was simply to ‘encourager les autres’ and prevent other defections, it still lacks any sense to me.
ALEXANDER MCKAY New Cut Rigg, Edinburgh Britain severed all diplomatic relations with Gaddafi’s Libya for decades on the grounds of complicity with the death of PC Yvonne Fletcher, and on evidence far less damning than the trail of deadly Novichok nerve poison leading straight back to Vladimir Putin’s far more dangerous gang of bullies at the Kremlin. Nothing short of a complete cultural, economic and political boycott will suffice in response until Russia cooperates in ensuring those responsible are brought to justice in this country.
Salisbury’s citizens deserve no less. Anything less is tantamount to appeasement –and we all know where that led, especially Russia, whose hubristic president appears to have forgotten it took our Arctic convoys to save his people from becoming slave labourers of the Nazi empire.
MARK BOYLE Linn Park Gardens Johnstone, Renfrewshire Nicola Sturgeon’s praiseworthy support for Theresa May has been somewhat undermined by her predecessor, Alex Salmond (“Sturgeon backs PM’S get tough response on Russia”, 15 March). His support for the “independent from government control” RT Russian television channel and refusal to condemn the Putin regime outright has left Ms Sturgeon in somewhat of a quandary. Recently she expelled her own MSP, Mark Mcdonald, from membership of the Scottish National Party for unbecoming behaviour.
As Mr Salmond’s behaviour in this case could also be construed as bringing the party into disrepute, should the same fate not befall him? (DR) GERALD EDWARDS
Broom Road, Glasgow Now that Nicola Sturgeon has declared that the Kremlin’s actions in spy poisoning “cannot be tolerated” (your report, 15 March), I am sure that will set Vladimir shaking in his shoes and prove an invaluable bolster for Theresa May in her “tough” measures against Russia.
DAVID HOLLINGDALE Easter Park Drive, Edinburgh The French request for firm proof of Russian involvement in the alleged nervetoxin poisoning in Salisbury is a reasonable stance. After all, Britain has “form” when it come to pointing fingers at foreign powers based on scientific intelligence which later proved illusory. Rather than directly confronting Putin through threats and megaphone diplomacy, President Macron has emphasised private dialogue. He rightly believes ostracising Moscow will not yield results given its importance on the world stage and its role in a range of world crises.
The fact is, half of our imports of liquefied natural gas come from Russia.
With declining North Sea output and limited storage our energy strategy is import-dependent in general and Moscow-dependent in particular. This leaves our threat to “discipline” Putin looking pretty silly. (REV DR) JOHN CAMERON
Howard Place, St Andrews