It's always been Russia

Today's photo opportunities news stories revealing an RAF Typhoon Eurofighter intercepting a Russian Tupolev Bear-H bomber are the latest in a long series of incidents between the two countries. Ever since the Litvinenko incident, via the restart of Russian bomber patrols and the recall of diplomats, we seem to be going through a period of particularly poor relations with Russia.

But sub sole nihil novi est - Britain has always had poor relations with Russia. Since the cold war, since the Revolution, since the Great Game, since the Anglo-Russian war, the two countries have probably spent more time in hostility than in friendship. So it's almost beginning to look like good fortune that our Eurofighters, delayed for years, were designed in the Cold War to fight Soviet bombers.

Realistically, there's no other country which could be considered a threat in the western hemisphere. The US missile defence program which has caused so much anger in Russia (and which the UK is a party to) is obviously aimed at containing Russia. It is Russia, after all, which is believed to have a stockpile of up to 18,000 intact atomic warheads. It is also Russia which seeks to operate diplomacy by doing things like switching off gas supplies to neighbours. Potentially just as worrying, Russian society is becoming more and more politically extreme. The growth of fascist, ultra-nationalist and Putin-youth groups all point to a radicalisation in Russian society.

Five days ago, the Sun newspaper launched a salvo against Russia which shows that relations have certainly reached a new low: they're using their worst insult against the Russian leader. They reckon he might be gay.  By the way, check out the slideshow… it's not far from the sort of thing that used to be written about Hitler.

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August 22, 2007 | Filed Under Politics, UK 

Comments

3 Responses to “It's always been Russia”

  1. Adam on August 24th, 2007 12:47 pm

    Those photos are immensely gay though, I´m sure they would have been ridiculed by someone whatever the political situation.

  2. gdp69 on August 24th, 2007 8:57 pm

    I'd like to see you try and shag him

  3. gdp69 on August 24th, 2007 8:58 pm

    actually I wouldn't, I completely wouldn't, live and let live I say

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