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Tuesday 23 January 2018

The 'Russian Threat' and the Politics of Mass Distraction

Sputnik

With mounting problems at home, the UK Establishment is stepping up its campaign to divert our attention on to non-existent dangers from abroad. The so-called 'Russian threat,' is not only good for the arms industry, and defense budgets, but for politicians who have no answers to the very real threats the British public face in their daily lives.
A knife crime epidemic. A significant rise in the murder rate. The NHS at breaking point. A 60% rise in homelessness since 2010/11 and a sharp rise in child and pensioner poverty. A hideously expensive and unreliable public transport system that is not fit for purpose.

Just a few of the very pressing problems facing Britain in early 2018. But rather than focus on solving them, those in power would rather we obsess about non-existent threats from Russia. 'Army Chief warns of Russian threat' was the headline on the BBC’s website first thing on Monday morning. However, the article's title was later changed to 'Army chief to call for investment to keep up with Russia.'

How very convenient that the ‘evil Russkies’ are there once again to take our minds of the latest horrific knife attacks- in which two men were stabbed in a shopping mall in Luton in Bedfordshire.  Knife crime used to be a rare event in the UK, but in 2017 there were 80 fatal stabbings in London alone. The reality is that  Britain is becoming an increasingly dangerous country in which to live. Crime figures released in October showed an underlying 8% increase in the murder rate, with a 13% rise in all police-recorded offenses from June 2016-June 2017.

Yet rather than get to grips with this crime wave, by putting more police officers on the beat, and introducing tougher sentences, the elite prefer to scare us about Russia. 

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