This is an appalling suggestion. Outright theft.
Britain is ramping up pressure on western governments to use $350bn (£275bn) of frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine’s war-shattered economy, with David Cameron insisting there were legal, moral and political justifications for action.
Whatever your position on the initial freezing of assets (and I’m opposed and always have been) this is an outrageous idea. To take someone else’s property and use it for whatever the thief thinks is appropriate. Set this precedent and you open up the floodgates for the state to pick anyone’s pockets at will. Cameron is an arsehole. A thieving arsehole at that.
Speaking in Davos, where Ukraine has been high on the agenda at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, Lord Cameron said: “When Putin launched this illegal invasion, the world changed, and we have to change with it and recognise we are in a more dangerous, uncertain and difficult world.
“We should be prepared to do some innovative thinking about how we use these resources to help Ukraine.”
There is nothing innovative about stealing.
Cameron said the moral argument was straightforward and strong.
Yes, it is. Stealing is immoral. Using it against the owner’s will is immoral.
“At the end of the day, Russia is going to have to pay reparations for its illegal invasion, so why not spend some of the money now, rather than wait till the war is over and have all the legal wrangling about reparations”.
Bear in mind that this money did not necessarily belong to the Russian state, but to individuals who may or may not have been involved with the Russian state. This idea sets a terrible precedent and any reasonable person should be opposed to it. God, but I hate these people with a vengeance.
The foreign secretary brushed aside concerns that it could change the way people see financial centres operating, and trigger an exodus of national reserves from western banks.
Because, like most politicians, he is thick and consequences are outside the scope of his limited intellect.
Did I say that I hate these people?
Our savings will be next (for the national good).
I’d better buy another bike while I still have some.
At 30% inflation over the last couple of years they already have.
As the Theft Act defines theft as ‘intent to permanently deprive’, then the allegedly noble Lord Dave may already be guilty of conspiracy to commit theft. Lock up the slimy, scheming, rehashed pillock now.
“This idea sets a terrible precedent and any reasonable person should be opposed to it.”
The problem is that people aren’t reasonable they are mostly morons. Not understanding consequences? See those in the US who campaigned for a $15 minimum wage for Mcdonalds’ workers and are now complaining that the price of a Big Mac has gone up.
Show most politicians a pot of money and they want to get their hands on it. They want to spend your money their way. Rather like taxation.
’…and you open up the floodgates for the state to pick anyone’s pockets at will.’
Think that ship already sailed, with the government taking control of ‘abandoned’ savings accounts.
As you recall, I put a stop to that nonsense when they tried it with me.
I overheard (they were talking extremely loudly) two people in a pub talking about this who are involved with spending the money they’ve “freed up” by robbing the dead. Guess where it’s going? Wokeness and green scams.
As ever, nice jobs for the unproductive middle class and money completely wasted.
Russia invoked the UN Charter on prevention of genocide (created after the Rwandan genocide) when they entered Ukraine. Looking at the anti-Russian legislation and the over 14,000 deaths in the parts of Ukraine that broke away as a result of the US-backed anti-Russian coup and there is a legitimate question about why we are openly supporting a neo-Nazi regime that has banned opposition parties, banned use of the Russian language, banned the Russian Orthodox Church, and so on.
Genocide has become a meaningless word. The conflicts in the Donbas and Crimea were not genocide. Nor were they a justification for an invasion. It is true that the Ukrainian and Russian regimes are cast in the same mould – hardly surprising given that they were until very recently part of the Soviet Union and share the same history. However, invasion of a sovereign nation crosses a line – literally. Hence, yes, I side with the Ukrainians here. I would side with the Russians had it been the other way around. That doesn’t mean that I agree with seizing assets or pissing away billions on weapons. If they want to buy them, then fine.
Politicians advocating stealing money?!?
I’ll go to the foot of our stairs…
I can quite easily see why Putin and the Russians would want to get involved in the Donbass and Lugansk provinces, as well as Crimea. Anti-Russian sentiments in those parts of the world can be quite strong and from all accounts there was quite a bit of violence going on against civilians.
Even in my wife’s country there’s a lot of Anti-Russian nationalism, though theres almost as much pro-Russia sentiment with a decent proportion of the population having Russian as their first language like my wife.
Personally, I think we should stay out of it. If Russia and Ukraine have a dispute, unless it directly affects us, then it’s none of our business.
Sending food and medical aid for civilians caught up in the mess? Sure. Weapons and funds? Nope.
Probably a minority opinion.
You’re making me think of the 30 odd million Yemenis we’re supporting. And the Palestinians we’ve been supporting since 1948.
I didn’t disagree with the Oz government supporting Fiji after they’d a cyclone or something.
But if the money to the Palestinians had been cut off about 1950, and good old Trumps designation of the Houthis as terrorists had meant they’d lost their cash as well, we’d probably have a lot fewer problems bothering us now.
Yup. This. Although I’m fine with selling weapons.
I’d be fine with selling weapons as long as we sold to both sides.
A big problem with supplying or selling weapons to either side is what happens to them at the end of the conflict? It’s not hard to imagine a steady stream of assault rifles and other goodies making their way onto the streets in British cities in a few years time, being put to good use in drug gang turf wars.