Kremlin-backed Russia Today have been busy pushing Putin’s line on fracking, promoting green useful idiots to ensure that Europe remains reliant on Russian gas. The strategic interests of Russia make Putin and the Greens allies:
Natural gas has made fuel in America cheaper and greener, and more energy independent. Putin fears that if the UK were to follow the same path, energy prices would fall and his stranglehold on European supply would weaken,,,
Claudia Webbe, who is the new Corbyn and Unite-backed candidate in Lewisham East, is a regular pundit for the Russian and Iranian state television channels. Webbe, a former adviser to Ken Livingstone who defended him when he compared a Jewish journalist to a concentration camp guard, appeared on Russia Today as recently as last week. She has appeared on the infamous Kremlin propagandist Afshin Rattansi’s programme at least twice.
Guido has also found at least six appearances by Webbe on Press TV. She tells Guido she never accepted any money for the appearances, but says “I wish I’d known” she could claim a fee. Can’t think why she’s the choice of Corbyn’s office…
The previous Corbyn-backed candidate in Lewisham East was Phyll Opoku-Gymiah, who pulled out from the race after Guido revealed she compared Israel to the Nazis. Guido also revealed the Momentum-backed candidate, Sakina Sheikh, last week shared a platform with the extremist imam Shakeel Begg. Labour having real problems with their selection for Lewisham East…
“Эти инциденты все сильнее и сильнее подрывают доверие к Британии”.
Член парламента Великобритании Крис Уильямсон разоблачает британское правительство в отношении дела Скрипаля.
Видео: ТАСС/Ruptly pic.twitter.com/iv0hGnwUCw— ТАСС (@tass_agency) April 5, 2018
Chris Williamson’s Russia Today interview is being broadcast on the Russian state news agency TASS this evening, complete with Russian subtitles. He argues the UK government is using the Skripal attack to distract from Brexit, which is literally a Kremlin line to take. Meanwhile Corbyn Twitter outrider Aaron Bastani says it could have been done by Israel:
Is it a full moon?
John McDonnell says he won’t be appearing on Kremlin-backed broadcaster Russia Today again, describing the channel’s coverage as going “beyond objective journalism” at times #marr pic.twitter.com/no0EjSnThz
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) March 11, 2018
McDonnell orders Labour MPs to stop going on Russia Today. His deputy in the Shadow Treasury team Peter Dowd went on yesterday. And does the Absolute Boy agree?
Rouble for Chris Williamson’s thoughts…
Ofcom has launched a probe into Alex Salmond’s new Russia Today show. The regulator will look into a series of tweets Salmond read out on his programme which were presented as comments from the public but turned out to be from fabricated or planted sources, as Guido reported at the time. One was sent from an account owned by an RT producer. An Ofcom spokeswoman said:
“We are investigating whether this programme breached our rules on due accuracy.”
Inevitable…
“Go spout Putin’s propaganda” says Tory MP @DavidGauke as he refuses to speak to @Underground_RT: https://t.co/SC6PMp8wH5 pic.twitter.com/pHJzv5m42K
— RT UK (@RTUKnews) November 24, 2017
“Go spout Putin’s propaganda,” David Gauke tells RT as he explains no reputable politician would go on their programmes. Just John McDonnell.
Who has come to Alex Salmond’s aid in the row over his new Russia Today show? Vladimir Putin, no less. Putin’s spokesman was asked about Salmond’s RT programme yesterday and denied it would promote Russian government propaganda:
“We have no connection to it… There are many foreign anchors with different points of view.”
Asked whether the Russian government backed Salmond on Scottish independence, Putin’s spokesman replied:
“This is an internal issue of Great Britain and we have no idea.”
With friends like these…
.@AlexSalmond on MPs that have appeared on #RT. pic.twitter.com/xqJw7d29Ht
— liarpoliticians (@liarpoliticians) November 16, 2017
Alex Salmond has defended his new show on Russia Today by noting that Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott have all appeared on and supported the Putin propaganda channel. Remember when Jezza told his followers to “try Russia Today”…
First guest on Salmond’s show is Tory MP Crispin Blunt, which makes sense given his dubious foreign policy views…
Rosie didn’t like our story about her, and tweeted that she was not paid by RT for appearing on RT. Here is the entry she registered last week:
October 2017, received £500 from Russia Today (Studio Sixty Billion, Unit 438, Metal Box Factory, 30 Great Guilford Street, London SE1 0HS) for an appearance on News Thing on 28 July 2017. Hours: 3 hrs. (Registered 19 October 2017)
She needs to get her story straight…
UPDATE: The Canterbury LGBT community is unimpressed. This letter from local John Gusman:
“I was deeply concerned to note that Canterbury’s Labour MP Rosie Duffield feels it is acceptable to appear on Russia Today (RT).
In recent years, the climate for LGBT+ citizens in Russia has deteriorated markedly, with the government passing legislation banning the promotion of gay lifestyles on the basis of “defending children’s morality and health”. Those found “guilty” can be detained for two weeks face fines of around £200. Russian LGBT Network chairman Igor Kochetkov argued that the new laws have “essentially legalised violence against LGBT people”.
RT is a wholly-owned division of TV-Novosti, a Kremlin-controlled broadcasting conglomerate. It is nothing more than a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin’s regime. Indeed, only recently the LGBT activist James Kirchick was kicked off air for condemning Russia’s law banning “gay propaganda” and the station’s failure to properly reporting on it.
As a member of the LGBT+ community, I was pleased to see Rosie supporting Canterbury Gay Pride back in June, yet couldn’t be more disappointed in her now. Canterbury is a proud, diverse and tolerant community where everyone should feel free to be who they want to be. In short, it’s everything Russia Today isn’t.
Rosie Duffield should issue an immediate apology for her actions – and take a long, hard look at the type of company she is willing to keep.”
Remember when Russia Today’s Afshin Rattansi fibbed that they don’t pay politicians to appear on their programmes? Labour MP Rosie Duffield has declared £500 “from Russia Today” on 12 October:
Loony Chris Williamson accepted £1,000 from the Russians for two appearances in October:
Labour MPs taking Moscow gold…
“No, I think there was one for child expenses” @afshinrattansi
“2 days ago, I was offered £500 to appear on Russia Today” @Andrew_Adonis pic.twitter.com/xTpezGy223
— Daily&SundayPolitics (@daily_politics) October 19, 2017
Well done to Russia Today’s Afshin Rattansi who managed to fib with his first word on the Daily Politics. Asked if they pay politicians to come on, Rattansi said “no”, before admitting that a production company indeed does. About sums up their trustworthiness.
Top Labour figures appeared on Russia’s state-owned pro-Putin channel Russia Today more than forty times in the past two years, a Guido investigation reveals. The extent to which the Kremlin-controlled network is offering a free platform to Corbynistas is exposed today after Shadow Cabinet members were found to have appeared twenty-two times on the station since August 2015. Specifically:
Russia Today, now branded RT, has been investigated by broadcast regulator Ofcom on at least fourteen occasions since it began operating in the UK in 2005. RT has had more Ofcom rulings against it than any other news network…
During the 2014 Ukraine conflict, RT broadcast a programme accusing the Ukrainian government of genocide. During the Syria conflict, a programme called The Truthseeker: Media ‘Staged’ Syria Chem Attack accused the BBC of fabricating a chemical weapons attack in Syria. Both prompted Ofcom sanctions…
That year an RT journalist quit live on air saying the network had “whitewashed the actions of Putin” and that she had been asked by editors to “promote Russian foreign policy.” In October 2016 the channel’s Editor-in-Chief claimed that its UK NatWest bank accounts had been shut down. A Times investigation this year found that claim was false…
In March RT executives flew from Moscow to London at Ofcom’s behest to discuss their repeated failures to meet impartiality standards. The summons was triggered by a panel ‘discussion’ programme on NATO during which every member of the panel spoke against the alliance…
Last month the channel was required to register as a foreign agent with the US Justice Department, meaning its content is considered propaganda in the US. Just weeks ago RT created a fake Foreign Office twitter account with HM Government branding as part of an online project to reenact the 1917 Russian revolution. The account was shut down on the FCO’s request…
Records of payment for RT appearances by Labour figures do not appear in the Register of Members’ Interests. Labour is enjoying dozens of hours of free TV exposure courtesy of the Kremlin…
Full roll call of shame:
Labour dunce Richard Burgon had a tough weekend. The Corbynista simpleton began by appearing once again on Putin mouthpiece Russia Today, a baffling decision particularly for someone with the justice brief. Then he warned “what risks faith in democracy is political class as a club”, forgetting that he is only an MP because his uncle Colin was too. He then attacked Hillary Clinton for hugging George W. Bush, not realising the photo was taken at Nancy Reagan’s funeral:
As John Woodcock put it:
Like uncles getting helping their nephews get seats, or different to that? Leave off twisting photos taken at funerals eh
— John Woodcock (@JWoodcockMP) October 8, 2017
Richard Burgon: bad for his constituents and “faith in democracy”, great value for the rest of us…
Top Corbynista Richard Burgon was the main guest on Russia Today‘s current affairs discussion programme Going Underground this week where he spent ten minutes bashing the state of British prisons. Naturally not one word of criticism was offered against the Russian prison system, which is notoriously brutal, oppressive and has received widespread condemnation by human rights organisations. This year Amnesty International said that torture and ill-treatment are “widespread and systematic” in Russian prisons, and that inmates suffered from neglect including a lack of proper medical care. Russia is almost at the bottom of the Rule of Law Index. Must have slipped his mind…
Arise Sir Nige! @Nigel_Farage finally gets what he wants & is knighted on @NewsThingRT 👑 pic.twitter.com/o7ZXm6RpPs
— RT UK (@RTUKnews) March 3, 2017
Vlad’s TV channel pays well…
Yesterday Natwest said they would not be reconsidering their decision to close Russia Today’s bank account – well, under 24 hours later they are. A spokesman now says:
“We are reviewing the situation and are contacting the customer to discuss this further. The bank accounts remain open and are still operative.”
So what’s going on? It could be a response to the Kremlin threatening to freeze the BBC’s accounts in Russia in retaliation. Or maybe they thought again after Russia whinged about their right to freedom of speech/propaganda. Bit of an overreaction given RT wasn’t exactly being taken off air. Bank error in their favour?
An alliance of Corbynistas, George Galloway, UKIP’s nutty wing and internet conspiracy theorists have rushed to the defence of Russia Today after it had its Natwest account frozen:
“This is a crude, brute decision by a British government owned bank” LIVE @RT_com #RussiaToday
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) October 17, 2016
I have a great deal of respect for the producers & journalists who’ve interviewed me on #russiatoday b/c they believe in their craft.
— Harry Leslie Smith (@Harryslaststand) October 17, 2016
@RT gave me a voice when @bbcscotland would not so I will do everything to support RT
— David Coburn MEP (@DavidCoburnUKip) October 17, 2016
Unlike some broadcasters, @RTUKnews 100% professional; disregard racist smear campaigns; give me freedom to comment uncensored. #solidarity
— Mohammed Ansar (@MoAnsar) October 17, 2016
Worried about those appearance fees drying up…
Putin propaganda channel Russia Today say their bank accounts in the UK have been frozen. Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan says:
“Our accounts in the UK have been closed. All Accounts. ‘The decision is not subject to revision’. Long live freedom of speech!”
Where will Jez get his news if they go off air?
Croydon Labour delegate Edie Fairservice earned a round of applause from the conference hall for this message:
“Condemn Assad and his allies at all opportunities. Do not share platforms with Assadists, and that includes Russian and Iranian state broadcasters.”
Whoever could she mean?
Team Clinton have continued their attacks on the Breitbart-UKIP nexus, with a top Hillary adviser boldly claiming: “the Russians are openly funding UKIP”. Neera Tanden made the extraordinary allegation in an interview with Politico:
[…] Read the rest“If you’re in Europe, the Russians are openly funding the far-right groups, from UKIP to Marine Le Pen … There is widespread knowledge among the center-left parties that that is a rising development
“Look at RT, Russia Today.
Liz Truss on the next Tory leader…
“In order to command public trust we need someone who has backed Brexit from the start, because of the situation we’re in now.”
