General Chat

The Prime Minister David Cameron and the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond have argued for tougher sanctions to be taken against Russia following the shooting down of he Malaysian flight MH17 over Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is reported to have told the BBC that one option was to include "the so-called crony group around President Putin."

In view of this tough talking from the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, I wonder if this will mean that they will give back the money paid by the wife, of a Russian banker and former Russian government minister, who a couple of weeks ago, paid £160,000 at an auction held to boost Tory Party funds, for a game of tennis with the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London.

Should they accept this money or should they decline to accept it?

Some decisions aren't easy.

The lady has more money than wisdom. The PM & his money-grasping side-kick are on a win-win situation irrespective of their abysmal tennis techniques.

Still, we could all do with a laugh just now & Boris can buy a few extra bikes.

Seems strange that Labour are concentrating on this rather than Cameron's double standard about arms sales to Russia.

Not too sure why arms are sold & then surprised when they are used.

I think that double standards is a common denominator in political parties of all persuasions and the sale of arms to unstable regimes is another common denominator - it is big money!

On the specific issue of selling arms to Russia, interesting that when the Prime Minister visited Russia a couple of years ago, in answer to a question about whether he had raised the issue of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko - David Cameron said that he had discussed the issue "but I don't think that means we freeze the entire relationship. What we should do, as mature and sensible countries, is try and see if we can build a relationship that is in our mutual interests, as we both want to see a growth in trade and investment and jobs."

The many faces of Cameron. All of them shiny.

It appears that 10 Downing Street consider the £160,000 bid that won the proposed tennis match is within the rules, they say that the successful bidder and her husband are now British Citizens and no longer close to Vladimir Putin.

So that makes everything all hunky-dory then - I suppose that goes for all the other money donated by Russians to the Tory party ;-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28443588

Boris Johnson has said today that the game of tennis with the wife of a former Russian minister is to go ahead after a personal assurance from David Cameron that her husband was not a “crony” of President Putin.

Sorry, but if you sell arms, you sell arms.

Our big, friendly, good customer may be our enemy tomorrow - it was ever thus.