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Sending off diplomats won't hurt Putin as much as sending off McMafia style oligarchs. Unfortunately UK has no guts to do it.
by lowry 9y ago
Sending off diplomats won't hurt Putin as much as sending off McMafia style oligarchs. Unfortunately UK has no guts to do it.
- mc32 9y agoAnd what would be the legal basis for sending them off? If Putin did what is alleged, we kind of know he's capable of this being that he can tell the rest of the govt what to do and has in effect extrajudicial powers. The UK, it's expected, runs its government differently.
- nwah1 9y agoSomeone's gotta keep those London real estate values high. It's a win-win for UK landowning elites and foreign money launderers alike.
- donquichotte 9y ago[EDIT: changed my mind about posting this, sorry]
- acct1771 9y agoThat's because the street cops don't have firearms.
- liberte82 9y agoThe diplomats are probably the more liberal-leaning people who actually want to maintain normal-style relations.
- Erlangolem 9y agoIt’s a quick, symbolic first move, likely to be followed by more severe financial consequences. I think the largest here is going to be that it lights a political fire under some asses to hasten disengagement from Russia. The UK is already consuming less Russian gas, and in general between this, meddling in elections, Crimea, and Syria, it might be thst Europe in general seeks to financially disentangle from Russia. Isolating Russia killed it once, and the Russia of today is a shadow of its former self.
- charlesdm 9y agoThe UK has no incentive to mess up the relations with Russia if they're going ahead with brexit. They need trading partners. Morals, law and ethics tend to go out the window when money is involved. Just look at the relationship Saudi Arabia has with most western nations. Do you think it would the same if they were a dirt poor country?
- Erlangolem 9y agoThey have the incentive of their own citizens being exposed to nerve agents, polonium, and who knows what else. I don’t think “if brexit” is the spur it was last year either, given the sheer number of backbenchers who seem to be maneuvering for another referendum. Russian trade isn’t as valuable to the UK as EU, US, and CA trade either. Over it all, China is getting much more cozy with the UK (Hinkley Point anyone?) while Russia is moving away. The UK doesn’t need Russia, long term, especially with the rise of China as an economic force.
- igivanov 9y agoHuh? How on earth would it "hurt Putin" to expel oligarchs who ran away from the Russian state in the first place? An the UK has no guts to do it because it collects rich crooks from all over the world to spend their money in London and prop up the UK economy.
- myth_drannon 9y agoThey didn't run away, they just sent their families away. Oligarchs still control large percentage of Russia's natural resources. Putin needs them and he will feel pressure from them if they can't travel freely and can't continue living their lavish lifestyle.
- igivanov 9y agoThey can have all the lavish lifestyle they want in Russia, as those that reside there already do. The idea that they would put pressure on Putin is silly, it's the opposite, Russia in fact puts pressure on those who don't want to repatriate. That control of resources you are talking about can be a rather uncertain and fleeting leverage as many have painfully learned on their own example.
- lowry 9y agoSome powerful Russian oligarchs permanently live with in UK: Abramovich and Usmanov come to mind first. Former oligarchs like Khodorkovski and Chichvarkin should not be expelled, of course.