This appeared in the Guardian today (thanks to Peter in the comments for alerting us):



We won’t bother doing an analysis of its lies, stupidities and racism. Simon Tisdall, author of the piece, could easily find out the reason Putin is virtually certain to return as president isn’t because the election is rigged but because people in Russia overwhelmingly support him. Even Gallup admit that much. Even the more level-headed western outlets acknowledge it. It’s a fact beyond dispute. Putin doesn’t need to rig anything on order to win an election.

But Tisdall’s brutish conviction is proof against facts. Any facts, even Western-backed facts. Instead of doing even basic research he prefers to riff for umpteen paragraphs on something that is a total, demonstrable lie.

Fact-based reality is not the one Tisdall and his peers live in any more. They don’t see it. And when it’s presented to them they think it’s Kremlin propaganda. In the matter of Russia they have become over the last few years blind and deaf to reason and fact. They are the most dangerous of deceivers – those who believe their own lies. Even the best of them now truly thinks anyone who questions their Russia=Evil narrative is a paid Kremlin agent. These well-paid supposedly well-educated people are on Twitter literally asking anyone who challenges them what the weather is like in St. Petersburg.

The sheer wanton deception, the outright, blunt and brutal propagandising is getting worse. It’s attaining new heights of spittle-flying hate. And in concert the war drums are beating again in Syria and Ukraine.

And we can be sure this is going to continue up until and for some while after the Russian election is done.

Supposing any of us live that long.

Because, without unnecessary alarmism, we have to be aware xenophobia of this magnitude comes with a risk. In the past it has always been a prelude to war. And if this current case isn’t an exception, humanity is not going to survive. Not even those Guardian journos snug in their cosy hubris. Hubris isn’t bomb-proof sadly.

The Guardian allowed comments on this article for six whole hours. Long enough to make it clear the suicidal, fact-blind, cultist insanity ATL is not shared by most who read it. Yes there are predictable cries of “putinbots” and predictable agenda-setting claims such as that Corbyn needs to be tougher on Putin (look forward to this becoming a major facet of the next UK general election), but for all that it’s the rational observations that get the most upvotes. And that’s even after the mods have scoured and censored as is their wont.

Here are a couple of the best.









