Boris Johnson Says He Thinks Ukraine ‘Can And Should’ Host Eurovision In 2023

Posted on 18/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has said Ukraine should be given the opportunity to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, as organisers confirmed that they were beginning discussions about holding the event in the UK.

Last month, Ukrainian entry Kalush Orchestra stormed ahead at Eurovision, with the British representative Sam Ryder finishing in a respectable second place.

Speculation soon began about whether the competition would be able to take place in Ukraine in 2022, amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

On Friday, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a public statement that they had conducted a “full assessment and feasibility study” with Ukrainian state broadcaster UA:PBC.

However, it concluded that after “exploring all scenarios” with the network, they shared “their sadness and disappointment that next year’s Contest cannot be held in Ukraine”.

“As a result of this decision, in accordance with the rules and to ensure the continuity of the event, the EBU will now begin discussions with the BBC, as this year’s runner-up, to potentially host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the United Kingdom,” they added.

While a No.10 spokesperson previously insisted they “welcomed” the idea of hosting Eurovision in the UK, Johnson claimed on Saturday morning that he’d like to see the event take place in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters shortly after returning from an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Johnson explained: “I have just been to Kyiv. I won’t say it is completely jiving and buzzing and popping but it is far, far more lively. People are much more confident. People are out in the streets eating in cafes and restaurants in a way that they weren’t even few weeks ago.

“The Ukrainians won the Eurovision Song Contest. I know we had a fantastic entry, I know we came second and I’d love it to be in this country. But the fact is that they won and they deserve to have it.”

He added: “I believe that they can have it and I believe that they should have it. I believe Kyiv or any other safe Ukrainian city would be a fantastic place to have it.”

Following the EBU’s statement, a representative for the Ukrainian broadcaster claimed they’d been “denied the right” to host the contest and called for negotiations on a new location to be put on hold.

“We are disappointed with this decision of the EBU,” they said. “During this month, a large number of people in Ukraine have thrown all their efforts to fulfil the conditions for holding Eurovision in our country. Security is, of course, our first priority.

“The team of UA:PBC, state and local authorities did a thorough job and offered different options. It is a pity to see such an unappealable statement, therefore, we ask our partners to hold further negotiations.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said last month he wanted to see the 2023 event going ahead in Ukraine, comments which were echoed by the Kalush Orchestra.

Since debuting in the competition in 2003, Ukraine has racked up three wins, with Kyiv consequently hosting the Eurovision live final in both 2005 and 2017.

This article has been updated to include a comment from UA:PBC.

Adil Ray Sparks Firey GMB Row By Pointing Out A Pretty Major Flaw In Rwanda Policy

Posted on 16/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Good Morning Britain’s Adil Ray locked horns with a guest on Thursday morning after he pointed out an obvious inconsistency in its approach to refugees.

While presenting the ITV show, Adil was discussing the government’s failed attempts to fly asylum seekers who arrive at British shores via illegal means to Rwanda with The Times’ political sketch writer Quentin Letts.

Explaining how Ukrainians seeking refuge here were able to apply online while the process for those coming from other countries, such as war-torn Afghanistan, was more difficult, Adil said: “The Afghans do not have an online visa system.”

When Letts tried to say he wasn’t sure if there was a system available to the Afghans looking to resettle in the UK, Adil interjected: “I’m telling you there’s not.”

Looking exasperated, Letts said: “You’ve asked me on this programme, you never let me actually answer a question.

“There are procedures, there are perfectly legal procedures, for people to come in. But what the people using the boats are doing is they’re paying money to scoot around the rules.”

Migrants who arrive into the UK by crossing the Channel are at the centre of the government’s new policy.

The Home Office has repeatedly justified this controversial new approach by claiming the route is unsafe and that the human traffickers who send the asylum seekers across must be deterred.

For comparison, the government opened up several different schemes to help home Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion following intense public pressure.

But, as Adil pointed out, many people travelling to the UK across the Channel are doing so “because there are no legal routes” available for them.

“There are legal routes,” Letts said in response.

“There aren’t actually,” he persisted.

Adil and Letts continued to speak over each other, until the guest eventually said: “I give up! There’s no point.”

“It’s my job to correct you, Quentin,” the GMB presenter explained.

“It’s not actually, your job is – you ask me a question, and you don’t let me answer it.”

“That’s not the point,” Adil continued. “Do you accept that first of all, there aren’t the legal routes, there isn’t an online system like the Ukrainians have.”

“Look, people on the boats are paying money to smugglers to get round the rules.”

“Because there are no legal routes.”

Letts sighed loudly and said, “forget it,” waving his hand dismissively.

The presenter persisted: “You can’t avoid that question.”

“There’s no point talking to you,” gesturing to the other people sat on the GMB panel, Letts added: “Four of you against me, it’s just absolutely pointless.”

At which point the other presenter, Kate Garraway, chipped in: “No one’s against you! It’s about looking at the facts.”

The clash comes two days after the European Court of Human Rights ruled against the first Rwanda flight which was supposed to take refugees out of the country.

The sudden move from the European court has left some factions in the Conservative Party furious, while the government has promised it will not give up on its attempts to remove illegal immigrants to East Africa.

Ukraine Wins Eurovision As UK Finishes In Second Place

Posted on 15/05/2022 by Boris Clair

Ukraine has won the Eurovision Song Contest with folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra’s song Stefania.

The act have been the frontrunners since Putin’s invasion earlier this year, with organisers also banning Russia from competing.

Ukraine joined the contest in 2003 and its three wins make it one of the most successful of the newer competitor countries, having also triumphed in 2004 and 2016.

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The United Kingdom had led the vote for most of Saturday night’s results after Sam Ryder’s performance of Space Man came out on top of the jury vote.

However, the public overwhelmingly backed Ukraine, finishing with 631 points on the leaderboard, with the UK landing in second place with 466 points.

It was the UK’s best performance in the Song Content in more than 20 years, and proved to be a remarkable reversal of fortunes following last year’s dreaded nul points.

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After their win, Kalush Orchestra said: “Thank you for supporting Ukraine. This victory is for every Ukrainian. Slava Ukraini.”

During their performance, which combined rap and Ukrainian folklore, the group were dressed in elaborate outfits, including long multi-coloured fringed ensembles.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Our courage impresses the world our music conquers Europe!

“Next year Ukraine will host Eurovision! For the third time in its history. And I believe – not for the last time.

“We will do our best to one day host the participants and guests of Eurovision in Ukrainian Mariupol. Free, peaceful, rebuilt.”

He added: “Thank you for the victory of @Kalush.official and all those who gave their votes for us!

“I am sure that our victorious chord in the battle with the enemy is just around the corner.

“Glory to Ukraine!”

UK prime minister Boris Johnson called Ukraine’s win “a clear reflection of not just your talent, but of the unwavering support for your fight for freedom”.

He also extended congratulations to the UK’s runner-up in the competition, tweeting: “Incredibly proud of @SamRyderMusic and how he brilliantly represented the UK tonight.”

The Ukrainian War Is Getting Bloodier. Is The West Doing Enough?

Posted on 23/04/2022 by Boris Clair

As the war enters its third month, it’s clear the Russian invasion has not gone entirely to plan – but that doesn’t mean victory for the Ukrainian resistance is on the horizon.

Further horrors have been unfolding in the east of Ukraine recently, particularly in the besieged city of Mariupol, suggesting Russia has no intention of giving up or going quietly.

The Ukrainian president has laid out exactly the kind of help the country needs from the west to prevent the war from spilling over into the rest of Europe. So will Nato step up, or will it continue holding back?

The war took a turn for the worse this week

Russia has focused its efforts on the east of Ukraine, while its attacks become more merciless.

Newly released satellite images suggest haunting mass graves have been dug near the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which has been under siege for more than a month. The graves could hold as many as 9,000 bodies according to the local authorities.

Around three-quarters of Mariupol’s residents have already fled, and a shocking 20,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed.

Despite all of this, Ukrainian forces allege they are still in control of the city – even as Russia declares its first substantial victory in the war.

Russian president Vladimir Putin previously told the forces in the area they had to either surrender or die but he has since called off an attack on the final stronghold, a steel mill where around 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are reportedly hiding.

Instead, he ordered such an unshakable blockade of the plant “so that a fly can’t get through”, which gave the Kremlin a chance to declare a win without significant casualities.

The city is a significant battleground in the war because it is the last hurdle in Moscow’s bid to create a land bridge between its territories in the eastern Donbas region and the Crimean Peninsula.

The Ministry of Defence has warned that Putin’s decision to blockade the steel plant “likely indicates a desire to contain Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol” so the Russian forces can be spread across the east of the country.

Meanwhile, eastern Donbas still faces intense shelling by the Russians, even as its troops “are still suffering from losses sustained earlier in the conflict”.

Detective chief superintendent Dominic Murphy from the Met War Crimes police also told PA new agency that it had received approximately 50 referrals from people with UK links about the Russian invasion.

As the war continues to escalate, he explains: “What we’re seeing is incredibly harrowing, beyond comprehension.

“In not far off 17 years in counterterrorism, (it is) some of the worst possible footage you could imagine seeing.”

He said it is possible that he has seen evidence of war crimes in these referrals, along with evidence of “other international crimes”.

So what kind of help does Ukraine want?

The main request coming from Ukraine now is for more money.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the World Bank and IMF that the country needs $7 billion (£5.4 billion) per month to supplement its losses caused by Russia.

It comes after the country has already suffered around $60 billion (£46.6 billion) in physical damage from the Russian invasion.

He explained: “We will need hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild all this later and recover from this war.”

The Ukrainian president also called for Russia to be excluded from the World Bank and IMF, saying such bodies are “definitely not the place for a country which is trying to ruin the lives of its neighbours”.

Ukraine used to want to join Nato so that its forces would help defend the country, but it has since abandoned this effort.

In mid-March, Zelenskyy said: “Ukraine is not a member of Nato. We understand that. We have heard for years that the doors were open, but we also heard that we could not join. It’s a truth and it must be recognised.”

Ukraine used to plead for a no-fly zone, but to the country’s disappointment, this was rejected by the west over fears it would be seen as an escalation of tensions with Russia and officially pull Nato into the war.

Instead, Zelenskyy now asks for weapons which are “comparable” with Moscow’s, including fighter jets.

The mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, has also called for more humanitarian corridors, explaining: “We need only one thing – the full evacuation of the population. About 100,000 people remain in Mariupol.”

President of the European Council Charles Michel in a shared press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky this week.

So what is the west actually doing?

The UK supplied Kyiv with 4,000 anti-tank weapons and anti-tank Javelin missiles, while another batch of 6,000 firearms is on its way now.

Around £25 million in financial support was announced in March, along with body armour, helmets and combat boots.

The US and the EU have pledged to send more weapons, while France has sent £83 million worth of equipment.

Canada, Norway and even Sweden – famously neutral – have chipped in too to support Ukraine with weapons.

Since Zelenskyy’s plea, the US has promised to pass an extra $800 million (£615 million) to supply Ukraine with more equipment, ammunition and drones while. The UK is now training some Ukrainian soldiers to use armoured vehicles.

Boris Johnson said earlier this week: “They need support with more artillery, that is what we will be giving them.”

Why stop there?

The west has been extremely reluctant to interfere with the war out of fear that the war would escalate.

But, critics claim what Ukraine’s allies have offered so far is simply not enough.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood told Radio 4′s Today programme: “The bigger question, not answered by Nato or indeed us, is what does success look like?

“We are doing enough to prevent Ukraine from losing but not enough to ensure they win.

“So what does our long-term mission objective look like? Is it pushing Russia back to pre-February lines or is it liberating the entire Donbas region? That’s absolutely critical in how we choose to up-arm the Ukrainians.”

He said there was an “absence of overall strategy” on how to end the war from Nato, and warned that he believes Putin will not stop his attack unless he is stopped.

Now more than five million Ukrainian refugees have now fled from the country, primarily to the rest of Europe, there is also an argument that the west is already involved.

Russian propagandists have already claimed that “World War 3” has started and that Russia is “fighting Nato”.

The Kremlin has even warned Washington recently that continued military aid could lead to “unpredictable consequences”.

Former vice chief of staff at Nato’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Michel Yakovleff, also called for the west to take further action this week.

Asked if the west has done enough to help Ukraine, he told French broadcaster France24: “Very bluntly, and that is my personal opinion, no, not since 2014.

“Ukraine is paying now for our desire not to escalate since 2014.”

He said that while the UK and the US’ actions now “have helped massively”, the influx of new materials has come at a time when both sides are exhausted.

“Will Ukraine have time to integrate this new equipment before utter exhaustion? I don’t know.”

He concluded that Nato, which calls itself the “most powerful alliance in history”, should not be “frightened” of Putin and “cower” in the face of the potential “consequences”.

Service members of pro-Russian troops are seen atop of an armoured vehicle in the southern port city of Mariupol.

The Battle For The Donbas: Why This Is A Significant New Phase Of The Russia-Ukraine War

Posted on 19/04/2022 by Boris Clair

A new phase of the war between Russia and Ukraine has begun, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday night.

“Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas,” he said in a video address about the long-feared, full-scale offensive to take control of Ukraine’s east.

With a “significant part of the entire Russian army” now deployed in the region, according to Zelenskyy, here’s what you need to know about what could be a turning point in the conflict.

What has happened so far?

On February 24, Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine. Tanks and soldiers streamed across the border, scenes more reminiscent of the Second World War than the remote cyber warfare that modern conflict was supposed to be dominated by.

Russia’s invasion has damaged or destroyed up to 30% of Ukraine’s infrastructure at a cost of $100 billion, Ukrainian officials have said, as the United Nations revealed the civilian death toll has now surpassed 2,000. About four million Ukrainians have fled the country.

But Russia’s swift march to victory did not materialise. Driven back by Ukrainian resistance in the north, Moscow has refocused its ground offensive in the two eastern provinces known as the Donbas, while launching long-distance strikes at other targets including the capital, Kyiv.

What does the Donbas matter?

The Donbas is Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognised by Russia.

In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed. After withdrawing from the capital, it began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for what could be a climactic battle.

On Monday, Ukraine military generals said Russian forces were increasing assaults in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – both of which are part of the Donbas – as well as in the area of Zaporizhzhia.

They also said Russia was sending reinforcements to the Crimean peninsula – seized from Ukraine in 2014 – and to the Rostov-on-Don area, which borders Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak called it “the second phase of the war” and assured Ukrainians that their forces could hold off the offensive. “Believe in our army, it is very strong,” he said.

The Associated Press reported a senior US defence official saying there are now 76 Russian combat units in eastern and southern Ukraine, up from 65 last week. That could translate to around 50,000 to 60,000 troops.

⚡️Foreign minister: Battle of Donbas will be similar to World War II.

“This will not be a local operation based on what we see from Russia’s preparations,” Dmytro Kuleba said, adding that he expects large-scale operations involving thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, aircraft.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 7, 2022

Russia’s stuttering campaign means control of eastern Ukraine has taken added significance, and may prompt the fiercest fighting yet. Russia needs some kind of “win” – recognising Russia’s claims in the Donbas and Crimea has also been the central plank of Vladamir Putin’s demands at failed peace talks – and following the sinking of its Black Sea lead ship, Putin will not be contemplating further embarrassment.

Wider attacks prepared the ground?

The new offensive in the east came as a Russian missile attack killed seven people in Lviv, the first civilian victims in the western city about 40 miles from Poland. It was one of a multitude of other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the country’s defences.

Lviv has seen only sporadic attacks during almost two months of war and has become a haven for civilians fleeing the fighting elsewhere.

Now President Zelensky, in a new public address, says Russia has begun the battle for the Donbas and concentrated a large part of its army there for an all-out offensive in eastern Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Itp6VX1ROJ

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) April 18, 2022

In other developments, Ukrainian troops remained holed up at a mammoth steel mill in Mariupol, the last known pocket of resistance in the devastated southern port city.

The capture of Mariupol, where Ukraine estimates 21,000 people have been killed, is seen as key, and not just because it would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula.

General Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, told Sky News that Russia is waging a “softening-up” campaign ahead of the Donbas offensive.

The US defence official said that if Russian forces succeed in taking full control of Mariupol, that could free up nearly a dozen combat units for use elsewhere in the Donbas.

Is support from the West likely to grow?

Given the changing dynamics of the war, Ukraine is calling for an increasing supply of Western weapons.

Last week, US president Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, expanding the aid to include heavy artillery ahead of the wider Russian assault expected in eastern Ukraine.

The US military expects to start training Ukrainians on using howitzer artillery in coming days, with the training taking place outside Ukraine.

EXC: Britain will hand Stormer armoured missile launchers to Ukraine to unleash hell on Mad Vlad Putin’s jets and choppers

Major boost to Ukrainian air defences dubbed ‘best kit yet’ sent to hero Zelensky after display on Salisbury Plain two weeks ago.https://t.co/yjFIeqWVi1 pic.twitter.com/LE4p9l9YTY

— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) April 18, 2022

The Sun reported Boris Johnson is set to provide Ukraine with tank-mounted Stormer armoured missile launchers, another sign the West is prepared to offer as much military hardware as possible without triggering a wider Nato vs Russia conflict.

With Le Pen Breathing Down Macron’s Neck, Is France About To Have Its Brexit?

Posted on 08/04/2022 by Boris Clair

And just like that, everyone’s talking about France and whether it’s about to have its “Brexit/Trump moment”.

The first round of the French presidential election takes place on Sunday, and what might have been a formality only of domestic interest is suddenly generating a much bigger buzz. This is thanks to a series of polls suggesting Marine Le Pen, the far-right’s standard bearer for more than a decade, could pull off a shock win over incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

With the help of HuffPost France’s political correspondent Romain Herreros, here’s everything that you need to know about the vote to determine who runs one of Europe’s biggest economic and military powers as a war rages on the continent.

The basics: what is happening?

France’s presidential election is to be held in two rounds on April 10 and 24. Polls have for weeks consistently pointed to Macron leading the first round ahead of Le Pen, with both qualifying for a run-off. It would mean a replay of the 2017 election that Macron won comfortably (66% to 34%). But this time around it’s set to be much closer. According to some polls, Le Pen has narrowed the gap enough for victory to be within the margin of error.

There are 12 official candidates. Outside Macron and Le Pen, the names to note in an election where radical positions set the tone are far right-writer-turned-candidate Éric Zemmour and veteran left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon. While it’s unlikely either will make the final cut, the second choice of their voters could be crucial in a narrow run-off.

A Le Pen win would send shockwaves around the world, not least given the West’s united front against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Having someone who has shown pro-Vladamir Putin sympathies deal with the fallout would be less than ideal. And make no mistake of France’s importance: Brexit compounded its status as the European Union’s main military power and, with Angela Merkel’s exit as German chancellor, Macron has taken a more prominent role in Europe.

Marine Le Pen and the image overhaul

The 53-year-old leader of the National Rally, a movement long known for anti-Semitism, Nazi nostalgia and anti-immigrant bigotry, is running for the third time. The “Le Pen” name is notorious in France thanks to her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the firebrand leader of what the same party when it was the National Front.

Since her 2017 defeat, Le Pen has worked to soften her image – stressing her love of cats among other things – and changed the party name. She has strived to appear as a potential leader rather than a radical anti-system opponent. Her campaign has focused on cost of living concerns – amid a huge increase in energy prices and growing inflation – and the candidacy of Zemmour, who is even further to the right than Le Pen, has also helped her appear more palatable to voters.

Herreros says many felt another far-right candidate would split their vote, undermining Le Pen’s chance. “But, in fact, Zemmour was very hard, very radical. So Le Pen looked more soft. People are less afraid of her compared to Zemmour. When we look at the polls, we see that.”

Below, poll aggregator showing how Macron’s lead over Le Pen has narrowed in recent days. See here for latest update.

That explains in part why the context is not quite 2016. “The last election was just one year after Brexit and Trump’s election, so we were in a populist moment,” Herreros says of Macron’s 2017 ascent to power. “Now we have seen that Brexit was not what the British people expected, and we saw (Brazil’s populist president) Bolsonaro is a nightmare in Brazil. But Le Pen is not playing the populist role – she says she doesn’t want to leave the euro this time, that she’s not that extreme like Zimmour. ‘Trust me, I’m not evil’.”

But, make no mistake, the core of her party’s programme has not changed. “She is still far-right,” Herreros explains. “She is proposing the same thing on immigration as Zemmour, but with different words. It’s just a different package.”

She would end a number of welfare benefits for foreigners, stop family reunification, give preference to the French for jobs and social housing, ban the hijab in public spaces and kick unemployed foreigners out of France.

Éric Zemmour, not quite the French Trump

The early obsession among the chattering classes was the rise of Zemmour and his fledgling Reconquest! party. A TV pundit who styles himself as a Donald Trump figure and guardian of Old France, he has proposed a Ministry of “Remigration” equipped with airplanes to expedite the expulsions of what he says are undesirable migrants.

Zemmour pushes the white nationalist conspiracy theory known as the “great replacement”, which argues France and Western nations are being overrun by immigrants and other people of colour — notably Muslims.

Reflecting Le Pen’s superficial changes, a batch of her officials and supporters have left for Zemmour. The only one Le Pen spared criticism was her niece, Marion Marechal, a former politician who has returned to the frontline to help Zemmour.

Perhaps what worries most is the two far-right candidates together are drawing more support than the centrist president. In a scenario where Le Pen inherits around 80% of Zemmour’s votes in the second round – a not unreasonable prospect, say analysts – it puts her “close to victory”, says Herreros.

Macron and gone?

For Macron, Le Pen is the candidate to beat, and his camp has worried openly about an “accidental” win for Le Pen – perhaps if moderate voters fail to turn up at the polls.

The 44-year-old former investment banker, elected in 2017 with little political experience with his centrist La Republique en Marche, saw his pristine reputation dented by The Yellow Vest protests and imposing coronavirus restrictions.

His election campaign has been disrupted by the war in Ukraine, with Macron delaying his pitch to the country because of France’s central role in the West’s response. While absence from the campaign trail has its own problems, wartime leadership has allowed him to be presented dealing with the big issues facing the world (see the unusual pictures of him working nights and weekends at the Elysee palace, looking tired and unshaven, in jeans and a hoodie). It may have helped with an initial poll boost, but that appears to have waned.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen are set to meet in the run-off for the second consecutive presidential election.

Herreros explains Macron is popular for this stage of his presidency – higher than predecessors François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy – but he has come unstuck by two factors. “He went too late in the campaign,” says Herreros. “It was difficult for him to say ‘hey, I’m the candidate’ when Putin was invading Ukraine. If he went in January or February, it would have been easier for him. He left the space for the far-right.”

He also bound himself to Le Pen, thinking France would never actually put her in power. “He always thought he would be automatically re-elected against Marine Le Pen. During his presidency he would ‘wink, wink’ to right-wing voters, some of his ministers talked in a way that could be used by Le Pen. Now people are saying you played with fire, now we have the result of what you have done.”

So what will happen?

The neck-and-neck polling doesn’t tell the whole story, say Herreros. A low turnout could kill off all the pre-election anticipation as Le Pen is relying heavily on the working class vote to come out in support. Le Pen’s party is still stinging from her party’s failure in last summer’s regional balloting, blamed on a turnout of only 33% of voters in the first round.

There may also be a moment of clarity. “In France, when the far-right are close to power, people wake up,” says Herreros. “And they lose every time.”

In 2015, Le Pen, who had appeared to be on the cusp of winning the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, lost out in the second round, and her aforementioned niece, thought to be one of the party’s best hopes in the regional elections, also lost in the southern Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur.

“They lost,” says Herreros. “But who knows how the voters will react? Le Pen will say, ‘Macron is the system, vote for me. You’re from the left and don’t like Macron, vote for me’. It’s the same thing we saw with Brexit. Maybe people will think … let’s try it.”

UK Energy Strategy: Boris Johnson Puts Faith In Nuclear And Offshore Wind

Posted on 06/04/2022 by Boris Clair

Nuclear and offshore wind power are at the heart of the government’s long-awaited energy strategy that has been given added weight by the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine.

Ministers are promising “cleaner and more affordable energy” – but the plan has been criticised for being cool on the expansion of onshore wind given its unpopularity in rural Tory heartlands.

Central to the thinking behind the plan is to reduce the UK’s dependence on foreign sources of energy – an issue that has been brought into sharp focus by the reliance on Russian oil and gas since the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Rocketing energy bills faced by families, caused in part by a post-pandemic rise in demand for gas and lower levels of production, has also put Boris Johnson under pressure to respond decisively.

Under the government’s fresh plans, a new body, Great British Nuclear, will be launched to bolster the UK’s nuclear capacity with the hope of up to 24 gigawatts (GW) of electricity by 2050 coming from the source of power. That would represent 25% of the projected electricity demand.

It is hoped the focus on nuclear will deliver up to eight reactors – equivalent to one reactor a year instead of one a decade.

The strategy also confirmed the intention to push ahead with a nuclear project at the Wylfa sites in Anglesey.

On offshore wind, the plan outlines the ambition of producing up to 50GW of energy by 2030, which the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said would be more than enough to power every home in the UK.

Some 5GW should come from floating offshore wind in deeper seas and planning reforms will slash approval times for new wind farms from four years to one year.

It is thought a major crunch point in the strategy, and one of the reasons its launch has been delayed, is wrangling over onshore wind farms.

Several ministers have aired views backing the development of new oil and gas, but not onshore wind, which is one of the cheapest forms of electricity.

The government said it would be “consulting on developing partnerships with a limited number of supportive communities who wish to host new onshore wind infrastructure in return for guaranteed lower energy bills”.

The cautious wording squares with comments made by Tory ministers in recent days. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said he did not favour a vast increase in onshore wind farms as he said they “can create something of an eyesore”.

Labour said the prime minister had “caved to his own backbenchers” and that the plan would do nothing to help the rising energy costs faced by households.

Johnson said: “We’re setting out bold plans to scale up and accelerate affordable, clean and secure energy made in Britain, for Britain, from new nuclear to offshore wind, in the decade ahead.

“This will reduce our dependence on power sources exposed to volatile international prices we cannot control, so we can enjoy greater energy self-sufficiency with cheaper bills.”

The government has already commissioned a review into the science around fracking, which could pave the way to lifting the moratorium on the controversial process, imposed over the tremors it caused.

A £30m competition to manufacture heat pumps is also to be launched, and there are ambitions to increase solar capacity with a consultation of the rules for solar projects.

Meanwhile, on oil and gas, a new licensing round for new North Sea oil and gas projects is planned for the autumn to cover the “nearer term”.

The plan was welcomed by offshore wind firm Orsted, trade association Hydrogen UK, Shell and EDF, among others.

But Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate change and net-zero secretary, said: “The government’s energy relaunch is in disarray.

“Boris Johnson has completely caved to his own backbenchers and now, ludicrously, his own energy strategy has failed on the sprint we needed on onshore wind and solar, the cheapest, cleanest forms of homegrown power.

“This relaunch will do nothing for the millions of families now facing an energy bills crisis.

“No reversal of the ban on onshore wind and not a penny more on energy efficiency.

“These decisions will force households to pay hundreds of pounds more for their energy bills and keep the UK dependent on imported gas for longer.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the plans were “utterly hopeless”.

Climate think tank E3G said the announced plans had “failed to support the action needed to either get off Russian gas this year or bring down energy bills”.

Ed Matthew, campaigns director at E3G said: “With no new support to save energy and by holding back on solar power and onshore wind, this strategy will do nothing to help the UK get off Russian gas this year.

“Instead, the government has prioritised policies that will keep us dependent on high-cost fossil fuels and nuclear power.

“This isn’t an energy security strategy and will do nothing to bring down energy bills.

“It is a national security threat and the person who will be happiest with it is Vladimir Putin.”

George Galloway’s Twitter Account Labelled ‘Russian State-Affiliated Media’ – And Ex-MP Threatens To Sue

Posted on 06/04/2022 by Boris Clair

The Twitter account of George Galloway has been labelled “Russia state-affiliated media” – and the former Labour MP is furious about it.

Galloway, who presented the Mother of All Talk Shows on Radio Sputnik, which is owned by the Kremlin, said he would sue the social media giant over the marking.

In an angry message, the politician-turned-commentator urged Twitter to take down the message which was applied to his account.

“I am not ‘Russia state affiliated media’,” he complained.

“I work for NO #Russian media. I have 400,000 followers. I’m the leader of a British political party and spent nearly 30 years in the British parliament.

“If you do not remove this designation I will take legal action.”

Galloway has been a contributor for RT, formerly known as Russia Today, which recently had its licence revoked in the UK by regulator Ofcom.

He has presented The Mother of All Talk Shows on Radio Sputnik since 2019.

Galloway – a Labour MP until he was expelled in 2003, and most recently MP until 2015 for the Respect party – also presented Sputnik: Orbiting The World With George Galloway each week with his wife Gayatri.

When it was pointed out references to the Russian-backed media had been removed from his Twitter profile page, Galloway responded: “I deleted it because it no longer exists. The show, the channel, are closed by government edict.”

You’ve just deleted it from your profile description, so for the benefit of everyone else, here’s what it looked like 60 seconds ago with your Russian state funded RT show listed: pic.twitter.com/Q9MCLYQODm

— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) April 6, 2022

I deleted it because it no longer exists. The show, the channel, are closed by government edict

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) April 6, 2022

You were all too happy to brag about hosting a show for Putin’s propaganda outlet until the point where Twitter officially labelled you as such.

Would you have been so upset if Twitter had added the ‘Russian state-affiliated media’ label before RT was banned?

— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) April 6, 2022

Galloway later tweeted with reference to new Twitter shareholder Elon Musk: “It’s Kafkaesque really. When I did present on #Russian state media I had NO Twitter designation. Now that I don’t can’t and would be committing a crime if I did I have been given the designation. Shome mishtake shurely @elonmusk.”

On Tuesday, Twitter announced that the platform would no longer “amplify or recommend government accounts belonging to states that limit access to free information and are engaged in armed interstate conflict”.

In a statement last month, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said RT was not “fit and proper”, given its close links to the Russian state.

The move followed accusations that the channel was promoting pro-Putin propaganda about the war in Ukraine.

It has been unavailable to British viewers since earlier in the month as a result of a ban imposed by the European Union.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high.

“Following an independent regulatory process, we have today found that RT is not fit and proper to hold a licence in the UK. As a result we have revoked RT’s UK broadcasting licence.”

Zelenskyy: Russians Committing ‘Most Terrible War Crimes’ In Ukraine Since Second World War

Posted on 05/04/2022 by Boris Clair

Addressing a meeting of the United Nations Security Council remotely on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the alleged atrocities uncovered in recent days as Russian troops moved out of areas in northern Ukraine.

“The most terrible war crimes we’ve seen since the end of World War II are being committed,” Zelenskyy told the council assembled in New York City, later arguing that “Russia wants to turn Ukraine into silent slaves.”

Zelenskyy proposed a tribunal for Russians who ordered or carried out war crimes similar to the Nuremberg trials in the years directly following the second world war.

Ukrainian authorities and journalists have seen evidence of widespread civilian casualties in Bucha, a suburban area northwest of Kyiv. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the casualties as evidence of “a deliberate campaign to kill, to torture, to rape” ― not “the random act of a rogue unit.”

President Joe Biden on Monday called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be held accountable for the violence, which he described as a war crime.

Russia has repeatedly asserted that the violence was committed after its forces left the region. Blinken, however, said Tuesday that reports of atrocities committed by the Russians are “more than credible.”

“I’m addressing you on behalf of the memory of the deceased,” Zelenskyy told the U.N. council. “They died suffering.”

He alleged that Russian troops searched for and killed “anyone who served our country,” including entire families, executing many people in the street. Other people were thrown in wells, Zelenskyy claimed, and some had their limbs or tongues removed. Photographs showed that some of the dead had their hands tied behind their backs.

The world has yet to see the full extent of the brutality, Zelenskyy added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remotely addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York City on April 5.

The Russians’ behavior is “no different than ISIS,” Zelenskyy said. “And here it is done by a member of the United Nations Security Council.”

The Ukrainian leader condemned the group, whose permanent members include the Russian Federation, for not doing more to end the conflict. He proposed three options: Remove Russia from the security council, reform the council, or dissolve it completely.

Citing what he called Ukraine’s “moral right” to propose reforms, Zelenskyy argued that Russia’s veto power makes the council worthless in fulfilling its main purpose of peacekeeping.

There is currently no process for removing a member of the security council.

“Accountability must be inevitable,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian delegation sent a video to be played following the president’s remarks, but technical issues prevented it from being shown immediately afterward.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield subsequently announced that the U.S. would seek to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council, noting that Russia has used false allegations of human rights abuses on the part of Ukraine to justify its invasion.

Boris Johnson Urges Russians To Sidestep State Media To Find Out About Putin’s ‘War Crimes’

Posted on 05/04/2022 by Boris Clair

Boris Johnson has urged Russian people to use alternative forms of news to find out about Vladamir Putin’s alleged war crimes, arguing they would not support the invasion and crimes that are a “stain on the honour of Russia”.

In a video message directed to the Russian population, the UK prime minister said they only needed an online VPN connection to sidestep state-controlled media and gain access to independent information from around the world.

“Your president knows that if you could see what was happening, you would not support his war,” he said.

“He knows that these crimes betray the trust of every Russian mother who proudly waves goodbye to her son as he heads off to join the military.

“And he knows they are a stain on the honour of Russia itself.”

Speaking in Russian, he added: “Your president stands accused of committing war crimes. But I cannot believe he’s acting in your name.”

His comments follow global outrage at the massacre uncovered at Bucha, a Ukrainian town, that was targeted by the Russian forces on their way to conquer Kyiv in March.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing the “most terrible war crimes” since the Second World War as he called for trials akin to those held after the defeat of the Nazis.

The Ukrainian president accused Putin’s forces of creating “mass starvation” and shooting and raping civilians, during a graphic address to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

Russian forces then began to withdraw from the region around March 30, reportedly due to a shortage of resources, meaning journalists have been able to access to beleaguered Bucha once again.

The Associated Press released images from the town showing bodies on the Bucha streets, with their hands tied behind their backs and wounds to the back of their heads.

According to the news agency, at least 21 bodies were found, with at least nine of them in civilian clothing.

Anatoly Fedoruk, Bucha’s mayor, said more than 300 residents in the town had been killed, while Ukrainian prosecutors allege Russian forces used the basement of one house as a torture chamber.

Satellite images showed a 45ft-long mass grave in the town too.

Russia has denied any involvement and suggested the bodies were placed their strategically by the Ukrainians.

Moscow has dismissed any accusations of war crimes too, and claims “Ukrainian radicals” are responsible for the massacre in Bucha as “not a single civilian” faced violent military action from Russian forces.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, of Ukraine, addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York City.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY via Getty Images

In his message, Johnson said the reports were so shocking that Putin had deliberately sought to hide the truth from his people.

Johnson said that people only needed a VPN connection to access independent information from around the world.

“When you find the truth, share it,” he said.

“Those responsible will be held to account. And history will remember who looked the other way.”

During the UK-convened meeting of the UN’s most powerful body, whose membership includes Russia, Zelenskyy called for those responsible to be “brought to justice” in a tribunal similar to the Nuremberg trials.

He warned the world is yet to see the acts committed by the Kremlin’s troops in other regions after evidence of atrocities was unearthed after their withdrawal from Bucha, near Kyiv.

“Today, as a result of Russia’s actions in our country, in Ukraine, the most terrible war crimes we’ve seen since the end of World War Two are being committed,” he said in the virtual address.

“Russian troops are deliberately destroying Ukrainian cities to ashes with artillery and air strikes. They are deliberately blocking cities, creating mass starvation. They deliberately shoot columns of civilians on the road trying to escape from the hostilities.

“They even deliberately blow up shelters where civilians hide from air strikes.

“The massacre in our city of Bucha is unfortunately only one of many examples of what the occupiers have been doing on our land for the past 41 days.”

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