Sputnik: I'd like to talk about the current conservative government. Looking at cases like Brexit, accusations against Russia regarding Skripal and moreover conservative domestic policies — how would you describe this current government and is it qualified enough to lead the UK through such turbulent times?
Rob: I think the first thing to note is they [the government] didn’t have a majority on the way in, which means that they are not a full government as such. Having to buy in support with a billion pounds to the DUP suggests that they are on rocky waters and I think this current government isn’t playing by the rules as such. For instance, we have this poisoning that has happened, which involves two people but then this government has been linked in with this landmark study that shows austerity has led to 120,000 people losing their lives. Why aren’t we doing anything about that? Why isn’t the current conservative government perusing that at all?
In this country, we have something called ‘British Values’ and part of the tenants of ‘British Values’ is that we hold in high esteem ‘The Rule of Law’; now that suggests that someone has the right to prove their innocence. With this poisoning case, the Russian’s haven’t been given access to evidence or anything to do with the photos – they don’t even have comments. To say “be quiet and go away” that doesn’t sound like a government to me. It doesn’t make sense.
Sputnik: In the past week we've seen Theresa May dedicate a lot of her time to the Skripal case, releasing a verdict in a matter of days that Russia is responsible. This in turn has made her look stronger to her supporters and sceptics of her, similar to a tactic used by thatcher to boost support regarding the Falklands… are we seeing the same here with May? Essentially, is the PM using Skripal to boost her power?
Rob: I would agree with that. I think she’s trying to pick a fight and trying to make herself look good in front of the international community where the reality is that the Brexit negotiations are really going nowhere. It’s a fantastic way to distract the British public – I don’t see our British prime minister making such a fuss about the Grenfell Disaster. 71 people lost their lives there, why aren’t the government up in arms about that? It’s because it doesn’t make them look good. I wholeheartedly agree that what Theresa May is doing here is making a play at the internationally stage that she is a powerful person and can take control when in fact not even following ‘The Rule of Law’ in this country (which is innocent until proven guilty). Just saying someone’s done something, that doesn’t cut it.
Sputnik: What actions should we be seeing from the current UK government both domestically and internationally?
Rob: It really is beggars-belief that we purport to have democracy, be civilised nation and be forward thinking but basically we have a government with a playground mentality that: ‘he did it’ or ‘she did it’, without any proof or just cause.
A powerful and effective government should rely on its democracy, its rule of law, its process and not just point the finger at someone, because it helps their cause.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.