Sputnik: The Telegraph article’s headline says that the company was ‘found’ advertising on a Russian channel. Is this a crime? What is essentially wrong with the company’s business cooperation with RT?
Ollie Richardson: According to the logic of Westminster, spending UK taxes on financing jihadists in Libya — one of which came to Manchester and committed an act of terrorism in 2017 — is not a crime. So in this respect, the pro-Tory Telegraph is simply fulfilling its regular role of a propagandist outlet. The truth is that even if all UK-registered companies were banned from doing business with Russian state media, Downing Street would find some other nit to pick. Maybe the cleaner of an NHS hospital watched RT once — this would be enough, according to London, to brand her as an "agent of the Kremlin".
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Ollie Richardson: What they are actually "horrified" about (they won't admit this, of course) is the observable fact that Western Europe is slowly realising that "Russian aggression" is a fairytale, which is why their anti-Russian governments are panicking. Of course, the UK taxpayers won't be asked if they find it "horrifying" or it's just a normal business agreement. It's long been clear that the working man/woman isn't supposed to do any independent critical thinking.
Sputnik: The story cited Putin’s critic Bill Browder as saying that companies dealing with ‘democracy-subverting’ Russian channel should be ‘named and shamed’? What are your thoughts on the stigmatization of Russia in the UK and in the West in general?
Ollie Richardson: In geopolitics, it is always a good practice to proceed from the fact that statements contain projection and are formulated inside a certain cognitive framework. For example, if "democracy" truly exists, then why is there a need to shout about its alleged existence all the time? Russia doesn't do this, because it factually is an actual democracy. Russian citizens are allowed to hold anti-government protests and rallies provided that all legal norms are observed. I can't say the same for the UK, or for the EU in general. The current unrest in France is simply one example of this.
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Ollie Richardson: The fact that the British intelligence agencies are prepared to drag the NHS — which is said to be the pride of Britain — into the information war and weaponise it in the interests of a handful of "elites" is evidence in itself that London's anti-Russia scheme isn't bringing the desired results. I.e., attempts are being made to manipulate the British people at the emotional (subjective) level because the empirical reality is inconvenient. This will continue in the UK until the internal socio-economic situation collapses. I reiterate, refer to the current situation in France for a preview of what is to come.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the speaker and do not necessaily reflect Sputnik's position.