Tag Archives: China
'Chinese agent' dead cat falls flat for Tories as it turns out she has donated to them
Political influence: Christine Lee has been donating money to the Conservatives for many years, and has been seen with David Cameron (pictured), Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Remember this sideshow from last week?
Iain Duncan Smith tells the Commons that Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has written to MPs saying the Speaker "has been contacted by MI5 and is warning MPs there has been an agent of the Chinese government acting here in Parliament, working with an MP, to subvert the processes here"
— Jonathan Walker (@jonwalker121) January 13, 2022
The claim was that Christine Lee had been influencing Labour MP Barry Gardiner with donations, while her son was working in his office – but Mr Gardiner swiftly and efficiently killed the allegation:
NEW: Barry Gardiner says he's been liaising with British intelligence "for a number of years about Christine Lee"
He says he took steps to ensure Lee had no role in appointing or managing staff she funded
And he says he properly reported all donations pic.twitter.com/sXhzlgykFG
— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) January 13, 2022
So all the donations were legitimate, MI5 knew about Lee and was kept informed about her by Mr Gardiner's office, and there is no evidence to suggest that her son had anything to do with the matter.
MI5 appears to have confirmed this:
MI5 'have known for years' about Christine Lee. Are the establishment distracting the public from Boris Johnson?
The Establishment take us ALL for foolshttps://t.co/1tXxKDvIBZ
— Dorset Eye (Independent Citizen Community Media) (@dorset_eye) January 13, 2022
MI5 must have known about Christine Lee for years. Any reason why it only issued a security alert today?
— David__Osland (@David__Osland) January 13, 2022
More concerning is Ms Lee's connection with another political organisation… The Conservative Party.
Here she is in close contact with former prime minister David Cameron:
#PicOfTheDay: "David Cameron and Christine Lee – who MI5 accuses of engaging in "political interference" – in 2015." via @Independent
— Newsworks_UK (@newsworks_uk) January 14, 2022
And now here's a tweet that proved prophetic:
If the Chinese govt wanted to actively subvert Britain, why can't they just donate to the tory party like everyone else? https://t.co/yVX8sYI62r
— PJ Holden (@pauljholden) January 13, 2022
This is the reason:
Times has corker of a tale about Chinese "agent" named by MI5 and Patel, Christine Lee, gave £65,000 to Tories after being a fund raiser with Johnson. Tories did not record Chinese "gift" says Times
— Denis MacShane (@DenisMacShane) January 15, 2022
Apparently she has been backing the Tories for quite a while too. That's probably the reason the amount she has handed them seems to fluctuate.
Oops. The dead cat appears to have shat on the Downing Street mat. https://t.co/jT0LbyFUdl
— Simon Nixon (@Simon_Nixon) January 15, 2022
Yes indeed:
Well that little distraction backfired somewhat 😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/19cYoPLp5z
— Jen Wood – est optimum simpliciter (@unojen_wood) January 16, 2022
Possibly the funniest observation of all (although not from the Tory point of view) is this:
Priti Patel has warned there are more spies in Parliament acting on behalf of a foreign Government..
..that's Priti Patel who was fired by Theresa May for acting on behalf of a foreign Government.
— Lloyd Hardy (@LloydHardy) January 14, 2022
And, in the name of political balance, the sharpest comment is this:
New nickname for #LiarStarmer.#TelAvivKeef
And it's not "antisemitic", because Zionists are using #BeijingBarry to describe Barry Gardiner.
Unlike Gardiner, Starmer hasn't just employed the son of a foreign spy in his office. He's employed an actual foreign spy. From Israel.
— Frank Owen's Legendary Paintbrush 🟨🟥🥀🇵🇸 (@WarmongerHodges) January 15, 2022
So we see that a tactic intended to smear the Labour Party with allegations of corruption and possible treason, to distract from the Downing Street parties scandal, has backfired in Boris Johnson's face – and now it is his Tories who must face the same claims.
I look forward to seeing them explain their way out of this one.
This entry was posted in Espionage, Parliament, Security and tagged Barry, Boris, Cameron, China, Chinese, christine, David, donation, Gardiner, Johnson, Lee, May, MI5, Mike, political, Sivier, spy, Theresa, Vox on January 16, 2022 by Mike Sivier.
Awkward AUKUS is victory for opportunism – and a chance for Johnson to bash the French
This baby's nuclear: I have no idea if this is the kind of submarine Australia is getting.
Isn't it?
This Writer wasn't aware of Chinese sabre-rattling around Taiwan – I'm more concerned with domestic politics, and face it: how much did the BBC tell you about it up until now? – but I'm happy to accept that there's an issue.
It seems the United States has been supplying Taiwan with military support of some kind, in order to fend off encroachment by the so-called Red Menace, but decided more help was needed and turned to Australia.
The Aussies saw an opportunity to progress into the military major leagues and said they'd help out – if they could have nuclear submarines – and the UK stepped in to offer to build them.
This meant Australia had to cancel a previously-existing deal for submarine upgrades – with France.
No wonder the French government is denouncing the deal as a "stab in the back"!
To This Writer's way of thinking, it seems the United States is trying to drag the UK into yet another ill-advised foreign adventure.
Harold Wilson had the good sense to stay out of Vietnam, back in the 1960s – but then, he was probably the most intelligent prime minister the United Kingdom ever had.
Now we have Boris Johnson in charge – a man whose intelligence rates only slightly higher than a swamp filled with quicksand. And he has already started ramping up the UK's warfaring capabilities in the hope that he can start a rumble that might make him popular at election time.
Let's face it – all Joe Biden would have to do to drag that blonde lemming over the cliff* is whistle and point.
And Johnson gets to say he has whisked a plum contract out from under the noses of the French.
Never mind the fact that he's bringing loads more nuclear waste into the country – it's loadsamoney for… someone!
Yeah. This particular deal looks less and less tasty, the more I look at it.
Oh – and the Chinese have said they're not happy with all this, but they would, wouldn't they?
*I know Disney made up that particular urban myth but it's such a well-known story that the comparison still works.
This entry was posted in Conservative Party, Foreign Affairs, Government, Politics and tagged AUKUS, Australia, China, France, Kingdom, Mike, military, nuclear, pact, political, Sivier, States, submarines, UK, united, US, Vox on September 16, 2021 by Mike Sivier.
Dead cat alert: yesterday's man talking about Uighurs on a failing news channel is a DISTRACTION
'Demand better': That's what the sign says on the wall behind Vince Cable and that's what you need to do – demand better than him.
Apparently certain people are making a fuss because former Liberal Democrat minister Vince Cable said the Uighurs haven't suffered genocide under China.
He did this while having a pint with swivel-eyed goon Nigel Farage on GB News, after publishing an article in The Independent.
Who cares what Cable thinks?
He's yesterday's man. So is Farage.
The whole stunt looks like it was cooked up to boost ratings for a failing far-right fake-news channel.
I hope no Vox Political reader is weak-minded enough to let Cable, Farage or GB News lead them by the nose in such a cynical way.
Source: Shouting at China over alleged Uighur genocide won't help – instead the West must find a way to work with them | The Independent
This entry was posted in Fake News, Media and tagged Cable, China, Farage, GB News, genocide, Mike, Nigel, political, Sivier, Uighur, Vince, Vox on July 27, 2021 by Mike Sivier.
Hypocrisy of UK MPs sanctioned for criticising China human rights abuses
Hypocrite: Iain Duncan Smith oversaw the deaths of thousands of unemployed, sick and disabled people who were victimised by his 'reforms' to the UK's benefit system. How dare he criticise another country for doing the same to its people?
Shame on the Tory MPs who are whining because China has sanctioned them for highlighting that country's abuses of the Uighurs!
Yes, you read that right. Shame on them, because they are hypocrites.
They seem to think it is perfectly reasonable to claim moral superiority over the government of another country for abusing its citizens' human rights, while turning a blind eye to the fact that they are doing exactly the same to the people of the UK.
Tory MPs Iain Duncan Smith, Nusrat Ghani, Tim Loughton, Neil O'Brien and Tom Tugendhat all merrily voted in support of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that will strip many of us of our human rights – and remove from all of us the right to protest in any meaningful way against further Tory atrocities against us.
Duncan Smith is well-known as an advocate of harm against his fellow UK citizens, having presided over the deaths of many thousands of benefit claimants – that occurred for no documented reason – under the cruel regime he imposed at the Department for Work and Pensions. But now he's saying
Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak for those who have no voice.
He was quite happy to deprive benefit claimants of their voices – and to look the other way when his policies deprived them of their lives. In their thousands, remember – not just one or two mistakes.
Attacking human rights abuses anywhere else in the world must be, for these people, an act of abominable hypocrisy.
Note also the typical reaction of the bully: these are people who sneered at us for protesting against the Police Bill and then went right ahead and voted to strip us of our rights – but when the shoe is on the other foot and they're being singled out by China, suddenly they're whining about how unfair it is.
Boris Johnson is, of course, the worst of the lot.
Despite being omitted from the list of UK MPs selected for sanction by China, he had the cheek to say
Freedom to speak out in opposition to abuse is fundamental and I stand firmly with them.
Fine words from the prime minister whose sickeningly draconian Police Bill strips his own people of that very freedom.
I do not wish to defend China. It's treatment of the Uighurs is vile and should be opposed by all those of good faith. But these Tories are not opposing China in good faith. They're trying to steal undeserved good publicity by attacking a country whose human rights abuses are – currently – worse than their own.
But it doesn't work that way – or at least it shouldn't.
Any attack on anybody's rights as a human being is an attack against all of us – everywhere.
Johnson and his other little Tories might think they can take what moral high ground there is to be gained because their abuses aren't quite as bad. But we know where that thinking leads.
The abuses become worse.
The number of people being oppressed grows.
The UK's Tory government already fits every description of a fascist state that is worth reading. If you're not feeling Johnson's jackboot on your face yet, it's just a matter of time.
So don't waste any sympathy on these liars. They don't deserve it.
Source: Uighurs: China bans UK MPs after abuse sanctions – BBC News
This entry was posted in Benefits, Conservative Party, Death, Foreign Affairs, Government, Human rights, People, sanctions, UK and tagged abuse, bill, Boris, China, Courts, crime, Duncan, Ghani, human, Iain, Johnson, Loughton, Mike, Neil, Nusrat, O'Brien, police, political, protest, rights, sanction, Sentencing, Sivier, Smith, Tim, Tom, Tugendhat, Uighur, UK, Vox on March 26, 2021 by Mike Sivier.
While other nations fight Covid-19, the Tories lie about it – as 'February 30' proves
Closed: but the Tories pretended that the UK was closed to travellers from Covid-19 hotspots in China from February 30 – which is impossible.
Jonathan Van Tam is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England – although he shouldn't be.
He can't even lie convincingly.
Or does he honestly believe February has 30 days?
Speaking for the Tory government, he was trying to push another retrospective lie onto the people of the UK – that people from Covid-19 hotspots in China who came to the UK had been quarantined, starting from February 30 – a date that does not exist.
Someone get Van Tam a calendar… 30th February?
pic.twitter.com/KLAtymZ0q2
— Keith (@KeithTrue) May 19, 2020
Funny thing is, as far as I can tell, this is the current advice for people travelling from the Chinese hotspots of Wuhan and Hubei – last updated February 13.
It's a "question and answer" sheet which states:
Q: If I want to leave China via commercial means, will I be placed in quarantine in the UK on arrival?
A: No. People arriving from Wuhan and Hubei Province to the UK in the last 14 days should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with the flu, and call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the area. This applies even if you do not have symptoms of the virus.
The UK is not taking special measures regarding arrivals of any nationality from China beyond standard entry procedures. However, if you believe you may have been exposed to coronavirus or been in contact with another person exhibiting flu-like symptoms, you may wish to take precautions and self-quarantine for a minimum 7 days, also informing anyone you might be living with of your concerns.
Another day, another Tory lie about the coronavirus.
We cannot trust them on a single thing.
Yet they have taken it upon themselves to co-ordinate our response to the biggest threat of life we have faced in decades. No wonder more than 60,000 people have died.
This entry was posted in Conservative Party, Coronavirus, lockdown, People, Politics, restrictions and tagged China, Conservative, coronavirus, COVID-19, February 30, Hubei, Jonathan Van Tam, lie, Mike Sivier, political, quarantine, Tories, Tory, travel, Vox, Vox Political, Wuhan on May 19, 2020 by Mike Sivier.
Coronavirus: Countries that relaxed lockdown are suffering second spikes – and Johnson's talking about copying them
What a timing malfunction: on the day Boris Johnson tried to talk the UK into accepting his plan to relax lockdown restrictions, countries that have already made this choice reported increased infections and reimposed them.
Strangely enough, This Writer was only discussing the issue last week – with a guy who was saying that places like Germany have relaxed restrictions and nothing bad happened:
https://twitter.com/ricoforest30/status/1258431809135808513
Well, I don't know about Austria and Denmark, but as for Germany…
New coronavirus infections are accelerating again in Germany just days after its leaders loosened social restrictions, raising concerns that the pandemic could once again slip out of control. The Robert Koch Institute for disease control said in a daily bulletin the number of people each sick person now infects – known as the reproduction rate, or R – had risen to 1.1.
Germany isn't the only country having difficulties.
In South Korea…
The South Korean government issued an emergency order on Friday for the closure of all bars in Seoul after a single clubber infected at least 40 people and exposed over 1,900 more to the coronavirus. The closure is indefinite.
The authorities were forced to trace the contacts of the 29-year-old man, who has not been named, after his night out in the Itaewon district of Seoul – and have so far found at least forty people confirmed with the infection. The country had previously been free of domestic transmission of the virus after an extensive and rigorous programme of testing, tracing and isolating as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
And in China…
An untraced coronavirus outbreak in a Chinese city near the Russian border and a spate of new cases in Wuhan has prompted fears of a fresh wave of infections in China.
On Sunday, Chinese authorities reclassified Shulan, a city near the Russian and North Korean borders, as high risk, after a cluster of cases connected to a woman with no known history of travel or exposure to the virus.
It came just a week after China designated all regions in the country as low or medium risk. On Sunday the country's national health commission reported 17 new cases, its second day of a double-digit rise and its highest number in nearly two weeks.
These are all countries that were thought to have got their Covid-19 outbreaks under control – only to see them flare up again.
Now Boris Johnson is telling the UK everything is under control – just as the leaders of those other countries probably said to their citizens.
Considering what happened there, what do you think is going to happen here?
This entry was posted in Conservative Party, Coronavirus, Foreign Affairs, People, Politics and tagged Boris Johnson, China, Conservative, coronavirus, COVID-19, Germany, infection, lockdown, Mike Sivier, political, relax, restriction, South Korea, spike, Tories, Tory, UK, United Kingdom, Vox, Vox Political on May 11, 2020 by Mike Sivier.
Why are 'hostile' states trying to hack into UK coronavirus research? Why not pool resources?
Doesn't this say everything about the stupidity of our politicians – not just in the UK but across the globe.
Having created an atmosphere of distrust for no particular reason than they don't like Johnny Foreigner's politics, now that we should all be working together to beat Covid-19, it seems we're trying to steal from each other instead.
And if Russia, Iran and China are trying to get into our research systems, what might the UK be trying to steal from them?
Hostile states are attempting to hack British universities and scientific facilities to steal research related to Covid-19, including vaccine development, cybersecurity experts have warned.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the proportion of such targeted cyber-attacks had increased, branding the criminal activity "reprehensible".
It is understood that nations including Iran and Russia are behind the hacking attempts, while experts have said China is also a likely perpetrator.
There are thought to be dozens of universities and institutions with biomedical capacity working on Covid-19 research, ranging from new diagnostic and antibody tests to experimental treatment.
However, it is understood there have been no successful attacks on universities or research institutions to date.
Saving lives is more important than international rivalries – to anybody who isn't a jingoistic sabre-rattling fool.
The best thing to do is make all our research freely available – because then nobody will have to cover the same ground – and tell those foreign powers they didn't need to go to the trouble of trying to steal it.
Source: Hostile states trying to steal coronavirus research, says UK agency | Espionage | The Guardian
This entry was posted in Coronavirus, Crime, Technology and tagged attack, China, coronavirus, COVID-19, cyber, Iran, Mike Sivier, political, Research, Russia, steal, theft, UK, Vox, Vox Political on May 6, 2020 by Mike Sivier.
Has British Steel been rescued – or has China gained a foothold in the western industry?
British Steel in Scunthorpe: It seems one reason the plant here has lost a large amount of income was Brexit uncertainty.
China has found a way around high EU tariffs on its steel, by buying British Steel for the bargain price of just £70 million.
It seems that country's strategy has paid off – the UK industry has been struggling for years after it was said that China was flooding the international market with cheap, inferior steel.
In 2016 the EU imposed tariffs of up to 73.7 per cent on Chinese steel after an influx of cheap imports from Asia forced European manufacturers to cut jobs and lower prices.
But it seems that the damage was done, and it seems the only way the UK could protect 4,000 jobs in the industry, and 20,000 in the supply chain, was to allow a Chinese company to buy British Steel.
Won't this be a way around those huge EU tariffs – even with Brexit, if a UK government negotiates a favourable trade deal?
And won't this mean more inferior steel flooding the market, with the safety risks this entails?
From a political point of view, this is a slap in the face for the right-wing parties.
They attack Jeremy Corbyn's Labour as far-left amateurs who don't understand economics – but now they are being forced to accept help from the 'tiger' economy of the far east, which is run by communists.
It is clear that these Chinese left-wingers know far more about economic imperialism than the Tories.
British Steel is set to announce a rescue deal with China's Jingye Group, which could safeguard up to 4,000 jobs in the UK.
Jingye Group has agreed in principle to buy British Steel for £70m.
It is understood that the government will help in the form of loan guarantees and other financial support.
British Steel has been kept running by the government via the Official Receiver since May, when the company went into liquidation.
As well as employing 4,000 people at its Scunthorpe and Teesside sites, British Steel supports an additional 20,000 jobs in the supply chain.
Another 1,000 jobs are based in France and the Netherlands – those are included in the deal too.
Source: British Steel to be rescued by Chinese firm in £70m deal – BBC News
This entry was posted in Industry, Steel and tagged British Steel, China, Chinese, Jingye, Mike Sivier, political, Vox, Vox Political on November 11, 2019 by Mike Sivier.
Peston's 'China' accusation backfires as Labour supporters react with fury
Ill-humoured: Robert Peston.
Look at the state of this, about the Labour conference vote yesterday that supported the leadership's position on Brexit, rather than changing to support remaining in the European Union:
"For spectators like me – who spent 15 years observing the tactics of China's leaders – all this is quite familiar.
"For passionate Labour Remainers, it's infuriating."
Robert @Peston explains how Jeremy Corbyn stitched up Labour's Brexit vote https://t.co/z4HBsMdcx9
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) September 23, 2019
In his article, Robert Peston states: "The Brexit position of the trade unions was always a red herring, what magicians call misdirection. What mattered was who was in the hall.
"And that was sorted weeks ago though the choice of delegates.
"For spectators like me – who spent 15 years observing the tactics of China's leaders – all this is quite familiar.
"For passionate Labour Remainers, it's infuriating."
This is a lie. Peston was claiming that delegates to the Labour conference were chosen by Jeremy Corbyn to support his position on Brexit, when in fact they are chosen by their fellow constituency party members.
As Richard Seymour states: "This is literally a conspiracy theory about the official opposition being published by a major national broadcaster. They ought to withdraw this."
And he's not the only one to react furiously:
I'll tell you how it happened, Robert. CLPs, by and large, voted for delegates who support Corbyn's compromise position. Those delegates proceeded to vote… for Corbyn's compromise position. It's called democracy. https://t.co/Omwh2id9Gx
— Joe Sucksmith (@JoeSucksmith) September 23, 2019
Just for anyone still in a miltant bubble of denial:
Composite 13 lost convincingly
Composite 14 won convincingly
Watch the footage, the show of hands majority was huge for both.
Your disdain for democracy is really unhealthy if you're still fighting this clear fact.#Lab19
— Matt Thomas #GrassrootsVoice (@Trickyjabs) September 23, 2019
Membership totally back Corbyn, despite media narrative.
— Mel (@melaniekmelvin) September 23, 2019
So Mr Peston changed tack and decided to suggest he was joking. That didn't go down well either:
Ah, the old " it was a joke " line that arseholes use. Your absolute desperation to smear & discredit Labour / Corbyn at every turn for your masters is turning you into a cretin. You really are a sickening little man, I truly hope karma makes you pay dearly.
— Kath Hammett (@HammettKath) September 23, 2019
Joke's on you Peston, as you maintain the Centrists' proud record of being wrong about pretty much everything 😉
— UniteCommCamden (@UniteCommCam) September 23, 2019
i recommend you look back, far back, and discover where you left your journalistic integrity
— Ellie Baker (@Lashesxx) September 23, 2019
Memo: Jokes are meant to be funny. 😒
Last night and today I witnessed Labour Members from across the UK respectfully debate Brexit and democratically vote on our position. That's DEMOCRACY
Impartiality is a quality you're yet to possess. Be better. #Lab19 https://t.co/T3NjWvBjzR
— Seema Chandwani (@SeemaChandwani) September 23, 2019
Sadly, the mainstream media seem determined to mislead the public about Labour's attitude towards Brexit. Consider this, from the BBC's Norman Smith – and the response:
SO – to be clear – Labour will go into the next election as the only party not trying to further split the country AND the only party offering transformative policies to the benefit of the 99%.
RT if that sounds good to you. https://t.co/ivnqzXPpZE
— Knowsley for Socialism (@K4Socialism) September 23, 2019
Labour is now the only mainstream political party that will give all UK electors a voice on the UK's exit from the European Union.
The Tories will take us out on terms that seem most likely to benefit Boris Johnson's business partners.
The Liberal Democrats will keep us in, without offering the people a chance to make a decision.
Labour will honour the 2016 referendum by negotiating a new exit deal with the EU, and will bring this deal back to the electorate for a decision, alongside the possibility of remaining in the EU after all.
This is the only way democracy may be honoured in this matter.
Now all we need to do is get rid of Boris Johnson's attempted dictatorship and bring in a Labour government. Right?
This entry was posted in Bias, Brexit, Labour Party, Media, People, Politics and tagged Brexit, China, joke, Labour, Mike Sivier, Peston, political, Remain, Robert, vote, Vox, Vox Political on September 24, 2019 by Mike Sivier.
Foreign office officials: Meet the new boss – same as the old boss
Just when officials at the Foreign Office thought they could live without embarrassment for a while, it turns out Jeremy Hunt is just as stupid as his immediate forerunner.
On a trip to China, intended to strengthen trade ties ahead of Brexit, Hunt tried to win the approval of his hosts by mentioning that his wife is Japanese – evoking memories of a centuries-old rivalry and a bloody occupation in the 1930s and 40s.
He backslid fast but the damage had been done.
Good luck getting a decent trade deal now, Jeremy! I only wish I had some knowledge of Chinese so I could describe you in the appropriate language.
Jeremy Hunt, Britain's new foreign secretary, has made an awkward debut in China when he sought to curry favour with his hosts by mentioning his Chinese wife, but accidentally referred to her as "Japanese".
China and Japan have been traditional rivals for centuries. Although relations have improved somewhat recently, they remain touchy due to issues such as Japan's bloody occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 40s.
Source: Jeremy Hunt makes 'terrible' gaffe about his wife in China | UK news | The Guardian
This entry was posted in Conservative Party, Foreign Affairs, People and tagged China, Chinese, Foreign Secretary, gaffe, Japan, Japanese, Jeremy Hunt, Mike Sivier, mikesivier, mistake, Vox Political, wife on July 30, 2018 by Mike Sivier.