DOMINIC LAWSON: ¶¦ËÅ theories and the useful idiots who are happy to believe Putin's lies

'On Saturday, the English language online version of Pravda published an editorial entitled "MH17: some conclusions - did Nato try to murder Putin?"'

'On Saturday, the English language online ¸«²ò¡¿ËÝÌõ¡¿ÈÇ of Pravda published an ÊÔ½¸¡Ê¼Ô¡Ë¤Î ¤¹¤ë¸¢Íø¤òÍ¿¤¨¤ëd "MH17: s ome ·ëÏÀs - did Nato try to »¦¿Í Putin?"'

When my grand-father¡Çs cousin Lev Germanovich Leibson visited Britain in the Ãæ±û¤Î-Seventies, he was shocked to find the »º¶È¤Î Â纮Íð that ºÇ¹âĬ¤Ë㤹¤ëd in the winter of discontent.

He was shocked, because as a Soviet ¹ṉ̃ he had read about it in Pravda ¡½ and therefore assumed it could not be true.

As the USSR¡Çs ¼çÍ×¤Ê molecular endocrinologist, Lev was one of the academic ¥¨¥ê¡¼¥È ¡½ ¤µ¤â¤Ê¤±¤ì¤Ð he would not have been µö¤¹d to visit London for a °åÎŤΠ²ñµÄ¡¿¶¨µÄ²ñ during the Îäø¤Ê War.

But it would not have much bothered those who churned out ÀëÅÁ for the Soviet ÌÀ¸À¤¹¤ë¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë that a sophisticated Ãμ±¿Í regarded everything they wrote as lies (¶¡µë¤¹¤ëd he never said it ¸øÁ³¤È): their ´Ø¿´ was that it be believed by the ½¸¤Þ¤ês.

That is also the ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ë of ÂçÅýÎÎ Putin as the ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß ÁÈ¿¥¡¿Â¡´ïs of the ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î ÌÀ¸À¤¹¤ë¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë engage in the »Å»ö of concocting an Âå°Æ¡¿ÁªÂò»è account of why 298 men, women and children were blown out of the skies above Eastern ¥¦¥¯¥é¥¤¥Ê¶¦Ï¹ñ.

Âå°Æ¡¿ÁªÂò»è, that is, to the °µÅÝŪ¤Ê probability that their »¦³²¼Ôs were Ukrainian ʬΥ¼çµÁ¼Ôs ¶¡µë¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd with the necessary ¥ß¥µ¥¤¥ë ȯ¼ÍÂæs by the ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î?·³¤Î.

One of the problems with ·úÀߤ¹¤ëing such an Âå°Æ¡¿ÁªÂò»è narrative is that Malaysian Flight MH17 was Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ing from West to East ¡½ which is why it would have been thought by the ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î-»Ù±ç¤¹¤ëd ʬΥ¼çµÁ¼Ôs manning the ¥ß¥µ¥¤¥ë ²¥ÂÇ¡¿Ë¤Îó to be a ·³¤Î Í¢Á÷¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë flight from Kiev.?

The simplest way °ìÏ¢¤Î²ñµÄ¡¢¸ò¾Ä¡¿´°À®¤¹¤ë that (apart from ignoring the bugged open phone-line conversations that ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ë this is Àµ³Î¤Ë¡¿¤Þ¤µ¤Ë how it happened) is to Àë¸À¤¹¤ë it was blown up by the Kiev À¯ÉÜ Àµ³Î¤Ë ¡¼¤¹¤ë¤¿¤á¤Ë discredit the È¿µÕ¼Ô¡¿È¿µÕ¤¹¤ës.

This was the ½é´ü¤Î approach of the Ĺ¡¤Î¨¤¤¤ë of the Kremlin¡Çs English language television channel, Russia Today: he retweeted the opinion that Ukrainian ¡Æfreaks¡Ç were responsible, who would ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë ¥×¥í¤Î¡¿»¿À®¤Î-¥í¥·¥¢¤Î Æ®»Î¡¤ÀïÆ®µ¡s. But Pravda ¡½ which means ¡Ætruth¡Ç, so it¡Çs »Ø̾¤¹¤ëd after the ¹ÔÊýÉÔÌÀ¤Î À®Ê¬ ¡½ produced a much more (a)¼ê¤Î¹þ¤ó¤À¡¿(v)¾Ü½Ò¤¹¤ë »î¤ß¤ë¡¿´ë¤Æ¤ë.

Grim task: Ukrainian rescue workers collect bodies of victims at the site of the MH17 crash

Grim »Å»ö: Ukrainian µß½õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë ϫƯ¼Ôs collect ÃÄÂΡ¿»àÂÎs of µ¾À·¼Ôs at the ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ of the MH17 ¾×ÆÍ¡¤ÄÆÍî

On Saturday, the English language online ¸«²ò¡¿ËÝÌõ¡¿ÈÇ of this still ¶¦»º¼çµÁ¼Ô party-owned ½ÐÈÇ¡Êʪ¡Ë published an ÊÔ½¸¡Ê¼Ô¡Ë¤Î ¤¹¤ë¸¢Íø¤òÍ¿¤¨¤ëd ¡ÆMH17: some ·ëÏÀs ¡½ did Nato try to »¦¿Í Putin?¡Ç ¸ø¼°Ê¸½ñ¡¤Ç§¤á¤ë the use of the word ¡Æ·ëÏÀs¡Ç even as Russia tells the »Ä¤ê¡¿µÙ·Æ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë of the world not to jump to any.

The article Æõ­¤¹¤ë¡¿°úÍѤ¹¤ës ¿È¸µÉÔÌÀ¤Î ¡ÆÌÜ·â¼Ôs¡Ç who saw Ukrainian airforce jets ¡Æ¡Ä¤òȼ¤Ã¤Æing MH17¡Ç and ¡Ærumours that ÂçÅýÎÎ Putin was believed to be Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ing over the same Â羡¤¹¤ë at the same time¡Ç.

It continues: ¡ÆSources who have asked not to be »Ø̾¤¹¤ëd have ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ëd that the ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î ÂçÅýÎΡÇs ¹Ò¶õµ¡ has very Îà»÷¤Î contours and colouring to MH17 and that both ¹Ò¶õµ¡ intersected at the same point and ¹âÅÙ at a Îà»÷¤Î time.

¡ÆIn the event it did not Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ over ¥¦¥¯¥é¥¤¥Ê¶¦Ï¹ñ, but the trajectory could have fooled those ?who ¼êÇÛÃæ¤Î¡¤¤ª¿Ò¤Í¼Ô to »¦¿Í ÂçÅýÎÎ Putin. Nato?¡Ç

Almost comically ¡½ if it is possible to be amused by anything ´Ø·¸¤Î¤¢¤ë to such a monstrous ºá¡¤ÈÈºá ¡½ the article in Pravda ¡Ê·º»ö¡ËÈï¹ð the British ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß of ¡Æa total ·çÇ¡¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë of º·É¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¦ÅÀ for the µ¾À·¼Ôs and their families, trying t o ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£° points from a Èá·à¡Ç, ¤¹¤°¤Ë before ´Ñ»¡¤¹¤ëing: ¡ÆAfter Iraq, after Libya, after Syria, would anyone Ëܵ¤¤Ç »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ë out a Nato »î¤ß¤ë¡¿´ë¤Æ¤ë to »¦¿Í ÂçÅýÎÎ Putin?¡Ç

A placard reading 'Putin is a serial killer! Stop Russian terrorism' is situated on bouquet of flowers in commemoration of the victims of Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane accident in eastern Ukraine in front of the Dutch embassy in Kiev

A ·Ç¼¨ reading 'Putin is a serial »¦¤·²°! Stop ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î ¥Æ¥í¹Ô°Ù' is ¿ø¤¨¤ëd on bouquet of flowers in µ­Ç° of the µ¾À·¼Ôs of Malaysia ¹Ò¶õµ¡¤Ë¤è¤ës MH17 ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë »ö¸Î in eastern ¥¦¥¯¥é¥¤¥Ê¶¦Ï¹ñ in Á°Àþ of the Dutch Âç»È´Û in Kiev

The author ends with the most important ·ëÏÀ about the ÀÕǤ¡¿µÁ̳ for this terrible ½ÐÍè»ö/»ö·ï ¡½ at least from the point of ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ë of the man in the Kremlin: ¡ÆOne thing is ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹: ÂçÅýÎÎ Putin is not responsible.¡Ç

Putin has not yet Âç¡Ê¸ø¡Ë»È´Û°÷d his own »Ø̾¤¹¤ë to the bizarre ¶¦ËÅ theories given licence on the ÌÀ¸À¤¹¤ë¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë-controlled ¥Þ¥¹¥³¥ß. He has contented himself with the observ ation that the 298 deaths were the Ukrainian À¯ÉÜ¡Çs fault because ¡Æthe ÌÀ¸À¤¹¤ë¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë over whose ÎÎÅÚ this took place ÂѤ¨¤ës ÀÕǤ¡¿µÁ̳¡Ç.

It will be Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ing to see whether the ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î ÂçÅýÎÎ Àë¸À¤¹¤ës himself ñÆÈ¤Ç responsible if Chechen ʬΥ¼çµÁ¼Ô È¿µÕ¼Ô¡¿È¿µÕ¤¹¤ës were to Çúȯ¤¹¤ë a ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯ing over ¥í¥·¥¢¤Î ÎÎÅÚ.

Putin¡Çs apologists can legitimately point out it was the West ¡½ in the form of the U.S. ³¤·³ ¡½ that blew up a ¾èµÒ jet »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë in 1988. All 290 on board Iran ¶õµ¤¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë Flight 655 were killed when it was struck by SM-2MR ¥ß¥µ¥¤¥ës ²ò¸Û¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë¤²Ð¡¿¼Í·âd from the USS Vincennes.

It is also true that though the U.S. À¯ÉÜ ·ë¶É paid Çå½þs of $62 million to the ¡Ê»à¤¬¡ËÃ¥¤¤µî¤ëd families, it never apologised.

A cameraman chronicles tail debris at the main crash site of the Boeing 777 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

A ¥«¥á¥é¥Þ¥ó chronicles tail ÇËÊÒ at the main ¾×ÆÍ¡¤ÄÆÍî ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ of the Boeing 777 Malaysia ¹Ò¶õµ¡¤Ë¤è¤ës flight MH17

But what the U.S. À¯ÉÜ didn¡Çt do was to m ake up lies to the ±Æ¶Á that Flight 655 had been É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ëd by Iranian Æ®»Î¡¤ÀïÆ®µ¡ jets ¡¼¤¹¤ë¤¿¤á¤Ë discredit Washington.

It only sought to defend its ¼ºÇÔing ³¤·³¤Î officers (who had sailed into Iranian waters) on the grounds they had mistaken the Äê´ü¹Ò¶õµ¡ for an ¸å·Ñ¤Î ·³Íѵ¡. That was not the least ¤Ê¤°¤µ¤ß for the µ¾À·¼Ôs¡Ç families, but it was the truth.

One of the many Ĺ½ês of a ²òÊü¤¹¤ë¡¿¼«Í³¤Ê °µÎϡʤò¤«¤±¤ë¡Ë ¡½which is what they have in the U.S. ¡½ is that it makes it almost impossible for the À¯ÉÜ to pull the wool over its own public¡Çs ÃíÌܤ¹¤ë¡¤¤â¤¯¤í¤às, or at least not for long.

But Putin, as the Swedish ³°Ì³Âç¿Ã Carl Bildt ´Ñ»¡¤¹¤ëd last week, ¡Æhas ¶¯¸Ç¤Ë¤¹¤ë¡¿¹çÊ»¤¹¤ë¡¿À©°µ¤¹¤ëd all the ¡Ê·Ù»¡¤Ê¤É¤Ø¤Î¡ËÌ©¹ð¡¤¹ðÁʡʾõ¡Ë and ¡Ènews¡É »ñ¸»s of Russia ¡¼¤¹¤ë¤¿¤á¤Ë create a more ¸ú²ÌŪ¤Ê ´ï¶ñ to?.?.?.?spread ¶²¤ì¤ë and ʬ³ä. While in the past, a war was »Ï¤á¤ëd by an Âçˤ °ìÀƼͷ⡤¡Ê¼ÁÌä¤Ê¤É¤Î¡ËϢȯ¡¿¥À¥à, today it is by a ¸Î°Õ¤Î¸íÊó ¡ÊÁªµó¤Ê¤É¤Î¡Ë±¿Æ°¤ò¤¹¤ë¡Ç.

¸Î°Õ¤Î¸íÊó was the »Ø̾¤¹¤ë given to the artfully ·úÀߤ¹¤ëd lies produced by the USSR¡Çs department for Agitation and ÀëÅÁ ¡½ in which µ»½Ñs the former ¹ñ²ÈÊݰ°Ѱ÷²ñ officer Putin would have been trained.

A pro-Russian fighter guards the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine

A ¥×¥í¤Î¡¿»¿À®¤Î-¥í¥·¥¢¤Î Æ®»Î¡¤ÀïÆ®µ¡ guards the ¾×ÆÍ¡¤ÄÆÍî ¾ì½ê¡¿°ÌÃÖ of Malaysia ¹Ò¶õµ¡¤Ë¤è¤ës Flight 17 ¶á¤Å¤¯ the village of Hrabove, eastern ¥¦¥¯¥é¥¤¥Ê¶¦Ï¹ñ

Perhaps the most (a)¼ê¤Î¹þ¤ó¤À¡¿(v)¾Ü½Ò¤¹¤ë was Áàºî¡¿¼ê½Ñ INFEKTION, the ¹ñ²ÈÊݰ°Ѱ÷²ñ ¸Î°Õ¤Î¸íÊó ¡ÊÁªµó¤Ê¤É¤Î¡Ë±¿Æ°¤ò¤¹¤ë to spread the idea that the Ãæ±û¾ðÊó¶É created ±ç½õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës as part of a À¸Êª³Ø¤Î Éð´ïs »ö¶È¡¿·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë. This was partly designed to foment Åܤ꡿Åܤë at U.S. ·³¤Î bases, which were often portrayed as the ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ë of ±ç½õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës ÆÍȯ¡¿È¯À¸s in Ãϸµ¤Î Á´½»Ì±s.

It was successful: like a ¥¦¥¤¥ë¥¹ itself, the ¡ÆÃæ±û¾ðÊó¶É made ±ç½õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës¡Ç ¡ÊÁªµó¤Ê¤É¤Î¡Ë±¿Æ°¤ò¤¹¤ë spread across the globe. It may have even Í¿¤¨¤ë¡¿Êû¤²¤ëd to the µñÀä by the Moscow-trained South African ÂçÅýÎΡ¤¡¿¼ÒĹ Thabo Mbeki to ¼õÂ÷¤¹¤ë the real ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ës of the ¥¦¥¤¥ë¥¹ that was »¦¿Í¡¤ÂçÅö¤ê millions of his own countrymen ¡½ with appalling consequences.

As it happens, ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç the »¦¿Íd on flight MH17 were Dutch ÀìÌç²Ès travelling to ±éÀâ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿½»½ê a Melbourne Á´À¤³¦¤Î ±ç½õ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës ²ñµÄ¡¿¶¨µÄ²ñ.

Do not be surprised if Pravda¡Çs ÊÔ½¸¡Ê¼Ô¡Ë¤Î board finds use for this in ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ëing a U.S. Æ°µ¡ for blowing up the ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë: ¡ÆWas one of the MH17 ¾èµÒs about to ÌÀ¤é¤«¤Ë¤¹¤ë¡¿Ï³¤é¤¹ to the world the Ãæ±û¾ðÊó¶É¡Çs real Ìò³ä in the »¦¤·²° ɵ¤?¡Ç

If they do, there will be more than enough idiots to believe them.

?

A commandment that isn't gospel

If there is one quotation »Ù»ý¼Ôs of °Â³Ú»à trot out more than any other it is: ¡ÆThou shalt not kill, but needst not ÅØÎϤ¹¤ë¡¿¶¥¤¦ officiously to keep alive.¡ Ç It was Æõ­¤¹¤ë¡¿°úÍѤ¹¤ëd by the ¾®Àâ²È Terry Pratchett in his Dimbleby Lecture ½¼¤Æ¤ëd to the ¸¶°ø¡Ê¤È¤Ê¤ë¡Ë of ¤¤¤ï¤æ¤ë ¡ÆÊä½õÁõÃÖd dying¡Ç.

And sure enough, on the day the Lords ¿³µÄd a Ë¡°Æ to introduce such a ¼êÃÊ, BBC2 Newsnight¡Çs presenter Kirsty Wark (¸¢Íø) interviewed Margaret John, a teacher with ½ªÅÀ ´â. She said these same words ¡½ which she declaimed with a beatific ɽ¸½ ¡½ summed up why she supported Lord Falconer¡Çs Äó°Æ to license doctors to ¼êÅϤ¹ out Ã×̿Ū¤Ê doses to people like her.

Someone at the BBC ¡½ which ¶¡µë¤¹¤ëd the ÃÅ¡¦¹ËÎΡ¦¸øÌó for Mr Pratchett and Mrs John ¡½ should check what the ½é¤á¤Î author of the phrase ¸½¼Â¤Ë meant.

They would discover it is from The ºÇ¿·¤Î Decalogue, by the 19th-century poet Arthur Hugh Clough, which was, in fact, a ·ã¤·¤¯ satirical account of what Clough saw as the perversion of Christian morality.

Thus another line of his poem reads: ¡ÆÂѤ¨¤ë not ¸í¤Ã¤¿ ¾Ú¸À¡¤¾Ú¿Í¡¿Ìܷ⤹¤ë/Let the ±³¡Ê¤ò¤Ä¤¯¡Ë/Have time on its own wings to Èô¹Ôµ¡¤Ç¹Ô¤¯.

How bizarre that Clough¡Çs spoof of the ten commandments should be °úÍѤ¹¤ëd everywhere as the true gospel.

?

A À¯ÉÜ ¡Æ¶¨µÄ paper¡Ç, slipped out last week, ¼¨º¶¤¹¤ës someone breaking a Äó°Æ¤¹¤ëd ˡΧ against smoking in ¾è¤êʪs could be ȳ¶âd ¡ò10,000 for ¡Æfailing to ˸¤²¤ë¡Ç the lighting up of a cigarette while a child was in the car.

¤ÎÃæ¤Ç the È¿ÂÐs to this ˡΧ is that the police have better things to do than trying to ¡Ê°­»ö¡¤ÈëÌ©¤Ê¤É¤ò¡Ëȯ¸«¤¹¤ë people smoking in cars with childre n on board. Of course, it would be ¤¤¤Ã¤½¤¦¾¯¤Ê¤¯ difficult if the ´¶¾ð¤ò³²¤¹¤ë¡¿°ãÈ¿¤¹¤ëing puffer were ±¿Æ°ing a ž´¹¤Ç¤­¤ë with its roof É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë.

So here is what the ÌÀ¸À¤¹¤ë¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë of the ˡΧ will be, if this passes through µÄ²ñ: smoking in Á°Àþ of children indoors with all the windows shut is ¹çˡŪ, but doing so at 30?mph in the open? ¶õµ¤¡¿¸øɽ¤¹¤ë is ȳ¤»¤é¤ì¤ë¤Ù¤­ with a ¡ò10,000 ȳ¶â. Barmy.

The comments below have not been ²º·ò¤Êd.

The ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës ɽÌÀ¤¹¤ëd in the contents above are those of our »ÈÍѼÔs and do not ¤ä¤à¤òÆÀ¤º È¿±Ç¤¹¤ë the ¸«²ò¡Ê¤ò¤È¤ë¡Ës of MailOnline.

We are no longer ¼õÂ÷¤¹¤ëing comments on this article.