O/T:- Chelski

[jackal2]

Abramovic couldn't be allowed to continue at Chelsea, but in addition there's a very strong air of 'cancel culture' surrounding the whole thing.

There's an increasing amount of virtue signalling and gesture politicking going on at the moment that's for sure, ostensibly aimed at Putin, but probably as much to do with convincing western audiences that something is being done.

If the way Abramovich made his money and his associations with Putin make him unfit to be a director and worthy of sanction now, then surely these points of elimination should have been the same twenty years ago when he bought Chelsea, or anytime since, when his dirty money has delivered Champions League trophies and benefited the profile of English football/sport on the international stage? Unless we think Abramovich directly influenced and supported the decision to invade the Ukraine - which I doubt he did - then he's really no more or less guilty now than he's been at any time over the past two decades.

Last week we were getting news stories about Russian vodka being removed from supermarket shelves and chicken kievs being re-labelled as chicken kyivs. Somehow I don't think that's going to make a critical difference to the morale of the Ukrainians and the Russians on the front line, but maybe such meaningless gestures ease the conscience of the western public and distract us from the truth that we're actually able to do very little about the ongoing horror... unless we fancy entering WW3.

We're also seeing cases of Russian people in western jobs being sacked if they fail to publicly condemn Putin, which seems counter-productive on various levels. First of all, we know what can happen to Russians who do condemn Putin, even outside Russia, so are we deliberately trying to put these individuals at personal risk? Second, doesn't this play into the 'Russophobia' agenda of Putin and help him to convince Russian people that the West really is against anybody Russian? And third, aren't we supposed to be fighting against the sort of coercive society where people can be vilified, sacked or arrested if they fail to say the ‘right’ thing?

[i961pie]

Some of these people will have families back in Russia so will be wary about putting them in danger by speaking out.

[The-Mac pie]

Some of these people will have families back in Russia so will be wary about putting them in danger by speaking out.

So we’re stopping Russian businesses around Europe from making money or trading..
So whilst freezing all assets why don’t we use there profits and give there money to Ukraine as I’m pretty sure this will help further with any humanitarian help that they need,
I know there’s a bigger picture,but surely that would help something

[irishpete]

So we’re stopping Russian businesses around Europe from making money or trading..
So whilst freezing all assets why don’t we use there profits and give there money to Ukraine as I’m pretty sure this will help further with any humanitarian help that they need,
I know there’s a bigger picture,but surely that would help something

That has been suggested, using Ruski money to re build Ukraine.
Abramovich is in the spotlight on Panorama & his dodgy dealings