No Commemoration of Arctic Convoy Veterans in Most UK Media
by Tutisicecream
Much of the UK media ignored the essence of the 75th commemoration of the British Arctic convoys to Russia why is this?
If people forget history they are more likely to believe the lies they are told today. With this in mind it is likely true that the current propaganda war is much greater than we care to recognise. There is probably no better example of this than when we look at the very recent omission by much of the U.K. mainstream media of the reason for the commemoration of WWII British Arctic Convoy Veterans in Russia. Described by Churchill at the time as “the worst journey in the world” during which some 3,000 servicemen lost their lives to keep our allies Russia supplied in the fight against Nazi Germany in the battle for Leningrad.
I got to thinking about this while watching a report of the commemorations being held in the Russian naval port of Arkhangelsk [Archangel] on Russian national TV’s Channel 1, shown at prime time a report by the way which was factual, respectful and certainly not propagandised. My point in writing this is that given the current level of hostile rhetoric and downright lies presented in the UK media when an actual factual opportunity arises to show Russia and the UK together in a positive light it is not surprisingly – passed over.
Information about the commemoration appeared on the Gov UK website on 26th August as did a report of the said event on Russia Behind the Headlines website. The Telegraph reported it on 29th August one of the few mainstream western media to report the event with a positive angle. Meanwhile the Guardian on the same day managed to put an all together ominous spin in an op ed piece, saying:
That past deserves honour. But it does not justify the actions or the policies of Mr Putin’s regime today.”
While doing this it fails completely to present the opinions of the veterans themselves, for that you will have to go to that Kremlin organ of propaganda RT.
Why might that be? It maybe that the story of our war veterans visiting a commemoration in Arkhangelsk and one in Murmansk to be attended by Princess Anne is not so news worthy, if factual, or possibly it doesn’t fit the generally accepted narrative about Bad Russia being written in Washington and endlessly touted by the Guardian. What it does though is draw our attention to the terrible standards of media news in the U.K., a media that finds it more suitable to publish any piece of scare mongering opinion about Russia, or trash Putin in some case of complete fabrication aka. Russian submarines or Luke Harding’s Panama Papers revelations, while a commemoration of U.K. and Russian veterans’ heroism is in essence ignored.
It may well be that the story is somewhat at odds with the image many of our corporate news outlets like to portray of Russia as a lawless, expansionist and criminal country, thereby furbishing the needs of US propaganda requirements by pandering to the demands of their handlers. None of this could be farther from the truth.
While doing all this we are fed hearty helpings of miss-information such as the guff in the Murdochian Times:
The Kremlin is spreading disinformation through a newly opened British bureau for its Sputnik international news service, and is infiltrating elite universities by placing language and cultural centres on campuses.”
Not mentioning that most news papers, including the Guardian and the BBC, have bureaus in Moscow and have had so for years. Does the US ambassador who utters these words not realise how idiotic he appears?
What this story does show is that in reality all of this anti-Russian promo-propaganda could not be in reality further from the truth. In fact Russia remembering those that were prepared to lay down their lives to defeat Nazi ideology is in stark contrast to the outrageous disregard for their bravery and commitment when we read what some commentators in the U.K. media produce for publication today. By this I am thinking of the apologists of the Nazi Coup in Ukraine, and there are many, who by constantly blaming Russia are prepared to bury facts and promote pure lies to back a Ukrainian regime which honours Banderite fascists. As people who have been following the events in Ukraine will know many true stories have had to be buried in order to propagate the lies emanating from Washington through such mouth pieces as the Guardian.
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My uncle, who was 15 at the time, made repeated trips to Murmansk in WW2 as part of the UK Merchant Marine and Lend Lease program. They were nightmare trips of wild seas with ships iced up. On one trip a huge wave washed him off the deck into the sea. It was a death sentence. But miraculously another wave washed him back on board and he was grabbed and hurried below. Not to honor these people is abysmal but of course the UK did the same at the end of WW2 with the celebratory march in London. In order not to offend Stalin they refused to include Polish military forces in the parade, a contemptible decision since Poles had fought bravely with allied forces in every theater of war. In the Battle of Britain it was young Polish airmen who made the difference. They fought like tigers because their homeland was occupied by Germany and they had the highest kill ratios.
We saw the same craven European-UK attitude at the 2015 VE Day commemorative celebrations. None of them sent representatives to Russia’s ceremony held in Moscow. It’s beyond contemptible. Russia won WW2 not the West. They lost 25 million people doing so. Yet the lick-spittle EU-UK minions of US empire refused to offend their overlords be honoring brave Soviet men and women from WW2. Really, we are dealing with the most morally bankrupt political leadership in living memory.
“… Russia supplied in the fight against Nazi Germany in the battle for Leningrad.’
Never mind, the government is officially allied with the emigre fascists who assisted the Nazis in the Siege of Leningrad, fled to the west with the Red Army in pursuit, lived off the Cold War and brought up their children to honour the SS and hate Russians.
Underneath the propaganda campaign is the realisation that, so long as Russia and China cannot be pried apart from their defensive alliance, Eurasia will gravitate inexorably into the sphere of influence their weight creates. And then our Imperial ruling class will have to reconcile itself to the dread prospect of making their way through life without wiping out nations, cities, wedding parties for the sport of it.
This may cause dismay in Westminster but the idea will bring smiles to the faces of the people of Yemen, Syria and much of the world.
I recall that when David Cameron boycotted the Russian Victory Day paradae in Moscow last year Vladimir Putin gave the three reserved seats in the VIP enclosure to three British Arctic convoy veterans.
Britains neglect of these brave men is shameful.
britains-arctic-convoy-veterans-took-boycotted-seats-moscow-parade
Reblogged this on The Stoker's Blog and commented:
Is there anything actually real in UK?
Very simple question to all UK media outlets who spin this article: ‘How many days active service have YOU seen in your life?’
The answer, of course, will be ZERO.
Teach your children this: ‘be very, very wary of those belittling the efforts of fighting men if they have never seen active service themselves’.
You can of course, belittle political decisions, whilst respecting the professional duties required of servicemen/women.
Reblogged this on Susanna Panevin.
Precisely.
My uncle served on those convoys as a radio operator and – by my mother’s estimation – was a completely changed man when he returned.
Youth not wasted but certainly sacrificed.
When I heard about Russia officially recognizing merchant seamen or seconded naval personnel I asked around the family whether he had received his.
He had – to make it obvious – care of Russia.
Shameful.
Reblogged this on Worldtruth and commented:
It’s quite disgusting that the bravery of those British convoys should be dismissed as inconsequential in order to maintain the presstitutes propaganda.