Relaciones

Las dos notas que siguen no tienen, aparentemente, ninguna relación entre sí. Astroboy piensa que están relacionadas. A ver qué piensan ustedes. Salieron hoy en Russia Today:


Título: NATO not enough? EU launches own military alliance

Texto: The EU has moved a step closer towards having a joint military force by signing an agreement on a permanent command structure.

The agreement on PESCO, or Permanent Structured Cooperation, was signed in Brussels by 23 members of the 28-strong European Union on Monday. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini supported the move, hailing it as an “historic moment.” Backed by a €5-billion ($6.5-billion) EU defense fund, PESCO “will enable member states to use the economy of scale of Europe and in this manner to fulfil the gap of output that we have.”

The agreement will come into force in December, after which members will be legally bound to participate in projects under PESCO. Work on the pact started last year amid uncertainty over the UK’s decision to withdraw from the European Union, and US President Donald Trump’s continued criticism of European NATO members for failing to deliver on defense-spending commitments.

European heavyweights Germany and France are leading the effort to bring the EU closer to having a permanent joint armed force. The UK, which has been opposing a pan-European military force for decades, is not part of the agreement. Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, and Malta opted out; while Austria, not a member of NATO, agreed to join at the last moment.

PESCO is touted as a path to boost the efficiency of the European military by eliminating redundancies, streamlining defense acquisitions, and boosting logistics through a network of hubs spread across the continent. It is also intended to establish joint training of military officers. NATO’s attempt to reform the contribution of European allies goes along similar lines.

According to Reuters, Germany and France were in disagreement over the future role for a joint European military force, with Paris advocating for a more exclusive and capable defense club with potential for overseas deployments. Berlin, which championed a more inclusive approach, apparently prevailed with its vision.

Unlike some other efforts in Europe to consolidate their military, PESCO is not being opposed by NATO, which says it will make the militaries of European members stronger.

How the future pan-European military would be used is yet to be seen. However, the EU may be preparing for a possible significant instability affecting some of its members, suggested geostrategic expert Konstantin Sokolov.

“In a scenario of social disruption in a country, its police force becomes unreliable because it is staffed by regular citizens, who have local families and friends and may not support the government policies. They are affected by the turmoil,” he told RT. “But an international force would just follow orders and are less impacted by the sentiment in the local population.”


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Título: Mainstream media in predictable meltdown over Alex Salmond's RT show

Subtítulo: Alex Salmond has launched a new show on RT - for which he has received heavy criticism 

Texto: Hysterical headlines have become a part of daily British life. So, it was little surprise the mainstream media went into meltdown over the launch of Alex Salmond’s new show on RT. It has all the right ingredients for the type of scaremongering that gets clicks for UK news websites – Russia, alternative media and the man who led the charge for Scottish independence.

Journalists are painting a picture of RT’s London headquarters being patrolled by Kremlin-paid secret agents, pushing out propaganda and, well, hacking into everything. It is really, very amusing.

Journalists from the Times, including Magnus Linklater, were quick to slate Salmond. Yes, that’s right, the Times – the paper owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The very same Rupert Murdoch who owned the News of the World, which fell from grace when we all found out reporters were hacking into mobile phones – those of dead children included.

“He will be broadcasting from a platform paid for by Moscow, and…will be operating within clear margins,” Linklater wrote.

“Mr Salmond, in short, has sold his political soul, and the price to be paid is the loss of the respect he once had as a formidable operator.”

Yes, you got us Magnus, we keep Salmond’s freshly purchased soul on a shelf in the newsroom, along with the dignity of all the politicians we have interviewed. Just kidding, we don’t have the shelf space, because let’s face it, there have been a lot.

Morally superior Magnus, we assume, takes no payment for the work he carries out for Murdoch, the scandal-rocked billionaire who is reportedly considering shutting Sky News down to be able to complete a takeover of 21st century Fox.

An investigation into whether Murdoch’s empire would be too powerful has been launched by the Competition Markets Authority (CMA).

The Murdoch empire is also the owner of multiple publications including the Sun and the Sunday Times. Sky reported the move without a biased editorial.

The BBC on the other hand… well, what did we expect?

The Beeb is constantly under attack for bias by its competitors as the British press rounds on each other.

The news of Salmond’s new show was featured on the BBC website before he was invited on Newsnight.

Presenter Kirsty Wark wanted to know if Salmond was going to be able to criticize Russia. Perhaps she is after a job for herself – we all know the BBC clamps down on content. Or maybe she wants to be paid the same as her male counterparts, or choose how she dresses and wears her hair. (For your information, women at RT are not banned from growing their hair and skirts do not have to be below the knee.)

‘The Alex Salmond Show’ will be broadcast weekly, on a Thursday, after being created by his company Slainte Media. The former Scottish first minister defended the show to Wark, based on interviews carried out in the past, telling her if he wants to criticize Russia, he can.

“I know I will be because the show is produced by my company and then we sell it and we give it to RT on a Wednesday evening and all they do is decide whether to broadcast it or not,” he said.

“So, I know that to be the case, yes.”

Unsurprisingly, the press has all united against big, bad Russia, because the threat from alternative media is apparently too much to handle. Former Tory politician-turned-LBC Radio presenter Iain Dale made sure he had his say on Twitter.


Iain Dale ✔@IainDale
I try my best not to slag off @LBC colleagues but I’m going to make an exception. I accepted an invite to the launch of @AlexSalmond’s new TV show. Just found out it’s for RT. Be ashamed, Alex. Be very ashamed. #roubletastic #sellout
4:58 PM - Nov 9, 2017 · Sevenoaks, South East
149 149 Replies   484 484 Retweets   859 859 likes
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Martin MacDonald @Innealadair
Never heard any hate from unionist journalists or poltiticians about RT until Alex Salmond got a show on it.
4:04 PM - Nov 10, 2017
13 13 Replies   167 167 Retweets   258 258 likes
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"I accepted an invite to the launch of @AlexSalmond's new TV show,” he wrote.

“Just found out it's for RT. Be ashamed, Alex. Be very ashamed."

Dale, who has written for the Conservative Spectator, as well as the Tory-backing Telegraph, is a colleague of Salmond’s, who also has an LBC show.

Unlike Dale, Salmond was elected to the top of his party and spent 30 years in politics. He achieved a referendum on Scottish independence and has fought for the rights of his people.

Still, the British press insists on treating a pillar of Scottish politics as though he has made a thoughtless error.

"Of course, the show will have a sharp focus on politics,” Salmond said.

“But I am not interested in catching people out but in finding out much more about the personalities which lie behind their public positions.”

Salmond has promised an honest, open look at the goings-on in Britain, not just focused on Westminster and the agenda of the mainstream press. Of course they have a problem with it.