We don't know, because we didn't look. We didn't turn a blind eye of course, we just neglected to gather any intelligence whatsoever through sheer incompetence.

>>90048
Yeah me too - I always thought that people like MI5 were on the case with this stuff, but it would appear they had something else on their minds during this episode.

>>90049
Sadly relevant.

Why, has summat happened?

>>90049

Eh, I have a little more faith in our spooks and make a point never to take anything released or written about them in the press at face value. The whole problem is that by design we can't reveal how much we know since it gives insight into operations and potentially compromises assets. Although it's certainly not domestically encouraging, it's an advantage to look incompetent or distracted. The caveat being of course that it's publicly indistinguishable from actual mishappery.

>>90052

At the point where every western intelligence agency has said "The new President of America is a Russian Asset" on day one, and nothing happened and no proof was ever revealed I question their functional purpose, and the validity of the tactic of hiding behind innuendo.

You would hope at that point they would have the spine to have a fall guy put a bullet in his skull otherwise they aren't much use.

>>90053
At least in the UK, they're dead set on avoiding interference in politics or creating the public perception that they are. It's a slippery slope.

>>90052

>I have a little more faith in our spooks

Precisely. The problem isn't that we don't know what the Russians are up to, it's that we "don't know".

https://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/from-russia-with-blood-14-suspected-hits-on-british-soil

So some of you lads are obviously on the ball with this sort of stuff. How do our lads rank compared to the rest of the world?

Obviously Ivan has a trick or two, same as Benjamin and Chang, not to mention our 5 eyed cousins.

I've always kind of assumed that we had a decent service but then sometimes you see and/or read stuff and you just think that they're all a bunch of incompetent muppets much like everyone else.

I always find it hard to tell if we're attempting to project an image of blithering idiocy in order to double bluff our opponents (also the public) or if it's something ingrained. I'd imagine it's probably a bit of both.

>or creating the public perception that they are.

I would assume most of our media and pretty much all public institutions are riddled with ectoplasm at this point.

Sage for being afraid of ghosts.

>>90056

If you're new to all of this, I'd highly recommend reading up on the Cambridge Five and the Philby Affair. In a nutshell, the Russians figured out in the 1930s that Britain was horrendously class-bound and nepotistic, so they made huge efforts to recruit impressionable young Cambridge students on the expectation that they would effortlessly glide into positions of power and influence. This effort was spectacularly effective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Five

>>90057
Things are very different now.

>>90057
I wouldn't say new but I have a passing interest. Cheers for the link, was aware of some of it. What's kind of interesting to me with that stuff in particular is how large the "In popular culture" bit is. Like most of this stuff is relatively recent and yet it's already been mined mercilessly for films, telly etc etc.

Also it doesn't really answer my original question which is how do our chaps stack up against the Russians and that. Appreciate the link nonetheless.

>>90058

Quite. They recruit from Oxford these days.

>>90058
Care to expand?

>>90061
Guess not. Fair play spooky lads. I'm gonna bump this one last time out of curiosity and possible responses then I'll let it lie.

Would still be interested to hear opinions on my original question as to how our alphabet boys stack against the rest of the world? I'm aware people may just not know and/or have an opinion either way.

>>90061>>90062
I'd have thought he was being sarcastic, seeing as toffs definitely still run the show.

>>90063
Very possibly as I am a thicko.

Is it not worth normalising relations with Russia and allying with them? Or will they prey upon our weakness in that situation?

>>90065
I mean The Great Game has been going on a while I think. Would depend what "normalise relations" means? It would be nice if they'd stop so obviously assassinating people on our soil though.

>>90066
I think a certain level of assassination is a given. Sacrifice Sergei and his daughter for good bilateral ties.

>>90063
Recruitment is dramatically different now. As for your assertion, you would be surprised.

There's one thing I don't get and maybe you lads can clear it up because I can't be arsed to Google. I really don't understand how it's allowed that anyone in a government position can accept money from bodies in Russia. Surely this is compromising straight from the get-go? For instance, shouldn't it be concerning to everybody that the Tories have received and continue to receive thousands from Russia?

>>90069
>shouldn't it be concerning to everybody that the Tories have received and continue to receive thousands from Russia?

You would think so wouldn't you. Our press/media are very good at shaping stories and omitting what is best not noticed though. Our elites have had centuries of practice.

Sage for /boo/ talk.

>>90068

Any chance of not being so cryptic mate? Surprised in what way? It's Friday night on a quiet grey little image board. Spill the beans!

I can only assure you I'm very much just a curious prole. Fuck knows who else lurks though obviously.

>>90070

They don't even care anymore because there's no-one capable of shaming them.

>>90073
I have been wondering how easy it'd be to become a journalist for my own shite rag just to get on the front lines to relentlessly grill politicians.

Another Novichok poisoning.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54002880

Heard a lad say earlier the Ruskies have won the cold war by pretending to have given up. A long long game.

>>90475

The mistake evidently is that the west assumed it to be an ideological battle, whereas it is just one of pure dominance of great powers. Russia is by no means in a position to control but that isn't their current goal. Their current goal is to make others positions untenable. It is a zero sum where weakening their opponent gains them strength.

>>90475
I think that former kipper candidate and pompous youtube loser, who I won't name, put a video out recently (that a mate sent to me), which was just loads of clips of that so-called ex-KGB dude going on about some batshit cultural subversion because of Commies. The entire conspiracy is as implausible as they come and basically adds fuel to that stupid Frankfurt School conspiracy theory which seems to think folks like Adorno were issuing instructions to spies within the state itself, rather than being rambling, a bit boring, but nonetheless fairly accurate at how modern capitalism is shaping social and productive relations. It's always handy to divert away from this basic truth and make it seem like a conspiracy to people who have never and will never bother to read Walter Benjamin.

>>90475

The cold war did end, but Putin leveraged the Russian intelligence and security apparatus to establish himself as gangster-in-chief. Putin's Russia has no ideology, it's just a tinpot oligarchy built on strongman populism.