Ireland to consider expelling Russian diplomats

Skedaddle · 23-03-2018 02:41PM

Fann Linn wrote: »

As opposed to US jets landing at Shannon with weapons and we welcome them with duty free shopping.

That’s something we also shouldn’t be doing but that was WITH the permission of the state. In fact, if the American diplomatic cable leaks are anything to go by, the US didn’t even particularly want to be flying things through Shannon, Irish officialdom didn’t want to be seen to be backing down to protesters and Shannon’s parochial economic interests seem to outweigh state security for some reason.

I would take Irish with the Irish government on that one.

Russia on the other hand just flew straight in without asking at all and turned aircraft transponders off which makes them invisible to our radar systems and a risk to commercial aviation, never mind the annoyance about the incursion and the weapons.

Chris_Heilong · 23-03-2018 02:42PM

Ireland should just stay out of this one, we are just a village in comparison to the bigger boys in Europe so let them handle that.

backspin. · 23-03-2018 02:43PM

It annoys me when we try and act the big man as if we have clout on the international stage. Keep our heads down and stay out of UK Russia disputes.

Skedaddle · 23-03-2018 02:45PM

I don’t think we should act the “big man” as we have nothing to back it up other than finger wagging.

However, I don’t think we should undermine a pan EU response if that’s what happens.

WoollyRedHat · 23-03-2018 02:46PM

We should go one step further and threaten to not go to the World Cup.

Fann Linn · 23-03-2018 02:46PM

Did we ever expel any Russians over the crisis in Ukraine or Crimea?

Skedaddle · 23-03-2018 02:49PM

To be quite honest, the Brits are the ones who’ve undermined the EU’s ability to deal with things like this by constantly attacking it as they go through their Brexit national meltdown.

That whole thing has significantly weakened the EU and opened a lot of potentially crazy stuff up.

They’re also hugely influenced by massive flows of Russian money of questionable origin that arrives into the London property market for a good run though a very expensive washing machine.

If anything, they should be noticing it’s other EU members who are standing beside them in a neighborly kind of way. The US didn’t even bother to mention the poisoning to Putin while Trump was congratulating him on his great victory...

Billy86 · 23-03-2018 02:53PM

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

US investment in Ireland and a favourable Brexit negotiation = a certain amount of boot licking will be required.
Bad bad Russia ........'highly likely' ..

This isn't a US-friendly move at all though, given their president increasingly appears to take his orders from Moscow. In the long run perhaps, but in terms of now, you and I both know Trump will be very unhappy if this happens.

Brock Turnpike · 23-03-2018 02:56PM

It's grand. The FCA are on standby in case anything kicks off.

ChikiChiki · 23-03-2018 02:58PM

Skedaddle wrote: »

To be quite honest, the Brits are the ones who’ve undermined the EU’s ability to deal with things like this by constantly attacking it as they go through their Brexit national meltdown.

That whole thing has significantly weakened the EU and opened a lot of potentially crazy stuff up.

They’re also hugely influenced by massive flows of Russian money of questionable origin that arrives into the London property market for a good run though a very expensive washing machine.

If anything, they should be noticing it’s other EU members who are standing beside them in a neighborly kind of way. The US didn’t even bother to mention the poisoning to Putin while Trump was congratulating him on his great victory...

Trump was explicity told by the state dept in his briefing notes "Do not Congratulate" about Putin wimning the election. Yet he went ahead and did.

Go figure.

nice_guy80 · 23-03-2018 02:59PM

time for conscription

6 months national service should be mandatory

Billy86 · 23-03-2018 03:02PM

Mark Henderson wrote: »

Yes i'm a Kremlin bot or something, living off my ill gotten gains from Mr. Putin :rolleyes:

Nah, more likely just a remarkably useful idiot.

Nekarsulm · 23-03-2018 03:04PM

Like a Chiwawa picking on a Doberman.......

ArchXStanton · 23-03-2018 03:15PM

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

Ireland should just stay out of this one, we are just a village in comparison to the bigger boys in Europe so let them handle that.

Leo probably angling for a nice job down in the EU,all aboard the gravy train Choo choo

Skedaddle · 23-03-2018 03:30PM

nice_guy80 wrote: »

time for conscription

6 months national service should be mandatory

Emm why?

I guarantee you it would cost hundreds of millions if not billions and probably end up with lawsuits against the state for people getting chipped nails and so on.

23-03-2018 03:30PM

Mark Henderson wrote: »

Now now no need for the language.

He's a coward who won't take it to the people then he goes off and put's his foot in it like he did with Trump last week.

He needs to shut up and concentrate on internal matters.

A foreign entity possibly using Ireland as a staging ground for espionage would be an internal matter.

An important one at that. If other nations that Ireland has close ties with are affected by anything going on here, that would be damaging to those relationships.

weldoninhio · 23-03-2018 03:43PM

Worth noting too, that May met with Merkel and Macron first, before the rest of the EU plebs were met. Some countries are more equal than others I guess.

Edit: May met French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel shortly before the dinner, and both called for a “strong European message”, their offices said.

Elmer Blooker · 23-03-2018 03:59PM

Alun wrote: »

There was a recent article in the UK Times newspaper about the Russian Embassy here expanding quite considerably, out of all proportion to the number of Russians in Ireland, and that there were suspicions about them using it as some kind of base for cyber warfare etc.

I wouldn't worry about those Russian amateurs, leave the spying up to the big boys!
http://www.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-angela-merkel-bugging-1145019-Oct2013/

23-03-2018 04:16PM

So if we show some solidarity with the UK, is there any chance they could show some with us and maybe release some of the documents they have been holding back about their activities in Northern Ireland and the Dublin/Monaghan Bombings?

JohnMc1 · 23-03-2018 04:56PM

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Trump was explicity told by the state dept in his briefing notes "Do not Congratulate" about Putin wimning the election. Yet he went ahead and did.

Go figure.

Obama congratulated Putin during his Presidency. Oh I forgot.... That goes against the Left's narrative.

Muahahaha · 23-03-2018 05:28PM

Alun wrote: »

There was a recent article in the UK Times newspaper about the Russian Embassy here expanding quite considerably, out of all proportion to the number of Russians in Ireland, and that there were suspicions about them using it as some kind of base for cyber warfare etc.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/russia-has-fingers-in-all-sectors-of-irish-life-fpxlsw8x9

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/behind-the-iron-curtain-of-the-russian-embassy-in-dublin-f999sjfcr

Google "dublin russian embassy site:thetimes.co.uk" for more.

Tis very interesting alright-

Russia ‘has fingers in all sectors of Irish life’
John Mooney

Russia’s overseas intelligence service has sent agents to Ireland to spy on people involved in politics, economics, business and technology using diplomatic accreditation provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs, according to Irish intelligence sources.

The security services and military believe the SVR, which is the successor to the KGB, also sent an agent to Dublin to cultivate contacts under the guise of working in the media.

Garda Headquarters believes the SVR, which provides information to the Kremlin, is actively developing “sources” in all sectors of Irish life including politics, the media, technology and civic groups with a view to influencing political debate on Russia.

It is also involved in the dissemination of pro-Russian propaganda and encouraging nationalistic feelings among Russian people living in the…

iirc the same article also says that the embassy in Rathgar, D6 has recently undergone a massive extension and it is now five times as big as it used to be and there are way more "diplomats" working inside it. There is defintely something going on, they may well be using Ireland as a European HQ for cyber warfare.

It would be interesting if someone could dig up Google Earth images of the embassy before and after their expansion.

SEPT 23 1989 · 23-03-2018 05:46PM

I'm sure Russia will need a landmass to calibrate its weapons on

Well done Leo

SCOOP 64 · 23-03-2018 05:47PM

just surprised the irish government have the back bone to do anything.

Junkyard Tom · 23-03-2018 05:52PM

A Mach 6 thought-controlled Soviet fighter in 1981? C'mon ffs.

Fann Linn · 23-03-2018 07:27PM

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

just surprised the irish government have the back bone to do anything.

It's called 'toeing the line'.

gandalf · 23-03-2018 07:45PM

Given Russia has carried out destablishing operations in other European states and a WMD attack in the UK and the fact the Russian embassy has carried out a lot of expansion recently and were planning on adding more numbers it is a prudent to confirm what their staff are up to. If any are found to be working against this state or any other from our territory then of course they should be expelled.

Harry Palmr · 23-03-2018 07:59PM

The Russians are only here for malign reasons. In Putin's time Russia has invaded and annexed Crimea, threatened states with gas supply and prices, fought the Georgians, sided with Assad, killed any number of journalists and opposition figures, fought cyber campaigns against the Baltic states and interferred in the last USA presidential elections. And that's just some of the stuff we know about.

How much business does Ireland do with Russia anyway? Not enough to justify their presence here I'd suggest.

Oh yeah that they are based just off Orwell Road is perfect.

23-03-2018 08:04PM

gandalf wrote: »

Given Russia has carried out destablishing operations in other European states and a WMD attack in the UK and the fact the Russian embassy has carried out a lot of expansion recently and were planning on adding more numbers it is a prudent to confirm what their staff are up to. If any are found to be working against this state or any other from our territory then of course they should be expelled.

I agree in principle, and am no fan of Putin's Russia, but why start now when we never bothered before when the place was crawling with British agents who were actually working directly against this country? The whole things reeks of hypocrisy

23-03-2018 08:06PM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The Russians are only here for malign reasons. In Putin's time Russia has invaded and annexed Crimea, threatened states with gas supply and prices, fought the Georgians, sided with Assad, killed any number of journalists and opposition figures, fought cyber campaigns against the Baltic states and interferred in the last USA presidential elections. And that's just some of the stuff we know about.

How much business does Ireland do with Russia anyway? Not enough to justify their presence here I'd suggest.

Oh yeah that they are based just off Orwell Road is perfect.

2nd Chechen War too

Gringo180 · 23-03-2018 08:07PM

gandalf wrote: »

Given Russia has carried out destablishing operations in other European states and a WMD attack in the UK and the fact the Russian embassy has carried out a lot of expansion recently and were planning on adding more numbers it is a prudent to confirm what their staff are up to. If any are found to be working against this state or any other from our territory then of course they should be expelled.

Has it been verified by an independent body that Russia carried out the attack? I would like to see some concrete evidence or are you just assuming it was Russia because of what the media and British government says??

Ireland to consider expelling Russian diplomats

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