Part of the charm of writing blog-pieces for national newspapers and being active on Twitter is that you attract all sorts of views. What if many of them are deliberately trollishly offensive?
In principle there is nothing to be done about this if you believe in free media. Yet it is disconcerting when some people disagree with you in a way calculated not to argue the points in a sane way, but rather to pollute the intellectual and cultural environment in a way that ends up benefiting extreme positions.
The rough logic is this:
Who are you to complain about Putin (or Islamists, or other such fanatics)?
Look at what the British Empire did and/or what Tony Blair did in Iraq and/or what NATO in Kosovo did – who are you to talk?
Double standards!!
In other words, however bad we might be, you’re no better.
In fact you’re worse, because you are a hypocrite, and I’m superior to you because at least I’m honest!
All truth is relative.
You don’t understand this, so you lose
This sort of thing pops up whenever I write for Telegraph Blogs about more or less anything, but especially themes with some sort of Russia or EU angle. Take my latest piece on MH17 and Russia/Ukraine, part of which runs thusly:
The Americans are in a difficult position. If they know that Russia’s GRU personnel were closely involved in the decision to attack the plane, this means that the highest political levels in Moscow carry direct command responsibility.
What to do with that information? If it is made public, calls for strong action against Putin and his team will swell in Washington and around the world. Yet what action might make a positive difference? More sanctions? Diplomatic isolation? Or would it be better to use this information only in tough private conversations with the Russians, in the hope of de-escalating the crisis and striking a strategic deal on Ukraine?
Under President Obama, US leadership has been scaled right back, in large part to avoid taking such awkward decisions. Obama none the less has a point in not wanting to get too far ahead of the USA’s dithering European allies – hence his typically detached assertion that it is up for Europe to “wake up” and consider tougher measures against Moscow. European leaders including David Cameron pile on the rhetoric (“Putin is a pariah”; “The world’s eyes are on Moscow”; “Europe and the West must fundamentally change their approach to Russia”) but without evincing any clear sense of what should be done when Russia digs in its heels.
Not a bad passage, highlighting some subtle diplomatic dilemmas, and certainly not a crass ‘anti-Russian’ endorsement of Western policy.
Yet out they come:
You can post endless, inaccurate, politically-correct drivel about what you want nasty foreign countries to do, but the rest of the world – Russia, China, India, al Qaeda – will carry on regardless, because they despise you. Like any feeble-minded weakling, you’ll get what you’re given; and if you don’t like it, tough…
HOW CAN WE HOLD THE US AND EU TO ACCOUNT your heading should scream,bloody bought and paid for political propaganda hacks,the lowest type of hack…
We have to hold our own to account before we decide to sit on the throne of moral superiority. Considering Blair had an illegal war in Iraq where 100,00 innocent men, women and children died because his ego and his lies, we cannot point at Putin’s front yard whilst neglecting our own back yard. Well we can, but we don’t have any moral high-ground to do so, and the label of rank hypocrisy would mute our words…
Blame Russia if you will, but remember there are two involved in this Tango and one is not better than the other, just that the usual Western hubris dictates it holds the moral high ground so all others are in the wrong, bad people. All wars are caused by ambitious people wanting more and more control over more and more land… and there’s none more ambitious than the EU claque and the hungry monster they have created…
I do love how the west takes the moral high ground. lets hold Blair and Bush to account first and then we can look at Putin…
Putin may or may not be responsible for this atrocity, but the ultimate fault lies with the EU. You can’t blame Putin for not wanting a giant, expansionist empire creeping up to his borders. It has engulfed just about every other state in Europe and is constantly threatening to become a single political entity with Germany at its head. If I were Putin, I would be worried too. If you don’t want to get scratched, don’t poke the cat…
Mr Crawford, where were you when the USS Vincennes slew 300 people on an Iranair flight? Were you pompously wondering what we could do to rein in the US president? Here it seems likely to have been an error by people who were not even under Russia’s direct control, whatever you like to suggest. The situation in Ukraine is the direct result of the fomenting by the EU and the US of the overthrow of an elected, if unlovely, government with the immediate consequence of an open threat by those who seized power against Russian-speakers in Ukraine, and subsequent violence against them including a massacre in Odessa. So it is your friends who carry a heavy responsibility for what is now happening. Had Ukraine been left to follow the democratic path things would likely have been very different…
Another sickening propaganda piece from Crawford and the DT…
Should you wish to whip up a new world war be my guest, Mr. Crawford. You seem able-bodied. A rifle, backpack helmet and pickle suit should suit you well. Do not forget your bugle. Charge!!!! Hehehehe….
Goebbels would blush at your audacity, a**hat. You want better men and women to validate your confused international meddling and die for your vanity. You are a hideous creature, and it is a pity that taxpayers are obliged to put up with you, and our troops suffer more. Silence from you would be welcome…
Who are you planning to hold to account for the ethnic cleansing of Mosul, Charles Crawford, or is that not mentioned in polite circles?
Do these people have real lives? Are they in a state of ill-suppressed inchoate rage every time they get on a bus?
Presumably the majority of these depressingly unpleasant and mainly anonymous comments are from homegrown angry UKIP-type folk and others who claim to love democracy but rail against anything any Western government actually does. But some will sneak into our media from the St Petersburg Troll Factory that spews out some 30,000 comments a day aimed in good part at key Western media outlets.
Meanwhile over on Twitter I have attracted the attention of one Boris Malgurski, a young ‘Serbian-Canadian’ film-maker who specialises in the worst type of self-pitying victim-porn Serbian movie propaganda. Such was his pure rage about NATO bombing Belgrade that he made a point of getting his education in a NATO country.
Our hero Tweets:
CharlesCrawford is a fierce anti-Russian extremist. Every word he utters in regards to #Ukraine is filled with hatred towards Russia.
So there it is.
His drivel reminded me of this fine account of self-destructive Serbian Russophiliac sycophancy.
Onwards to watch Piranha 3DD clips on YouTube, to dull the pain. Such as this one – just like Serbo-Putinista media trolls, those pesky lil piranhas sho’ get EVERYWHERE:
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Imagine Serbia as a tiny kindergarten kid. Now, imagine a bigger and tougher kid who wants the tiny kid's toy, for some reason, and let's say the bigger kid represents EU, USA, etc.. The simple law of nature tells us the bigger kid will take it, by asking politely or by force and the tiny kid can't do anything about it. He can only choose whether he will give up his toy right away, or after getting beaten up. Now, imagine another big kid who just stands there and watch. He doesn't kick or punch. Who do you think the tiny kid will be fond of more?
I'm not a Russophile, but in all this mess, I totally support Russia. Why? Partially, it's because the kindergarten parallel. The other reason is that I disagree with the idea of democracy itself. In my perfect world, I would never be able to criticize you if I hadn't proven myself worthy of it. Basically, each one of us has to choose which side he hates less.
All there is in the West is media and propaganda. People like Boris are searching for the truth because, even you have to admit, some things are just untrue. I'm not saying he's on the right track and I think the truth is quite relative, but you can't blame him for hating the mean big kid. You can agree to disagree.
Fairly put. Various things that one could say to that.
Serbia under Milosevic was not exactly the tiny kindergarten kid being bullied. Russia did precisely zero to help Serbia escape that madness. After Milosevic fell the EU/USA tried really hard (albeit not generously enough, of course) to help Serbia reform its economy and press ahead fast as a normal country again: again, Russia nowhere. Serb lunatics duly assassinated the person epitomising that approach.
Serbia is now in an existentially wretched situation of poor economic performance and horrendous demographics. Russia picks on the economic scraps.
As for Deluded Boris, he hates wicked NATO so much that he went to a wicked NATO country for his education. Pshaw.
Read my speech on The Frontiers of Diplomacy on the site. It sums up my view as in 2003 when I left Belgrade
First of all, thank you for your reply. I feel honored.
I've read your speech and I must say, though I think there are key differences in our opinions, I agree with the most part. No one except ourselves can be blamed for our situation. I don't think UK or the entire EU has a hidden agenda. Like every country, it follows its own interests and I don't see anything wrong with that. I think entire Europe doesn't have much integrity when regarding to USA, but that's just another thing Europe saw fit. It sacrificed army and political power for economic growth and I don't think it's such a bad thing. GDP per capita is what matters the most.
Economic theory tells us capitalism, free markets and trade with rich countries will do us good, practice of it says otherwise. There are certain barriers in rich-poor trade which makes free market transition fail in almost every developing country. So, if you give me an example of just one developing country which actually became richer by entering EU, I will apologize for even questioning you. Even rich countries, such as your own, suffer from great national debt and that's not a good thing, despite your high GDP per capita. I don't want to talk about Serbian failure, because we both think the same – it's our own incapability and stupidity.
About Milosevic, I can only say – he was an idiot. A stupid, stupid man with charisma and good demagogue. But let's be honest – he was no devil. He was weak and he was stupid. If he wasn't, we wouldn't have the problem of Kosovo today because he would've finish the job and then go to Hague (don't get me wrong, I don't want all Albanians dead, I just think things would be much simpler if that was the case). Actually, Kosovo is not a problem anymore. In my opinion, the only problem should be Metohija which, as you probably know, is private property of the church, or at least it was before communists came. In capitalism, private property is an untouchable institution, so, I wonder, why can't the world respect that institution when Kosovo and Metohija are about? Monasteries and other church stuff down there are crucial historical monuments, my heart aches when I see history burned and destroyed anywhere in the world, especially my own. I'm sorry, but Kosovo is no country. Not because I don't accept their independence from Serbia, I do, but because it's a Wild West, simply put. It's a core of Europe's criminals, drugs, white slavery, organ traffics, etc. You should try going there. I bet you could buy low price heroin or a kidney from a 8 year old. And what does EU say about that? What does USA say about that? Nothing. Why would you tolerate that in the middle of Europe? I would really like to know the answer, because I don't have it.
Basically, EU and USA have double standards. Kosovo can be independent, but RS not? Crimea? Venice? Scotland? Who put USA in charge of spreading democracy? Who says democracy is the way to go for everyone? Is Libya in a better situation now Gaddafi is gone? What about Iraq? Syria? Why don't they spread democracy in Saudi Arabia, a country that really needs it? Is it, by any chance, because of their suitable trade contracts?
Personally, I think USA has a remarkable internal and external policy. The best in the world, actually. But it only suits them. EU acts as USA tells it to and that's a fact. Why would EU be against Ukraine splitting, if they don't mind Kosovo doing so? Because the old Uncle Sam does not approve and we don't want to make him mad.
I know I must sound crazy, but trust me, I'm a Serb and I know for a fact that Serbs are not suitable for democracy. If you let every Serb say his opinion and make his own choices, you have a problem. This 15 years long mess is the proof of my theory. We had some kind of totalitarianism during 90's and we had GDP growth under sanctions. Now, we don't have sanctions, we have democracy and no growth, stagnation in best case scenario.
EU countries are in debt, budget deficits are in blossom, USA too. And Russia? Well, they don't have deficits for years now. So I wouldn't say it picks on economic scraps. Like I said, I choose between 2 things I don't like and I choose Putin's way because it seems more honest. At least he doesn't spread democracy to the ones who don't want it.
I would like to ask you one more thing: why do you think Russia is behind the MH17 crash? It's just not logical for them to do it. Why would they provoke NATO reaction (which is USA satellite)? I don't think they want this to escalate, almost the whole world is against them. Common sense directs me to think: Ukraine needs NATO intervention, therefore it will do something to get it.
I apologize for my long essay, but I don't often get the opportunity to talk to someone who knows all kinds of stuff that occur throughout the world, so I let my mind and hands loose. Thank you for your time.