It's all a bit odd

Not everybody is on the same page when it comes to exposing Jeremy Corbyn’s reliance on Vladimir Putin. Whilst the NATO summit is taking place in London, we shouldn't really need reminders from Boris Johnson that Corbyn is effectively a Soviet agent, just like Harold Wilson was (never mind that the USSR no longer exists and Putin isn't a Marxist). Looking at reportage of Johnson’s remarks in the hard-right press today, there is a concerted effort to distract from Trump’s visit to London and Corbyn’s demands that the US keeps its mitts off the NHS. Only the Evening Standard appears to report that the leaking of the 451-page document detailing current US/UK trade talks, brandished by Corbyn last week appeared to have something to do with Russian interference (see box). Interesting that Liam Fox attested elsewhere to the accuracy of the document. Get up to speed Duncan Smith!​
 
The Atlantic Council, heavily funded by the UK government (up to $1,000,000 in 2017, see https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/support-the-council/honor-roll-of-contributors/) exists to perpetuate the western military/industrial complex and provides an important nexus for the rightist elite to get together (move over Bilderberg). Other major donors to the Atlantic Council include, naturally, western client middle eastern states and various fossil fuel and nuclear interests. The organisation is at the heart of what is the conventional concept of history and development, which is to say it is a bit more than a think tank as suggested by the Evening Standard, but merely mirrors and surfaces its donors' expectations. It is an arms length government compound with only titular independence from the deeply embedded interests it serves. Necessarily it targets those who challenge the hegemony of its narrative and seeks to make life easy for journalists (according to its website):
 
‘When news breaks, journalists look for insightful expert commentary to help answer the fundamental questions at the heart of the issue. At the Atlantic Council, our people have expertise to share with you from across all regions of the world and issues in the foreign policy space and beyond. Click READ MORE to view a searchable listing of our experts.
 
‘The Atlantic Council is a go-to source for breaking news insights, high-profile thought leader events and deep dives into the most pressing foreign affairs issues. Sign up today to receive Atlantic Council media communications, including expert breaking news tip sheets, event invitations and alerts about press conference calls.
 
‘Need to better understand an issue from multiple angles and vantage points? Not yet working on a story, but looking for insight from experts? Contact us at [email protected] to arrange background briefings with our experts on the most critical issues and regions of the world.’
 
So if you work for, e.g. the Evening Standard, there’s little need to get off your fat arse and do any work when your boss tells you to get some dirt on Jeremy.
 
But what of  Graphika, who it appears were contracted by the Atlantic Council to give them a report on the nefarious connection between the Russian state and Jeremy Corbyn? They say ‘Graphika maps structural relationships among social media actors and segments these complex networks based on patterns in relationships. Our platform discovers how communities form online, and maps how influence and information flow within large scale networks.’ Graphika seems to have a plausible business presence, with many well known, respectable clients. But isn’t it a bit odd that neither they, nor the Atlantic Council appear to have issued a press statement about this particular piece of research? Isn’t it also odd that (if my memory serves) some Tory or other said the contents of the 451 page document Corbyn brandished had appeared on the net a couple months ago? The intent there was to suggest that this was old news (a form of political escapology which suggests that everything’s moved on, nothing to see, get a life).
 
Isn’t it all a bit odd?

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