STATE-SPONSORED MURDER – NOVICHOK AND FENTANYL
“The Salisbury Poisonings”, the BBC drama released last week, is a well-made reconstruction of the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Scripal and his daughter Yulia with the nerve agent, Novichok, at the hands of Russian agents. The whole population of Salisbury was put at risk of death, terrified to leave home and touch things in case an item was contaminated with this horrific chemical. Apparently it has a potential life of 50 years and a spoonful is potentially able to kill thousands of people. That anybody would deliberately deposit such a substance in a city is horrific. That it was deposited there by the Russian State, at the behest of its leadership, was shocking to discover at the time. And why was it done? To murder two people who presumably could have been killed in numerous other ways without jeopardising the population of an entire city.
Was a message being sent to the world to be afraid? Or was it simply an act of recklessness, with total disregard for life? Whatever the motive, it sent a clear message of outright hostility towards the UK, which is unlikely to be forgotten easily.
On 14 June, the Sunday Times included a relatively low key report about Wuhan, China. It was not about Covid-19 (CV), but it recorded that certain pharmaceutical factories in Wuhan had until recently been manufacturing ingredients for illicit Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid painkiller that is 50 times more powerful than heroin. The article records how Fentanyl addiction “has savaged America” and is “a growing challenge in the UK”, and that Chinese state-sponsored companies and chemists were at the centre of a mail-order illegal drug trade. Apparently some products went directly to the U.S, and Europe, but the main customers were the Mexican criminal drug cartels.
With production in Wuhan slowed by CV shutdown, it is reported that other operators have picked up the slack: Russian laboratories increased production for European markets, and apparently the Golden Triangle (Burma) is emerging as a global supplier for synthetic opioids. The article does not make clear whether China still produces ingredients. Is it not very disturbing that Chinese entities were in effect providing chemicals for production of drugs which would destroy thousands of lives, including causing deaths among Western peoples? And Russia too? Is there not a parallel comparison with the Novichok incident?
A GOOD NEWS DRUG STORY – AN OXFORD FIRST- DEXAMETHASONE
That Oxford University researchers have discovered that a well established, cheap to produce steroid, Dexamethasone, can substantially reduce CV deaths is according to Sir Patrick Vallance “the start of something important”. It is a massive credit to the top quality UK scientists that they should discover the first effective treatment to save lives among cases of CV. It is apparently available cheaply all over the world.
Medical breakthroughs regularly occur, but they, and the heroic discoverers, get very little media coverage in the ordinary course. Here is one: On 20 April the Daily Telegraph included an article on what could be a major new treatment for prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men in the UK: using a drug, Olaparib, currently used for treating breast cancer. Its potential was discovered in a study led by Professor Johan de Brun of the Institute for Cancer Research in London, it was reported. Dr. David Montgomery, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said “ this result represents a revolution in the treatment of prostate cancer “, assuming it is finally approved for roll-out. Yet it has hardly had a journalistic or broadcast mention, as far as Sherbhert can tell, let alone a celebration. Medical advances should perhaps be given a lot more thank yous than they receive. These discoveries must surely be more worthy of public attention than much of the trivia dramatized by certain media.
RASHFORD SCORES – FREE SCHOOL MEAL VOUCHERS
UK Government (UKGOV), soon after lockdown, began a school meals voucher scheme for deprived children, who, with schools closed, would be missing their free school “hot meal” : it is worth £15 per week. The scheme was due to discontinue in the Summer holidays, understandably, UKGOV having however proposed that, given CV, it would allocate £63 million of assistance through local authorities.
But UKGOV did a U-turn: and now the voucher scheme is to run through the Summer. This U-turn followed a campaign by Marcus Rashford, a Manchester United and England striker: his voice was especially poignant: now 22, and famous, he had as a child experienced food poverty, having also relied on free school meals. He has been engaged for some time in fighting child food poverty , helping to raise £millions before the question of extending the scheme arose. His social media, reasonable and open lobbying in an appealing and not politically aggressive manner was persuasive for public and UKGOV alike. It was an inevitable shame that the UKGOV changing its mind, rather than being celebrated for the benefit of children, was politicised by certain media publishers, as another UKGOV embarrassment. Will there now be an upsurge in social media demands made by sports stars and other famous people for Government giveaways? UKGOV will have to be wary, and the famous,it is hoped, will not abuse that fame with uninformed or personal agendas and opinions – which Marcus Rashford did not do.
HUMAN DECENCY PREVAILS AMID WANTON VIOLENCE ON LONDON STREETS
The courage and decency of Patrick Hutchinson was a ray of sunlight midst the violence perpetrated last weekend by protesters (more right wing than anti-racist) allegedly on the streets of London to protect statues of historic national figures from vandalism. Many it seemed were more there for weekend thuggery.
Patrick Hutchinson, a black personal trainer and athletics coach, is said to have attended in London the demonstrations with his colleagues, not to protest, but to protect young black anti-racism demonstrators from getting into trouble. He and his colleagues encountered serious conflict between those there for a fight and police, and spotted a white man lying on the ground at serious risk of injury. Patrick Hutchinson fireman-lifted him from the danger area and was filmed doing so: and the picture was widely shared, including in the mainstream press the next day. It was an act of courage and decency and he is reported to have said “It’s not black v white, it is everyone versus racists. We had each other’s back and protected those who needed us” and “ I just want equality for all of us. At the moment the scales are unfairly balanced and I just want things to be fair for my children and my grandchildren”.
It seems he represents the so often unheard silent UK majority who do genuinely want equal justice for all and who hold no prejudice on colour grounds, though not concerned with the ideology behind phrases like white supremacy. It is good that the mainstream media gave more attention to Patrick Hutchinson and his humanity than the mindless minority intent on abusing and harming the police.
