If in doubt, assume it was a fuck up. I’m inclined to believe the Russians are responsible but fucked it up. On the other hand, our mob have made a complete arse of both themselves and prosecuting the case against the Russians. The insistence on cheap and petty point scoring domestically didn’t help at all.
A chain of fuckups…
aka “Doing A Boris”
The Prince Philip of politics.
As in very hip?
Not that we’re likely to find out but you do have to wonder whether it was the dodgy clams in their Zizzi risotto.
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP)
PSP is an illness that may have serious and potentially fatal effects. It is caused by eating bivalve shellfish and other molluscan shellfish that have been contaminated by toxins produced by certain species of microscopic marine algae found in coastal waters. Lobster and crab tomalley (also called hepatopancreas, which is the soft green substance inside the body cavity) can also accumulate the toxins which cause PSP.
The toxins that cause PSP are not destroyed by cooking.
Symptoms of PSP
Symptoms of PSP could begin within a few minutes and up to 10 hours after consumption.
Symptoms of PSP can include:
a tingling sensation or numbness around the lips that gradually spreads to the face and neck,
a prickly sensation in the fingertips and toes,
drowsiness,
headache and dizziness, and
difficulty swallowing.
In more severe cases one may also experience:
incoherent speech,
a prickly sensation in the arms and legs,
stiffness and non-coordination of limbs,
weakness, and
a rapid pulse.
Respiratory difficulty, salivation, temporary blindness, nausea and vomiting may also occur.
In extreme cases, paralysis of respiratory muscles may lead to respiratory arrest and death within two to twelve hours after consumption. Seriously affected people must be hospitalized and placed under respiratory care. There is no known cure for PSP.
You are Sergei Lavrov and I claim my £5
If it was food poisoning how did the police officer become unwell?
It’s a good question. Now that he has recovered from his Novichok poisoning, perhaps he could tell us.
How were the clams last night? 
And why did no-one else at the restaurant ?
VB
Hmm…
I think the more plausible explanation is this was a stage-managed stunt by Putin just ahead of the Russian Presidential elections. A deliberate ploy to illicit a response to show Russian voters it’s still Russia versus her old enemies and of course Putin is the man for the job.
I don’t think clams were involved.
Yep, that too.
There’s only one thing being fed here…
I don’t believe it was food poisoning or a Novichok type nerve agent although now they appear to be recovering it may be possible to get answers to questions like.
What were the Skripals’ movements on March 4th?
How was the poison administered to the Skripals?
How did DS Bailey come into contact with whatever poison it was?
What did Sergei Skripal do while living here in the UK?
Who did he work for or with and what was he working on?
Quite simple questions but I doubt we’ll learn the answers.
Worth watching this Newsnight piece about Russian money in London & the ties between our politicians and the network of oligarchs connecting back to Putin. Trump is actually being tough on Deripaska & his ilk. the British government is doing next to nothing.
Yet Corbyn is supposedly the one who is too closely linked to Moscow. It’s laughable.
Even if we do people who want to believe something else will believe it anyway. These are security/espionage issues and couldn’t be more current. No state ever shows its entire hand on subjects like that in public. We either need a really well-placed and highly credible whistle-blower or we need to wait 40-50 years. In the meantime the states involved will present what they want us to hear and we’ll have to make the best guesses we can.
VB
Fixt 
Imagine my surprise.!
And it’s the saintly ‘White Helmets’ that are providing this information.
Not sure I get this statement, are you saying the white helmets are not there to help or as “saintly” as they are made out to be?
If it also keeps Israel’s ongoing slaughter of Palestinians off the front pages and out of the UN then job done.