The frosty war!

A minor Cold War appears to have erupted in Russia yesterday with a Russian Member of Parliament allegedly saying that Britain’s diplomatic clout was on the wane and that it was “just a small island; no one pays any attention to them”. Now Prime Minister David Cameron went into over-drive saying: “Britain may be a small island, but I would challenge anyone to find a country with a prouder history, a bigger heart or greater resilience...” It reminded me of that scene in that  great movie Love Actually when Hugh Grant, playing the part of the Prime Minister, made a similar sort of speech. Infact, it was very similar to the one that Cameron made yesterday. I wonder if the Number 10 speech writers had been watching the movie on their long flight to Russia?! It is clear that there is no love lost between the  British and Russians governments at the moment but I doubt that it will be the last time that Britain is labelled as a “small island.”  In some ways the Russian MP was right to say that Britain´s diplomatic clout was fading especially in the light of the recent Syrian vote.  But let us remember the vote in parliament. A Prime Minister had put his case for military attacks on Syria but wanted parliament´s support. MPs decided that it was not in Britain´s interest and voted against the Prime Minister and his government. It was democracy at work. Ican´t see that happening in Putin´s Russia. Any rebels are probably sent to Siberia!