The Lemon Fool

The Kremlin has called Boris Johnson a liar and denied claims made by the ex-PM that Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with a missile in a call ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/boris-johnson ... 00700.html

Methinks, BoJo heard 'missus', thus explaining the look on his face.

"Bring it on, Puty, m'lad! I'll send a car for her. Plenty of booze left!"


Steve

That's two men known for the outright (and shameless) lie.

My money's on this one being a misrepresentation (probably deliberate) of something Putin said. But that what he really said wasn't entirely friendly, either.

When two tribes nobs go to war

pje16 wrote:When two tribes nobs go to war

To be fair, only one of them invaded another country.

Lootman wrote:

pje16 wrote:When two tribes nobs go to war

To be fair, only one of them invaded another country.

to be fairer the other lied to his country
oh, hang on, they both did that

I wonder why it took until now for Bojo to remember that he'd had this conversation with Vlad? I mean, it would have been standard procedure to log a vile threat like that with at least somebody from the Nato alliance, wouldn't it? Somebody who could back up his story now, for instance?

Instead of which, our brave PM decided to keep the nuclear warning safely under his hat, so as not to frighten the nation while the subsequent Ukraine invasion was going on. But now the circumstances have changed. Because Boris is thinking about another pitch at power in 2024. My goodness, what a towering statesman he must be.

"Yes, my old nemesis at the Kremlin was up to his usual bully-boy threats, but hoho, I saw right through him. If there's one thing I learned at Eton, it's that when somebody tells you he's going to push your head down the toilet, you odious little squit, there are two possible outcomes. Either he's bluffing - hoorah! - or else he means it, in which case you were sunk anyway, so what would you have had to gain from blabbing to the prefects?"

"Play up, play up and play the game! If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, and...oh god, there goes mine, and everybody else's. Sorry, everybody."

Total BS, dressed up as banter to make it look like bravery. Didn't happen.

BJ

When I saw the clip of the interview my impression was that he had made it up on the spot or at least exaggerated something to make it a good tale. He delivered it as a humorous anecdote with his typical schoolboy attention-seeking grin, rather than as something anyone should be concerned with.

As others have said, I am sure Putin may have said something unpleasant but I don't buy Boris's version of the tale. To be fair he does have a strong track record of being completely truthful so maybe I'm being unkind to him

Clariman wrote:When I saw the clip of the interview my impression was that he had made it up on the spot or at least exaggerated something to make it a good tale. He delivered it as a humorous anecdote with his typical schoolboy attention-seeking grin, rather than as something anyone should be concerned with.

As others have said, I am sure Putin may have said something unpleasant but I don't buy Boris's version of the tale. To be fair he does have a strong track record of being completely truthful so maybe I'm being unkind to him

Hmmm! I think this might be a Nixon moment, for I suspect that all calls to the PM's phone are recorded "for training purposes" and because if it happens to be a leader of another country one needs to be certain that what you heard is what was said, and what was said was what was meant and so on.

Of course the chance that the current occupant would trundle out the recording of a diplomatic leader being undiplomatic is small.

bungeejumper wrote:I wonder why it took until now for Bojo to remember that he'd had this conversation with Vlad? I mean, it would have been standard procedure to log a vile threat like that with at least somebody from the Nato alliance, wouldn't it?

But a missile to take out Johnson is not a threat against any NATO country.

Beach resorts in the Caribbean should be worried though.

UncleEbenezer wrote:That's two men known for the outright (and shameless) lie.

My money's on this one being a misrepresentation (probably deliberate) of something Putin said. But that what he really said wasn't entirely friendly, either.

I see no reason to doubt Boris on this. Putin has a long record of taking out his opponents by assassination, using poisoning, irradiation, being thrown out of tall buildings, and making deaths look like suicide. In fact, I have always had a strong impression that he likes to play with the West, making the deaths superficially look unconnected and unattributable, while leaving behind just enough evidence that gives the clear message that Russia is responsible and exacting revenge.

Actually I suspect this type of verbal threat goes on a lot in diplomatic relations between countries, just that normally we never get to hear about it because the various leaders and foreign ministries prefer to hide things in diplomatic jargon. Wellington may have said that commanders had better things to do that take pot shots at other generals (at Waterloo), but that view has been unfashionable for 150 years.

Nimrod103 wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:That's two men known for the outright (and shameless) lie.

My money's on this one being a misrepresentation (probably deliberate) of something Putin said. But that what he really said wasn't entirely friendly, either.

I see no reason to doubt Boris on this.

No reason?

He's a confirmed lying fud beloved by twonks - indeed, sacked repeatedly for the offence yet often returned to public positions because he gives a particular type a stirring that they don't get elsewhere

Seems like a nice guy to have a beer with - wouldn't trust him with the kids - and I'd expect him to lie about his reasons for being late to the pub

servodude wrote:
Seems like a nice guy to have a beer with

Maybe, but don't expect him to stand his round.

DM

servodude wrote:

Nimrod103 wrote: I see no reason to doubt Boris on this.

No reason?

He's a confirmed lying fud beloved by twonks - indeed, sacked repeatedly for the offence yet often returned to public positions because he gives a particular type a stirring that they don't get elsewhere

Seems like a nice guy to have a beer with - wouldn't trust him with the kids - and I'd expect him to lie about his reasons for being late to the pub

Compared with Putin? What happened to the last person who tried to sack Putin?

Nimrod103 wrote:[Compared with Putin? What happened to the last person who tried to sack Putin?

Don't know. Did he fall out of a window by any chance ?

stevensfo wrote:

The Kremlin has called Boris Johnson a liar and denied claims made by the ex-PM that Vladimir Putin threatened to kill him with a missile in a call ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Is anyone else here beginning to warm to that nice Mr Putin?

Clariman wrote:When I saw the clip of the interview my impression was that he had made it up on the spot or at least exaggerated something to make it a good tale. He delivered it as a humorous anecdote with his typical schoolboy attention-seeking grin, rather than as something anyone should be concerned with.

My first thought was that Putin was trying to rehabilitate his image in Europe...

Redmires wrote:

Nimrod103 wrote:[Compared with Putin? What happened to the last person who tried to sack Putin?

Don't know. Did he fall out of a window by any chance ?

You mean Pavel Antov, the sausage king? Well maybe, but let's not forget Boris Berezovsky, the Yeltsin oligarch and former Aeroflot boss who started out running Putin's 2000 presidential campaign, but who soon got under Vlad's feet. Tried on a probably trumped-up fraud charge in 2007, and became friends with Litvinenko, who he claimed had been sent by the KGB/FSB to assassinate him in England.

Berezovsky was found hanging inside a wardrobe at Ascot. No missiles were involved. It was Litvinenko who ended up getting the nuclear deterrent.

Charming company, charming organisation.


BJ

Mike4 wrote:

stevensfo wrote:

Is anyone else here beginning to warm to that nice Mr Putin?

I can imagine Putin being quite upset at Boris's inaccurate memory - "That's a lie! It wasn't a missile: it was Novichok, I said."


Arb.

Arborbridge wrote:

Mike4 wrote: Is anyone else here beginning to warm to that nice Mr Putin?

I can imagine Putin being quite upset at Boris's inaccurate memory - "That's a lie! It wasn't a missile: it was Novichok, I said."


Arb.

In the current climate of third partying everything, he probably threatened to set the Mossad, not a missile, on to Boris. After all, don't they have the reputation second only to the CIA for political figures removed for convenience?