Mad Russia

Whoever has tried to kill Alexander Litvinenko - it has all the hallmarks of the KGB.

Little can be proved to a criminal standard, but being an opponent of Putin is bad for your health and your wealth. The message is clear enough, from London, to the Ukraine and Georgia.

But what madness ! Russia is dying. Its population is imploding and they will soon have only 100 million - who will be supporting a ever aging population. They will be surrounded by growing populations in China and the Muslim world. It doesn't take officer training in the KGB to figure out where this is going in the long term.

Russia's oil and gas reserves that it is now using in place of the old military threat are counterproductive. They will suck up all the talent in the country, raises the value of its currency and kill its other industries, whilst allowing for the military expansion Putin plans to kill the other half of their economy.

What are they on ? ( Bootleg vodka is recent reports are to be believed. )

But this all has a direct impact on us. Russia, unless it changes course will fail as a state in the next 50 years and its failure will be spectacular.

Instead of countering the pathological trajectory of their country, Russia's leaders are reverting to their former occupations.

The British government needs to wake up on this. We should signal our intentions now - while giving such a signal still has some worth. Reprieve the Saxa Vord radar station would show Russia that we will not let our defences down.

The Reagan administration was right to be worried about the export of gas to western Europe from the then Soviet Union - as can now clearly be seen.

NuLabour politics just doesn't do long term ( unless its for targets they want credit for now - but don't believe they can achieve, or Gordon Brown spending your future money in his campaign to become PM. ) We need a functioning, thinking and strategic government in these increasingly dangerous times.