There Goes Britain

Not only do they not want refugees and immigrants, but it looks as though at least one banking group has decided foreign news outlets shouldn't be allowed to function in Great Britain. At least, foreign news outlets they don't like.

RT UK’s bank accounts have been blocked, RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan reported. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reacted, saying it seems that in leaving the EU, London also left any freedom of speech obligations behind there.

“Our accounts in Britain have been blocked. All of them. ‘Decision not to be discussed’. Hail to freedom of speech!” RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said on her Twitter account.

[...]

The National Westminster Bank has informed RT UK that it will no longer have the broadcaster among its clients. The bank provided no explanation for the decision.

“We have recently undertaken a review of your banking arrangements with us and reached the conclusion that we will no longer provide these facilities,” NatWest said in a letter to RT’s London office.

[...]

The bank said that the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is part, would refuse to service RT.

The letter said the decision was final and that it is “not prepared to enter into any discussion in relation to it.”

[...]

“This decision is incomprehensible, and without warning. It is however, not at odds with the countless measures that have been undertaken in the UK and Europe over the last few years to ostracize, shout down, or downright impede the work of RT. RT UK will continue its operations uninterrupted,” RT press office stated.

“We have no idea why it happened, because neither yesterday nor the day before yesterday, nor a month ago, nothing special happened to us, nobody threatened us in any way. Hypothetically, this may have something to do with new British and American sanctions against Russia, which may be announced soon. It may not. Our legal department is dealing with the issue now,” Margarita Simonyan told RBK business news website.

  RT

That could be. In which case, I would expect there to be some issue with RT in the US coming soon. If not, surely another bank will be happy to service their account. It is money, after all.

It was unclear whether the British government was behind the move, but the foreign office was aware of the news when contacted by the Guardian, and referred inquiries to the Treasury. The move – if confirmed – casts into doubt the ability of the Kremlin-backed news channel to carry on broadcasting.

  Guardian

I don't know if that "Kremlin-backed" business means the Kremlin actually funds RT or if the Kremlin simply approves of RT. After all, I think I could call The New York Times an American-backed news source as relates to its operations in other countries.

The British news source The Guardian characterizes it as such:

Russia Today – now known as RT – is the main instrument of propaganda for the Russian government in the English-speaking world. The channel presents itself as a left-leaning alternative to “mainstream news” under the slogan “Question More”?

In reality, however, its reporting assiduously reflects the Kremlin’s anti-western worldview. It has portrayed Russia’s military intervention in Syria as a campaign against terrorists, and reflects its official position that no civilians have been killed by Russian jets.

The channel typically invites studio guests who endorse the Kremlin’s anti-US views. Guests have included Jeremy Corbyn, Ken Livingstone and George Galloway. Another frequent contributor is the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, who hosted his own chat show on RT.

Ironic or hypocritical? The Guardian reflects the west's anti-Russian worldview. Western television channels typically have guests that are highly critical of Russia and promote the west's policies ad nauseum.

[David Clarke, a former foreign office adviser and the chair of the Russia Foundation, said] Clarke said the Kremlin used RT not for straight propaganda purposes but “information warfare”. “The clue is in the strapline [tag line] ‘Question more’.

[...]

[Clarke said] the BBC’s office in Moscow would now be “in the frontline” for possible Kremlin reprisals.

“The BBC is the flagship British broadcaster. It’s a public body but in the Russian mind it’s an arm of the state and they will see it as a proxy. They will look at kicking British journalists out of Russia, I guess.”

Let's see if I understand. RT as an arm of the Russian state is bad and should be blocked in Great Britain. BBC as an arm of Great Britain and western policies is good and should not be blocked in Russia. Do I have it?

He added: “The channel is designed to undermine rational debate. It’s a multi-layered thing and just one instrument they use.”

Yes, "Question more" is a well-known method to shut down rational debate.

Jesus, Guardian, could you get any more obvious? Up until a year or so ago, The Guardian was a rational, relatively unbiased news source. Now, it's basically just another western propaganda tool.

I assume even if the US follows, there will be no interference with RT's English version website.  At least for now.

Is ramping up this anti-Russian business wise?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.