Read on Twitter
The #RussiaReport. How our parliamentary Committees can and should do better. A thread. 1/14
This isn’t a thread seeking to defend the Kremlin, but rather one that expresses a degree of frustration at the quality of report drafting in the House and how the process of recording the ISC’s findings should be a significant part of subjecting the same to scrutiny 2/14
THe #RussiaReport took on a life of its own yesterday. In press conference, Stewart Hosie MP (SNP) declared that HMG ‘actively avoided’ looking for evidence of interference in Brexit referendum. Problem? Not a conclusion contained within the report
https://twitter.com/bbcnews/status/1285514677426978817 3/14
https://twitter.com/bbcnews/status/1285514677426978817 3/14
Instead, the report speaks of evidence appearing to indicate that HMG ‘had not seen or sought evidence’ of active interference (para 41) and (despite what the papers and press conference suggested) the report is rather Geoffrey Howe-esque in its mawling of HMG. 4/14
The most significant criticism seems to be that MI5’s response to the ISC was somewhat underwhelming but there’s very little comment on that. 5/14 https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285551686241726465
Papers headline today with ‘damning’ report against HMG, yet #RussiaReport only devoted small section to *any* comments about interference in electoral process. Neither are the conclusions about playing catch-up supported by extensive evidence (even allowing for redactions) 6/14
The #russiareport was both far too broad and far too short to be of any great value. It made a number of particularly brief comments about appropriate legislative responses, without much detail. See below re updates to the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285563743745773569 7/14
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285563743745773569 7/14
The #russiareport also appeared to be lacking in the collection and use of evidence: written evidence from five witnesses appears to have been considered - Poor, given the breadth of expertise on Russia in the U.K.
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285532905385730049 8/14
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285532905385730049 8/14
However, the handling of that evidence is so inadequate - e.g. the summary of #RussiaReport concludes that professionals act as ‘unwitting enablers’ for Russian criminal money. Based on short extract from Bill Browder’s evidence. Nothing more.
https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/128551191855226470 9/14
https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/128551191855226470 9/14
This was contained in a particularly short but sweeping attack in #RussiaReport on oligarchs/elites living in the U.K. It was in this context that the ‘new normal’ was spoken of by the ISC.
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285553082621992960 10/14
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285553082621992960 10/14
Difficult to know what the ISC is recommending here to be quite blunt. There is a network of Russians in London for good reason. The rule of law.
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285613007242956800 11/14
https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285613007242956800 11/14
The other point that @MarkGalleotti has made is that we shouldn’t let the spectre of Russia in #RussiaReport take our eyes off the ball when it comes to other less than clean influences in our country.
https://twitter.com/markgaleotti/status/1285577077224288256 12/14
https://twitter.com/markgaleotti/status/1285577077224288256 12/14
In short - We *know* Russia has capacity and will to interfere in democratic process in Europe and the US. Problem with the #RussiaReport is that it is too wide in its scope and poorly written: key conclusion of ISC (active avoidance) wasn’t it seems even worth printing. 13/14
Why is this all important? Because the work of the committee is important and its #RussiaReport could have been far more effective at holding Govt (and the Kremlin) to account. The aims of the #RussiaReport were laudable, but we can do better. END https://twitter.com/paul3edward/status/1285594056857464838
