Russian trolls

[Smitty-48]

So they can accurately test for it but cannot manufactured it?

As I said earlier, there is no test which can identify Novichok, it leaves no signature other than the acetylcholines in the spinal fluid, which all nerve agents do, the reason why Porton Down is saying "Novichok" is likely because they've ran the tests and can't identify it, and so it must be the mythical Novichok by process of elimination.

A nerve agent which leaves no signature in the blood, they only know of one, it's only made in Russia, and nobody has ever cracked the code of how the Russians do it.

The reason why they are flipping out, is that this stuff is a shadowy beast from the dark depths of the Cold War which was a "break glass only in case of World War Three" weapon which has suddenly appeared right in the middle of England.

[Smitty-48]

They know quite a bit about N series nerve agents, including the fact that one of the Soviet scientists who invented it was killed in the lab while handling it, but they don't know the formula, the Soviets and then the Russians have managed to keep that very close to the vest, but acetylcholines in the spinal fluid with no signature in the blood, if that is in fact the case, is the known signature, or rather lack thereof, of Soviet N series nerve agent, codeword; Foliant.

[Smitty-48]

See, the key features of Novichok are as follows;

1) The precursors are benign dual use, so until they combine them into the formula, it's not nerve agent, it's nothing special, this allowing for the Soviets to get around chemical weapons treaty restrictions, and/or deploy it around the world without being detected.

2) Once it has swamped the nervous system with acetylcholines, it breaks down quickly and leaves no tell tale signature which can be traced.

3) it's 8 to 10 times more lethal than the previously most lethal V series nerve agents invented by the British in the 1950's

Now, I'm not saying it is Novichok, Porton Down is saying it is Novichok, I have no way of verifying that it is or it isn't, but if I take DSTI at their word, then that is pretty wild, because this would be one of the deadliest and most mysterious weapons ever devised by man.

The fact that it didn't actually kill anybody tho, is why I have my doubts. Either it wasn't Novichok, or whoever combined the precursors botched the job.

[Hastur]

They say it's novichok so now they have to play accordingly. That means it has to be Russia but it still can't be proven. May must now show what the prize is. She can't just point the finger and not follow through with repercussions. That would be a sure sign of weakness.
I don't think she has what it takes and no one around her does either. This will be just an other in a long string of British embarrassments. They are no longer a force to be reckoned with.
Their security apparatus is probably busy stopping YouTubers at the border and hunting people with uncomfortable opinions on social media.
As an old anglophile I just want to curl up and cry.

[Speaker to Animals]

Pointing fingers without proof was a big mistake.

[Smitty-48]

Indeed, you can't come out and say Novichok and directly accuse the Kremlin of employing it on British soil, and issue an ultimatum therein, without backing that up with some serious actions, not sending ministers to the World Cup just ain't gonna cut it.

Of course, we live in an age of unserious politicians who talk the talk but don't walk the walk, which wouldn't be a big deal, unless of course, they start talking the Cold War talk while failing to walk the Cold War walk, at which point, they are babes in the woods whistling past the abyss.

"Proof" is irrelevant, only the Americans care about "proof", there is no proof in a shadow war, but once engaged in a shadow war, you're in for a penny in for a pound, proof schmoof, you said it was Novichok from Russia, so it is, so now what are you going to do about that, Theresa?

Bluffing, in this game, is courting the whirlwind, so better put your big boy pants on, right now, you've called them out, in the Balance of Terror, in order to maintain the balance, you have to back that shit up now.

[Smitty-48]

Pointing fingers without proof was a big mistake.

If it was Novichok, there's no way to prove it, that's why the Soviets invented it, so trying to prove it, would be a fool's errand.

This is where the Kremlin saying "give us a sample so we can verify" does make it seem like it was Mr. Ivan, because if it was Mr. Ivan, he well knows that there is no sample to give from Novichok, once it has done its thing, there is no verifiable trace of it left over, that's the genius of Foliant and why it is a wunderwaffen.

[Hastur]

Totally agree. But we will see nothing. Rule Britannia no more, unless it's social media of course. There they will come for you and lock you up for disrespecting the wrong people.

[Smitty-48]

Well, agree, to a point, because there is a point, playing around with N series nerve agent, where somebody could go too far and incite a vortex, this is clearly not that, but like I say, if for some reason Foliant got out of its cage, somebody botched the job and aerosolized it somehow, that would be the whirlwind by default, because a soda can's worth of Foliant going airborne, would wipe a small town out, completely, at which point, it's likely that the Social Media politicians would get thrown aside in the resulting panic, and I mean real panic, not the faux Twitter version.

[Martin Hash]

New term coined: "Twitter Panic."