James O'Brien: I wonder whether the West can lecture anyone after Trump became President
24 January 2022, 13:03 | Updated: 24 January 2022, 13:04
James: I don't think the West has the moral authority to lecture anyone, even Putin...
James O'Brien has reflected on whether the West can give lessons to anybody anymore after Donald Trump became US President.
James gave his perspective while reflecting on the subject of Western intervention, as the Foreign Office has referred to the "growing threat" of Russia to Ukraine.
It comes after the Foreign Office has said there are British embassy staff and their dependants are being pulled out of Ukrainian capital Kiev in response to a "growing threat" of Russia to Ukraine.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said: "Some embassy staff and dependants are being withdrawn from Kiev in response to the growing threat from Russia.
"The British Embassy remains open and will continue to carry out essential work."
Speaking to reporters as the has Foreign Office pulled embassy staff out of Kiev, Mr Johnson said: "We do think it prudent to make some changes now.
"The intelligence is very clear that there are 60 Russian battle groups on the borders of Ukraine, the plan for a lightning war that could take out Kiev is one that everybody can see.
"We need to make it very clear to the Kremlin, to Russia, that that would be a disastrous step."
The Prime Minister also said the UK was "leading on creating a package of economic sanctions" against Russia.
Speaking directly to his listeners, James said: "Promise me you won't laugh - but I don't think the West can give lessons to anybody any more after Donald Trump became President of America and, to a lesser extent, [after] Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
"And, in Boris Johnson's case, of course, he heads up a government that is trying to restrict our freedoms and take away a lot of our rights.
"They've already abolished our freedom of movement and they want to have a crack at our freedom to protest.
"[It's] not exactly what anyone historically calls a liberal outlook, [as] evinced by Priti Patel being Home Secretary.
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"But it's more about Trump than about Johnson at the moment, until you tell me why it shouldn't be."
James went on to say: "Having elected Donald Trump as its leader, can the free world give lectures to anybody on what is and what is not acceptable?
"It's almost as if we...have surrendered any right at all to intervene in other countries' affairs.
"Even if Saudi Arabia continues to bombard Yemen, we sell them weapons. So these little fractures in our moral basis have been here for years, but Donald Trump came along and turned the fractures into chasms."
He later added: "I don't see how the free world can tell Vladimir Putin to stay out of Ukraine after we in the free world put Donald Trump in charge."
