Consequences you have never had before in your history

As Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Vladimir Putin warned of “consequences you have never had before in your history”, if other countries got in his way. If you didn’t shudder when you heard this, then give your head a big wobble, read it again and then start shuddering. Because today is one of those big days in history, up there with the day John F Kennedy was shot and 9/11.

The Russian invasion has been coming for days, but it was still a shock to wake up to hear the news it was well underway. I suppose I was slightly shocked, but I was very shocked when I watched the BBC 1.00pm news, presented by Clive Myrie from the top of a hotel in Kiev. Suddenly, there was an air raid warning, although the brilliant Myrie kept unfeasibly calm and carried on. After a brief update on other news items, the camera returned to Myrie who was now wearing a flak jacket.

As I write, fierce fighting is going on in numerous places across Ukraine including Chernobyl, scene of the catastrophic nuclear disaster of 1986. The area, still highly radioactive, must be significant in ways I don’t understand, or perhaps the fact that it is highly radioactive is part of what is happening? Who knows? And where will it end?

If I knew where it would end, I’d put in my application to be the new boss of the United Nations. As it is, the actual boss of the United Nations probably doesn’t know either. Hopefully, he will soon.

Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer both referred to this as being “a dark day”. And it is certainly that. The term, “consequences you have never had before in your history” suggest they could soon get even darker. Russia is a nuclear power, a military superpower; a threat to all mankind. Anyone who has watched Putin’s endless incoherent rambling in recent days will have wondered at his sanity. Think about it. If he really has become unhinged, then think again about Russia, the nuclear power, a military superpower; a threat to mankind. On its website, the BBC asked, “Is this World War 3?” to which they answered “No.” Maybe that’s right, but, we don’t know that, do we?

At least the House of Commons is relatively united, apart from the odd crank like Labour’s Clive Lewis, and I’d like to think the country outside is too. We know that those on the far extremes of British politics, from Nigel Farage to Jeremy Corbyn, have noticeably failed to condemn Russia – well, they would, wouldn’t they? – but that’s the political horseshoe at work, isn’t it? Eventually the extremes meet. It was always thus.

For now, we’re in shock, or at least we should be, if we’re paying attention. I’d far rather today we had a leader like Churchill, Blair and, yes, Thatcher and it is a tragedy that we have a chat show host and Telegraph columnist as prime minister, but we are where we are.

I’m not sure mankind has seen a threat like this in my lifetime. That’s how serious this is. There will be many dead and injured, there will be a flood of refugees throughout Europe, prices of everything will go up. No one will escape the humanitarian and financial consequences of today’s invasion.

And we’d better cross our fingers that this doesn’t escalate still further. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t trust Putin not to. World War Three? Maybe not. But “consequences you have never had before in your history”? Who knows what that means?