Best Of

At some point we need to meet fire with fire, like hacking Russian TV and showing footage on all channels of Putin getting rogered senseless by fantastically well endowed porn stars wearing Stalin facemasks.

Belgian politicians and finance bosses targeted by Russian intelligence over seized assets

Exclusive: Key figures at frozen assets depository among targets of intimidation campaign, say European intelligence agencies

Belgian politicians and senior finance executives have been subject to a campaign of intimidation orchestrated by Russian intelligence aimed at persuading the country to block the use of €185bn assets for Ukraine, according to European intelligence agencies.

Security officials indicated to the Guardian that there had been deliberate targeting of key figures at Euroclear, the securities depository holding the majority of Russia’s frozen assets, and leaders of the country.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday are debating whether to approve the lending of urgently needed funds for Ukraine secured on Russian central bank assets, critical to maintain Kyiv’s war effort through 2026 and 2027.

Officials believe the campaign is the responsibility of Russia’s GRU military intelligence, though there is a debate about the degree of threat. “They have been engaged in the tactics of intimidation for sure,” one European official said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/17/belgian-politicians-finance-bosses-targeted-russian-intelligence-seized-assets

At some point soon Starmer needs to tell the country that we are effectively at war. Get sensible and stop focussing on fripperies. We have become so removed from that mentality - I remember how the phone books as a child had guidance pages of what to do when a nuclear war starts - this isn’t about telling people to hide under a table and you will be fine when the bomb drops. It’s about a national mindset change where people stop thinking about being influencers and start looking outwards at a world where they might have to fight. If you like a ruck on a night out join up. The whole country needs to start thinking about getting their shit together. Start being serious.

But effectively at war with Russia also means effectively at war with Trump. Starmer and Rutte are in a competition over who will stay most faithful to Daddy D.

Shocked that Trump is on the side of Russia.

US warns Europe against giving frozen Russian billions to Ukraine

As European leaders prepare to meet on Thursday, Washington is pressuring them to abandon plans to seize assets because they ‘are going to have to give it back’

https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/frozen-russia-assets-ukraine-eu-us-hcrt8xjmw

America is probably right about the frozen assets though. I'm surprised the international law and global order enthusiasts are so cavalier about property rights.

It is probably best to invest the lot in TrumpCoin and give the profits to Ukraine, and eventually return the principal to Russia. What could go wrong?

Technically, and actually so in an important way, there is no change to ownership of these assets. Which is why Belgium is up in arms about it. A "loan" is made to Ukraine using these assets as backing. The loan is not required to be repaid until Russia provides reparations to that country. The assets are frozen until such time the reparations are resolved, which is quite likely to be indefinite. Russia doesn't pay reparations and the EU doesn't unfreeze the assets.

Belgium is concerned that the assets may be unfrozen before Ukraine sees any reparations.

Some of the banks holding assets have expressed concern that they may end up between two legal jurisdictions if the release the assets, rather than just freezing them.

As in understand it, Ukraine will collapse if it doesn't get billions of funding this year and next. Given that, EU members have three choices I think:

1. Let Ukraine collapse
2. Pony up billions on their own account
3. Raise money on Russian assets with a risk they may become liable later

(3) looks a slam dunk to me. The assets can only be unfrozen if an EU court requires it or where almost all members vote to release the assets and where those members are also voting to take on massive new liabilities they wouldn't otherwise have.

At some point we need to meet fire with fire, like hacking Russian TV and showing footage on all channels of Putin getting rogered senseless by fantastically well endowed porn stars wearing Stalin facemasks.

Belgian politicians and finance bosses targeted by Russian intelligence over seized assets

Exclusive: Key figures at frozen assets depository among targets of intimidation campaign, say European intelligence agencies

Belgian politicians and senior finance executives have been subject to a campaign of intimidation orchestrated by Russian intelligence aimed at persuading the country to block the use of €185bn assets for Ukraine, according to European intelligence agencies.

Security officials indicated to the Guardian that there had been deliberate targeting of key figures at Euroclear, the securities depository holding the majority of Russia’s frozen assets, and leaders of the country.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday are debating whether to approve the lending of urgently needed funds for Ukraine secured on Russian central bank assets, critical to maintain Kyiv’s war effort through 2026 and 2027.

Officials believe the campaign is the responsibility of Russia’s GRU military intelligence, though there is a debate about the degree of threat. “They have been engaged in the tactics of intimidation for sure,” one European official said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/17/belgian-politicians-finance-bosses-targeted-russian-intelligence-seized-assets

At some point soon Starmer needs to tell the country that we are effectively at war. Get sensible and stop focussing on fripperies. We have become so removed from that mentality - I remember how the phone books as a child had guidance pages of what to do when a nuclear war starts - this isn’t about telling people to hide under a table and you will be fine when the bomb drops. It’s about a national mindset change where people stop thinking about being influencers and start looking outwards at a world where they might have to fight. If you like a ruck on a night out join up. The whole country needs to start thinking about getting their shit together. Start being serious.

Starmer might have to avoid Brighton hotels for the next few years.

Palestine Action hunger strikers ‘set to die unless minister acts’

David Lammy, the justice secretary, has refused to meet lawyers for eight protesters refusing food while they await trials scheduled for months away

Palestine Action activists on hunger strike are likely to die in prison if the justice secretary does not intervene, lawyers for the eight protesters have claimed.

On Wednesday two of the group reached day 46 of their protest — the point at which Martin Hurson, 24, became the sixth of ten IRA hunger strikers to die in 1981. A third is on day 45.

In a letter sent to David Lammy, the justice secretary and deputy prime minister, on Tuesday the activists’ lawyers said that without intervention their deaths were “increasingly more than a mere possibility. It is a likelihood.”

Qesser Zuhrah, 20, who is on remand in HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, has been refusing food since November 2. She collapsed “a few nights ago” with her legs shaking uncontrollably, her lawyers said.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/palestine-action-hunger-strikers-set-to-die-unless-minister-acts-qcjttqg8t

The callous comments some have made under this disgust me, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Why? It’s their idiotic choice. No one is forceably starving the idiots.

A close up of the Obama plaque:

And yet there are still a few people here who think he was a better option than Harris.

I was amused on the last thread to see that one poster noted the right can get away with everything while the left get criticised for it.

As an example, other posters commented how Buttigieg was ruled out because he didn't clearly say Biden was getting a bit past it, and would thus lose to Vance because of the questions he (Buttigieg) would face about it. While ignoring the significant drawback that Vance is covering up that Trump manifestly has advanced and rapidly progressing dementia.

Shocked that Trump is on the side of Russia.

US warns Europe against giving frozen Russian billions to Ukraine

As European leaders prepare to meet on Thursday, Washington is pressuring them to abandon plans to seize assets because they ‘are going to have to give it back’

https://www.thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/frozen-russia-assets-ukraine-eu-us-hcrt8xjmw

America is probably right about the frozen assets though. I'm surprised the international law and global order enthusiasts are so cavalier about property rights.

It is probably best to invest the lot in TrumpCoin and give the profits to Ukraine, and eventually return the principal to Russia. What could go wrong?

Aren’t they just sticking them in escrow to be spent on reparations/reconstruction following the peace treaty?

But that's the problem. Trump wants to steal them for himself.

I don't think offering renewed student exchange Erasmus schemes means much and certainly not the end of Brexit. Even if the Conservatives would have preferred to keep the more limited Turing exchange scheme which also includes students from other parts of the world

Nevertheless the Tories’ describing this as betraying Brexit is a mistake, both tactical (since it will only impress those already of that opinion) and strategic, since if the government succeeds in delivering this to majority public support and without any political backlash, despite the Tories and Reform trying to manufacture one, they will be more confident at taking us back towards fuller integration with the EU.

Listening to PMQ today, Kemi has the wrong end of the wrong shtick.

That doesn't appear to be the general verdict, but I suppose when you support Keir Starmer, it's all relative.

I see there is no mention of the £570m per year cost in the question.

Instead it mentions 'without paying extra fees'.

According to the BBC there were 9,900 UK students who participated in Erasmus in its last year so if an equivalent number took part that would make it about £57k per student.

Compare with the Turing scheme which seems to be benefitting about 40k students for only £100m.

Once again the EU is exposed as a waste of money and this government yet again shows it couldn't get interest free credit at DFS.

I don't understand the logic of Erasmus.

40k people is considerably more than 9,900.

£100m is considerably less than £570 million.

If we have a half billion pounds lying about to spend on tertiary education, why not give it via Turing which was already helping four times more people at 1/6th of the cost?

I think the Erasmus placements are substantially longer than the Turing placements, that is, a semester or year rather than a month.

It seems like a heck of a lot of money to spend on already privileged people. I’m sure there are better uses of the resources

PB contributors are in a minority according to the survey and the comments on this thread. Are we: thicker, more curmudgeonly, more Reform adjacent or just don’t want to spend money on anything that benefits others?

Try this - how many training places in the NHS (so that we can turn graduates into doctors) would you get for £570 million?