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When’s Trump going to condemn Putin? – politicalbetting.com

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Comments

  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,708
    rcs1000 said:

    WTF.

    Russian Central Bank will independently print foreign money to the value of that currently frozen by sanctions.

    Good luck with that.
    Isn't that fraud?
  • Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,141

    Scott_xP said:

    RobD said:

    Er, wasn't Liz Truss there?

    Look at the picture
    She's there FFS!
    @Scott_xP has lost it tonight
    Only tonight?
  • My Mum and sister have gone to the Royal Opera House to see Swan Lake tonight.

    I told them I thought it was a disgrace that they were supporting a Russian composer at a time like this and they ought to take the fight in the cultural war against the Russians seriously.

    They actually believed me. And felt guilty for a moment.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541

    Actually I think @Scott_xP performs a great service to the site, including with the Coldwar Steve pictures.

    But the last one or two have been demonstrable nonsense.

    Oh well, we all have off-days.

    He actively damages the cause of closer relations with Europe. He’s awful.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362

    Illia Ponomarenko
    @IAPonomarenko

    A lot of new NLAWs have been delivered to Kyiv 🔥
    I can definitely confirm: these babies are at just every corner in Ukrainian ranks.


    https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1499835117715562496

    Is it just me confused by "Head this end"?

    Does that mean the head of the missile, or the bit you put next to your head?
    Try one way and let us know.....
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,895
    DougSeal said:

    He actively damages the cause of closer relations with Europe. He’s awful.

    SUCH POWER !!!!!


    MWAHAHAHA
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,141
    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    MaxPB said:

    It's very interesting to see on one side countries making a big deal about their sanctions of individual companies or individuals and saying that they are making a difference yet when the US and UK lock all of Russia out of capital markets, derivatives clearing, all types of reinsurance, and genuinely crippling financial measures that have forced the Moscow exchange to stay closed all week it's not enough.

    Someone from work was lamenting that the SWIFT sanctions are as useful as chocolate teapot because the EU insisted on exempting too many banks and all of the payment activity has simply moved to the unsanctioned institutions like Sberbank. On the flip side the UK and US governments have locked almost all of the Russian financial industry out of London and NYC.

    I think people are falling for the spin on sanctions coming out of Europe and see big shiny boats being impounded but don't realise that Russian industry and banking is on its knees because they simply can't pay their workers and people can't withdraw money due to sanctions implemented by the UK and US.

    People counting the number of entities sanctioned are literally as stupid as the people who didn't and still don't understand the UK's vaccine strategy, and in most cases they are the same idiots. It's simply a dumb comparison for dumb people to crow about on dumb social media to their dumb mates.
    Yes exactly. The whole premise of the argument is stupid as fuck. How do you define a sanction, what is an “entity”, how do you add them up into “the European Union”

    Does Sainsbury’s banning Stolichnaya count as a sanction? If four supermarket chains do it is that four sanctions? If they do it to 50 brands of Russian vodka is that 200 sanctions on 50 entities, and what about the blinis?

    What a ridiculous pile of statistical drivel
    A moments thought ought to make people question the comparison. 100 millionaires or 1 billionaire, which is best? It's probably not even a simple answer, is it influence or value you are looking for? One thing's for sure simply counting entities and declaring someone the winner is stupid.

    In fact to extend this further there is an optimal sanction, that is the one that pushes a powerful person to bring down Putin and end the war. I will happily sing the praises of whichever country figures that one out. Even France.
    By all accounts the one sanction that really freaked out Moscow was the freezing of Russia’s foreign reserves
    And on that list it counts as 1 entity (the Russian central bank) the same as some no name politician in the United Russia Party who is banned from travelling to/through the EU.
    Change of subject but how is Mexico, especially Oaxaca?:


    I LOVE Oaxaca. One of my favourite cities in the Americas - or it was. But I heard rumours it was yet another lovely Mexican city ruined by drug wars and street crime. Is that not so? Is it still adorable? I recall the food being brilliant, too…
    It's great, we've had an absolutely wonderful time here and sad to be moving on (but also not) to Puerto Escondido tomorrow to a co-working hotel. There is obviously crime and police corruption but it's nothing like what I imagined it to be. The two Americans said that Oaxaca is way less dangerous than the Tenderloin and the danger is fairly predictable, people want to steal your shit more than anything else whereas in SF there's a lot of random violence from fentanyl addicts.

    The art scene, food and hospitality is amazing here, I'd highly recommend it. If you come then you want to check out CRUDO for the 8 course tasting menu with mezcal pairings, it's about $90 USD per person and it's some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. The rooftop bar at Vaca Marina is an absolute must as well, which is where we want last night. Incredible sunset and really good cocktails and appetisers.
    My experience of Mexico is that it's quiet and great 99% of the time, and then once every 2-3 months there's an explosion of violence around the cartels.

    It's murder rate in 2020 was about 45 per 100,000 people which is not the worst in the world.

    But it's not far off.
    It's sobering to think there are places that are far more violent than, say, England was in 1400. Mexico is one of them.
  • Sean_F said:

    Scott_xP said:

    RobD said:

    Er, wasn't Liz Truss there?

    Look at the picture
    She's there FFS!
    @Scott_xP has lost it tonight
    Only tonight?
    I have not experienced him being as absurd as he has tonight, and being criticised across the political spectrum as tonight

  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,895
    Irn-Bru maker AG Barr cuts ties with Russian market https://bit.ly/3pz99SM
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208
    edited March 2022
    RobD said:

    FF43 said:

    RobD said:

    The UK has sanctioned 16 Russian entities. The EU has sanctioned 490.

    https://t.co/qmCtZ2nUr8

    We’ve done this.
    I suspect the numbers are bunk but I am also pretty skeptical that the UK has done what it ought to.
    They are bunk. The EU number includes individuals while the UK one does not.
    Not many individuals on the UK list, but there are a couple, mostly the ones you have heard of:: Putin, Lavrov, Timchenko. The EU seem to be going after people that run significant government, military and state business organisations.
    It would be good if someone actually would do a proper comparison of who is sanctioned by who. The UK list has 197 individuals on it. Certainly more than a couple.
    I should have said names added to the sanctions list this year. But yes, both lists have individuals from episodes in the Crimea and Donbas - I am guessing it's the more or less the same previous list as the UK was part of the EU at the time.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    MaxPB said:

    It's very interesting to see on one side countries making a big deal about their sanctions of individual companies or individuals and saying that they are making a difference yet when the US and UK lock all of Russia out of capital markets, derivatives clearing, all types of reinsurance, and genuinely crippling financial measures that have forced the Moscow exchange to stay closed all week it's not enough.

    Someone from work was lamenting that the SWIFT sanctions are as useful as chocolate teapot because the EU insisted on exempting too many banks and all of the payment activity has simply moved to the unsanctioned institutions like Sberbank. On the flip side the UK and US governments have locked almost all of the Russian financial industry out of London and NYC.

    I think people are falling for the spin on sanctions coming out of Europe and see big shiny boats being impounded but don't realise that Russian industry and banking is on its knees because they simply can't pay their workers and people can't withdraw money due to sanctions implemented by the UK and US.

    People counting the number of entities sanctioned are literally as stupid as the people who didn't and still don't understand the UK's vaccine strategy, and in most cases they are the same idiots. It's simply a dumb comparison for dumb people to crow about on dumb social media to their dumb mates.
    Yes exactly. The whole premise of the argument is stupid as fuck. How do you define a sanction, what is an “entity”, how do you add them up into “the European Union”

    Does Sainsbury’s banning Stolichnaya count as a sanction? If four supermarket chains do it is that four sanctions? If they do it to 50 brands of Russian vodka is that 200 sanctions on 50 entities, and what about the blinis?

    What a ridiculous pile of statistical drivel
    A moments thought ought to make people question the comparison. 100 millionaires or 1 billionaire, which is best? It's probably not even a simple answer, is it influence or value you are looking for? One thing's for sure simply counting entities and declaring someone the winner is stupid.

    In fact to extend this further there is an optimal sanction, that is the one that pushes a powerful person to bring down Putin and end the war. I will happily sing the praises of whichever country figures that one out. Even France.
    By all accounts the one sanction that really freaked out Moscow was the freezing of Russia’s foreign reserves
    And on that list it counts as 1 entity (the Russian central bank) the same as some no name politician in the United Russia Party who is banned from travelling to/through the EU.
    Change of subject but how is Mexico, especially Oaxaca?:


    I LOVE Oaxaca. One of my favourite cities in the Americas - or it was. But I heard rumours it was yet another lovely Mexican city ruined by drug wars and street crime. Is that not so? Is it still adorable? I recall the food being brilliant, too…
    It's great, we've had an absolutely wonderful time here and sad to be moving on (but also not) to Puerto Escondido tomorrow to a co-working hotel. There is obviously crime and police corruption but it's nothing like what I imagined it to be. The two Americans said that Oaxaca is way less dangerous than the Tenderloin and the danger is fairly predictable, people want to steal your shit more than anything else whereas in SF there's a lot of random violence from fentanyl addicts.

    The art scene, food and hospitality is amazing here, I'd highly recommend it. If you come then you want to check out CRUDO for the 8 course tasting menu with mezcal pairings, it's about $90 USD per person and it's some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. The rooftop bar at Vaca Marina is an absolute must as well, which is where we want last night. Incredible sunset and really good cocktails and appetisers.
    My experience of Mexico is that it's quiet and great 99% of the time, and then once every 2-3 months there's an explosion of violence around the cartels.

    It's murder rate in 2020 was about 45 per 100,000 people which is not the worst in the world.

    But it's not far off.
    https://www.statista.com/statistics/243797/ranking-of-the-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world-by-murder-rate-per-capita/

    Los Cabos breaking the 1 per mille rate, which truly is not great

    If it was me I'd make possession of cocaine in this country worth 5-10 years
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541
    Scott_xP said:

    DougSeal said:

    He actively damages the cause of closer relations with Europe. He’s awful.

    SUCH POWER !!!!!


    MWAHAHAHA
    In the hackneyed phrase, every little helps.
  • DougSeal said:

    Actually I think @Scott_xP performs a great service to the site, including with the Coldwar Steve pictures.

    But the last one or two have been demonstrable nonsense.

    Oh well, we all have off-days.

    He actively damages the cause of closer relations with Europe. He’s awful.
    I agree and to those wanting a closer relationship as indeed I do he needs to tone it down

    I would also suggest he embarrasses many on the EU side
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,528
    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    MaxPB said:

    It's very interesting to see on one side countries making a big deal about their sanctions of individual companies or individuals and saying that they are making a difference yet when the US and UK lock all of Russia out of capital markets, derivatives clearing, all types of reinsurance, and genuinely crippling financial measures that have forced the Moscow exchange to stay closed all week it's not enough.

    Someone from work was lamenting that the SWIFT sanctions are as useful as chocolate teapot because the EU insisted on exempting too many banks and all of the payment activity has simply moved to the unsanctioned institutions like Sberbank. On the flip side the UK and US governments have locked almost all of the Russian financial industry out of London and NYC.

    I think people are falling for the spin on sanctions coming out of Europe and see big shiny boats being impounded but don't realise that Russian industry and banking is on its knees because they simply can't pay their workers and people can't withdraw money due to sanctions implemented by the UK and US.

    People counting the number of entities sanctioned are literally as stupid as the people who didn't and still don't understand the UK's vaccine strategy, and in most cases they are the same idiots. It's simply a dumb comparison for dumb people to crow about on dumb social media to their dumb mates.
    Yes exactly. The whole premise of the argument is stupid as fuck. How do you define a sanction, what is an “entity”, how do you add them up into “the European Union”

    Does Sainsbury’s banning Stolichnaya count as a sanction? If four supermarket chains do it is that four sanctions? If they do it to 50 brands of Russian vodka is that 200 sanctions on 50 entities, and what about the blinis?

    What a ridiculous pile of statistical drivel
    A moments thought ought to make people question the comparison. 100 millionaires or 1 billionaire, which is best? It's probably not even a simple answer, is it influence or value you are looking for? One thing's for sure simply counting entities and declaring someone the winner is stupid.

    In fact to extend this further there is an optimal sanction, that is the one that pushes a powerful person to bring down Putin and end the war. I will happily sing the praises of whichever country figures that one out. Even France.
    By all accounts the one sanction that really freaked out Moscow was the freezing of Russia’s foreign reserves
    And on that list it counts as 1 entity (the Russian central bank) the same as some no name politician in the United Russia Party who is banned from travelling to/through the EU.
    Change of subject but how is Mexico, especially Oaxaca?:


    I LOVE Oaxaca. One of my favourite cities in the Americas - or it was. But I heard rumours it was yet another lovely Mexican city ruined by drug wars and street crime. Is that not so? Is it still adorable? I recall the food being brilliant, too…
    It's great, we've had an absolutely wonderful time here and sad to be moving on (but also not) to Puerto Escondido tomorrow to a co-working hotel. There is obviously crime and police corruption but it's nothing like what I imagined it to be. The two Americans said that Oaxaca is way less dangerous than the Tenderloin and the danger is fairly predictable, people want to steal your shit more than anything else whereas in SF there's a lot of random violence from fentanyl addicts.

    The art scene, food and hospitality is amazing here, I'd highly recommend it. If you come then you want to check out CRUDO for the 8 course tasting menu with mezcal pairings, it's about $90 USD per person and it's some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. The rooftop bar at Vaca Marina is an absolute must as well, which is where we want last night. Incredible sunset and really good cocktails and appetisers.
    My experience of Mexico is that it's quiet and great 99% of the time, and then once every 2-3 months there's an explosion of violence around the cartels.

    It's murder rate in 2020 was about 45 per 100,000 people which is not the worst in the world.

    But it's not far off.
    A lot of that is in the desolate north which is controlled by the cartels. South of Mexico City or Guadalajara and it's a completely different country. I met a guy from Kent who went to Chihuahua just to see what it was like and he got to his "hotel" was later approached by cartel people who thought he was a DEA agent (I assume the hotel informed them there was a new white guy in town) and he said he could have been shot at any time during the "interview" and essentially he just played dumb tourist from England and luckily they believed him so escorted him to the airport rather than shooting him. He was there for a sum total of 5 hours.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,353
    Scott_xP said:

    DougSeal said:

    He actively damages the cause of closer relations with Europe. He’s awful.

    SUCH POWER !!!!!


    MWAHAHAHA
    There’s nothing wrong with a little end of week drinky poos, but try not to damage your PB reputation too much.

    Been a long while since I saw mwahahaha in capitals.
  • ChameleonChameleon Posts: 4,264
    edited March 2022
    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    You know that bloke is a notorious liar right?

    Look at some of his latest insanities:

    "Never forget this Ukrainian invasion began with Brexit. All those who facilitated Brexit, who supported it, who funded it, who fooled the British people to vote for it share the responsibility."

    Crimea & the Donbas was 2014.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,798

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    James Johnson
    @jamesjohnson252
    We (
    @JLPartnersPolls
    ) asked 2,000 British people how they felt about Putin, in a representative poll this week.

    It's like nothing we've seen before:

    "Evil beyond belief"
    "A child murdering war criminal"
    "Absolute disgrace, he needs to be taken down"
    "Sub-human scum"


    "The reincarnation of Hitler"
    "Gross little man"
    "Murderer, must be taken out"
    "A nasty **** who should be compared to Adolf Hitler"
    "Unstable, misguided, dangerous"
    "An extreme case of small man syndrome"
    "Nutty as a fruitcake"
    "He's a bell end"


    https://twitter.com/jamesjohnson252/status/1499807946389213194

    ===

    Other than this, his PR team are doing well.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,895
    Exclusive: British PM Boris Johnson @welt on why Russia's Vladimir Putin 'is getting more, not less NATO', why Europe needs a common energy strategy & how nuclear plants in #Ukraine now need to be protected ⬇️ English version below (1/3) https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/plus237325731/Boris-Johnson-Bin-zu-dem-Schluss-gekommen-dass-Putin-nur-scheitern-kann.html

    In joined interview with @antoguerrera @demiguelr the PM explains why UK despite Putin’s war will not join EU military cooperation, similarities btw Putin & Milosevic and why Russia's leader ultimately 'must fail' (2/3)

    On #Ukraine crisis mending EU & UK #Brexit relations: 'Sometimes, if a family goes through some big trauma,the real strength of the affection btw members of the family& the way they work together can suddenly be revealed again' (3/3) https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article237326403/Boris-Johnson-Putin-is-getting-more-Nato-not-less.html
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 62,749
    edited March 2022

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    It was would about that time that Germany to be fair did a complete reversal, and now we are all as much on the same page

    This should be celebrated across the political divide, indeed Europe and NATO
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,528

    Scott_xP said:

    “Global Britain”.

    “Leading”.

    “World-beating”.

    NATO & EU foreign ministers met today, in Brussels.
    https://twitter.com/AndrewPRLevi/status/1499766641231646722/photo/1

    Was there no British representative as part of NATO? Would be odd...
    It’s utter guff.

    And it’s putting me in the rather frustrating position of disagreeing with Remainery fellow travellers.

    Sigh.
    They've been like that for a long time. There's a weird status anxiety behind a lot of it, with people actively inventing things to be performatively embarrassed about.
    It's a textbook definition of a negative nationalist.
  • How much of the total EU energy supply comes from Russia?

    Is it so much that such a mighty political union is unable to disperse the impact of it sufficiently to survive?
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,828

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    That they now have much to cheer about the EU's volte face.

    The change in Germany over a week has been profound. Only a point-scoring arsehole would try to argue otherwise.
    They've even sent the Ukrainians some 30+ year old rocket launchers. A significant improvement from not permitting arms to travel in their airspace.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,353

    My Mum and sister have gone to the Royal Opera House to see Swan Lake tonight.

    I told them I thought it was a disgrace that they were supporting a Russian composer at a time like this and they ought to take the fight in the cultural war against the Russians seriously.

    They actually believed me. And felt guilty for a moment.

    That’s naughty.

    Go into the corner and listen to Gliere

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jBt0M4L4Qs
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,257

    Scott_xP said:

    “Global Britain”.

    “Leading”.

    “World-beating”.

    NATO & EU foreign ministers met today, in Brussels.
    https://twitter.com/AndrewPRLevi/status/1499766641231646722/photo/1

    Was there no British representative as part of NATO? Would be odd...
    It’s utter guff.

    And it’s putting me in the rather frustrating position of disagreeing with Remainery fellow travellers.

    Sigh.
    They've been like that for a long time. There's a weird status anxiety behind a lot of it, with people actively inventing things to be performatively embarrassed about.
    Depends who you mean by “they”.

    Serious Remainers have moved on to other projects, which includes the question of how to achieve closer UK-EU relations post-Brexit, and how to get rid of Johnson.
  • boulayboulay Posts: 5,412

    MaxPB said:

    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    MaxPB said:

    It's very interesting to see on one side countries making a big deal about their sanctions of individual companies or individuals and saying that they are making a difference yet when the US and UK lock all of Russia out of capital markets, derivatives clearing, all types of reinsurance, and genuinely crippling financial measures that have forced the Moscow exchange to stay closed all week it's not enough.

    Someone from work was lamenting that the SWIFT sanctions are as useful as chocolate teapot because the EU insisted on exempting too many banks and all of the payment activity has simply moved to the unsanctioned institutions like Sberbank. On the flip side the UK and US governments have locked almost all of the Russian financial industry out of London and NYC.

    I think people are falling for the spin on sanctions coming out of Europe and see big shiny boats being impounded but don't realise that Russian industry and banking is on its knees because they simply can't pay their workers and people can't withdraw money due to sanctions implemented by the UK and US.

    People counting the number of entities sanctioned are literally as stupid as the people who didn't and still don't understand the UK's vaccine strategy, and in most cases they are the same idiots. It's simply a dumb comparison for dumb people to crow about on dumb social media to their dumb mates.
    Yes exactly. The whole premise of the argument is stupid as fuck. How do you define a sanction, what is an “entity”, how do you add them up into “the European Union”

    Does Sainsbury’s banning Stolichnaya count as a sanction? If four supermarket chains do it is that four sanctions? If they do it to 50 brands of Russian vodka is that 200 sanctions on 50 entities, and what about the blinis?

    What a ridiculous pile of statistical drivel
    A moments thought ought to make people question the comparison. 100 millionaires or 1 billionaire, which is best? It's probably not even a simple answer, is it influence or value you are looking for? One thing's for sure simply counting entities and declaring someone the winner is stupid.

    In fact to extend this further there is an optimal sanction, that is the one that pushes a powerful person to bring down Putin and end the war. I will happily sing the praises of whichever country figures that one out. Even France.
    By all accounts the one sanction that really freaked out Moscow was the freezing of Russia’s foreign reserves
    And on that list it counts as 1 entity (the Russian central bank) the same as some no name politician in the United Russia Party who is banned from travelling to/through the EU.
    Change of subject but how is Mexico, especially Oaxaca?:


    I LOVE Oaxaca. One of my favourite cities in the Americas - or it was. But I heard rumours it was yet another lovely Mexican city ruined by drug wars and street crime. Is that not so? Is it still adorable? I recall the food being brilliant, too…
    It's great, we've had an absolutely wonderful time here and sad to be moving on (but also not) to Puerto Escondido tomorrow to a co-working hotel. There is obviously crime and police corruption but it's nothing like what I imagined it to be. The two Americans said that Oaxaca is way less dangerous than the Tenderloin and the danger is fairly predictable, people want to steal your shit more than anything else whereas in SF there's a lot of random violence from fentanyl addicts.

    The art scene, food and hospitality is amazing here, I'd highly recommend it. If you come then you want to check out CRUDO for the 8 course tasting menu with mezcal pairings, it's about $90 USD per person and it's some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. The rooftop bar at Vaca Marina is an absolute must as well, which is where we want last night. Incredible sunset and really good cocktails and appetisers.
    My experience of Mexico is that it's quiet and great 99% of the time, and then once every 2-3 months there's an explosion of violence around the cartels.

    It's murder rate in 2020 was about 45 per 100,000 people which is not the worst in the world.

    But it's not far off.
    A lot of that is in the desolate north which is controlled by the cartels. South of Mexico City or Guadalajara and it's a completely different country. I met a guy from Kent who went to Chihuahua just to see what it was like and he got to his "hotel" was later approached by cartel people who thought he was a DEA agent (I assume the hotel informed them there was a new white guy in town) and he said he could have been shot at any time during the "interview" and essentially he just played dumb tourist from England and luckily they believed him so escorted him to the airport rather than shooting him. He was there for a sum total of 5 hours.
    He went to Chihuahua?

    He must have been barking.
    It’s ok, he went with a great friend, a pedigree chum even.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,798

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    That they now have much to cheer about the EU's volte face.

    The change in Germany over a week has been profound. Only a point-scoring arsehole would try to argue otherwise.
    Cool, I know how keen you are on building bridges.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,586

    Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

    "Stuck on the road to Kyiv" is going to become the new idiom for 'caught in an unending hellish situation with no possible escape'.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 51,578

    Scott_xP said:

    DougSeal said:

    He actively damages the cause of closer relations with Europe. He’s awful.

    SUCH POWER !!!!!


    MWAHAHAHA
    There’s nothing wrong with a little end of week drinky poos, but try not to damage your PB reputation too much.

    Been a long while since I saw mwahahaha in capitals.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edeOEuXdMU
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,095
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    The single market could be collateral damage from the war in Ukraine:

    @FGoria
    HUNGARY TO BAN ALL GRAIN EXPORTS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, RTL TELEVISION CITES HUNGARY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE - RTRS


    https://twitter.com/fgoria/status/1499810310286454787

    Crikey. Is that because they expect worldwide grain shortages as Ukraine is levelled?

    Not good
    From memory, Russia and Ukraine are the world’s number 1 and number 2 grain exporters.
    No, Canada and the US are ahead of Ukraine. Russia is No 1, though.

    Russia is about 18% of the world market and Ukraine about 8%.

    We all know which Horseman follows war.
    It's also worth remembering that the West (and the US in particular) can dramatically increase the amount grain available for human consumption by imposing a temporary ban on ethanol.
    What about the Iowa Caucuses?
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
    Yes, but how good a steer do the Ukrainians have on Pig Dog vs what we in this country have? You seem to have a "Rudolf the red nosed reindeer" attitude to the fat lying crook. Try assessing him on actual worth rather than popularity.
  • Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

    It would appear to be stuck. This might explain why the Ukranians haven't attempted to attack it. If it's going nowhere, there's no need to.
  • IshmaelZ said:

    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
    Yes, but how good a steer do the Ukrainians have on Pig Dog vs what we in this country have? You seem to have a "Rudolf the red nosed reindeer" attitude to the fat lying crook. Try assessing him on actual worth rather than popularity.
    It would appear nobody has a better steer on him than Sir Gavin Williamson.
  • ChameleonChameleon Posts: 4,264
    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,095

    The UK has sanctioned 16 Russian entities. The EU has sanctioned 490.

    https://t.co/qmCtZ2nUr8

    Since the Russian invasion

    What were the numbers before the invasion? I suspect the EU is doing a lot of catching up
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,798
    DougSeal said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    You know what I’d say? There’s kids dying in Ukraine and everyone needs to stop making it about them and their own hobbyhorses. Pandemic, war in Ukraine, all about proving their own stupid viewpoint on this one issue. If the Second Coming happens next week with Jesus appearing in St Peter’s Square then Brexiters will point out the Vatican isn’t in the EU and Remainers will allege that he was originally planning to show up in Romford but 2016 went the wrong way. It’s so fucking solipsistic, narcissistic…just fucking wrong…
    Thanks for being the bigger man, above all the petty stuff.
    And for generously letting me know about it as well, of course!
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362
    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    Plenty in that crowd will remember Soviet tanks in their streets....
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541

    Scott_xP said:

    “Global Britain”.

    “Leading”.

    “World-beating”.

    NATO & EU foreign ministers met today, in Brussels.
    https://twitter.com/AndrewPRLevi/status/1499766641231646722/photo/1

    Was there no British representative as part of NATO? Would be odd...
    It’s utter guff.

    And it’s putting me in the rather frustrating position of disagreeing with Remainery fellow travellers.

    Sigh.
    They've been like that for a long time. There's a weird status anxiety behind a lot of it, with people actively inventing things to be performatively embarrassed about.
    Depends who you mean by “they”.

    Serious Remainers have moved on to other projects, which includes the question of how to achieve closer UK-EU relations post-Brexit, and how to get rid of Johnson.
    Amen to that.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 54,679
    MaxPB said:

    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    MaxPB said:

    It's very interesting to see on one side countries making a big deal about their sanctions of individual companies or individuals and saying that they are making a difference yet when the US and UK lock all of Russia out of capital markets, derivatives clearing, all types of reinsurance, and genuinely crippling financial measures that have forced the Moscow exchange to stay closed all week it's not enough.

    Someone from work was lamenting that the SWIFT sanctions are as useful as chocolate teapot because the EU insisted on exempting too many banks and all of the payment activity has simply moved to the unsanctioned institutions like Sberbank. On the flip side the UK and US governments have locked almost all of the Russian financial industry out of London and NYC.

    I think people are falling for the spin on sanctions coming out of Europe and see big shiny boats being impounded but don't realise that Russian industry and banking is on its knees because they simply can't pay their workers and people can't withdraw money due to sanctions implemented by the UK and US.

    People counting the number of entities sanctioned are literally as stupid as the people who didn't and still don't understand the UK's vaccine strategy, and in most cases they are the same idiots. It's simply a dumb comparison for dumb people to crow about on dumb social media to their dumb mates.
    Yes exactly. The whole premise of the argument is stupid as fuck. How do you define a sanction, what is an “entity”, how do you add them up into “the European Union”

    Does Sainsbury’s banning Stolichnaya count as a sanction? If four supermarket chains do it is that four sanctions? If they do it to 50 brands of Russian vodka is that 200 sanctions on 50 entities, and what about the blinis?

    What a ridiculous pile of statistical drivel
    A moments thought ought to make people question the comparison. 100 millionaires or 1 billionaire, which is best? It's probably not even a simple answer, is it influence or value you are looking for? One thing's for sure simply counting entities and declaring someone the winner is stupid.

    In fact to extend this further there is an optimal sanction, that is the one that pushes a powerful person to bring down Putin and end the war. I will happily sing the praises of whichever country figures that one out. Even France.
    By all accounts the one sanction that really freaked out Moscow was the freezing of Russia’s foreign reserves
    And on that list it counts as 1 entity (the Russian central bank) the same as some no name politician in the United Russia Party who is banned from travelling to/through the EU.
    Change of subject but how is Mexico, especially Oaxaca?:


    I LOVE Oaxaca. One of my favourite cities in the Americas - or it was. But I heard rumours it was yet another lovely Mexican city ruined by drug wars and street crime. Is that not so? Is it still adorable? I recall the food being brilliant, too…
    It's great, we've had an absolutely wonderful time here and sad to be moving on (but also not) to Puerto Escondido tomorrow to a co-working hotel. There is obviously crime and police corruption but it's nothing like what I imagined it to be. The two Americans said that Oaxaca is way less dangerous than the Tenderloin and the danger is fairly predictable, people want to steal your shit more than anything else whereas in SF there's a lot of random violence from fentanyl addicts.

    The art scene, food and hospitality is amazing here, I'd highly recommend it. If you come then you want to check out CRUDO for the 8 course tasting menu with mezcal pairings, it's about $90 USD per person and it's some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. The rooftop bar at Vaca Marina is an absolute must as well, which is where we want last night. Incredible sunset and really good cocktails and appetisers.
    My experience of Mexico is that it's quiet and great 99% of the time, and then once every 2-3 months there's an explosion of violence around the cartels.

    It's murder rate in 2020 was about 45 per 100,000 people which is not the worst in the world.

    But it's not far off.
    A lot of that is in the desolate north which is controlled by the cartels. South of Mexico City or Guadalajara and it's a completely different country. I met a guy from Kent who went to Chihuahua just to see what it was like and he got to his "hotel" was later approached by cartel people who thought he was a DEA agent (I assume the hotel informed them there was a new white guy in town) and he said he could have been shot at any time during the "interview" and essentially he just played dumb tourist from England and luckily they believed him so escorted him to the airport rather than shooting him. He was there for a sum total of 5 hours.
    That’s generally true - the north is much worse - but the violence has been creeping south, the capital itself, Veracruz, down to Cancun. Acapulco was fucked by crime when I was last there

    And Michoacan is a southwestern state

    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/western-mexico-cartel-violence-leaves-35000-displaced-82473501

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,154
    edited March 2022

    James Johnson
    @jamesjohnson252
    We (
    @JLPartnersPolls
    ) asked 2,000 British people how they felt about Putin, in a representative poll this week.

    It's like nothing we've seen before:

    "Evil beyond belief"
    "A child murdering war criminal"
    "Absolute disgrace, he needs to be taken down"
    "Sub-human scum"


    "The reincarnation of Hitler"
    "Gross little man"
    "Murderer, must be taken out"
    "A nasty **** who should be compared to Adolf Hitler"
    "Unstable, misguided, dangerous"
    "An extreme case of small man syndrome"
    "Nutty as a fruitcake"
    "He's a bell end"


    https://twitter.com/jamesjohnson252/status/1499807946389213194

    ===

    Other than this, his PR team are doing well.

    Tbf, apart from the Godwins I would say much the same thing about Gavin Williamson.

    So I would say they're showing good old fashioned British restraint.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362

    Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

    It would appear to be stuck. This might explain why the Ukranians haven't attempted to attack it. If it's going nowhere, there's no need to.
    1,000 Ukrainian tractors will appear - and it will be gone within the hour!
  • RogerRoger Posts: 19,851

    Scott_xP said:
    It's embarrassing for you that you thought that was worth sharing.
    It's funny which is something. There's precious little else to smile about around here. Unless Big_G pirouetting again does it for you?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,873
    edited March 2022

    Scott_xP said:

    Was there no British representative as part of NATO? Would be odd...

    There was

    Look at the picture
    So what was the point of your post?
    Quite. If the point is that notwithstanding the presence of Truss there the UK has been behind on this matter or not as united with the others somehow, then surely there must be a photo or story without her which would better make it?

    I mean, agree with all that stuff about how many have been sanctioned or not, but at least it makes logical sense to post the comparison to make a point about the UK response.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208
    Scott_xP said:

    Exclusive: British PM Boris Johnson @welt on why Russia's Vladimir Putin 'is getting more, not less NATO', why Europe needs a common energy strategy & how nuclear plants in #Ukraine now need to be protected ⬇️ English version below (1/3) https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/plus237325731/Boris-Johnson-Bin-zu-dem-Schluss-gekommen-dass-Putin-nur-scheitern-kann.html

    In joined interview with @antoguerrera @demiguelr the PM explains why UK despite Putin’s war will not join EU military cooperation, similarities btw Putin & Milosevic and why Russia's leader ultimately 'must fail' (2/3)

    On #Ukraine crisis mending EU & UK #Brexit relations: 'Sometimes, if a family goes through some big trauma,the real strength of the affection btw members of the family& the way they work together can suddenly be revealed again' (3/3) https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article237326403/Boris-Johnson-Putin-is-getting-more-Nato-not-less.html

    An interesting interview, saying more about European relations than Ukraine IMO. Johnson is sticking to the mainstream, which is good.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541

    DougSeal said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    You know what I’d say? There’s kids dying in Ukraine and everyone needs to stop making it about them and their own hobbyhorses. Pandemic, war in Ukraine, all about proving their own stupid viewpoint on this one issue. If the Second Coming happens next week with Jesus appearing in St Peter’s Square then Brexiters will point out the Vatican isn’t in the EU and Remainers will allege that he was originally planning to show up in Romford but 2016 went the wrong way. It’s so fucking solipsistic, narcissistic…just fucking wrong…
    Thanks for being the bigger man, above all the petty stuff.
    And for generously letting me know about it as well, of course!
    Oh, I’m the most petty person you’ll meet. Takes a thief and all that.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,353
    IshmaelZ said:

    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
    Yes, but how good a steer do the Ukrainians have on Pig Dog vs what we in this country have? You seem to have a "Rudolf the red nosed reindeer" attitude to the fat lying crook. Try assessing him on actual worth rather than popularity.
    I suppose a leader swap is out of the question 😕
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    "A major internet service provider said it would end its relationships with Russian internet companies, a move that could disrupt some service in Russia and further the country’s digital isolation from the rest of the online world.

    Cogent Communications said it would begin shutting down Russian customers’ access to its services on Friday at noon Eastern time,"

    NY Times

  • boulayboulay Posts: 5,412
    ….
    Scott_xP said:
    They can take our yachts but they’ll never take our freedom……

    3 yachts.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 8,425

    Illia Ponomarenko
    @IAPonomarenko

    A lot of new NLAWs have been delivered to Kyiv 🔥
    I can definitely confirm: these babies are at just every corner in Ukrainian ranks.


    https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1499835117715562496

    Amazing what you can these days via Amazon Prime....
    Oddly reassuring that they are delivered in a transit. Apparently put together in Belfast, but I assume they are getting lifted from a big army depot somewhere.

    Could you literally take them across on a ferry and drive them to the border?
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    That they now have much to cheer about the EU's volte face.

    The change in Germany over a week has been profound. Only a point-scoring arsehole would try to argue otherwise.
    Cool, I know how keen you are on building bridges.
    Oh no, I much prefer burrowing away....
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,873
    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    He wants better than crowds listening to him of course (and notwithstanding the help received already he needs more of it from governments), but there's no question acting as his nation's chief diplomat is going very well with that sort of reaction.
  • Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

    "Stuck on the road to Kyiv" is going to become the new idiom for 'caught in an unending hellish situation with no possible escape'.
    Doesn't even come close to the M25 on a Bank Holiday weekend.
  • BlancheLivermoreBlancheLivermore Posts: 5,830
    edited March 2022
    Is there a chance that we're slower to announce oligarch sanctions/asset seizures because we
    a) have to do it legally
    b) have far more oligarchs and assets to deal with
    c) we're maybe going after oligarch assets in our overseas territories as well which further complicates the legal side of things?

    If the government really are in the pockets of Putin supporting oligarchs then it needs to be exposed and severely dealt with. I can't see anything in their actions that suggests that they actually are.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362
    Scott_xP said:
    "What did you do in the war, daddy?"

    "We took their super yachts, son..."

    "No daddy - I meant, how did you fight?"
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,257
    Two thirds of the 1m+ Ukranian refugees have headed to Poland (UNHCR).

    That implies that approx 2% of the entire Polish population is a newly arrived Ukrainian refugee.
  • IshmaelZ said:

    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
    Yes, but how good a steer do the Ukrainians have on Pig Dog vs what we in this country have? You seem to have a "Rudolf the red nosed reindeer" attitude to the fat lying crook. Try assessing him on actual worth rather than popularity.
    I suspect the Ukrainians are more grateful for the NLAWs than anything else. I suspect whoever was UK PM would be number 1 at the moment.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,528
    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    rcs1000 said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    Leon said:

    glw said:

    MaxPB said:

    It's very interesting to see on one side countries making a big deal about their sanctions of individual companies or individuals and saying that they are making a difference yet when the US and UK lock all of Russia out of capital markets, derivatives clearing, all types of reinsurance, and genuinely crippling financial measures that have forced the Moscow exchange to stay closed all week it's not enough.

    Someone from work was lamenting that the SWIFT sanctions are as useful as chocolate teapot because the EU insisted on exempting too many banks and all of the payment activity has simply moved to the unsanctioned institutions like Sberbank. On the flip side the UK and US governments have locked almost all of the Russian financial industry out of London and NYC.

    I think people are falling for the spin on sanctions coming out of Europe and see big shiny boats being impounded but don't realise that Russian industry and banking is on its knees because they simply can't pay their workers and people can't withdraw money due to sanctions implemented by the UK and US.

    People counting the number of entities sanctioned are literally as stupid as the people who didn't and still don't understand the UK's vaccine strategy, and in most cases they are the same idiots. It's simply a dumb comparison for dumb people to crow about on dumb social media to their dumb mates.
    Yes exactly. The whole premise of the argument is stupid as fuck. How do you define a sanction, what is an “entity”, how do you add them up into “the European Union”

    Does Sainsbury’s banning Stolichnaya count as a sanction? If four supermarket chains do it is that four sanctions? If they do it to 50 brands of Russian vodka is that 200 sanctions on 50 entities, and what about the blinis?

    What a ridiculous pile of statistical drivel
    A moments thought ought to make people question the comparison. 100 millionaires or 1 billionaire, which is best? It's probably not even a simple answer, is it influence or value you are looking for? One thing's for sure simply counting entities and declaring someone the winner is stupid.

    In fact to extend this further there is an optimal sanction, that is the one that pushes a powerful person to bring down Putin and end the war. I will happily sing the praises of whichever country figures that one out. Even France.
    By all accounts the one sanction that really freaked out Moscow was the freezing of Russia’s foreign reserves
    And on that list it counts as 1 entity (the Russian central bank) the same as some no name politician in the United Russia Party who is banned from travelling to/through the EU.
    Change of subject but how is Mexico, especially Oaxaca?:


    I LOVE Oaxaca. One of my favourite cities in the Americas - or it was. But I heard rumours it was yet another lovely Mexican city ruined by drug wars and street crime. Is that not so? Is it still adorable? I recall the food being brilliant, too…
    It's great, we've had an absolutely wonderful time here and sad to be moving on (but also not) to Puerto Escondido tomorrow to a co-working hotel. There is obviously crime and police corruption but it's nothing like what I imagined it to be. The two Americans said that Oaxaca is way less dangerous than the Tenderloin and the danger is fairly predictable, people want to steal your shit more than anything else whereas in SF there's a lot of random violence from fentanyl addicts.

    The art scene, food and hospitality is amazing here, I'd highly recommend it. If you come then you want to check out CRUDO for the 8 course tasting menu with mezcal pairings, it's about $90 USD per person and it's some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. The rooftop bar at Vaca Marina is an absolute must as well, which is where we want last night. Incredible sunset and really good cocktails and appetisers.
    My experience of Mexico is that it's quiet and great 99% of the time, and then once every 2-3 months there's an explosion of violence around the cartels.

    It's murder rate in 2020 was about 45 per 100,000 people which is not the worst in the world.

    But it's not far off.
    A lot of that is in the desolate north which is controlled by the cartels. South of Mexico City or Guadalajara and it's a completely different country. I met a guy from Kent who went to Chihuahua just to see what it was like and he got to his "hotel" was later approached by cartel people who thought he was a DEA agent (I assume the hotel informed them there was a new white guy in town) and he said he could have been shot at any time during the "interview" and essentially he just played dumb tourist from England and luckily they believed him so escorted him to the airport rather than shooting him. He was there for a sum total of 5 hours.
    That’s generally true - the north is much worse - but the violence has been creeping south, the capital itself, Veracruz, down to Cancun. Acapulco was fucked by crime when I was last there

    And Michoacan is a southwestern state

    https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/western-mexico-cartel-violence-leaves-35000-displaced-82473501

    Yeah there was a Dutch guy going to Acapulco and all the Americans and English people at the bar were like "nah mate, go to Puerto Escondido or Sayulita" he went to Acapulco yesterday 😂
  • Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:
    It's embarrassing for you that you thought that was worth sharing.
    It's funny which is something. There's precious little else to smile about around here. Unless Big_G pirouetting again does it for you?
    You, almost inevitably, join the list of those embarrassing themselves with a public self-soiling.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,895

    "What did you do in the war, daddy?"

    "We took their super yachts, son..."

    "No daddy - I meant, how did you fight?"

    It's better than "We took their cash, son, in return for... oh, wait"
  • Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

    It would appear to be stuck. This might explain why the Ukranians haven't attempted to attack it. If it's going nowhere, there's no need to.
    1,000 Ukrainian tractors will appear - and it will be gone within the hour!
    Yup. They could show the RAC a thing or two, those boys.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,154

    IshmaelZ said:

    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
    Yes, but how good a steer do the Ukrainians have on Pig Dog vs what we in this country have? You seem to have a "Rudolf the red nosed reindeer" attitude to the fat lying crook. Try assessing him on actual worth rather than popularity.
    I suppose a leader swap is out of the question 😕
    Are you a Russian sleeper agent? I mean, who else would inflict A Johnson on Ukraine at this moment of all moments?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 54,679
    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 32,270
    Eabhal said:

    Illia Ponomarenko
    @IAPonomarenko

    A lot of new NLAWs have been delivered to Kyiv 🔥
    I can definitely confirm: these babies are at just every corner in Ukrainian ranks.


    https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1499835117715562496

    Amazing what you can these days via Amazon Prime....
    Oddly reassuring that they are delivered in a transit. Apparently put together in Belfast, but I assume they are getting lifted from a big army depot somewhere.

    Could you literally take them across on a ferry and drive them to the border?
    I would assume our military are flying them to Poland and they are then loaded onto unmarked vehicles to get them across the border and into Kyiv. Since we are announcing all of this military aid we can be as blatant as we like as far as the Ukraine border.
  • ApplicantApplicant Posts: 3,379

    Scott_xP said:

    RobD said:

    Er, wasn't Liz Truss there?

    Look at the picture
    She's there FFS!
    @Scott_xP has lost it tonight
    How is this night different from all other nights?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:
    It's embarrassing for you that you thought that was worth sharing.
    It's funny which is something. There's precious little else to smile about around here. Unless Big_G pirouetting again does it for you?
    is there message about how some of them seem less happy to be there than others? Sunak looks well pissed off.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,828
    edited March 2022
    Scott_xP said:

    "What did you do in the war, daddy?"

    "We took their super yachts, son..."

    "No daddy - I meant, how did you fight?"

    It's better than "We took their cash, son, in return for... oh, wait"
    Yep, that's all the UK has done. Better we have it than them?
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 56,928
    Fishing said:

    The UK has sanctioned 16 Russian entities. The EU has sanctioned 490.

    https://t.co/qmCtZ2nUr8

    We’ve done this.
    I suspect the numbers are bunk but I am also pretty skeptical that the UK has done what it ought to.
    I don't think it'll make much difference if we sanction 490,000. Supplying weapons, training and intelligence is what counts, and that's where we've been a world leader. The rest is barely even a fleabite to the Mad Vlad, and he'll have taken it into account anyway.
    Weapons, food, medical supplies - these are the most important concrete things we can do.

    But don't underestimate the importance of sanctions. There's very little made in Russia that is completely free from imported components. And machine tools and oil & gas production kit - that will require regular maintenance and new parts - will also all be imported.

    Plus there's the symbolic. Russians have just discovered they may not be going to the World Cup later this year, and their teams have been kicked out of sporting competition.

    Sanctions do bite. And they mean it is that bit harder for the government to hide from the people that there's something very serious going on.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,257
    Leon said:

    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
    One now knows what it must have felt like to celebrate Garibaldi or Mazzini.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 19,851
    DougSeal said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    You know what I’d say? There’s kids dying in Ukraine and everyone needs to stop making it about them and their own hobbyhorses. Pandemic, war in Ukraine, all about proving their own stupid viewpoint on this one issue. If the Second Coming happens next week with Jesus appearing in St Peter’s Square then Brexiters will point out the Vatican isn’t in the EU and Remainers will allege that he was originally planning to show up in Romford but 2016 went the wrong way. It’s so fucking solipsistic, narcissistic…just fucking wrong…
    Thank goodness we have you here to show us the error of our ways.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    James Johnson
    @jamesjohnson252
    We (
    @JLPartnersPolls
    ) asked 2,000 British people how they felt about Putin, in a representative poll this week.

    It's like nothing we've seen before:

    "Evil beyond belief"
    "A child murdering war criminal"
    "Absolute disgrace, he needs to be taken down"
    "Sub-human scum"


    "The reincarnation of Hitler"
    "Gross little man"
    "Murderer, must be taken out"
    "A nasty **** who should be compared to Adolf Hitler"
    "Unstable, misguided, dangerous"
    "An extreme case of small man syndrome"
    "Nutty as a fruitcake"
    "He's a bell end"


    https://twitter.com/jamesjohnson252/status/1499807946389213194

    ===

    Other than this, his PR team are doing well.

    Whereas, last year Mrs Pig Dog casually enabled the torture and murder of (brown but technically speaking human, ) allies of this country in favour of an airlift of a White Man And His Dogs and we all rejoiced because, Yay, doggies.

    Nothing wrong with with a husband chewing over his job with the memsahib of course. Nobody would hold it against, for instance, Karl-Otto Koch.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362

    Putin's column going nowhere reports MoD.

    It's impotent that Putin's column limps home....
  • Leon said:

    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
    He might even be better than Raducanu.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,873
    Leon said:

    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
    Hopefully he will get a chance to lead a rebuild of the nation, and off the back of the unprecedented support at home and abroad successfully break through many of the challenges that will no doubt have hindered his role in the semi-peace of his first few years. That's about best case scenario - they could have no better figure right now to get favourable treatment from across the globe.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,586
    rcs1000 said:
    Well thanks for that - it certainly fooled... er, no one.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 62,401
    Leon said:

    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
    That can't be right. RT is telling me that Putin is the new hero of the age as he rescues ordinary ukr from death camps.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,541
    Roger said:

    DougSeal said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    You know what I’d say? There’s kids dying in Ukraine and everyone needs to stop making it about them and their own hobbyhorses. Pandemic, war in Ukraine, all about proving their own stupid viewpoint on this one issue. If the Second Coming happens next week with Jesus appearing in St Peter’s Square then Brexiters will point out the Vatican isn’t in the EU and Remainers will allege that he was originally planning to show up in Romford but 2016 went the wrong way. It’s so fucking solipsistic, narcissistic…just fucking wrong…
    Thank goodness we have you here to show us the error of our ways.
    At your service.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 95,873
    edited March 2022
    rcs1000 said:
    The giveaway was that JRM is upright and not supine.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 56,928

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    The single market could be collateral damage from the war in Ukraine:

    @FGoria
    HUNGARY TO BAN ALL GRAIN EXPORTS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, RTL TELEVISION CITES HUNGARY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE - RTRS


    https://twitter.com/fgoria/status/1499810310286454787

    Crikey. Is that because they expect worldwide grain shortages as Ukraine is levelled?

    Not good
    From memory, Russia and Ukraine are the world’s number 1 and number 2 grain exporters.
    No, Canada and the US are ahead of Ukraine. Russia is No 1, though.

    Russia is about 18% of the world market and Ukraine about 8%.

    We all know which Horseman follows war.
    It's also worth remembering that the West (and the US in particular) can dramatically increase the amount grain available for human consumption by imposing a temporary ban on ethanol.
    And replacing the ethanol with Russian oil?
    Once you include all the fertilizer (from natural gas) used to produce the ethanol, it is by no means clear to me what the EROEI is on ethanol.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,828
    rcs1000 said:
    You can tell because if you look very closely, you'll see there is no shadow under Rees-Mogg's chair. Very subtle.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 54,679
    edited March 2022
    rcs1000 said:

    Fishing said:

    The UK has sanctioned 16 Russian entities. The EU has sanctioned 490.

    https://t.co/qmCtZ2nUr8

    We’ve done this.
    I suspect the numbers are bunk but I am also pretty skeptical that the UK has done what it ought to.
    I don't think it'll make much difference if we sanction 490,000. Supplying weapons, training and intelligence is what counts, and that's where we've been a world leader. The rest is barely even a fleabite to the Mad Vlad, and he'll have taken it into account anyway.
    Weapons, food, medical supplies - these are the most important concrete things we can do.

    But don't underestimate the importance of sanctions. There's very little made in Russia that is completely free from imported components. And machine tools and oil & gas production kit - that will require regular maintenance and new parts - will also all be imported.

    Plus there's the symbolic. Russians have just discovered they may not be going to the World Cup later this year, and their teams have been kicked out of sporting competition.

    Sanctions do bite. And they mean it is that bit harder for the government to hide from the people that there's something very serious going on.
    Someone linked an essay below by a military analyst who pointed out that Russian arms factories will not be able to re supply the army with hi tech gizmos because of a lack of sophisticated foreign components. And that will have an impact immediately, not six months down the line
  • FF43 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Exclusive: British PM Boris Johnson @welt on why Russia's Vladimir Putin 'is getting more, not less NATO', why Europe needs a common energy strategy & how nuclear plants in #Ukraine now need to be protected ⬇️ English version below (1/3) https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/plus237325731/Boris-Johnson-Bin-zu-dem-Schluss-gekommen-dass-Putin-nur-scheitern-kann.html

    In joined interview with @antoguerrera @demiguelr the PM explains why UK despite Putin’s war will not join EU military cooperation, similarities btw Putin & Milosevic and why Russia's leader ultimately 'must fail' (2/3)

    On #Ukraine crisis mending EU & UK #Brexit relations: 'Sometimes, if a family goes through some big trauma,the real strength of the affection btw members of the family& the way they work together can suddenly be revealed again' (3/3) https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article237326403/Boris-Johnson-Putin-is-getting-more-Nato-not-less.html

    An interesting interview, saying more about European relations than Ukraine IMO. Johnson is sticking to the mainstream, which is good.
    Boris is not as good as his supporters say, or as bad as his opponents say. He still needs to go. But I’d rather not have a leadership election at the moment.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,362

    IshmaelZ said:

    Roger said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    Which was the poll by Ukrainians that rated Johnson No 1?
    It was posted earlier with UK no 1 for Ukrainians by Ukrainians

    I know it is hard for you to take
    Yes, but how good a steer do the Ukrainians have on Pig Dog vs what we in this country have? You seem to have a "Rudolf the red nosed reindeer" attitude to the fat lying crook. Try assessing him on actual worth rather than popularity.
    I suspect the Ukrainians are more grateful for the NLAWs than anything else. I suspect whoever was UK PM would be number 1 at the moment.
    Loved that report that when they fire an NLAW at a Russian tank, they shout "God save the Queen!"
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,586
    Leon said:

    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
    Mandela maybe?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,173

    Two thirds of the 1m+ Ukranian refugees have headed to Poland (UNHCR).

    That implies that approx 2% of the entire Polish population is a newly arrived Ukrainian refugee.

    An interesting fact is that the combined population of Poland, Hungary and Romania is about 5 million fewer/less today than it was in 1989, (mostly due to Romania).
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,798
    On header topic for once

    'America’s culture war is spilling into actual war-war'

    https://tinyurl.com/wa6drm28

    This bit particularly twanged a chord.

    'There is an influential tradition on the right of idolizing Putin as a defender of white Christian values against the onslaught of secular, “leftist” liberalism.'
  • boulayboulay Posts: 5,412
    Roger said:

    DougSeal said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Well we knew it was coming but sad all the same to hear it. EU official quoted,

    "We have been united on the Ukraine issue because the UK has been absent."


    https://twitter.com/archer_rs/status/1499770279853178882

    Utter rubbish

    UK has been involved with the US and the EU since day one

    Indeed I have said on many occasions this should bring us closer, but what you and others of a similar bigoted mindset do not realise is that your constant sniping is actually negative to your hopes of a close relationship
    What would you say about those who barely ten days ago were describing the EU as appeasers and enablers?
    You know what I’d say? There’s kids dying in Ukraine and everyone needs to stop making it about them and their own hobbyhorses. Pandemic, war in Ukraine, all about proving their own stupid viewpoint on this one issue. If the Second Coming happens next week with Jesus appearing in St Peter’s Square then Brexiters will point out the Vatican isn’t in the EU and Remainers will allege that he was originally planning to show up in Romford but 2016 went the wrong way. It’s so fucking solipsistic, narcissistic…just fucking wrong…
    Thank goodness we have you here to show us the error of our ways.
    Thank goodness we have you here to bring IQ down to “Hartlepool” levels.
  • Is there a chance that we're slower to announce oligarch sanctions/asset seizures because we
    a) have to do it legally
    b) have far more oligarchs and assets to deal with
    c) we're maybe going after oligarch assets in our overseas territories as well which further complicates the legal side of things?

    If the government really are in the pockets of Putin supporting oligarchs then it needs to be exposed and severely dealt with. I can't see anything in their actions that suggests that they actually are.

    It has been said all along that it is high paid London lawyers acting for the oligarchs that are the problem

    Boris and Starmer promised at PMQs to work together on the legislation coming before the HOC on this whole issue

    It is difficult not to see hypocrisy over those calling out Boris when he is constrained by the law and is actually addressing it
  • LeonLeon Posts: 54,679

    Leon said:

    Chameleon said:

    https://twitter.com/srodan/status/1499816010404220940

    Gosh, quite a ridiculous crowd for zelenskyy's speech in Prague.

    It is unprecedented. He must be the single most popular politician in the western world at the moment - and by a distance. A proper hero. Perhaps the most popular western politician EVER. Only JFK in his pomp is a rival? Obama?
    One now knows what it must have felt like to celebrate Garibaldi or Mazzini.

    Yes, good comparison. Like one of those 19th century revolutionary heroes, except amplified a million fold by social media, t’Net and TV
This discussion has been closed.