Trump was sometimes bang on, despite being mad and dangerous. This is one such occasion. Check the vid in this tweet. Trump is in the UN condemning Germany for its energy policy, which, he says, will leave them "totally dependant on Russia."
Yeah they seem incredulous about what he's saying but loads of us had been saying it for years, not just Trump. I remember writing a report in 2015 or 2016 for my previous employer laying out how disastrous it would be for Germany to become dependent on Russian gas from Nord Stream 2 and that was ages ago. I was but a lowly junior market analyst at the time as well and yet across the City similar reports were being read and red flags being raised and the Germans just waived away all of the concerns and ploughed ahead with NS2 and allowed their energy mix to become dominated by Russia via NS1.
It's probably one of the biggest post-war strategic errors in Europe and hopefully unwinding it won't be too painful.
I'm not sure how much more of this unspeakable horror is endurable. I am tempted to go live in a hermit's cave at the end of the Athos peninsula, with a jug of wine and a slender volume of poetry
- Cases going up. R above 1 in all regions. Interestingly, R is now falling back in the very oldest groups (80+). - MV beds flat - In hospital up a bit - Admissions up - R is now above 1
I'm pretty sure that seismic events in Russia will now develop. The pre-invasion Russian state and economy are going to be convulsed. I don't know whether to be optimistic, pessimistic or terrified about what will unfold. Might take a few weeks or months to get going.
All 3 for me. Optimistic long term, pessimistic short term, terrified that the short term won't be very short.
It won't do us any of us any good were Russia to devolve into anarchy and instability. We can all agree Putin has to go but it's up to the Russians themselves who follows him.
And hopefully that will mean Russians as a population rather than the next exploiting clique.
Lol, Salvini shoots off like a rabbit with firework up its arse.
Mark Lowen @marklowen · 3h As Matteo Salvini visits the Poland-Ukraine border, the mayor of Przemysl shows him the Putin-admiring T-shirt he proudly wore in Moscow. Not so simple for a leopard to change its spots.
Ukrainians doing good job of shaming Putin's suck-ups, as means of pressuring them to do the right (as in correct) thing, for a change.
Wonder IF Zelensky & Co have been playing Boris Johnson the same way or similar? Perhaps one way for all those Ruski > Tory campaign contributions to do some good, for a change?
It's a puzzle to me as to why the Ukrainians are not doing more air strikes on Russian advances.
Whatever they have left I assume it has to be eked out very carefully, high risk strikes against well defended columns with air support may not be best use. Depressingly I imagine the Ukrainians have already written off a lot of Russian objectives.
Also objectives.
Their top priority is to survive, and that means focus on eg cities.
Also eg that 60km column is not doing much damage for now if it is just sitting there out of fuel. So they can go for other things instead.
Yes, it seems that column is mostly harmless, so no point in attacking it.
I'm pretty sure that seismic events in Russia will now develop. The pre-invasion Russian state and economy are going to be convulsed. I don't know whether to be optimistic, pessimistic or terrified about what will unfold. Might take a few weeks or months to get going.
All 3 for me. Optimistic long term, pessimistic short term, terrified that the short term won't be very short.
It won't do us any of us any good were Russia to devolve into anarchy and instability. We can all agree Putin has to go but it's up to the Russians themselves who follows him.
And hopefully that will mean Russians as a population rather than the next exploiting clique.
Trump was sometimes bang on, despite being mad and dangerous. This is one such occasion. Check the vid in this tweet. Trump is in the UN condemning Germany for its energy policy, which, he says, will leave them "totally dependant on Russia."
Yeah they seem incredulous about what he's saying but loads of us had been saying it for years, not just Trump. I remember writing a report in 2015 or 2016 for my previous employer laying out how disastrous it would be for Germany to become dependent on Russian gas from Nord Stream 2 and that was ages ago. I was but a lowly junior market analyst at the time as well and yet across the City similar reports were being read and red flags being raised and the Germans just waived away all of the concerns and ploughed ahead with NS2 and allowed their energy mix to become dominated by Russia via NS1.
It's probably one of the biggest post-war strategic errors in Europe and hopefully unwinding it won't be too painful.
Merkel's "legacy" looks increasingly tatty and unimpressive as the days pass
Great to see Putin's willing allies who want to garner political points at home by visiting Ukrainian "front" in their warrior togs, getting their well-deserved comeuppance.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
I'm pretty sure that seismic events in Russia will now develop. The pre-invasion Russian state and economy are going to be convulsed. I don't know whether to be optimistic, pessimistic or terrified about what will unfold. Might take a few weeks or months to get going.
All 3 for me. Optimistic long term, pessimistic short term, terrified that the short term won't be very short.
It won't do us any of us any good were Russia to devolve into anarchy and instability. We can all agree Putin has to go but it's up to the Russians themselves who follows him.
And hopefully that will mean Russians as a population rather than the next exploiting clique.
Russia has only ever known exploiting cliques.
Russia breaking a habit that stretches back centuries doesn't seem all that likely. The best we can hope for is that the next guy isn't as bad as the present.
In the first two months of this year, we generate 7.5 pp more of our energy usage from renewables. I believe that last year was a bad year for wind, but even so, I will never not be amazed at the rate of change.
I checked our solar energy generation yesterday for the year to March 22 and the previous year and it was only marginally higher for this year
In February 2021, 1.85% of demand was met by solar, was 2.2% a year later, i.e. a big percent but not much change to the big picture.
Compare wind:
25.9% in February 2021 and 39.7% this year.
February is not a notably good month for solar! (It's also important to note that a lot of solar simply shows up as declines in demand, as it is used where generated rather than being fed to the grid.)
The first point is precisely why solar is a red herring for the UK!
We aren't California or Sydney using electricity to power air conditioning, we need our power for central heating in the middle of winter - and that's only going to get worse as more people switch from gas to electric heating.
Our electricity demand peaks when solar supply dims. Its completely countercyclical to what we actually need.
While I *broadly* agree with this, if the energy is cheap enough, then it still makes sense. I have a friend with a Tesla Powerwall. He's at work all day, and so his a/c only runs at weekends during the day.
Now, it's Los Angeles, but his grid energy usage has dropped 90% - and the energy is mostly being used in the evenings.
If you live in the Southern UK, and you have a decent battery backup system, then given that electricity from the grid is now 28p/KWh, then solar will almost certainly be economic for you.
It may be economic, potentially, but its not going to supply all your energy to power your heating in February in the UK.
Los Angeles and Loughborough have slightly different seasons and weather.
The problem (with current efficiency) is that you need about 30m^2 of panel to generate the needs of the average house during the most overcast periods in the UK.
I think we are not far off viability, though.
And is that the needs of the average house today?
Or the needs of the average house in ten years time - with an electric car instead of a petrol one and electric heat pump instead of gas central heating?
Solar simply can't scale for winter to what we need. Its a nice toy to make things a bit cheaper for those who can afford it, but if you want to get through an English winter let alone a Scottish one you need something a bit more credible.
Are you thinking macro or micro? I mean, as a householder the equation is pretty simple: if the total retail cost of the electricity I can generate over say 15 years would be more than the cost of the panels, and any battery solution for supply/demand smoothing costs less than the extra self-generated electricity that it enables me to use myself, then it makes sense (assuming I can fund the capital outlay). Sure, there's a gamble on the future cost of electricity but doesn't feel that likely to get cheaper. So even if it doesn't get me through a Cornish winter let alone a Scottish one it's a good trade.
Macro I can see that the effect on the supply mix effectively increases the unit cost of winter generation where the plant isn't needed in summer - is that the point?
That's why I said it might be a nice toy for those who can get it. On a micro level it may make sense for individuals.
On a macro level though, its a terrible solution for the UK as a whole. Any macro investment should be based on solutions that actually suit the UK's climate, not California's.
Unless you're going to ban people from installing solar, then more and more of it will get installed, and increasingly with battery backup. Because - with electricity at 28p - it makes financial sense for people to do so.
And that means you have to deal with its consequences, irrespective of whether it would fit into a "perfect" energy mix for the UK.
I wonder how long Bully Bercow is going to last in the Labour Party?
I know a party he could join..
During my run this afternoon, I had a cold shiver: Boris Johnson may be bad, but imagine if we had had Corbyn as PM over Covid and the Ukraine situation?
He's been awful over Covid, and instead of sending weapons to Ukraine, he'd probably find a reason to send them to Russia.
And I also see Chris Williamson's been making an idiot of himself on Twitter: calling on Zelensky to agree to all of Russia's demands.
When moaning about Bercow just doesn't hit the spot.
Could you give me a run down on Corbyn's historical attitude to Putin and the Russia of the last 20ish years? I'm sure there's lots out there.
The ex-leader of the SNP also has quite a lot too.
Can you document that, as a matter of interest?
Where have you been? He has his own program on RT, or maybe you missed that? Along with Corbyn, Farage and a few other idiots. They knew how it looked, but they took the money and carried on participating in the propaganda nonetheless.
They, and the fools who took money from the oligarchs have blood on their hands, but no doubt you will make the exception for the person who is the prime architect of Scottish exceptionalism.
A chat show about UK politics, with the likes of D. Davis as guests?
Ah, you are defending him. Shame on you, and David Davis.
Not defending him - but just checking exactly what you mean by 'propaganda'.
Have you ever tuned in to RT news? One of the things about media generally, whether mass media or social media, is to legitimise the content. This is why people who think that Putin has not tried to influence our politics are so fecking stupid.
Salmond, Corbyn et al must have known that at some time before or after his "chat show" there would be fake news being propagated. Even if his own content was wonderfully balanced (unlikely) and not propaganda he has managed to assist with the propaganda effort. Much as I despise the fat little toad, I don't think he is stupid. He knew. People who defend him are defending the indefensible.
More dribbling from Gammon..........
-2/10
Trying, still trying, still very trying.....
Malmsebury, you are jaded and hav elost any sense of humour , 1/10 only because 0/10 not allowed. I shall continue till my dumbo stalker gets the message, he is rather slow on the uptake.
May I suggest you take your own advice Father Jack and
Foreskin's little helper turns up. Jog on loser @eek
Trump was sometimes bang on, despite being mad and dangerous. This is one such occasion. Check the vid in this tweet. Trump is in the UN condemning Germany for its energy policy, which, he says, will leave them "totally dependant on Russia."
Yeah they seem incredulous about what he's saying but loads of us had been saying it for years, not just Trump. I remember writing a report in 2015 or 2016 for my previous employer laying out how disastrous it would be for Germany to become dependent on Russian gas from Nord Stream 2 and that was ages ago. I was but a lowly junior market analyst at the time as well and yet across the City similar reports were being read and red flags being raised and the Germans just waived away all of the concerns and ploughed ahead with NS2 and allowed their energy mix to become dominated by Russia via NS1.
It's probably one of the biggest post-war strategic errors in Europe and hopefully unwinding it won't be too painful.
Merkel's "legacy" looks increasingly tatty and unimpressive as the days pass
Great to see Putin's willing allies who want to garner political points at home by visiting Ukrainian "front" in their warrior togs, getting their well-deserved comeuppance.
I don't have better links. I guess you can escape from yourself though.
Edit: I wonder how much of life is escaping from yourself.
Now you are just being an arsehole for the sake of it Go Fuck yourself and keep your big snout out of my business. Stick to ineracting wiith other jessie boys.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Only question is numbers of trained, current, pilots and munitions I guess. But this is great to see.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Trump was sometimes bang on, despite being mad and dangerous. This is one such occasion. Check the vid in this tweet. Trump is in the UN condemning Germany for its energy policy, which, he says, will leave them "totally dependant on Russia."
Yeah they seem incredulous about what he's saying but loads of us had been saying it for years, not just Trump. I remember writing a report in 2015 or 2016 for my previous employer laying out how disastrous it would be for Germany to become dependent on Russian gas from Nord Stream 2 and that was ages ago. I was but a lowly junior market analyst at the time as well and yet across the City similar reports were being read and red flags being raised and the Germans just waived away all of the concerns and ploughed ahead with NS2 and allowed their energy mix to become dominated by Russia via NS1.
It's probably one of the biggest post-war strategic errors in Europe and hopefully unwinding it won't be too painful.
I got called an idiot for raising concerns at Douche Bank about their Worst Shoring IT to Russia - in 2013
In 2014 I was giggling as they ran round screaming at the fact they didn't know if the US was going to cut off access to Russia - they didn't know if the *source code* was there... as it was the QA unit was in Ukraine so they literally had development fighting QA....
"Today is the day murderous females get the recognition they so rightfully deserve, @LondonDungeon for one day only Jack the Ripper has been dubbed Jackie the Ripper.
Spat out my tea when I saw this. Just incredibly bad judgement from all involved.
I think that even beats the PSNI a couple of years back when they marked International Women’s Day by asking female officers to nominate for an award male officers that had helped them.
international womans day is just a load of crap to justify some corporate jobs and virtue signalling. Its a day I dont venture on linkedin
I'm pretty sure that seismic events in Russia will now develop. The pre-invasion Russian state and economy are going to be convulsed. I don't know whether to be optimistic, pessimistic or terrified about what will unfold. Might take a few weeks or months to get going.
All 3 for me. Optimistic long term, pessimistic short term, terrified that the short term won't be very short.
It won't do us any of us any good were Russia to devolve into anarchy and instability. We can all agree Putin has to go but it's up to the Russians themselves who follows him.
And hopefully that will mean Russians as a population rather than the next exploiting clique.
Russia has only ever known exploiting cliques.
Russia breaking a habit that stretches back centuries doesn't seem all that likely. The best we can hope for is that the next guy isn't as bad as the present.
So why is Putin so afraid of Ukraine/Zelenskyy?
He knows 'it could happen here.' Russia may be more prone to an Arab Spring than a jasmine revolution but we'll see.
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Only question is numbers of trained, current, pilots and munitions I guess. But this is great to see.
Also, are they all EXACTLY the same variant? The devil can be in the detail - an RAF pilot wouldn’t have been completely happy in a German Tornado, though needs must in a war of national survival I suppose.
Trump was sometimes bang on, despite being mad and dangerous. This is one such occasion. Check the vid in this tweet. Trump is in the UN condemning Germany for its energy policy, which, he says, will leave them "totally dependant on Russia."
Yeah they seem incredulous about what he's saying but loads of us had been saying it for years, not just Trump. I remember writing a report in 2015 or 2016 for my previous employer laying out how disastrous it would be for Germany to become dependent on Russian gas from Nord Stream 2 and that was ages ago. I was but a lowly junior market analyst at the time as well and yet across the City similar reports were being read and red flags being raised and the Germans just waived away all of the concerns and ploughed ahead with NS2 and allowed their energy mix to become dominated by Russia via NS1.
It's probably one of the biggest post-war strategic errors in Europe and hopefully unwinding it won't be too painful.
Merkel's "legacy" looks increasingly tatty and unimpressive as the days pass
And you used to be such a big fan.
Well meaning and dignified. Got the really big calls disastrously wrong. The German energy policy is only one step up from Putin's war in strategic idiocy.
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
LD vote looks quite efficiently concentrated where it needs to be, especially as their overall score is on the lower side of recent polls.
They are rapidly becoming a South of England party. That has advantages and disadvantages.
It does mean the LDs have replaced the Tories as the new party of the posh post Brexit
Orkney and Shetland and Caithness are hardly Surrey.
No, but special reasons - inherited from the Gladstonian agrarian reforms of the late C19. Not exactly relevant to the extensive crofting landscapes of Sunninghill and Virginia Water, it must be said.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
2nd hand F-16s at a guess - I would be surprised if Poland has had their pilots trained up on F35 yet, though they've ordered them.
Yes, it's a strange way round of doing it - emphasising the US connection....
The US does have a squadrons or 2 of pilots who are expert on Russian aircraft.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Is it being done that way so that it becomes a deal between the US and Ukraine to avoid Poland becoming a target?
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
I'm picturing a very strong lobby to prevent challenge to Harris assuming Biden is not running. Show unity behind serving VP, first WoC nominee etc.
If the polling looks sufficiently dire (& should she not up her game, then it very likely will) that is not going to happen.
I'm not sure how much more of this unspeakable horror is endurable. I am tempted to go live in a hermit's cave at the end of the Athos peninsula, with a jug of wine and a slender volume of poetry
IIRC these days Athos is swimming in Russian money, and full of religious nutter doubling as hyper-nationalists. Maybe your cup of chai, though lack of females could prove problematic?
Dingle Peninsula would be a better choice over all. Just don't let locals get wind of what you think of them.
So Macdonalds are closing their Russian restaurants but are to keep paying the staff - ie sending money into the country then (as no russian income) to pay Russians - Fantastic - almost as good as Boris forcing BP to give 20% of Rosvelt to Russia for nothing. We are really living in a Alice in Wonderland world - Paying Rusian furlough FFS
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
Good thing it's not a UK airbase then, they'd be waiting till Christmas for visas.
Must dash, but this is something I think nobody would have dared to do a week ago. Vlad looks seriously weakened, incl as a nuclear threat.
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
So Macdonalds are closing their Russian restaurants but are to keep paying the staff - ie sending money into the country then (as no russian income) to pay Russians - Fantastic - almost as good as Boris forcing BP to give 20% of Rosvelt to Russia for nothing. We are really living in a Alice in Wonderland world - Paying Rusian furlough FFS
Is that true? If there are sanctions how is the money being transferred?
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
Good thing it's not a UK airbase then, they'd be waiting till Christmas for visas.
Must dash, but this is something I think nobody would have dared to do a week ago. Vlad looks seriously weakened, incl as a nuclear threat.
well lets hope its not just gung-ho and sod the risk to the world brit and yank bravo
So Macdonalds are closing their Russian restaurants but are to keep paying the staff - ie sending money into the country then (as no russian income) to pay Russians - Fantastic - almost as good as Boris forcing BP to give 20% of Rosvelt to Russia for nothing. We are really living in a Alice in Wonderland world - Paying Rusian furlough FFS
Perhaps McDonald's already have reserves in country.
In a country descending into chaos, it seems a reasonable thing to do for loyal employees.
Maybe it will prevent Putin stealing it all in a few weeks.
So Macdonalds are closing their Russian restaurants but are to keep paying the staff - ie sending money into the country then (as no russian income) to pay Russians - Fantastic - almost as good as Boris forcing BP to give 20% of Rosvelt to Russia for nothing. We are really living in a Alice in Wonderland world - Paying Rusian furlough FFS
Sales taxes withheld though. 850 stores closed. Some of the custom will just move elsewhere, but some will be lost. It's symbolic, but symbolic can be good.
or bad - no need to cut all ties - mixing is good for the world - isolation is not
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
I have memory fades and I'm much younger. My nearly 90 dad has lots. But I've known people who've genuinely lost it and it's different to that. They lose the power of reasoning and their grip on reality. I see none of that with Joe or even close to it.
"Today is the day murderous females get the recognition they so rightfully deserve, @LondonDungeon for one day only Jack the Ripper has been dubbed Jackie the Ripper.
Spat out my tea when I saw this. Just incredibly bad judgement from all involved.
I think that even beats the PSNI a couple of years back when they marked International Women’s Day by asking female officers to nominate for an award male officers that had helped them.
international womans day is just a load of crap to justify some corporate jobs and virtue signalling. Its a day I dont venture on linkedin
I also made the mistake of looking at linkedin. Identity politics continues to make idiots out of people.
Way Off Topic - Seattle Times ($) - [Seattle] Seahawks are reportedly trading star quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in one of the biggest trades in Seattle sports history.
SSI - this is BIG news here, shocking but hardly surprising.
BTW, Russell Wilson is NOT anywhere near as popular in Emerald City & environs as he was only a few years ago. One sign is that until recently Alaska Airlines featured RW prominently in local advertising - but NOT for last six months or more.
In contrast, old commercials for Beacon Plumbing featuring Marshawn Lynch are being re-run, despite fact ML is no longer playing for any NFL team, and hasn't been a Seahawk for years.
Marshawn's commercial is a fan fav; best bit is when little kid about 2 years old points to him and says "Beast Mode!"
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
Back to the falklands and the Exocet missiles we couldn’t recognise as coming from an enemy..
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
Back to the falklands and the Exocet missiles we couldn’t recognise as coming from an enemy..
To distinguish them from all those friendly Exocet missiles fired at them?
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Glad to see that my interpretation of the Wallace interview this morning was about right. The transfer via the US makes sense, since it puts them in between the Poles and the Russians, giving the former full cover of NATO’s most powerful member. And creates an obligation to replace the kit, presumably with F16s.
Do McDonald's actually own the restaurants in Russia. I thought McDonald's whole business model was buy the land, get a franchisee, tell them they must build it on that land, make money as the landlord without the risk of actually running a restaurant.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
I think the Russians screwed up their IFF some time ago by letting the Ukrainians capture some intact S2A missile installations intact, and the knowledge therewith.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
Erm...I think they are flown by Ukranian pilots. Apparently they have the instruction manuals.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
Back to the falklands and the Exocet missiles we couldn’t recognise as coming from an enemy..
To distinguish them from all those friendly Exocet missiles fired at them?
Talking of Exocets, I wonder if the Russian fleet will get any more nasty surprises if they get too close to shore?
I go through alternating waves of worry, hope, despair, and happiness (*).
This morning I was hopeful that Ukraine might just do it. Now I'm in a worry phase. The other evening I had worry and despair simultaneously.
Am I the only one going through this?
What a time to do a 'dry' month...
(*) I have a young son. It's impossible not to be happy.
Such is the lot of supporting a rank underdog. They can't possibly win. They are fighting the whole of the Red Army. It's not possible. Is it?
So many of us are emotionally involved in willing on a 100/1 shot. We've probably never wanted a winner as much in our lives. On anything. Because they are fighting the nastiest c**t most of us have ever known. The ultimate cartoon villain. They HAVE to win. But surely, they CAN'T win? How?
But then, a tractor tows away a tank. A motorbike and side-car tows away a mortar, Ukrainian guys riding it grinning from ear to ear. You mad crazy bastards, you might just pull this off, even as your cities are turned to dust. But surely, you can't defeat the Red Army, an army led by a man lacking any basic level of human decency?
Emotionally, it shreds you. Made all the worse because here I am in my lovely house in Devon, pretty much unaffected by it. As people die. Delightful people who have done nothing to deserve this. People who are being asked to endure more hell and uncertainty - all because our Government can't pull its finger out and show off why we are the guys in the white hats, the good guys, the ones siding with moral authority.
Mordor has opened its gates and disgorged its foulness upon the land. And we are left hoping that, from somewhere, the eagles are going to appear and make it all better. We are hanging our emotions on a Hollywood ending. Powered by wishes, the bravery of a nation about to be crushed - and not much else.
LD vote looks quite efficiently concentrated where it needs to be, especially as their overall score is on the lower side of recent polls.
They are rapidly becoming a South of England party. That has advantages and disadvantages.
It does mean the LDs have replaced the Tories as the new party of the posh post Brexit
Orkney and Shetland and Caithness are hardly Surrey.
Even in Scotland the LDs tend to now represent the posher bits eg Edinburgh West, Caithness, North East Fife
Edinburgh West isn't THAT posh. In fact I just happened to be passing AC-H's office the other day..
Compared to most of Scotland all of Edinburgh is posh and Edinburgh West is a middle class part of the city.
NE Fife contains posh St Andrews of course too
Edinburgh West is a big mix* of a constituency.
On the one hand, it includes Cramond, South Queensferry and Ratho.
But on the other hand, it includes Kirkliston, Muirhouse (!) and Drylaw.
Muirhouse is almost as bad as Oxgangs. Middle class part of the city - what are you like? My daughter happened to live in Muirhouse with her mother for a year. She ended up taking a bus to go to a school in Edinburgh North and Leith to avoid the local schools.
* Albeit the constituent parts don't show much evidence of mixing overmuch to form a cohesive whole, despite geographical proximity.
LD vote looks quite efficiently concentrated where it needs to be, especially as their overall score is on the lower side of recent polls.
They are rapidly becoming a South of England party. That has advantages and disadvantages.
It does mean the LDs have replaced the Tories as the new party of the posh post Brexit
Orkney and Shetland and Caithness are hardly Surrey.
Even in Scotland the LDs tend to now represent the posher bits eg Edinburgh West, Caithness, North East Fife
Edinburgh West isn't THAT posh. In fact I just happened to be passing AC-H's office the other day..
Compared to most of Scotland all of Edinburgh is posh and Edinburgh West is a middle class part of the city.
NE Fife contains posh St Andrews of course too
I would say Edinburgh West is a pretty stereotypical suburban LD seat - Corstorphine and Murrayfield certainly are posh (at least Corstorphine village etc) even if the rest of the constituency is predominantly middle class rather than posh ie lots of new build housing in places like Ratho, Kirkliston and S Queensferry. It's turning into a complete fortress for the LDs at a local level and they are even running 3 candidates in Almond ward.
Agreed on NE Fife
Caithness and Sutherland is probably the most unnatural looking LD seat, also considering it's relatively eurosceptic for Scotland.
LD vote looks quite efficiently concentrated where it needs to be, especially as their overall score is on the lower side of recent polls.
They are rapidly becoming a South of England party. That has advantages and disadvantages.
It does mean the LDs have replaced the Tories as the new party of the posh post Brexit
Orkney and Shetland and Caithness are hardly Surrey.
Even in Scotland the LDs tend to now represent the posher bits eg Edinburgh West, Caithness, North East Fife
Edinburgh West isn't THAT posh. In fact I just happened to be passing AC-H's office the other day..
Compared to most of Scotland all of Edinburgh is posh and Edinburgh West is a middle class part of the city.
NE Fife contains posh St Andrews of course too
Edinburgh West is a big mix* of a constituency.
On the one hand, it includes Cramond, South Queensferry and Ratho.
But on the other hand, it includes Kirkliston, Muirhouse (!) and Drylaw.
* Albeit the constituent parts don't show much evidence of mixing overmuch to form a cohesive whole, despite geographical proximity.
I would say Edinburgh West is a pretty stereotypical suburban LD seat - Corstorphine and Murrayfield certainly are posh (at least Corstorphine village etc) plus Barnton/Cramond even if the rest of the constituency is predominantly middle class rather than posh ie lots of new build housing in places like Ratho, Kirkliston and S Queensferry. It's turning into a complete fortress for the LDs at a local level and they are even running 3 candidates in Almond ward.
Agreed with HYUFD on NE Fife
Caithness and Sutherland is probably the most unnatural looking LD seat, also considering it's relatively eurosceptic for Scotland.
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
I have memory fades and I'm much younger. My nearly 90 dad has lots. But I've known people who've genuinely lost it and it's different to that. They lose the power of reasoning and their grip on reality. I see none of that with Joe or even close to it.
LD vote looks quite efficiently concentrated where it needs to be, especially as their overall score is on the lower side of recent polls.
They are rapidly becoming a South of England party. That has advantages and disadvantages.
It does mean the LDs have replaced the Tories as the new party of the posh post Brexit
Orkney and Shetland and Caithness are hardly Surrey.
Even in Scotland the LDs tend to now represent the posher bits eg Edinburgh West, Caithness, North East Fife
Edinburgh West isn't THAT posh. In fact I just happened to be passing AC-H's office the other day..
Compared to most of Scotland all of Edinburgh is posh and Edinburgh West is a middle class part of the city.
NE Fife contains posh St Andrews of course too
A socio economic expert on Scotland as well, is there no start to your talents?!
It helps to be posh to see posh, so clearly that rules out you!
I sure ain't posh but then I don't share your sort's obsession with class. I'd estimate you as C1>B, ie not a hope in hell of being considered posh. Unselfconscious use of the word posh is a bit of a tell fyi.
Sitting in a mid-range restaurant in the med drinking Welsh mineral water out of a glass bottle, I am coming over all Greta. What are the economics of this?
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
More horseshit. PM of the Defense Department?
The name of the defense department. "That building over there" I think he called it.
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
Does that mean 2nd hand F 35s as replacements?
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
The Poles have F-35s on order but haven't received any yet, so probably don't have any or very many pilots trained up for them. What they want from the US to replace the MiGs is some second-hand F-16s which they already use and have pilots for. The F-35s are intended to replace both the MiGs and F-16s.
I go through alternating waves of worry, hope, despair, and happiness (*).
This morning I was hopeful that Ukraine might just do it. Now I'm in a worry phase. The other evening I had worry and despair simultaneously.
Am I the only one going through this?
What a time to do a 'dry' month...
(*) I have a young son. It's impossible not to be happy.
Such is the lot of supporting a rank underdog. They can't possibly win. They are fighting the whole of the Red Army. It's not possible. Is it?
So many of us are emotionally involved in willing on a 100/1 shot. We've probably never wanted a winner as much in our lives. On anything. Because they are fighting the nastiest c**t most of us have ever known. The ultimate cartoon villain. They HAVE to win. But surely, they CAN'T win? How?
But then, a tractor tows away a tank. A motorbike and side-car tows away a mortar, Ukrainian guys riding it grinning from ear to ear. You mad crazy bastards, you might just pull this off, even as your cities are turned to dust. But surely, you can't defeat the Red Army, an army led by a man lacking any basic level of human decency?
Emotionally, it shreds you. Made all the worse because here I am in my lovely house in Devon, pretty much unaffected by it. As people die. Delightful people who have done nothing to deserve this. People who are being asked to endure more hell and uncertainty - all because our Government can't pull its finger out and show off why we are the guys in the white hats, the good guys, the ones siding with moral authority.
Mordor has opened its gates and disgorged its foulness upon the land. And we are left hoping that, from somewhere, the eagles are going to appear and make it all better. We are hanging our emotions on a Hollywood ending. Powered by wishes, the bravery of a nation about to be crushed - and not much else.
I think part of it is that what looked on paper like a 100/1 shot is more like a 10/1 shot because the Red Army has turned out to not have made any advancements since the fall of the USSR. It's the same kit and badly trained conscripts up against a NATO trained and armed force fighting for their freedom.
So Macdonalds are closing their Russian restaurants but are to keep paying the staff - ie sending money into the country then (as no russian income) to pay Russians - Fantastic - almost as good as Boris forcing BP to give 20% of Rosvelt to Russia for nothing. We are really living in a Alice in Wonderland world - Paying Rusian furlough FFS
BP didn't give 20% of Rosneft to the Russians. That is not how it works. BP invest in wells on a rolling basis paying 20% of all operating costs and getting 20% of the revenues. They don't 'own' the fields. They are part of a Joint Venture paying for them. Pulling out means they stop investing and stop getting the expected profits. But having pulled out those fields are no longer worth anything near what they were whilst BP were investing because they very rapidly stop being able to be developed and produced. The write down was BP no longer getting the expected profits, not direct infrastructure and reserves losses.
Without western investment and equipment many of those fields will rapidly become pretty much worthless. Indeed whilst we are all talking about whether or not Western countries should continue to take that oil and gas, we are ignoring the fact that Russia will probably not be able to produce at the required levels for more than a few months anyway as long as the embargoes continue.
Look to Venezuela to see what happens to a country's oil industry when all outside investment ceases. They have the largest oil reserves in the world but it is pretty much worthless to them without Western technology to exploit it.
I go through alternating waves of worry, hope, despair, and happiness (*).
This morning I was hopeful that Ukraine might just do it. Now I'm in a worry phase. The other evening I had worry and despair simultaneously.
Am I the only one going through this?
What a time to do a 'dry' month...
(*) I have a young son. It's impossible not to be happy.
Such is the lot of supporting a rank underdog. They can't possibly win. They are fighting the whole of the Red Army. It's not possible. Is it?
So many of us are emotionally involved in willing on a 100/1 shot. We've probably never wanted a winner as much in our lives. On anything. Because they are fighting the nastiest c**t most of us have ever known. The ultimate cartoon villain. They HAVE to win. But surely, they CAN'T win? How?
But then, a tractor tows away a tank. A motorbike and side-car tows away a mortar, Ukrainian guys riding it grinning from ear to ear. You mad crazy bastards, you might just pull this off, even as your cities are turned to dust. But surely, you can't defeat the Red Army, an army led by a man lacking any basic level of human decency?
Emotionally, it shreds you. Made all the worse because here I am in my lovely house in Devon, pretty much unaffected by it. As people die. Delightful people who have done nothing to deserve this. People who are being asked to endure more hell and uncertainty - all because our Government can't pull its finger out and show off why we are the guys in the white hats, the good guys, the ones siding with moral authority.
Mordor has opened its gates and disgorged its foulness upon the land. And we are left hoping that, from somewhere, the eagles are going to appear and make it all better. We are hanging our emotions on a Hollywood ending. Powered by wishes, the bravery of a nation about to be crushed - and not much else.
I'm not sure how much more of this unspeakable horror is endurable. I am tempted to go live in a hermit's cave at the end of the Athos peninsula, with a jug of wine and a slender volume of poetry
IIRC these days Athos is swimming in Russian money, and full of religious nutter doubling as hyper-nationalists. Maybe your cup of chai, though lack of females could prove problematic?
Dingle Peninsula would be a better choice over all. Just don't let locals get wind of what you think of them.
Ah, I love the Irish really. Half my oldest friends are Irish. Squatted with them in the 80s. Mad, brilliant times, and their rebellious Irish spirit taught me a lot. I admired it and schooled myself with it
They do like a scrap, tho. The fighting Irish indeed
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
More horseshit. PM of the Defense Department?
The name of the defense department. "That building over there" I think he called it.
Is that hard to understand?
A bit of forgetfulness and failure to bring names to mind at age of 79 does NOT mean you are fecking senile.
Yes, a second term is out, but for time being he is all we have got to stop the forces of Mordor as @MarqueeMark aptly described them earlier.
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
More horseshit. PM of the Defense Department?
The name of the defense department. "That building over there" I think he called it.
Is that hard to understand?
A bit of forgetfulness and failure to bring names to mind at age of 79 does NOT mean you are fecking senile.
Yes, a second term is out, but for time being he is all we have got to stop the forces of Mordor as @MarqueeMark aptly described them earlier.
Gandalf was old.
And fictional
I don't want potus to be "a bit forgetful." Not in view of the near impossibility of easing him out when things deteriorate even further.
I feel for the guy. He's old and teetering on the edge of senility. He's still a trillion times better than Trump, but oh for a younger, sharper president in the White House. Zelenskyy should maybe get the job, after he's finished saving Kyiv
At least some of Biden's appointees are up to snuff. Blinken has been impressive
Biden. He's a curious mixture of feistiness and fragility. I don't think he's senile though. Just physically fragile and a bit tongue-tied.
He has a stammer and has always had one. It has nothing to do with his senility or not.
No, it's more than just a stammer. He loses the thread of speeches even when they are right in front of him. I take no pleasure in this. This is not a "smeary Trumpist talking point" - I detest Trump and the idea of him winning in 2024 fills me with dread, Trump is arguably one of the reasons Putin has started this terrible war
Biden IS mentally frail. Hopefully they can keep him together with sellotape and string and find a better candidate than Harris in 2024. And, as I have said, Biden has some impressive aides, which is a consolation
It is a smear and comes from Trump corner. He's not "teetering on the edge of senility". He's simply a man who shows his age. That's unfashionable these days with everyone busting a gut to present as 20 years younger than they are. Quite refreshing actually. In a sense.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Sorry, but he IS teetering on the edge of senility - and that's the best case. Forgetting the name of PM of Australia and of the Defense department is not the equivalent of forgetting where you put the car keys.
I have memory fades and I'm much younger. My nearly 90 dad has lots. But I've known people who've genuinely lost it and it's different to that. They lose the power of reasoning and their grip on reality. I see none of that with Joe or even close to it.
Neither of you is potus.
Of course. Big diff. I have no dispute with "Biden is too old for this and clearly struggles with it sometimes."
I thought this was a spoof until I saw it was the BBC.
Still, you have to admire her ability to be on top of current events. I'm sure the witches of Prestwick will sleep easy in their graves tonight as europe descends into a barbaric war.
I go through alternating waves of worry, hope, despair, and happiness (*).
This morning I was hopeful that Ukraine might just do it. Now I'm in a worry phase. The other evening I had worry and despair simultaneously.
Am I the only one going through this?
What a time to do a 'dry' month...
(*) I have a young son. It's impossible not to be happy.
Such is the lot of supporting a rank underdog. They can't possibly win. They are fighting the whole of the Red Army. It's not possible. Is it?
So many of us are emotionally involved in willing on a 100/1 shot. We've probably never wanted a winner as much in our lives. On anything. Because they are fighting the nastiest c**t most of us have ever known. The ultimate cartoon villain. They HAVE to win. But surely, they CAN'T win? How?
But then, a tractor tows away a tank. A motorbike and side-car tows away a mortar, Ukrainian guys riding it grinning from ear to ear. You mad crazy bastards, you might just pull this off, even as your cities are turned to dust. But surely, you can't defeat the Red Army, an army led by a man lacking any basic level of human decency?
Emotionally, it shreds you. Made all the worse because here I am in my lovely house in Devon, pretty much unaffected by it. As people die. Delightful people who have done nothing to deserve this. People who are being asked to endure more hell and uncertainty - all because our Government can't pull its finger out and show off why we are the guys in the white hats, the good guys, the ones siding with moral authority.
Mordor has opened its gates and disgorged its foulness upon the land. And we are left hoping that, from somewhere, the eagles are going to appear and make it all better. We are hanging our emotions on a Hollywood ending. Powered by wishes, the bravery of a nation about to be crushed - and not much else.
I think part of it is that what looked on paper like a 100/1 shot is more like a 10/1 shot because the Red Army has turned out to not have made any advancements since the fall of the USSR. It's the same kit and badly trained conscripts up against a NATO trained and armed force fighting for their freedom.
Currently it looks about 50/50 to me, FWIW. The guy from RUSI on R4, who up until very recently had been pretty pessimistic, was of similar opinion.
What has been greatly underestimated is just how much better is the Ukrainian army than it was in 2014.
Comments
It's probably one of the biggest post-war strategic errors in Europe and hopefully unwinding it won't be too painful.
Desolating
https://twitter.com/joshscampbell/status/1500913960274612228?s=20&t=3tamDoDdZPnl45tq5lTwug
I'm not sure how much more of this unspeakable horror is endurable. I am tempted to go live in a hermit's cave at the end of the Athos peninsula, with a jug of wine and a slender volume of poetry
- Cases going up. R above 1 in all regions. Interestingly, R is now falling back in the very oldest groups (80+).
- MV beds flat
- In hospital up a bit
- Admissions up - R is now above 1
I honestly think it's as bad that. Good on Manu.
Wonder IF Zelensky & Co have been playing Boris Johnson the same way or similar? Perhaps one way for all those Ruski > Tory campaign contributions to do some good, for a change?
"The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Goverment, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Rammstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America.
At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.
The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein."
Jet deal is go.
And that means you have to deal with its consequences, irrespective of whether it would fit into a "perfect" energy mix for the UK.
Patel is beneath contempt and thinks she can lie and smirk her way through the crisis .
The Zwastika.
Also: great stuff, but how do the MiG 29s get from Germany to Ukraine?
In 2014 I was giggling as they ran round screaming at the fact they didn't know if the US was going to cut off access to Russia - they didn't know if the *source code* was there... as it was the QA unit was in Ukraine so they literally had development fighting QA....
He knows 'it could happen here.' Russia may be more prone to an Arab Spring than a jasmine revolution but we'll see.
But, yes, like you I want to see a US president with fewer rings in the bark next time. And I also want to say how pleased and relieved I am to note from you an absence of the ludicrous 'Putin wouldn't have done this with Trump in the WH cos Trump's so tough and unpredictable" spin.
That's a feather in your cap. Your cap now has a feather.
Yes, it's a strange way round of doing it - emphasising the US connection....
The US does have a squadrons or 2 of pilots who are expert on Russian aircraft.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong but it occurs to me that Ukranian MiGs might present a particular problem to the Russians as they may not be able to identify them as hostile....until it is too late?
Dingle Peninsula would be a better choice over all. Just don't let locals get wind of what you think of them.
Must dash, but this is something I think nobody would have dared to do a week ago. Vlad looks seriously weakened, incl as a nuclear threat.
This morning I was hopeful that Ukraine might just do it. Now I'm in a worry phase. The other evening I had worry and despair simultaneously.
Am I the only one going through this?
What a time to do a 'dry' month...
(*) I have a young son. It's impossible not to be happy.
In a country descending into chaos, it seems a reasonable thing to do for loyal employees.
Maybe it will prevent Putin stealing it all in a few weeks.
NE Fife contains posh St Andrews of course too
SSI - this is BIG news here, shocking but hardly surprising.
BTW, Russell Wilson is NOT anywhere near as popular in Emerald City & environs as he was only a few years ago. One sign is that until recently Alaska Airlines featured RW prominently in local advertising - but NOT for last six months or more.
In contrast, old commercials for Beacon Plumbing featuring Marshawn Lynch are being re-run, despite fact ML is no longer playing for any NFL team, and hasn't been a Seahawk for years.
Marshawn's commercial is a fan fav; best bit is when little kid about 2 years old points to him and says "Beast Mode!"
They intervene in trouble spots around the globe. They can hardly complain if Poland let the Ukranians use their tarmac.
The transfer via the US makes sense, since it puts them in between the Poles and the Russians, giving the former full cover of NATO’s most powerful member.
And creates an obligation to replace the kit, presumably with F16s.
"Nicola Sturgeon apologises to people accused of witchcraft"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60667533
So many of us are emotionally involved in willing on a 100/1 shot. We've probably never wanted a winner as much in our lives. On anything. Because they are fighting the nastiest c**t most of us have ever known. The ultimate cartoon villain. They HAVE to win. But surely, they CAN'T win? How?
But then, a tractor tows away a tank. A motorbike and side-car tows away a mortar, Ukrainian guys riding it grinning from ear to ear. You mad crazy bastards, you might just pull this off, even as your cities are turned to dust. But surely, you can't defeat the Red Army, an army led by a man lacking any basic level of human decency?
Emotionally, it shreds you. Made all the worse because here I am in my lovely house in Devon, pretty much unaffected by it. As people die. Delightful people who have done nothing to deserve this. People who are being asked to endure more hell and uncertainty - all because our Government can't pull its finger out and show off why we are the guys in the white hats, the good guys, the ones siding with moral authority.
Mordor has opened its gates and disgorged its foulness upon the land. And we are left hoping that, from somewhere, the eagles are going to appear and make it all better. We are hanging our emotions on a Hollywood ending. Powered by wishes, the bravery of a nation about to be crushed - and not much else.
On the one hand, it includes Cramond, South Queensferry and Ratho.
But on the other hand, it includes Kirkliston, Muirhouse (!) and Drylaw.
Muirhouse is almost as bad as Oxgangs. Middle class part of the city - what are you like? My daughter happened to live in Muirhouse with her mother for a year. She ended up taking a bus to go to a school in Edinburgh North and Leith to avoid the local schools.
* Albeit the constituent parts don't show much evidence of mixing overmuch to form a cohesive whole, despite geographical proximity.
Agreed on NE Fife
Caithness and Sutherland is probably the most unnatural looking LD seat, also considering it's relatively eurosceptic for Scotland. I would say Edinburgh West is a pretty stereotypical suburban LD seat - Corstorphine and Murrayfield certainly are posh (at least Corstorphine village etc) plus Barnton/Cramond even if the rest of the constituency is predominantly middle class rather than posh ie lots of new build housing in places like Ratho, Kirkliston and S Queensferry. It's turning into a complete fortress for the LDs at a local level and they are even running 3 candidates in Almond ward.
Agreed with HYUFD on NE Fife
Caithness and Sutherland is probably the most unnatural looking LD seat, also considering it's relatively eurosceptic for Scotland.
Is that hard to understand?
Without western investment and equipment many of those fields will rapidly become pretty much worthless. Indeed whilst we are all talking about whether or not Western countries should continue to take that oil and gas, we are ignoring the fact that Russia will probably not be able to produce at the required levels for more than a few months anyway as long as the embargoes continue.
Look to Venezuela to see what happens to a country's oil industry when all outside investment ceases. They have the largest oil reserves in the world but it is pretty much worthless to them without Western technology to exploit it.
https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1501271341529542666
Twitter, discord, spotify, and zoom have been spitting errors for me.
They do like a scrap, tho. The fighting Irish indeed
Yes, a second term is out, but for time being he is all we have got to stop the forces of Mordor as @MarqueeMark aptly described them earlier.
Gandalf was old.
I don't want potus to be "a bit forgetful." Not in view of the near impossibility of easing him out when things deteriorate even further.
And double pendantry: it's and cervices.
Still, you have to admire her ability to be on top of current events. I'm sure the witches of Prestwick will sleep easy in their graves tonight as europe descends into a barbaric war.
The guy from RUSI on R4, who up until very recently had been pretty pessimistic, was of similar opinion.
What has been greatly underestimated is just how much better is the Ukrainian army than it was in 2014.
The duke ponders and replies, ‘it’s like waking up every morning of your life and seeing you’ve got a Christmas present’