As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Downing Street put the brakes on Home Office initiatives to allow a bigger share of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland to settle in the United Kingdom, Sky News understands.
Home Secretary Priti Patel faced significant criticism this week from colleagues for failing to provide more routes for Ukrainians to reach the UK, prompting anger among Conservative MPs and speculation she could be removed from her role.
Sky News understands that Number 10 played a key role in reining in two initiatives from Ms Patel, which would have opened the system up even further.
It'd be an amusing challenge for all of us used to thinking of Patel as Darth Vader's naughty sister to suddenly have to hail her as the heroine of liberal humanitarianism. But whatever the turth, the story suggests that relations are not good. Is there still a "next Cabinet Minister out" market?
Maybe she’s a secret libertarian, hamstrung by her leader and her department.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Do you think they would keep fighting if Russia withdrew to its international borders? They're not seeking unconditional surrender.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
Perhaps they should propose a maximalist position that mirrors Russia's: withdrawal of all troops, denazification of Russia, a demilitarised zone 500km from their borders and a change to the Russian constitution to prevent it joining any alliance with another state directed against Ukraine.
Sure. The Russian proposal is hopeful, no reason why the Ukrainian proposal shouldn't be equally so - at least it's a start.
Downing Street put the brakes on Home Office initiatives to allow a bigger share of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland to settle in the United Kingdom, Sky News understands.
Home Secretary Priti Patel faced significant criticism this week from colleagues for failing to provide more routes for Ukrainians to reach the UK, prompting anger among Conservative MPs and speculation she could be removed from her role.
Sky News understands that Number 10 played a key role in reining in two initiatives from Ms Patel, which would have opened the system up even further.
It'd be an amusing challenge for all of us used to thinking of Patel as Darth Vader's naughty sister to suddenly have to hail her as the heroine of liberal humanitarianism. But whatever the turth, the story suggests that relations are not good. Is there still a "next Cabinet Minister out" market?
Maybe she’s a secret libertarian, hamstrung by her leader and her department.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I see on the link they have separate category's of abandoned (38) and captured(85)
surly, abandoned is a stage that some tanks may go though before being captured, (or destroyed) Am I missing something, can somebody explain?
Evening all! Totally off topic but I have had fun* with my new work laptop. Needed upgrading from Windows 11 Home to Professional. Faff with the product key necessitated a clean install of Windows. Onto a brand new machine. To switch Home for Pro.
Glad to see that Microsoft are still brilliant at doing silly...
It's still pretty baffling that MS bother with home/pro versions of the same software. Just have one version, it removes so much complexity and hassle.
Entertainingly that actually is the case for Windows 11. Pro just switches on functionality on top of the same version.
Have to laugh. Brand new Surface Pro 8, an hour old having to have a really old keyboard plugged in with adaptors to do the new install. Proper high tech user experience!
This is what Apple get right, I flip the Mac open and it does just work. I got a 16" M1 Max for personal use and I had no setup, just had to make a login profile and everything just worked from day one. It's such a huge difference in experience compared to windows laptops which need very heavy handholding before you get to actually use it and if something fucks up then you're into recovery modes, clean installations, fixing drivers etc...
It's my first Mac for personal use and I have no regrets about switching from windows, even though the XPS was a very nice laptop.
That's why I eradicated Windows completely and switched to Chrome OS. But now need full fat Office apps etc, so...
My experience was completely different
I like my iPhones and iPads, so I thought I'd try an Apple laptop
Hideous. Awful. Clumsy. Slow. Stupid. Apple make shit laptops
I am back with Microsoft with a Surface and it is clean and pleasing and easy
But still drive it sitting in your stained underpants.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
Downing Street put the brakes on Home Office initiatives to allow a bigger share of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland to settle in the United Kingdom, Sky News understands.
Home Secretary Priti Patel faced significant criticism this week from colleagues for failing to provide more routes for Ukrainians to reach the UK, prompting anger among Conservative MPs and speculation she could be removed from her role.
Sky News understands that Number 10 played a key role in reining in two initiatives from Ms Patel, which would have opened the system up even further.
It'd be an amusing challenge for all of us used to thinking of Patel as Darth Vader's naughty sister to suddenly have to hail her as the heroine of liberal humanitarianism. But whatever the turth, the story suggests that relations are not good. Is there still a "next Cabinet Minister out" market?
Maybe she’s a secret libertarian, hamstrung by her leader and her department.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
Surely the maximalist Ukrainian position should be Greater Ukraine?
I don't see why not.
hmmm
Can anyone give details as to how close Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians are linguistically and culturally ?
Is it German/Dutch/Flemish level or closer or further apart ?
Quite disturbed by a lot of the comments on here. The priority, right now, is stopping Putin. First, second and last.
Disagree. The first priority is being sure that nobody accidentally steps over somebody else's red lines and triggers nuclear escalation. The *second* priority is stopping Putin, by which I mean convincing Putin/Russia that aggressive expansion is not worth its costs even if, as with invasion of Georgia, Ukraine, etc, they are sure those costs aren't going to be a clutch of inbound missiles. (If China's leadership concludes similarly, that would be a bonus.)
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Do you think they would keep fighting if Russia withdrew to its international borders? They're not seeking unconditional surrender.
What I actually think is that Zelensky is very realistic in his ambitions, but that he's concerned that the minute he compromises on anything, his coalition will break apart.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Not how negotiations work. If their 'top' line meets the Russian's 'bottom' line, they get screwed as the Russians know they have a deal, whereas the Ukrainians don't, so can play hardball while the Ukrainians second-guess themselves into eternal servitude.
I think you should read some books on negotiation theory. I'd suggest 'Getting to Yes' as a good primer. It contains the key concepts of BATNAs and ZOPAs.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
Surely the maximalist Ukrainian position should be Greater Ukraine?
I don't see why not.
hmmm
Can anyone give details as to how close Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians are linguistically and culturally ?
Is it German/Dutch/Flemish level or closer or further apart ?
Lexically, Ukrainian and Russian are about as similar as English is to Dutch or as French is to Portuguese.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Not how negotiations work. If their 'top' line meets the Russian's 'bottom' line, they get screwed as the Russians know they have a deal, whereas the Ukrainians don't, so can play hardball while the Ukrainians second-guess themselves into eternal servitude.
I think you should read some books on negotiation theory. I'd suggest 'Getting to Yes' as a good primer. It contains the key concepts of BATNAs and ZOPAs.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Not how negotiations work. If their 'top' line meets the Russian's 'bottom' line, they get screwed as the Russians know they have a deal, whereas the Ukrainians don't, so can play hardball while the Ukrainians second-guess themselves into eternal servitude.
I think you should read some books on negotiation theory. I'd suggest 'Getting to Yes' as a good primer. It contains the key concepts of BATNAs and ZOPAs.
It may or may not be good gamesmanship (albeit that people are still dying) from a Ukrainian perspective, but we aren't Ukrainian, we are bystanders being asked to participate in a severe escalation of this conflict.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I see on the link they have separate category's of abandoned (38) and captured(85)
surly, abandoned is a stage that some tanks may go though before being captured, (or destroyed) Am I missing something, can somebody explain?
I don't know for sure, but my guess would be that: 1. abandoned means that there were no Russians around when the Ukrainians found it 2. captured means the Russian crews gave themselves up without the tank being destroyed 3. and destroyed means what is says on the can.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
Surely the maximalist Ukrainian position should be Greater Ukraine?
I don't see why not.
hmmm
Can anyone give details as to how close Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians are linguistically and culturally ?
Is it German/Dutch/Flemish level or closer or further apart ?
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
According to that website (who acknowledge their data is only confirmed ones) Ukraine has lost 54 tanks and captured 85, so actually stronger than day 1, by 31, while Russia on the other hand...
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Not how negotiations work. If their 'top' line meets the Russian's 'bottom' line, they get screwed as the Russians know they have a deal, whereas the Ukrainians don't, so can play hardball while the Ukrainians second-guess themselves into eternal servitude.
I think you should read some books on negotiation theory. I'd suggest 'Getting to Yes' as a good primer. It contains the key concepts of BATNAs and ZOPAs.
It may or may not be good gamesmanship (albeit that people are still dying) from a Ukrainian perspective, but we aren't Ukrainian, we are bystanders being asked to participate in a severe escalation of this conflict.
Well, agreed. NATO's decision-making process in this will be different from the Ukrainians' will be different from the Russians' as we all have different BATNAs.
If we spent a small fraction of our war expenses on solving climate change we'd be OK. Instead we wage constant war and hissy fits (with the French, say)
🚨🚨New Voting Intention🚨🚨 Labour lead at six points in latest results from Deltapoll. Con 34% (-) Lab 40% (-1) Lib Dem 10% (-) Other 16% (+1) Fieldwork: 8-11 Mar 2022 Sample: 2,003 Changes from 3-4 Feb 2022
The Tories have been in power 12 years, most governments in power that long trail. Indeed only 3 governments since WW2 have lasted that long, the 1951 to 1964 Tory government, the 1979 to 1997 Tory government and the 1997 to 2010 Labour government. They often trailed by more than 6% 12 years in
True, it is not hopeless for them as a result. Nevertheless, the move to steady Labour leads since the Paterson self inflicted idiocy and subsequent matters is still noteworthy given it marks a sizable change.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
It's not that cold - about 10°C - I'm not shivering.
If everyone here and in the EU turned their heating down or off to tolerable rather than comfortable, it'd go a long way to turning Putin's cash off.
On the polls. Boris has had a spectacularly good couple of months. Covid is in the rear-view mirror. All restrictions have gone - we are free again, thanks to Boris. Partygate has been lost in the mists of time, and if/when it resurfaces, it will have lost much of its resonance. And, to cap it all, the whole of the nation is united in supporting the government in defeating Putin's evil regime and cheering the Ukrainian heroes.
And yet, despite all that, the Tories' opinion poll rating has only nudged up a tad, and Labour still has a healthy lead. If I were a Tory, I'd be very concerned that recent events have had so little impact on the polling. There may be something else around the corner, and Russia/Ukraine obviously hasn't played out yet, but most of the metrics coming down the road (cost of living, NI hike etc.) are likely to damage the governing party rather than come to their rescue. For Starmer, steady as she goes may well be enough.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Hadn't been following the cricket, but for once the PB doommongers seem to have underplayed it. I'd have assumed the Windies were 150+ ahead after the first innings they way people had been talking.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
It's not that cold - about 10°C - I'm not shivering.
If everyone here and in the EU turned their heating down or off to tolerable rather than comfortable, it'd go a long way to turning Putin's cash off.
I wouldn't go that far and neither would I recommend it to the elderly. However we could all do with being mindful at the moment and trying extra hard not to be wasteful. Hopefully the price rises are encouraging that anyway.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
I'm in Tirana tonight. Big east-meets-west place. There's a mosque in Skanderbeg Square and I heard the call to prayer as I walked to the pub. In a traditional restaurant playing Albanian folk music which seems to go the whole way from Turkish to French and back. And I'm well pissed. Reminds me of the survivor guilt I feel about Ukraine: we encouraged these people to celebrate their escape from Soviet dominance. Fuck you, Vladimir Putin.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Do you think they would keep fighting if Russia withdrew to its international borders? They're not seeking unconditional surrender.
What I actually think is that Zelensky is very realistic in his ambitions, but that he's concerned that the minute he compromises on anything, his coalition will break apart.
It's not an improbable thought. Right now, despite the grinding on of the Russian assault there seems to be good morale, even some progress on the horizon given the support being received on supply at least. People might even dare dream of retaking the occupied areas of Donbas if the tide turns. But wish that as we also mostly would, it may be that is not something he thinks they can manage, that some unpalatable options may need to be countenanced (even though they deserve far better than that). What happens should some form of deal emerge will be very difficult I would think,
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
I often heat only one room, if that. If you don't need to, why waste the energy after all? But I think the suggestion that needless suffering is pointless if it doesn't even really achieve anything from the sacrifice, so we shouldn't punish ourselves too much in gestures.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Do you think they would keep fighting if Russia withdrew to its international borders? They're not seeking unconditional surrender.
What I actually think is that Zelensky is very realistic in his ambitions, but that he's concerned that the minute he compromises on anything, his coalition will break apart.
It's not an improbable thought. Right now, despite the grinding on of the Russian assault there seems to be good morale, even some progress on the horizon given the support being received on supply at least. People might even dare dream of retaking the occupied areas of Donbas if the tide turns. But wish that as we also mostly would, it may be that is not something he thinks they can manage, that some unpalatable options may need to be countenanced (even though they deserve far better than that). What happens should some form of deal emerge will be very difficult I would think,
It is unlikely to be a single event negotiation either. What happens, even if it seems like and is sold as a final deal, is in reality just the starting point for the next process, the next negotiation. And what that will be is currently unknowable.
If Ukraine is forced to give up ⅓ of its land, and agree not to join NATO (alas), but then 5-years hence Russia ends up disintegrating, well, then, there's a new iteration of history to be had.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Do you think they would keep fighting if Russia withdrew to its international borders? They're not seeking unconditional surrender.
What I actually think is that Zelensky is very realistic in his ambitions, but that he's concerned that the minute he compromises on anything, his coalition will break apart.
It's not an improbable thought. Right now, despite the grinding on of the Russian assault there seems to be good morale, even some progress on the horizon given the support being received on supply at least. People might even dare dream of retaking the occupied areas of Donbas if the tide turns. But wish that as we also mostly would, it may be that is not something he thinks they can manage, that some unpalatable options may need to be countenanced (even though they deserve far better than that). What happens should some form of deal emerge will be very difficult I would think,
Zelenskyy accepting a deal doesn't mean we have to remove sanctions.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
Are you turning your heating up?
No, I had my heating at an adequate level already. As is happens, I am insulating my stone-built house with sheep's wool insulation at the moment - there's a narrow cavity and it's going to make the place warmer and save some heating eventually, which is good. But shivering for Ukraine is nearly as daft as your idea to join the catering corps.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
And if it's really cold, wear your face mask. That warms you up, too.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
According to that website (who acknowledge their data is only confirmed ones) Ukraine has lost 54 tanks and captured 85, so actually stronger than day 1, by 31, while Russia on the other hand...
Not only is Ukraine getting more tanks, it’s upgrading the quality of its tank force - swapping T-64s for T-72s and above. The same goes down the equipment chain.
Again though the key thing it goes back to is the question of time. Russia is running out of it as:
1. Ukraine is constantly being resupplies while Russia is running down its stocks;
2. The longer it goes on, the more Ukrainians who are trained and, at least, semi-effective. Russia’s manpower availability pool doesn’t look great;
3. In addition, the foreign legions will become more organised. Even if only 25% of the 20K are ex-soldiers, that’s still 5K men with military experience. The percentage is likely to be higher;
4. Clear signs of supply problems with the Russian army;
5. The damage to their economy and some signs that internal cohesion in the Russian power structures are starting to fray;
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
Surely the maximalist Ukrainian position should be Greater Ukraine?
I don't see why not.
hmmm
Can anyone give details as to how close Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians are linguistically and culturally ?
Is it German/Dutch/Flemish level or closer or further apart ?
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
And if it's really cold, wear your face mask. That warms you up, too.
Lying amongst the dying cinders of your fire is also a good tip for a bit of extra warmth.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
On the polls. Boris has had a spectacularly good couple of months. Covid is in the rear-view mirror. All restrictions have gone - we are free again, thanks to Boris. Partygate has been lost in the mists of time, and if/when it resurfaces, it will have lost much of its resonance. And, to cap it all, the whole of the nation is united in supporting the government in defeating Putin's evil regime and cheering the Ukrainian heroes.
And yet, despite all that, the Tories' opinion poll rating has only nudged up a tad, and Labour still has a healthy lead. If I were a Tory, I'd be very concerned that recent events have had so little impact on the polling. There may be something else around the corner, and Russia/Ukraine obviously hasn't played out yet, but most of the metrics coming down the road (cost of living, NI hike etc.) are likely to damage the governing party rather than come to their rescue. For Starmer, steady as she goes may well be enough.
Boris is permanently damaged by partygate. As long as he's the PM the Tories won't recover. He's lost all credibility with very many solid Tory voters who will never go back while he leads.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
Are you turning your heating up?
No, I had my heating at an adequate level already. As is happens, I am insulating my stone-built house with sheep's wool insulation at the moment - there's a narrow cavity and it's going to make the place warmer and save some heating eventually, which is good. But shivering for Ukraine is nearly as daft as your idea to join the catering corps.
I note your scorn. It does hurt a bit. But just a tiny graze.
I'm now looking to how I can get a licence to drive some sort of useful delivery vehicle to take supplies to the Ukrainian border.
@BarakRavid New: Israeli Prime Minister Bennett told Ukraine President Zelensky he should take Putin's proposal to end war, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Bennett wants us to surrender but we have no intention of doing this", he said.
They shouldn't surrender, but they should (they may already have, I am not up to date today) offer counter proposals.
Counter proposal: Russia surrenders and dis-arms, well its nucks anyway.
Yes, and that would be a starting point. At the moment I'm just not sure that the Ukrainians engaging with the process. Which may be understandable because they hate the bones of Russia and would like America to sweep in and blow Putin to bits, but that's not the best solution for anyone else except Pagan2 who welcomes nuclear obliteration.
It is understandable that you would say the Ukrainians are not engaging with the process, as that is a rather pro-Russian viewpoint to take.
As ever, with you, comrade!
Is it? I said I'm not up to date today - can you tell me what their response has been to the proposals outlined in a thread header here some days ago?
Very simple. That they are prepared to consider compromises, but that Russia are currently de facto demanding their surrender - and until that changes there’s nothing to discuss.
The first part is a good starting principle, and I'd agree that the Russians are effectively demanding that, which is why we need to see what the Ukrainians are proposing in response.
If someone starts hitting me, I am not sure why the onus should be on me to propose a way for them to stop hitting me.
Oh well, it's a good job we're dealing with characters in a Ladybird book, rather than the real world then isn't it?
You're so sophisticated your view of the world has turned upside down.
Whatever that means, the fact is that peace processes are not 'fair'. Justice should demand that the killers of the IRA face imprisonment for their crimes. However, clearly, an end to the troubles was and is far more important than that, hence the GFA.
Compromises can be made in the end game, but we are clearly not there yet.
You don't start out a negotiation by pressuring the victim to fold, by appeasement. You start by placing the pressure on the bully. You seem to think it is the victim that should be pressured at this point. I strongly disagree.
Then let me correct you about what I think. I don't think that the Ukrainians should fold. I think they should outline their counter proposals for an end to hostilities. These would be their maximalist position, and could be total Russian withdrawal, including from Crimea, reparations (which of course there will have to be anyway), etc. Then everyone can see how much distance there is between the two positions. At the moment, the Ukrainians have made some good noises, but the rest seems to be delaying tactics whilst ramping up calls for a NFZ. That's understandable from their perspective but from the perspective of a third nation, needs to be monitored.
No. The Ukrainians rightly, IMO, don't believe that the Russians are negotiating in good faith yet, and so it is pointless getting specific in their proposals. A key to successful negotiation is timing of extraction and release of information by the parties. Generally, he who gives up his bottom line first gets screwed. The Ukrainians are right not to say what their bottom line is before the Russians are even serious about negotiating.
Accusations of bad faith are also standard in peace negotiations. Again, understandable from a Ukrainian perspective, but still a delaying tactic. Again, no-one is asking for their bottom line, I think they should give their 'top' line.
Do you think they would keep fighting if Russia withdrew to its international borders? They're not seeking unconditional surrender.
What I actually think is that Zelensky is very realistic in his ambitions, but that he's concerned that the minute he compromises on anything, his coalition will break apart.
It's not an improbable thought. Right now, despite the grinding on of the Russian assault there seems to be good morale, even some progress on the horizon given the support being received on supply at least. People might even dare dream of retaking the occupied areas of Donbas if the tide turns. But wish that as we also mostly would, it may be that is not something he thinks they can manage, that some unpalatable options may need to be countenanced (even though they deserve far better than that). What happens should some form of deal emerge will be very difficult I would think,
Zelenskyy accepting a deal doesn't mean we have to remove sanctions.
I don't believe so either. I'm sure Russia would try to push that though. My view is no sanctions ended until the the invasion is stopped - and that includes withdrawal from the bits seized 8 years ago.
I'm shocked that people are even slightly reluctant to sacrifice some of their comfort warmth to fight Putin.
Turn the thermostat down a few degrees at least!
FFS Russia's going to turn it all off soon enough anyway. You might as well well enjoy your home saunas whilst you can.
My thermostat never goes above 18 Celsius and I'm perfectly comfortable. Indeed, I often find school far too warm and have been known to take my jacket off when the children are complaining it's too cold.
And my fuel costs even in midwinter are around a pound a day...
I'm shocked that people are even slightly reluctant to sacrifice some of their comfort warmth to fight Putin.
Turn the thermostat down a few degrees at least!
FFS Russia's going to turn it all off soon enough anyway. You might as well well enjoy your home saunas whilst you can.
My thermostat never goes above 18 Celsius and I'm perfectly comfortable. Indeed, I often find school far too warm and have been known to take my jacket off when the children are complaining it's too cold.
And my fuel costs even in midwinter are around a pound a day...
In that case, schools definitely need to turn the heat down for Ukraine!
🚨🚨New Voting Intention🚨🚨 Labour lead at six points in latest results from Deltapoll. Con 34% (-) Lab 40% (-1) Lib Dem 10% (-) Other 16% (+1) Fieldwork: 8-11 Mar 2022 Sample: 2,003 Changes from 3-4 Feb 2022
The Tories have been in power 12 years, most governments in power that long trail. Indeed only 3 governments since WW2 have lasted that long, the 1951 to 1964 Tory government, the 1979 to 1997 Tory government and the 1997 to 2010 Labour government. They often trailed by more than 6% 12 years in
To be in office for 12 years or more you need to win at least three general elections. If you're Conservative, you win elections about two-thirds of the time. So the chances of your single election victory resulting in a 12 year stretch should be about 44%. Instead, since the war, only Ted Heath has failed to do that for the Conservatives - Eden/Macmillan, Mrs Thatcher/John Major and TM/Boris all succeeded. But after a decade and a half it certainly seems to get much tougher. Only one of the four Conservative governments since the war has been in power for more than 15 years and for those three it was walking dead.
You can't of course draw any statistically robust conclusions from such a small sample. But I think there are three reasons why it could get much tougher to win the fifth time:
- people forget how bad the other side were. I forget where I was last Tuesday. How can non-political people remember what was happening 15 years ago? - the other side gets tired of losing and dumps all its unpopular principles to keep power - you annoy enough people and they hold grudges.
This, rather than his small opinion poll lead (Miliband had a much bigger one), is I think Starmer's best hope for winning in 2024.
I've noticed the drum has begun banging for a vastly increased defence budget, along the lines of 3-3.2% of GDP, around an additional £20bn in spending for traditional capability enhancement and expansion. I'd like for the politicians to outline exactly who will pay for that and whether they'll start taking an axe to the sacred cows of public sector pensions, the state pension and in working benefits to pay for it. I don't see how we can carve out an additional £20-24bn for a surge in defence spending without cutting those three by the same amount. It's frankly laughable for politicians to call for additional defence spending and then shy away from cutting old people benefits and corporate subsidies like working tax credits.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
Are you turning your heating up?
No, I had my heating at an adequate level already. As is happens, I am insulating my stone-built house with sheep's wool insulation at the moment - there's a narrow cavity and it's going to make the place warmer and save some heating eventually, which is good. But shivering for Ukraine is nearly as daft as your idea to join the catering corps.
I note your scorn. It does hurt a bit. But just a tiny graze.
I'm now looking to how I can get a licence to drive some sort of useful delivery vehicle to take supplies to the Ukrainian border.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
I hope it has sufficient ventilation in the crucial places to provide for the bits which need to be kept cool.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Have you told Putin? If not, your suffering is in vain.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
According to that website (who acknowledge their data is only confirmed ones) Ukraine has lost 54 tanks and captured 85, so actually stronger than day 1, by 31, while Russia on the other hand...
Not only is Ukraine getting more tanks, it’s upgrading the quality of its tank force - swapping T-64s for T-72s and above. The same goes down the equipment chain.
Again though the key thing it goes back to is the question of time. Russia is running out of it as:
1. Ukraine is constantly being resupplies while Russia is running down its stocks;
2. The longer it goes on, the more Ukrainians who are trained and, at least, semi-effective. Russia’s manpower availability pool doesn’t look great;
3. In addition, the foreign legions will become more organised. Even if only 25% of the 20K are ex-soldiers, that’s still 5K men with military experience. The percentage is likely to be higher;
4. Clear signs of supply problems with the Russian army;
5. The damage to their economy and some signs that internal cohesion in the Russian power structures are starting to fray;
Interested in particular in the cost to Russia of waging this war. The $20bn a day figure was debunked early on, but it still must be jolly expensive. Bart R often tells us that Russia's economy is no bigger than Italy's, and you would have thought were this Italy waging war so incompetently it would have run out of money by now.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
And if it's really cold, wear your face mask. That warms you up, too.
Lying amongst the dying cinders of your fire is also a good tip for a bit of extra warmth.
There's nothing (well, hardly anything) as getting warm from exercise. Say, indoors, on the turbo trainer with a mat to catch the sweat. Actually house work is quite a warmer-upper too. The cold does threaten when I am engrossed in a book or doing a "sum". That's when a little heater proves useful. Last winter I tried wearing a 12 volt under garment motor bike vest. That uses very few watts and works a treat. But you've got to remember to unplug it when you get up to answer the door or take a pee.
I've noticed the drum has begun banging for a vastly increased defence budget, along the lines of 3-3.2% of GDP, around an additional £20bn in spending for traditional capability enhancement and expansion. I'd like for the politicians to outline exactly who will pay for that and whether they'll start taking an axe to the sacred cows of public sector pensions, the state pension and in working benefits to pay for it. I don't see how we can carve out an additional £20-24bn for a surge in defence spending without cutting those three by the same amount. It's frankly laughable for politicians to call for additional defence spending and then shy away from cutting old people benefits and corporate subsidies like working tax credits.
One way to do it (relatively) painlessly is to use accounting tricks. Accelerate the increase state pension age by a year or two, switch to different metrics to measure rises etc
Anyway, I’m a bit of a MMT person myself so I’m probably being blasé about the whole thing
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Have you told Putin? If not, your suffering is in vain.
Sadly, the receiver is frozen solid to the telephone.
I'm shocked that people are even slightly reluctant to sacrifice some of their comfort warmth to fight Putin.
Turn the thermostat down a few degrees at least!
FFS Russia's going to turn it all off soon enough anyway. You might as well well enjoy your home saunas whilst you can.
My thermostat never goes above 18 Celsius and I'm perfectly comfortable. Indeed, I often find school far too warm and have been known to take my jacket off when the children are complaining it's too cold.
And my fuel costs even in midwinter are around a pound a day...
In that case, schools definitely need to turn the heat down for Ukraine!
We as a sector are having enough problems with discipline right now without causing riots through the rooms being cold.
That isn't flippancy. Behaviour in all schools has got dramatically worse in the last twelve months. The DfE and ofsted don't agree with that but then they didn't see anything wrong with having illegal pissups so we should probably conclude they're ignorant twats whose opinions are worthless.
Why that's happening I don't know - it could be a number of reasons although all are linked in some way to Covid - but cold classrooms certainly wouldn't help.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
God how I envy you. Myself, I am cursed with this unwieldy monster....
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
According to that website (who acknowledge their data is only confirmed ones) Ukraine has lost 54 tanks and captured 85, so actually stronger than day 1, by 31, while Russia on the other hand...
Not only is Ukraine getting more tanks, it’s upgrading the quality of its tank force - swapping T-64s for T-72s and above. The same goes down the equipment chain.
Again though the key thing it goes back to is the question of time. Russia is running out of it as:
1. Ukraine is constantly being resupplies while Russia is running down its stocks;
2. The longer it goes on, the more Ukrainians who are trained and, at least, semi-effective. Russia’s manpower availability pool doesn’t look great;
3. In addition, the foreign legions will become more organised. Even if only 25% of the 20K are ex-soldiers, that’s still 5K men with military experience. The percentage is likely to be higher;
4. Clear signs of supply problems with the Russian army;
5. The damage to their economy and some signs that internal cohesion in the Russian power structures are starting to fray;
Interested in particular in the cost to Russia of waging this war. The $20bn a day figure was debunked early on, but it still must be jolly expensive. Bart R often tells us that Russia's economy is no bigger than Italy's, and you would have thought were this Italy waging war so incompetently it would have run out of money by now.
A lot within Russia is still directed by the state so there is the question of who is getting paid what etc. The real issue for Russia is they are now clearly engaged in a meat grinder war/ it’s hard to know Ukrainian losses but, on the Oryx Twitter feed, Ukrainian equipment losses are running at around 30% of the Russians ie the Russians are losing to close x4 the equipment which might be a fairly decent proxy for troop losses.
Give it 2-3 weeks and there’s a good chance Putin is out.
I've noticed the drum has begun banging for a vastly increased defence budget, along the lines of 3-3.2% of GDP, around an additional £20bn in spending for traditional capability enhancement and expansion. I'd like for the politicians to outline exactly who will pay for that and whether they'll start taking an axe to the sacred cows of public sector pensions, the state pension and in working benefits to pay for it. I don't see how we can carve out an additional £20-24bn for a surge in defence spending without cutting those three by the same amount. It's frankly laughable for politicians to call for additional defence spending and then shy away from cutting old people benefits and corporate subsidies like working tax credits.
One way to do it (relatively) painlessly is to use accounting tricks. Accelerate the increase state pension age by a year or two, switch to different metrics to measure rises etc
Anyway, I’m a bit of a MMT person myself so I’m probably being blasé about the whole thing
Accounting tricks is why everything's fucked. We need for hard decision making at the top and to start thinking about to whom we're doling out benefits, especially the state pension which is an unnecessary expense for millions of retirees who have £40k+ in private income from pensions/rent/dividends.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
Yes. When it was frosty I used a custom made hand knitted willy warmer when I commuted 18 miles each way to work by bicycle.. True (in this case)
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
God how I envy you. Myself, I am cursed with this unwieldy monster....
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
According to that website (who acknowledge their data is only confirmed ones) Ukraine has lost 54 tanks and captured 85, so actually stronger than day 1, by 31, while Russia on the other hand...
Not only is Ukraine getting more tanks, it’s upgrading the quality of its tank force - swapping T-64s for T-72s and above. The same goes down the equipment chain.
Again though the key thing it goes back to is the question of time. Russia is running out of it as:
1. Ukraine is constantly being resupplies while Russia is running down its stocks;
2. The longer it goes on, the more Ukrainians who are trained and, at least, semi-effective. Russia’s manpower availability pool doesn’t look great;
3. In addition, the foreign legions will become more organised. Even if only 25% of the 20K are ex-soldiers, that’s still 5K men with military experience. The percentage is likely to be higher;
4. Clear signs of supply problems with the Russian army;
5. The damage to their economy and some signs that internal cohesion in the Russian power structures are starting to fray;
Interested in particular in the cost to Russia of waging this war. The $20bn a day figure was debunked early on, but it still must be jolly expensive. Bart R often tells us that Russia's economy is no bigger than Italy's, and you would have thought were this Italy waging war so incompetently it would have run out of money by now.
A lot within Russia is still directed by the state so there is the question of who is getting paid what etc. The real issue for Russia is they are now clearly engaged in a meat grinder war/ it’s hard to know Ukrainian losses but, on the Oryx Twitter feed, Ukrainian equipment losses are running at around 30% of the Russians ie the Russians are losing to close x4 the equipment which might be a fairly decent proxy for troop losses.
Give it 2-3 weeks and there’s a good chance Putin is out.
If he's decided to move against the FSB he may not even last that long. He's their creature and if he loses their confidence he is surely in deep trouble.
I'm more worried about what he might do before somebody has a chance to remove him.
On the polls. Boris has had a spectacularly good couple of months. Covid is in the rear-view mirror. All restrictions have gone - we are free again, thanks to Boris. Partygate has been lost in the mists of time, and if/when it resurfaces, it will have lost much of its resonance. And, to cap it all, the whole of the nation is united in supporting the government in defeating Putin's evil regime and cheering the Ukrainian heroes.
And yet, despite all that, the Tories' opinion poll rating has only nudged up a tad, and Labour still has a healthy lead. If I were a Tory, I'd be very concerned that recent events have had so little impact on the polling. There may be something else around the corner, and Russia/Ukraine obviously hasn't played out yet, but most of the metrics coming down the road (cost of living, NI hike etc.) are likely to damage the governing party rather than come to their rescue. For Starmer, steady as she goes may well be enough.
Boris is permanently damaged by partygate. As long as he's the PM the Tories won't recover. He's lost all credibility with very many solid Tory voters who will never go back while he leads.
You may be right. But: a) Tory MPs had the chance to get rid of Boris but didn't take it, and it now looks likely he will survive to the next GE. b) I don't share the assumption of many that a new leader would refresh the Tory Party; partly because I can't think who would be a good choice; partly because I think the brand is damaged; and partly because I think Starmer has enough 'prime ministerial' qualities to defeat a less charismatic leader than Boris.
I've noticed the drum has begun banging for a vastly increased defence budget, along the lines of 3-3.2% of GDP, around an additional £20bn in spending for traditional capability enhancement and expansion. I'd like for the politicians to outline exactly who will pay for that and whether they'll start taking an axe to the sacred cows of public sector pensions, the state pension and in working benefits to pay for it. I don't see how we can carve out an additional £20-24bn for a surge in defence spending without cutting those three by the same amount. It's frankly laughable for politicians to call for additional defence spending and then shy away from cutting old people benefits and corporate subsidies like working tax credits.
One way to do it (relatively) painlessly is to use accounting tricks. Accelerate the increase state pension age by a year or two, switch to different metrics to measure rises etc
Anyway, I’m a bit of a MMT person myself so I’m probably being blasé about the whole thing
Accounting tricks is why everything's fucked. We need for hard decision making at the top and to start thinking about to whom we're doling out benefits, especially the state pension which is an unnecessary expense for millions of retirees who have £40k+ in private income from pensions/rent/dividends.
Agree from that although, if you pay your taxes, there is an argument for saying there is a social bond that should guarantee those payments.
We need fundamental reform. We have a health system designed for the 1940s and a view of pensions which is still heavily influenced by the 1911 reforms. They are both outdated
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
God how I envy you. Myself, I am cursed with this unwieldy monster....
Man, I hear you, I hear you
My girlfriend says I should actually extend the "penis cosy" to the full 17 inches, so it also covers my glans penis, but I have told her we all have to make a sacrifice, as a way to confront Putin, therefore at the moment only the shaft is warmed and protected
If this is what it takes to save liberal democracy - simply being honest on a public internet forum about my incredible penis - so be it
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
Yes. When it was frosty I used a custom made hand knitted willy warmer when I commuted 18 miles each way to work by bicycle.. True (in this case)
The mind boggles! Not the willy warmer, the 18 miles each way on a bike!
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Have you told Putin? If not, your suffering is in vain.
Not really. Any lowering of demand for gas drives down the wholesale gas price. Any lowering of the wholesale gas price means less money for Vlad. One person forgoing his central heating won't do much. But if the whole country could reduce its demand for gas by 5%, that's going to have a not-inconsiderable knock-on effect on Russian revenue streams. If the whole of Europe can do it, better still.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
I'm shocked that people are even slightly reluctant to sacrifice some of their comfort warmth to fight Putin. Turn the thermostat down a few degrees at least! FFS Russia's going to turn it all off soon enough anyway. You might as well well enjoy your home saunas whilst you can.
My thermostat never goes above 18 Celsius and I'm perfectly comfortable. Indeed, I often find school far too warm and have been known to take my jacket off when the children are complaining it's too cold. And my fuel costs even in midwinter are around a pound a day...
I live in a third (top) story flat and find the hallway heater is sufficient to heat the whole appartment until the outside temperature falls below zero overnight and then I'll turn on the Living Room heater. (Both run on night unit costs). My bedroom and bathroom heaters have (almost) never been used in the 20 years I've lived here. For the last two days I have had no heating on and the temperature inside is still above 19 deg. My neighbours keep my fuel bill down to an annual £2 a day (before price increase in April).
I've noticed the drum has begun banging for a vastly increased defence budget, along the lines of 3-3.2% of GDP, around an additional £20bn in spending for traditional capability enhancement and expansion. I'd like for the politicians to outline exactly who will pay for that and whether they'll start taking an axe to the sacred cows of public sector pensions, the state pension and in working benefits to pay for it. I don't see how we can carve out an additional £20-24bn for a surge in defence spending without cutting those three by the same amount. It's frankly laughable for politicians to call for additional defence spending and then shy away from cutting old people benefits and corporate subsidies like working tax credits.
One way to do it (relatively) painlessly is to use accounting tricks. Accelerate the increase state pension age by a year or two, switch to different metrics to measure rises etc
Anyway, I’m a bit of a MMT person myself so I’m probably being blasé about the whole thing
Freeze stuff. It doesn't cause a big fuss, highly effective in high inflation. Makes a huge impact on expenditure.
In-work benefits/working poverty is a really tricky problem though. You need to look at hours worked, housing costs etc etc. Politically problematic as there is a huge peak in the income distribution just to the right of the poverty line consisting of people in work and on benefits - with children. Ouch.
(Also WTC is now a minority benefit compared with UC. And UC will probably be fully rolled out by 2025-26).
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
Are you turning your heating up?
No, I had my heating at an adequate level already. As is happens, I am insulating my stone-built house with sheep's wool insulation at the moment - there's a narrow cavity and it's going to make the place warmer and save some heating eventually, which is good. But shivering for Ukraine is nearly as daft as your idea to join the catering corps.
Good plan. Try approaching local sheep farmers to buy the wool direct BTW, the market is so bad that the wool marketing board no longer pays up front, so if you offer actual cash you'll get your arm bitten off.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
Sure. It's fairly mild outside. I use a little electric heater on my legs. Generally light bulbs don't use much power, so why not treat yourself to several? People used to wear serious woolens. I have an instant theory that in the old days blokes wore wigs partly to keep warm. A woolly hat does that for me.
I find that a foot long "penis cosy" keeps me sufficiently warm, just enough to cover my manhood, but no more
Yes. When it was frosty I used a custom made hand knitted willy warmer when I commuted 18 miles each way to work by bicycle.. True (in this case)
Real men dont have cold penis's mine is always hot!!
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
Are you turning your heating up?
No, I had my heating at an adequate level already. As is happens, I am insulating my stone-built house with sheep's wool insulation at the moment - there's a narrow cavity and it's going to make the place warmer and save some heating eventually, which is good. But shivering for Ukraine is nearly as daft as your idea to join the catering corps.
Good plan. Try approaching local sheep farmers to buy the wool direct BTW, the market is so bad that the wool marketing board no longer pays up front, so if you offer actual cash you'll get your arm bitten off.
Excellent, you can then remove one arm from all of your jumpers, using the cutoffs as insulation too. What a saving!
I've noticed the drum has begun banging for a vastly increased defence budget, along the lines of 3-3.2% of GDP, around an additional £20bn in spending for traditional capability enhancement and expansion. I'd like for the politicians to outline exactly who will pay for that and whether they'll start taking an axe to the sacred cows of public sector pensions, the state pension and in working benefits to pay for it. I don't see how we can carve out an additional £20-24bn for a surge in defence spending without cutting those three by the same amount. It's frankly laughable for politicians to call for additional defence spending and then shy away from cutting old people benefits and corporate subsidies like working tax credits.
It's a huge amount of money and it comes at a time when there seem to be more things than usual that need money spending on. The criminal justice system is in a particularly parlous state, for example.
So there do need to be difficult choices. Very unpalatable ones.
But the demand is still being raised that Sunak can magically find a pot of money to use to wish away inflation.
As a nation we can do a lot for the fight with Ukraine by massively reducing our energy usage. If we were able to divert some of our gas supply (maybe from Norway?) to Germany and help wean them off their shameful teat, we'd at least be setting an example.
I don't think PB currently offers an emoticon that reflects my thoughts on this proposal.
This is war.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
Get your flipping heating back on now you utter loon.
Sorry to be sharp, but please put your heating on. You cannot help others by suffering. Suffering has no inherent virtue. In fact, you'll be in a far better position to uplift those around you if you look after your own health and wellbeing, physical and mental, first. You are no use to anyone as a shivering wreck in a woolly hat.
I've just removed the blanket from my shoulders because I was getting a bit warm.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If it made you feel comfortable, it wouldn't be senseless. Life is meant to be lived well.
Are you turning your heating up?
No, I had my heating at an adequate level already. As is happens, I am insulating my stone-built house with sheep's wool insulation at the moment - there's a narrow cavity and it's going to make the place warmer and save some heating eventually, which is good. But shivering for Ukraine is nearly as daft as your idea to join the catering corps.
Good plan. Try approaching local sheep farmers to buy the wool direct BTW, the market is so bad that the wool marketing board no longer pays up front, so if you offer actual cash you'll get your arm bitten off.
Agreed, the market is terrible, but making the insulation from fleeces is beyond me. I'm doing it with this: https://www.thermafleece.com Should be way more popular - it's totally non itchy/toxic, a joy to work with, fire safe, and works. For anyone with an old property that doesn't have a cavity, this goes between the stone and the inner wall really well.
So can the PB experts on this explain how tanks are captured.
I can think of these ways:
1) The crew surrender the tank 2) The crew retreat abandoning the tank 3) The crew desert abandoning the tank 4) The crew are killed but the tank remains intact
Are there any other ways ?
I guess abandoned out of fuel, until up pops a Ukranian farmer with a jerrycan.
Possible but would suggest an utter lack of professionalism by the crew in first running out of fuel and then abandoning the tank and going elsewhere.
Of course, it can be a convenient excuse to bugger off by those who don't want to be there.
Certainly and that would be covered in my second and third points.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
According to that website (who acknowledge their data is only confirmed ones) Ukraine has lost 54 tanks and captured 85, so actually stronger than day 1, by 31, while Russia on the other hand...
Not only is Ukraine getting more tanks, it’s upgrading the quality of its tank force - swapping T-64s for T-72s and above. The same goes down the equipment chain.
Again though the key thing it goes back to is the question of time. Russia is running out of it as:
1. Ukraine is constantly being resupplies while Russia is running down its stocks;
2. The longer it goes on, the more Ukrainians who are trained and, at least, semi-effective. Russia’s manpower availability pool doesn’t look great;
3. In addition, the foreign legions will become more organised. Even if only 25% of the 20K are ex-soldiers, that’s still 5K men with military experience. The percentage is likely to be higher;
4. Clear signs of supply problems with the Russian army;
5. The damage to their economy and some signs that internal cohesion in the Russian power structures are starting to fray;
Has it been confirmed whether the head of the FSB is under house arrest?
On the polls. Boris has had a spectacularly good couple of months. Covid is in the rear-view mirror. All restrictions have gone - we are free again, thanks to Boris. Partygate has been lost in the mists of time, and if/when it resurfaces, it will have lost much of its resonance. And, to cap it all, the whole of the nation is united in supporting the government in defeating Putin's evil regime and cheering the Ukrainian heroes.
And yet, despite all that, the Tories' opinion poll rating has only nudged up a tad, and Labour still has a healthy lead. If I were a Tory, I'd be very concerned that recent events have had so little impact on the polling. There may be something else around the corner, and Russia/Ukraine obviously hasn't played out yet, but most of the metrics coming down the road (cost of living, NI hike etc.) are likely to damage the governing party rather than come to their rescue. For Starmer, steady as she goes may well be enough.
The problem remains the Big Dog. He will screw up again, do something stupid again, and that is on top of the stupid he is still awaiting formal judgement on...
Comments
surly, abandoned is a stage that some tanks may go though before being captured, (or destroyed) Am I missing something, can somebody explain?
Is it German/Dutch/Flemish level or closer or further apart ?
(I have been reading the always-excellent acoup's Nuclear Deterrence 101 essay...)
I think you should read some books on negotiation theory. I'd suggest 'Getting to Yes' as a good primer. It contains the key concepts of BATNAs and ZOPAs.
Whatever the situation is it does suggest that there's something wrong with the Russian military.
And a war that really matters.
Even if we won't fucking fight it (for once), we could at least suffer a bit to do what we can to punish the Putin and help the very obviously good side of the war.
I've got my heating off and just one lightbulb on in my house. I've put on an extra layer of clothing. It doesn't take much for people to do something about this that does actually help.
I think a woolly hat next to a candle should suffice.
France 13
Wales 9
61 mins
1. abandoned means that there were no Russians around when the Ukrainians found it
2. captured means the Russian crews gave themselves up without the tank being destroyed
3. and destroyed means what is says on the can.
Myth 11: ‘The peoples of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are one nation’ Anaïs Marin
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/05/myths-and-misconceptions-debate-russia/myth-11-peoples-ukraine-belarus-and-russia-are-one
1/35 scale
The Ukrainian Farmer 2022
#Ukraine
#Tractor https://twitter.com/Temerai99243452/status/1502284975940546565/photo/1
Con Maj 3.3
Lab Maj 5
How far off is Il Sorpasso?
Number of captured Russian tanks has increased today from 78 to 85:
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
We are homo profligatus
If we spent a small fraction of our war expenses on solving climate change we'd be OK. Instead we wage constant war and hissy fits (with the French, say)
If everyone here and in the EU turned their heating down or off to tolerable rather than comfortable, it'd go a long way to turning Putin's cash off.
And yet, despite all that, the Tories' opinion poll rating has only nudged up a tad, and Labour still has a healthy lead. If I were a Tory, I'd be very concerned that recent events have had so little impact on the polling. There may be something else around the corner, and Russia/Ukraine obviously hasn't played out yet, but most of the metrics coming down the road (cost of living, NI hike etc.) are likely to damage the governing party rather than come to their rescue. For Starmer, steady as she goes may well be enough.
Heating up my entire house would be senseless.
If Ukraine is forced to give up ⅓ of its land, and agree not to join NATO (alas), but then 5-years hence Russia ends up disintegrating, well, then, there's a new iteration of history to be had.
Again though the key thing it goes back to is the question of time. Russia is running out of it as:
1. Ukraine is constantly being resupplies while Russia is running down its stocks;
2. The longer it goes on, the more Ukrainians who are trained and, at least, semi-effective. Russia’s manpower availability pool doesn’t look great;
3. In addition, the foreign legions will become more organised. Even if only 25% of the 20K are ex-soldiers, that’s still 5K men with military experience. The percentage is likely to be higher;
4. Clear signs of supply problems with the Russian army;
5. The damage to their economy and some signs that internal cohesion in the Russian power structures are starting to fray;
Turn the thermostat down a few degrees at least!
FFS Russia's going to turn it all off soon enough anyway. You might as well well enjoy your home saunas whilst you can.
I'm now looking to how I can get a licence to drive some sort of useful delivery vehicle to take supplies to the Ukrainian border.
But mocking is always fun.
And my fuel costs even in midwinter are around a pound a day...
You can't of course draw any statistically robust conclusions from such a small sample. But I think there are three reasons why it could get much tougher to win the fifth time:
- people forget how bad the other side were. I forget where I was last Tuesday. How can non-political people remember what was happening 15 years ago?
- the other side gets tired of losing and dumps all its unpopular principles to keep power
- you annoy enough people and they hold grudges.
This, rather than his small opinion poll lead (Miliband had a much bigger one), is I think Starmer's best hope for winning in 2024.
Last winter I tried wearing a 12 volt under garment motor bike vest. That uses very few watts and works a treat. But you've got to remember to unplug it when you get up to answer the door or take a pee.
Anyway, I’m a bit of a MMT person myself so I’m probably being blasé about the whole thing
That isn't flippancy. Behaviour in all schools has got dramatically worse in the last twelve months. The DfE and ofsted don't agree with that but then they didn't see anything wrong with having illegal pissups so we should probably conclude they're ignorant twats whose opinions are worthless.
Why that's happening I don't know - it could be a number of reasons although all are linked in some way to Covid - but cold classrooms certainly wouldn't help.
Give it 2-3 weeks and there’s a good chance Putin is out.
I'm more worried about what he might do before somebody has a chance to remove him.
a) Tory MPs had the chance to get rid of Boris but didn't take it, and it now looks likely he will survive to the next GE.
b) I don't share the assumption of many that a new leader would refresh the Tory Party; partly because I can't think who would be a good choice; partly because I think the brand is damaged; and partly because I think Starmer has enough 'prime ministerial' qualities to defeat a less charismatic leader than Boris.
We need fundamental reform. We have a health system designed for the 1940s and a view of pensions which is still heavily influenced by the 1911 reforms. They are both outdated
My girlfriend says I should actually extend the "penis cosy" to the full 17 inches, so it also covers my glans penis, but I have told her we all have to make a sacrifice, as a way to confront Putin, therefore at the moment only the shaft is warmed and protected
If this is what it takes to save liberal democracy - simply being honest on a public internet forum about my incredible penis - so be it
Drive not like a dick.
Just that to do a bit against Putin.
If we reduce our demand then it helps bring prices down a fraction, which at least reduces the prices that our allies are paying to the enemy.
Knit a Willy Warmer for victory against Putin!
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/seamless-willie-warmer
Plan B now
Next week dirty protest??
That will show em
One person forgoing his central heating won't do much. But if the whole country could reduce its demand for gas by 5%, that's going to have a not-inconsiderable knock-on effect on Russian revenue streams. If the whole of Europe can do it, better still.
In-work benefits/working poverty is a really tricky problem though. You need to look at hours worked, housing costs etc etc. Politically problematic as there is a huge peak in the income distribution just to the right of the poverty line consisting of people in work and on benefits - with children. Ouch.
(Also WTC is now a minority benefit compared with UC. And UC will probably be fully rolled out by 2025-26).
I turned off the central heating and knitted myself a gargantuan willy warmer.
So there do need to be difficult choices. Very unpalatable ones.
But the demand is still being raised that Sunak can magically find a pot of money to use to wish away inflation.
Should be way more popular - it's totally non itchy/toxic, a joy to work with, fire safe, and works. For anyone with an old property that doesn't have a cavity, this goes between the stone and the inner wall really well.
Writing for The Telegraph, former foreign secretary says peace comes from strength, not luck, as Russian invaders close in on Kyiv