One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
In 1906, on a somewhat larger share of the vote, admittedly under a rather different franchise, the Tories fell to just 157 seats when led by the bland Arthur Balfour. Churchill limited the damage partly by the extent of his name recognition.
He was undoubtedly popular, although he was also controversial. That's not to say he wasn't also a deeply flawed character. There was a reason why he was out of government from 1929 to 1939.
Dundonians had the measure of the man.
In fairness, he despised Dundonians as much as they despised him.
By voting him in at two by-elections and three consecutive general elections? If you say so.
- “… you will search in vain for a monument to Winston Churchill, despite the fact that he was Dundee’s MP for a full fourteen years, from 1908 until his humiliating defeat in 1922.
If I am right, there was such a plan but it came to nought. In the decades after that defeat, Dundee’s relationship with the great man was slightly fraught.
The froideur, it seems, was returned. In 1943, at the height of Churchill’s wartime power, councillors in Dundee agreed by a single vote to offer him the Freedom of the City. The offer was curtly declined.“
Have you been to Dundee? I wouldn't take the Freedom of the place if you paid me
It rankles with you that WSC had to represent one of your constituencies, lead your Fusiliers and win a world war for you. No good deed goes unpunished.
The closest I had to a religious experience in my life was a vision of Dundee across the Firth. Literally true.
Really? I mean, Dundee isn't exactly the Victoria Falls but I wouldn't have said it was hell on Earth either.
The Victoria Falls are massively overrated, as epochal falls go
Iguazu. That's where it's at. The Iguazu falls are stupefying
You don't get to look down at elephants from a helicopter over Iguazu
Rafting downstream of vic falls is good too
Meh. I've done the chopper ride and the rafting and seen the elephants at Vic Falls. The Iguazu are still 5 times better. Different league
Honorary mention for Gullfoss in Iceland and the various cascades of the Kimberley Coast
Sure
Checking out Iguazu next Feb/Mar. will report.
Vasquez: Hey, Mira. Who's IshmaelZ?
Ferro: He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw some Waterfalls once.
If confirmed, then (very) significant. There are Initial Reports coming out that a Ukrainian Counteroffensive has Secured the town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk Region effectively breaking the Siege on the Ukrainian held Coastal city of Mariupol which is just South of the town and the Key Donetsk-Mariupol Highway. https://mobile.twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1502719026522431492
The first mentions of this on twitter were about four hours ago, but nothing further.
Seems a bit of a weird claim since I don't see how it would break the siege, since the siege started before Ukraine were forced from Volnovakha.
Wondering if it might be Russian disinfo - get everyone excited about the siege being lifted, but then end up not believing Ukrainian information in the future.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wankers you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
Seems a little over the top, but I haven't been following this evening's debates.
The professionals were as clueless as the rest of us. https://mobile.twitter.com/HoansSolo/status/1502346783334318085 "The computer models would have said Russia wins in 72 to 96 hours," said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger. They "cannot explain why Ukraine is still hanging on. Why is that?"
The same reason that the models of COVID didn't match what happened. The models either had
- had bad inputs. - failed to model some parameters. - plain bad algorithms.
Perhaps it is that fighting head to head, the Ukrainians would have been smashed in a couple of days. That doesn't seem to be what they are doing.
At least in some places they seem to be manoeuvring and using strategic depth to extend the Russians supply lines. This may just be that the Russians advanced until there supply line became a problem and the Ukrainians gnawed at them all the while, rather than some brilliant Ukrainian plan.
Saw a YouTube video from some Putin shill saying that the Russians planned to kettle the Ukrainians (and were still on track to do so). So the Russians launched themselves across the border without backup, and the Ukrainians let them do so - defending the border would have been suicidal. Unsurprisingly the Ukrainians know Russian military doctrine, they were taught it too.
in this context what does 'to kettle' mean, I am not use to kettle being a verb,
Russian котёл, cauldron. Not sure if there is a verb. To strategically encircle the enemy and then destroy in detail using artillery, air power etc. WW2 military doctrine.
Metropolitan Police applies it as well to UK subjects.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
Rubbish. Serious rubbish. He was no doubt too English, too posh and not tall enough for you, he had all kinds of faults but he was as right as right could be on the biggest question ever asked of this country, his physical courage was such that he went to fight in the trenches at the head of a bunch of Scottishers, and he was the greatest orator the world has known, at the moment oratory was what was most wanted.
Hilarious stuff from Scotland’s own Lenin-in-exile.
Hardly. I served as a councillor for the Moderates. Not known for our Leninism.
I do hope the Moderate Party has factions, and some are extremist. Extreme moderates strikes me as hilarious.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wanker you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
No, chill. There's any number of annoying wankers here. Malc is emphatically not one of them. His rages are so pure that they are merely endearing, and the targets of them generally well chosen. Like Miranda Richardson in Blackadder.
I used to think the same, and I don't mind getting bitten back when I provoke. But lately it's just gotten sad. He's just snapping at everyone pointlessly.
Fair point. he needs to be drinking either a lot less, or a lot more.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
In 1906, on a somewhat larger share of the vote, admittedly under a rather different franchise, the Tories fell to just 157 seats when led by the bland Arthur Balfour. Churchill limited the damage partly by the extent of his name recognition.
He was undoubtedly popular, although he was also controversial. That's not to say he wasn't also a deeply flawed character. There was a reason why he was out of government from 1929 to 1939.
Dundonians had the measure of the man.
In fairness, he despised Dundonians as much as they despised him.
By voting him in at two by-elections and three consecutive general elections? If you say so.
- “… you will search in vain for a monument to Winston Churchill, despite the fact that he was Dundee’s MP for a full fourteen years, from 1908 until his humiliating defeat in 1922.
If I am right, there was such a plan but it came to nought. In the decades after that defeat, Dundee’s relationship with the great man was slightly fraught.
The froideur, it seems, was returned. In 1943, at the height of Churchill’s wartime power, councillors in Dundee agreed by a single vote to offer him the Freedom of the City. The offer was curtly declined.“
Have you been to Dundee? I wouldn't take the Freedom of the place if you paid me
It rankles with you that WSC had to represent one of your constituencies, lead your Fusiliers and win a world war for you. No good deed goes unpunished.
The closest I had to a religious experience in my life was a vision of Dundee across the Firth. Literally true.
Really? I mean, Dundee isn't exactly the Victoria Falls but I wouldn't have said it was hell on Earth either.
The Victoria Falls are massively overrated, as epochal falls go
Iguazu. That's where it's at. The Iguazu falls are stupefying
You don't get to look down at elephants from a helicopter over Iguazu
Rafting downstream of vic falls is good too
Meh. I've done the chopper ride and the rafting and seen the elephants at Vic Falls. The Iguazu are still 5 times better. Different league
Honorary mention for Gullfoss in Iceland and the various cascades of the Kimberley Coast
Skógafoss are the most beautiful falls we saw in Iceland. Not huge but lovelier than Gullfoss or Goðafoss.
I feel have to give a shout for the Horseshoe Falls at Niagara. Sure, Niagara has been totally Disneyfied but the falls still take your breath away.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wanker you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
No, chill. There's any number of annoying wankers here. Malc is emphatically not one of them. His rages are so pure that they are merely endearing, and the targets of them generally well chosen. Like Miranda Richardson in Blackadder.
I used to think the same, and I don't mind getting bitten back when I provoke. But lately it's just gotten sad. He's just snapping at everyone pointlessly.
I’ve been reading Malcolm for well over a decade. There is no “lately”. He has always been Malcolm. In his defence, he understands betting, which is strangely rare around here.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wanker you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
No, chill. There's any number of annoying wankers here. Malc is emphatically not one of them. His rages are so pure that they are merely endearing, and the targets of them generally well chosen. Like Miranda Richardson in Blackadder.
I used to think the same, and I don't mind getting bitten back when I provoke. But lately it's just gotten sad. He's just snapping at everyone pointlessly.
Fair point. he needs to be drinking either a lot less, or a lot more.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
Rubbish. Serious rubbish. He was no doubt too English, too posh and not tall enough for you, he had all kinds of faults but he was as right as right could be on the biggest question ever asked of this country, his physical courage was such that he went to fight in the trenches at the head of a bunch of Scottishers, and he was the greatest orator the world has known, at the moment oratory was what was most wanted.
Hilarious stuff from Scotland’s own Lenin-in-exile.
Hardly. I served as a councillor for the Moderates. Not known for our Leninism.
I do hope the Moderate Party has factions, and some are extremist. Extreme moderates strikes me as hilarious.
The professionals were as clueless as the rest of us. https://mobile.twitter.com/HoansSolo/status/1502346783334318085 "The computer models would have said Russia wins in 72 to 96 hours," said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger. They "cannot explain why Ukraine is still hanging on. Why is that?"
The same reason that the models of COVID didn't match what happened. The models either had
- had bad inputs. - failed to model some parameters. - plain bad algorithms.
Perhaps it is that fighting head to head, the Ukrainians would have been smashed in a couple of days. That doesn't seem to be what they are doing.
At least in some places they seem to be manoeuvring and using strategic depth to extend the Russians supply lines. This may just be that the Russians advanced until there supply line became a problem and the Ukrainians gnawed at them all the while, rather than some brilliant Ukrainian plan.
Saw a YouTube video from some Putin shill saying that the Russians planned to kettle the Ukrainians (and were still on track to do so). So the Russians launched themselves across the border without backup, and the Ukrainians let them do so - defending the border would have been suicidal. Unsurprisingly the Ukrainians know Russian military doctrine, they were taught it too.
in this context what does 'to kettle' mean, I am not use to kettle being a verb,
Russian котёл, cauldron. Not sure if there is a verb. To strategically encircle the enemy and then destroy in detail using artillery, air power etc. WW2 military doctrine.
Metropolitan Police applies it as well to UK subjects.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
In 1906, on a somewhat larger share of the vote, admittedly under a rather different franchise, the Tories fell to just 157 seats when led by the bland Arthur Balfour. Churchill limited the damage partly by the extent of his name recognition.
He was undoubtedly popular, although he was also controversial. That's not to say he wasn't also a deeply flawed character. There was a reason why he was out of government from 1929 to 1939.
Dundonians had the measure of the man.
In fairness, he despised Dundonians as much as they despised him.
By voting him in at two by-elections and three consecutive general elections? If you say so.
- “… you will search in vain for a monument to Winston Churchill, despite the fact that he was Dundee’s MP for a full fourteen years, from 1908 until his humiliating defeat in 1922.
If I am right, there was such a plan but it came to nought. In the decades after that defeat, Dundee’s relationship with the great man was slightly fraught.
The froideur, it seems, was returned. In 1943, at the height of Churchill’s wartime power, councillors in Dundee agreed by a single vote to offer him the Freedom of the City. The offer was curtly declined.“
Have you been to Dundee? I wouldn't take the Freedom of the place if you paid me
It rankles with you that WSC had to represent one of your constituencies, lead your Fusiliers and win a world war for you. No good deed goes unpunished.
The closest I had to a religious experience in my life was a vision of Dundee across the Firth. Literally true.
Really? I mean, Dundee isn't exactly the Victoria Falls but I wouldn't have said it was hell on Earth either.
Let me explain. It was late on an autumn evening, I walked up past the little Catholic church on the promontory and looked alone across the bay, Angus's seaside towns dotted across and Dundee tucked behind the hill. And as I stood, the nightlit towns, Dundee included, appeared a little way above the backdrop hills, and hovered on and off for the next 20 minutes - the reflections of the street lamps suspended as, what I understood many years later to be, Fata Morgana.
Dundee is very beautifully situated. Nice people too. I like it. V&A offshoot there is a nice addition.
The professionals were as clueless as the rest of us. https://mobile.twitter.com/HoansSolo/status/1502346783334318085 "The computer models would have said Russia wins in 72 to 96 hours," said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger. They "cannot explain why Ukraine is still hanging on. Why is that?"
The same reason that the models of COVID didn't match what happened. The models either had
- had bad inputs. - failed to model some parameters. - plain bad algorithms.
Perhaps it is that fighting head to head, the Ukrainians would have been smashed in a couple of days. That doesn't seem to be what they are doing.
At least in some places they seem to be manoeuvring and using strategic depth to extend the Russians supply lines. This may just be that the Russians advanced until there supply line became a problem and the Ukrainians gnawed at them all the while, rather than some brilliant Ukrainian plan.
Saw a YouTube video from some Putin shill saying that the Russians planned to kettle the Ukrainians (and were still on track to do so). So the Russians launched themselves across the border without backup, and the Ukrainians let them do so - defending the border would have been suicidal. Unsurprisingly the Ukrainians know Russian military doctrine, they were taught it too.
in this context what does 'to kettle' mean, I am not use to kettle being a verb,
That’s exactly what a Russian agent would ask!!!!
Found another one.
BigRich is clearly a non-native English speaker's attempt to describe an oligarch. That Roman Abramovich, he is, how you say, a BigRich?
You found me out!!! But can I have Chelsey back now please?
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
In 1906, on a somewhat larger share of the vote, admittedly under a rather different franchise, the Tories fell to just 157 seats when led by the bland Arthur Balfour. Churchill limited the damage partly by the extent of his name recognition.
He was undoubtedly popular, although he was also controversial. That's not to say he wasn't also a deeply flawed character. There was a reason why he was out of government from 1929 to 1939.
Dundonians had the measure of the man.
In fairness, he despised Dundonians as much as they despised him.
By voting him in at two by-elections and three consecutive general elections? If you say so.
- “… you will search in vain for a monument to Winston Churchill, despite the fact that he was Dundee’s MP for a full fourteen years, from 1908 until his humiliating defeat in 1922.
If I am right, there was such a plan but it came to nought. In the decades after that defeat, Dundee’s relationship with the great man was slightly fraught.
The froideur, it seems, was returned. In 1943, at the height of Churchill’s wartime power, councillors in Dundee agreed by a single vote to offer him the Freedom of the City. The offer was curtly declined.“
Have you been to Dundee? I wouldn't take the Freedom of the place if you paid me
It rankles with you that WSC had to represent one of your constituencies, lead your Fusiliers and win a world war for you. No good deed goes unpunished.
The closest I had to a religious experience in my life was a vision of Dundee across the Firth. Literally true.
Really? I mean, Dundee isn't exactly the Victoria Falls but I wouldn't have said it was hell on Earth either.
The Victoria Falls are massively overrated, as epochal falls go
Iguazu. That's where it's at. The Iguazu falls are stupefying
You don't get to look down at elephants from a helicopter over Iguazu
Rafting downstream of vic falls is good too
Meh. I've done the chopper ride and the rafting and seen the elephants at Vic Falls. The Iguazu are still 5 times better. Different league
Honorary mention for Gullfoss in Iceland and the various cascades of the Kimberley Coast
There are some reports that they came from Tabriz in Iran...
would I be a conspiracy theorist to say maybe Russian agents or people in the pay of Russian agents. trying to take attention away from Ukraine? maybe too obvious?
Very disappointing, but in fairness, had it not been for unusually poor weather conditions, and one of their best executioners developing tennis elbow, they would have managed much more.
Jake Cordell @JakeCordell · 6h ❗️Russia’s stock market will be closed for the whole of next week, Central Bank announces. That’s until at least March 21. Shares last traded on Feb. 25.
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
There are some reports that they came from Tabriz in Iran...
would I be a conspiracy theorist to say maybe Russian agents or people in the pay of Russian agents. trying to take attention away from Ukraine? maybe too obvious?
It would be a pretty bad PR effort if so. Good opportunity for the US to show its overwhelming force with a free hit and few consequences, a safe few thousand km from the Ukraine action.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
In 1906, on a somewhat larger share of the vote, admittedly under a rather different franchise, the Tories fell to just 157 seats when led by the bland Arthur Balfour. Churchill limited the damage partly by the extent of his name recognition.
He was undoubtedly popular, although he was also controversial. That's not to say he wasn't also a deeply flawed character. There was a reason why he was out of government from 1929 to 1939.
Dundonians had the measure of the man.
In fairness, he despised Dundonians as much as they despised him.
By voting him in at two by-elections and three consecutive general elections? If you say so.
- “… you will search in vain for a monument to Winston Churchill, despite the fact that he was Dundee’s MP for a full fourteen years, from 1908 until his humiliating defeat in 1922.
If I am right, there was such a plan but it came to nought. In the decades after that defeat, Dundee’s relationship with the great man was slightly fraught.
The froideur, it seems, was returned. In 1943, at the height of Churchill’s wartime power, councillors in Dundee agreed by a single vote to offer him the Freedom of the City. The offer was curtly declined.“
Have you been to Dundee? I wouldn't take the Freedom of the place if you paid me
It rankles with you that WSC had to represent one of your constituencies, lead your Fusiliers and win a world war for you. No good deed goes unpunished.
The closest I had to a religious experience in my life was a vision of Dundee across the Firth. Literally true.
Really? I mean, Dundee isn't exactly the Victoria Falls but I wouldn't have said it was hell on Earth either.
The Victoria Falls are massively overrated, as epochal falls go
Iguazu. That's where it's at. The Iguazu falls are stupefying
You don't get to look down at elephants from a helicopter over Iguazu
Rafting downstream of vic falls is good too
Meh. I've done the chopper ride and the rafting and seen the elephants at Vic Falls. The Iguazu are still 5 times better. Different league
Honorary mention for Gullfoss in Iceland and the various cascades of the Kimberley Coast
Sure
Checking out Iguazu next Feb/Mar. will report.
Vasquez: Hey, Mira. Who's IshmaelZ?
Ferro: He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw some Waterfalls once.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wanker you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
No, chill. There's any number of annoying wankers here. Malc is emphatically not one of them. His rages are so pure that they are merely endearing, and the targets of them generally well chosen. Like Miranda Richardson in Blackadder.
I used to think the same, and I don't mind getting bitten back when I provoke. But lately it's just gotten sad. He's just snapping at everyone pointlessly.
I’ve been reading Malcolm for well over a decade. There is no “lately”. He has always been Malcolm. In his defence, he understands betting, which is strangely rare around here.
Malcolm has been here since around 2005. He is not a natural ally of mine but he has always been consistent and forthright.
There are some reports that they came from Tabriz in Iran...
would I be a conspiracy theorist to say maybe Russian agents or people in the pay of Russian agents. trying to take attention away from Ukraine? maybe too obvious?
It would be a pretty bad PR effort if so. Good opportunity for the US to show its overwhelming force with a free hit and few consequences, a safe few thousand km from the Ukraine action.
Who are the US meant to show 'overwhelming force' to? the Kurds are generally pro-American, could wright a strong letter to head of Kerd's and say keep better security please?
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
Two years ago today was the last time I flew - Aberdeen to Southend on LoganAir!
Parked for now. But once the Ukraine war is in a new phase, hard to see how he explains this away to MPs.
Daily Tellumguff - "How PM Made Lebedev a Lord to Fool Putin into Thinking Boris was His Buddy"
Seriously, we can’t at this stage rule out Boris was a double agent all along, despite all appearances and the mounting evidence, he might actually have been on the side of the UK.
Boris led us to believe he was the new Winston Churchill, until Zelenskyy came along to show us what a real Winston Churchill looks and sounds like.
On topic. This will be viewed by the Conservative Party as the treason it is. This is the kicker: it’s not just his closeness to Putin’s inner circle here, it is how, it’s the grace and favour and friends with benefits Boris allowed himself to GET GROOMED by without a shred of awareness what was going on.
He's got some chutzpah, hasn't he? Being a Russian agent and, in plain sight, calling himself Boris.
Finally, Oxford gets the Russian agents it has always longed for. Cambridge is history now.
Always had 'em. The Cambridge ones just get caught.
The Oxford spies got caught. The Cambridge ones scarpered before they were caught. The question is whether there were other Oxford spies who did not get caught.
And we know the KGB tried to recruit David Cameron. Think how useful he'd have been to their cause of breaking Britain away from Europe. They've had to make do with Boris.
Whilst I am scornful of anything that should happen, not happening because someone else is having a war, this is actually in line with what I think should happen in NI. NI should be an enterprise zone, and have a unique future as the gateway between the UK and the EU. I also think a charter city for ex-Hong Kongers would be great in NI.
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
I long for just one opportunity to savour the bad guy being defeated good and proper and the heroes winning, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
We need to get used to a long hard Cold War style slog, the West containing and isolating Russia (and maybe in due course China) over decades, until it’s demographically shrunken and toothless, financially spent, and no longer an existential danger. No grand victory, just containment while we get on with life.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wanker you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
No, chill. There's any number of annoying wankers here. Malc is emphatically not one of them. His rages are so pure that they are merely endearing, and the targets of them generally well chosen. Like Miranda Richardson in Blackadder.
There are some reports that they came from Tabriz in Iran...
would I be a conspiracy theorist to say maybe Russian agents or people in the pay of Russian agents. trying to take attention away from Ukraine? maybe too obvious?
It would be a pretty bad PR effort if so. Good opportunity for the US to show its overwhelming force with a free hit and few consequences, a safe few thousand km from the Ukraine action.
Who are the US meant to show 'overwhelming force' to? the Kurds are generally pro-American, could wright a strong letter to head of Kerd's and say keep better security please?
If Iran fired the missiles (which evidence suggests they did) then Iran gets air strikes. Clear casus belli.
Things are getting quite difficult here in Tallinn, There is very little room to house refugees: hotels are full, Now discussions of opening schools and lots of people taking in refugees into their homes. Already there are twice the number Estonia thought they could cope with, and if we have it bad, Poland is taking in tens of thousands every day. At least 1.7 million now in Poland alone and now the forecast is maybe at total of 7 million. The UK needs to get its act together, every country in Europe is trying to help and larger countries like Britain can not just turn their backs. Putin is using terror as a weapon to create this refugee crisis and if we are not prepared to defend the Ukrainians ourselves the minimum must surely be to help the victims of this senseless and criminal war.
As for British right wing politicians´ relationships with the Siloviki, we should note that many people warned about this a long time ago. As people here know well, I am particularly contemptuous of those like Banks, Farage, or Rees Mogg among others (and Alex Salmond, I may add), who have had close financial relationships with Russia, even when it was quite clear what kind of regime Putin leads. As for Johnson, he too was warned. At the very least all of them should disclose the precise nature of their dealings with those close to the Russian regime. However that will needs must be after this crisis abates, for now we must concentrate on saving as much as we can in Ukraine and weakening the Putin regime with all the tools we have. This does not end for at least as long as VVP leads Russia.
The only thing that spoils your generally excellent posts is your partisanship.
I'm yet to see any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn or his ilk, who spent months apologising and whatabouting for the Salisbury chemical weapons attacks.
I don't know about his ilk but this from Corbyn seems fairly on the mark; I imagine it is the word "proportionate" that upset people but it can be read both ways:- The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
I long for just one opportunity to savour the bad guy being defeated good and proper and the heroes winning, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
We need to get used to a long hard Cold War style slog, the West containing and isolating Russia (and maybe in due course China) over decades, until it’s demographically shrunken and toothless, financially spent, and no longer an existential danger. No grand victory, just containment while we get on with life.
I dunno, maybe Putin's Russia is a lot more fragile than it appears. Lot of cracks starting to show.
Early days, but based on what we have seen of the mighty Russian war machine, many in the Baltics are sleeping easier.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
In 1906, on a somewhat larger share of the vote, admittedly under a rather different franchise, the Tories fell to just 157 seats when led by the bland Arthur Balfour. Churchill limited the damage partly by the extent of his name recognition.
He was undoubtedly popular, although he was also controversial. That's not to say he wasn't also a deeply flawed character. There was a reason why he was out of government from 1929 to 1939.
Dundonians had the measure of the man.
In fairness, he despised Dundonians as much as they despised him.
By voting him in at two by-elections and three consecutive general elections? If you say so.
- “… you will search in vain for a monument to Winston Churchill, despite the fact that he was Dundee’s MP for a full fourteen years, from 1908 until his humiliating defeat in 1922.
If I am right, there was such a plan but it came to nought. In the decades after that defeat, Dundee’s relationship with the great man was slightly fraught.
The froideur, it seems, was returned. In 1943, at the height of Churchill’s wartime power, councillors in Dundee agreed by a single vote to offer him the Freedom of the City. The offer was curtly declined.“
Have you been to Dundee? I wouldn't take the Freedom of the place if you paid me
It rankles with you that WSC had to represent one of your constituencies, lead your Fusiliers and win a world war for you. No good deed goes unpunished.
The closest I had to a religious experience in my life was a vision of Dundee across the Firth. Literally true.
Really? I mean, Dundee isn't exactly the Victoria Falls but I wouldn't have said it was hell on Earth either.
The Victoria Falls are massively overrated, as epochal falls go
Iguazu. That's where it's at. The Iguazu falls are stupefying
You don't get to look down at elephants from a helicopter over Iguazu
Rafting downstream of vic falls is good too
Meh. I've done the chopper ride and the rafting and seen the elephants at Vic Falls. The Iguazu are still 5 times better. Different league
Honorary mention for Gullfoss in Iceland and the various cascades of the Kimberley Coast
Sure
Checking out Iguazu next Feb/Mar. will report.
Vasquez: Hey, Mira. Who's IshmaelZ?
Ferro: He's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently he saw some Waterfalls once.
Things are getting quite difficult here in Tallinn, There is very little room to house refugees: hotels are full, Now discussions of opening schools and lots of people taking in refugees into their homes. Already there are twice the number Estonia thought they could cope with, and if we have it bad, Poland is taking in tens of thousands every day. At least 1.7 million now in Poland alone and now the forecast is maybe at total of 7 million. The UK needs to get its act together, every country in Europe is trying to help and larger countries like Britain can not just turn their backs. Putin is using terror as a weapon to create this refugee crisis and if we are not prepared to defend the Ukrainians ourselves the minimum must surely be to help the victims of this senseless and criminal war.
As for British right wing politicians´ relationships with the Siloviki, we should note that many people warned about this a long time ago. As people here know well, I am particularly contemptuous of those like Banks, Farage, or Rees Mogg among others (and Alex Salmond, I may add), who have had close financial relationships with Russia, even when it was quite clear what kind of regime Putin leads. As for Johnson, he too was warned. At the very least all of them should disclose the precise nature of their dealings with those close to the Russian regime. However that will needs must be after this crisis abates, for now we must concentrate on saving as much as we can in Ukraine and weakening the Putin regime with all the tools we have. This does not end for at least as long as VVP leads Russia.
The only thing that spoils your generally excellent posts is your partisanship.
I'm yet to see any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn or his ilk, who spent months apologising and whatabouting for the Salisbury chemical weapons attacks.
I don't know about his ilk but this from Corbyn seems fairly on the mark; I imagine it is the word "proportionate" that upset people but it can be read both ways:- The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
Let's for a moment assume that there is some kind of mushy compromise and negotiation in Ukr and maybe RU gets Crimea and Donbass and some other little bits and pieces and Putin hails it as a triumph.
He is going to have to spend maybe the next five years completely rebuilding his military because based on what we have seen it is nowhere near as good as he has been told it is and certainly aint up to marching into Finland with minimal losses.
We may get some peace for a while and he is in his 70s.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wanker you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
No, chill. There's any number of annoying wankers here. Malc is emphatically not one of them. His rages are so pure that they are merely endearing, and the targets of them generally well chosen. Like Miranda Richardson in Blackadder.
I used to think the same, and I don't mind getting bitten back when I provoke. But lately it's just gotten sad. He's just snapping at everyone pointlessly.
I’ve been reading Malcolm for well over a decade. There is no “lately”. He has always been Malcolm. In his defence, he understands betting, which is strangely rare around here.
Malcolm has been here since around 2005. He is not a natural ally of mine but he has always been consistent and forthright.
He's ok 👍
We're supposed to develop allies? Shit, I need to up my game.
Things are getting quite difficult here in Tallinn, There is very little room to house refugees: hotels are full, Now discussions of opening schools and lots of people taking in refugees into their homes. Already there are twice the number Estonia thought they could cope with, and if we have it bad, Poland is taking in tens of thousands every day. At least 1.7 million now in Poland alone and now the forecast is maybe at total of 7 million. The UK needs to get its act together, every country in Europe is trying to help and larger countries like Britain can not just turn their backs. Putin is using terror as a weapon to create this refugee crisis and if we are not prepared to defend the Ukrainians ourselves the minimum must surely be to help the victims of this senseless and criminal war.
As for British right wing politicians´ relationships with the Siloviki, we should note that many people warned about this a long time ago. As people here know well, I am particularly contemptuous of those like Banks, Farage, or Rees Mogg among others (and Alex Salmond, I may add), who have had close financial relationships with Russia, even when it was quite clear what kind of regime Putin leads. As for Johnson, he too was warned. At the very least all of them should disclose the precise nature of their dealings with those close to the Russian regime. However that will needs must be after this crisis abates, for now we must concentrate on saving as much as we can in Ukraine and weakening the Putin regime with all the tools we have. This does not end for at least as long as VVP leads Russia.
The only thing that spoils your generally excellent posts is your partisanship.
I'm yet to see any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn or his ilk, who spent months apologising and whatabouting for the Salisbury chemical weapons attacks.
I don't know about his ilk but this from Corbyn seems fairly on the mark; I imagine it is the word "proportionate" that upset people but it can be read both ways:- The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
Yes, you can pick the odd comment here or there from pretty much anyone and decide their response to something was ok. But what was their first reaction, their second? Did their later words or actions undermine what might have been a reasonable statement earlier, reverting to what seems to be their more consistent opinion? And so on.
This works with any politician to a degree, Boris will have said the 'right' thing on many subjects, but his general approach and actions would not suggest that right thing was his standard approach.
I'm not unduly pessimistic about the situation. The Ukrainians are holding up manfully and the costs of the war on Putin will be colossal whatever the outcome. I also cannot see him holding on to Ukraine in the medium to long term. The other thing that gives me hope is the younger generation in Russia. There was a poll suggesting those under 25 were 2:1 against the war. Can they persuade their parents or grandparents? Either way I suspect this is a group of people who don't care much for Putin's Tsarist nonsense and secretly rather like the west.
Let's for a moment assume that there is some kind of mushy compromise and negotiation in Ukr and maybe RU gets Crimea and Donbass and some other little bits and pieces and Putin hails it as a triumph.
He is going to have to spend maybe the next five years completely rebuilding his military because based on what we have seen it is nowhere near as good as he has been told it is and certainly aint up to marching into Finland with minimal losses.
We may get some peace for a while and he is in his 70s.
Not easy to rebuild if his economy can be hit hard, though that would take time. And if he proclaims a victory of any kind it may be harder to persuade the West to drop the punishing sanctions (though I imagine they will be keen for any pretext to drop them). Sadly for the Ukrainians I would bet any ceasefire based on RU keeping some areas will effectively be permanent, since the West would apply massive pressure on them to never be the aggressor, even in seeking to return their own territory.
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
Unfortunately I don't think we will ever get a run of good news. Not on the broadcast news anyway. It doesn't have a good news setting. But I agree, let's hope consistent good times are around the corner. I remain optimistic. 18 months ago I was in the trough of a depression and I didn't see how things would ever get better. Now, despite the dreadfulness of the news from the east, my gut feeling is that we will soon return to the pattern of each year being better for me, for Britain, and for the world than the last. Which has broadly been the case for my whole lifetime.
Things are getting quite difficult here in Tallinn, There is very little room to house refugees: hotels are full, Now discussions of opening schools and lots of people taking in refugees into their homes. Already there are twice the number Estonia thought they could cope with, and if we have it bad, Poland is taking in tens of thousands every day. At least 1.7 million now in Poland alone and now the forecast is maybe at total of 7 million. The UK needs to get its act together, every country in Europe is trying to help and larger countries like Britain can not just turn their backs. Putin is using terror as a weapon to create this refugee crisis and if we are not prepared to defend the Ukrainians ourselves the minimum must surely be to help the victims of this senseless and criminal war.
As for British right wing politicians´ relationships with the Siloviki, we should note that many people warned about this a long time ago. As people here know well, I am particularly contemptuous of those like Banks, Farage, or Rees Mogg among others (and Alex Salmond, I may add), who have had close financial relationships with Russia, even when it was quite clear what kind of regime Putin leads. As for Johnson, he too was warned. At the very least all of them should disclose the precise nature of their dealings with those close to the Russian regime. However that will needs must be after this crisis abates, for now we must concentrate on saving as much as we can in Ukraine and weakening the Putin regime with all the tools we have. This does not end for at least as long as VVP leads Russia.
The only thing that spoils your generally excellent posts is your partisanship.
I'm yet to see any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn or his ilk, who spent months apologising and whatabouting for the Salisbury chemical weapons attacks.
I don't know about his ilk but this from Corbyn seems fairly on the mark; I imagine it is the word "proportionate" that upset people but it can be read both ways:- The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
Yes, you can pick the odd comment here or there from pretty much anyone and decide their response to something was ok. But what was their first reaction, their second? Did their later words or actions undermine what might have been a reasonable statement earlier, reverting to what seems to be their more consistent opinion? And so on.
This works with any politician to a degree, Boris will have said the 'right' thing on many subjects, but his general approach and actions would not suggest that right thing was his standard approach.
The point is that I believe it was the first time he commented on it (please correct me if I'm wrong). If it takes you over a week to respond to a chemical weapons attack on British soil* you aren't fit to be prime minister.
* remember the area being cordoned off in Salisbury and medical staff in harm's way trying to treat the Skripals?
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
Best of luck to your daughter in whatever her new life offers.
It's been enlightening to follow your posts updating us on the twist and turns of running a country pub during the last mad two years. She has done astonishing well to keep the place open and clearly that is appreciated by the local pub goers.
One of the oddest myths of the twentieth century is that Churchill was popular. He was an odious little man, widely reviled. His only redeeming feature was that he was less odious than Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
Rubbish. Serious rubbish. He was no doubt too English, too posh and not tall enough for you, he had all kinds of faults but he was as right as right could be on the biggest question ever asked of this country, his physical courage was such that he went to fight in the trenches at the head of a bunch of Scottishers, and he was the greatest orator the world has known, at the moment oratory was what was most wanted.
Hilarious stuff from Scotland’s own Lenin-in-exile.
Hardly. I served as a councillor for the Moderates. Not known for our Leninism.
I do hope the Moderate Party has factions, and some are extremist. Extreme moderates strikes me as hilarious.
Of course! But none extreme. Lagom är bäst.
Disappointing. Imagine the joys of being accused of not being sufficiently moderate.
Let's for a moment assume that there is some kind of mushy compromise and negotiation in Ukr and maybe RU gets Crimea and Donbass and some other little bits and pieces and Putin hails it as a triumph.
He is going to have to spend maybe the next five years completely rebuilding his military because based on what we have seen it is nowhere near as good as he has been told it is and certainly aint up to marching into Finland with minimal losses.
We may get some peace for a while and he is in his 70s.
Not easy to rebuild if his economy can be hit hard, though that would take time. And if he proclaims a victory of any kind it may be harder to persuade the West to drop the punishing sanctions (though I imagine they will be keen for any pretext to drop them). Sadly for the Ukrainians I would bet any ceasefire based on RU keeping some areas will effectively be permanent, since the West would apply massive pressure on them to never be the aggressor, even in seeking to return their own territory.
Why would we be eager to release their central bank reserves?
And I do wonder if a rubicon has been crossed. The utter destruction to civilian areas, the mass refugee crisis, the threat of nuclear meltdown or chemical weapons. I'm hopeful that there will be considerable resolve so long as Putin is in power.
Willing patsy or unfortunate sap forced to play act? Either way, if the Ukrainians fight back I don't think this lady will have a bright fututre in local politics.
Also, if the Russians are not there to conquer but to demilitarise Ukraine, why do they need to take over local administration?
From BBC: The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied city of Melitopol following the alleged abduction of Mayor Ivan Fedorov by Moscow's troops on Friday afternoon.
Galina Danilchenko, formerly a deputy on the city council, appeared on local TV where she declared that her main task was construction of "basic mechanisms under the new reality".
Danilchenko said she was preparing to set up a "committee of people's deputies" to run the city, and urged residents not to take part in "extremist actions".
"Respected deputies, we were elected by the people. Our duty above all is to look after their well-being," she said.
"This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region."
The BBC cannot independently verify Danilchenko's appointment, though it has been widely reported in local media.
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
Unfortunately I don't think we will ever get a run of good news. Not on the broadcast news anyway. It doesn't have a good news setting. But I agree, let's hope consistent good times are around the corner. I remain optimistic. 18 months ago I was in the trough of a depression and I didn't see how things would ever get better. Now, despite the dreadfulness of the news from the east, my gut feeling is that we will soon return to the pattern of each year being better for me, for Britain, and for the world than the last. Which has broadly been the case for my whole lifetime.
Birth, ageing, suffering, death. Unless you're lucky enough to miss one or both of the middle two.
An interesting comment, withdrawing a previous allegation. As there are plenty of corroborated examples, seems like an effort to demonstrate that whilst there will always be propaganda in war, the Ukrainians do not intend to take people for fools.
Earlier we reported a Ukrainian allegation that Russian troops had fired on a convoy of women and children leaving a village north-west of Kyiv on Friday, killing seven people.
Ukraine's intelligence service said the incident had happened on an agreed evacuation corridor from Peremoha.
However Ukrainian government officials have now said the victims were not using an agreed evacuation corridor as previously stated.
There was no independent verification of the attack and no immediate comment from Moscow.
I'm not unduly pessimistic about the situation. The Ukrainians are holding up manfully and the costs of the war on Putin will be colossal whatever the outcome. I also cannot see him holding on to Ukraine in the medium to long term. The other thing that gives me hope is the younger generation in Russia. There was a poll suggesting those under 25 were 2:1 against the war. Can they persuade their parents or grandparents? Either way I suspect this is a group of people who don't care much for Putin's Tsarist nonsense and secretly rather like the west.
It will be interesting to see the turnout for Navalnys protests this week. Scheduled for 1400, which starts at 0400 our time for Vladivostok, 1100 our time for Moscow.
Willing patsy or unfortunate sap forced to play act? Either way, if the Ukrainians fight back I don't think this lady will have a bright fututre in local politics.
Also, if the Russians are not there to conquer but to demilitarise Ukraine, why do they need to take over local administration?
From BBC: The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied city of Melitopol following the alleged abduction of Mayor Ivan Fedorov by Moscow's troops on Friday afternoon.
Galina Danilchenko, formerly a deputy on the city council, appeared on local TV where she declared that her main task was construction of "basic mechanisms under the new reality".
Danilchenko said she was preparing to set up a "committee of people's deputies" to run the city, and urged residents not to take part in "extremist actions".
"Respected deputies, we were elected by the people. Our duty above all is to look after their well-being," she said.
"This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region."
The BBC cannot independently verify Danilchenko's appointment, though it has been widely reported in local media.
Prediction: when the Ukr retakes the city she will find herself in a very close relationship with a lamppost.
Things are getting quite difficult here in Tallinn, There is very little room to house refugees: hotels are full, Now discussions of opening schools and lots of people taking in refugees into their homes. Already there are twice the number Estonia thought they could cope with, and if we have it bad, Poland is taking in tens of thousands every day. At least 1.7 million now in Poland alone and now the forecast is maybe at total of 7 million. The UK needs to get its act together, every country in Europe is trying to help and larger countries like Britain can not just turn their backs. Putin is using terror as a weapon to create this refugee crisis and if we are not prepared to defend the Ukrainians ourselves the minimum must surely be to help the victims of this senseless and criminal war.
As for British right wing politicians´ relationships with the Siloviki, we should note that many people warned about this a long time ago. As people here know well, I am particularly contemptuous of those like Banks, Farage, or Rees Mogg among others (and Alex Salmond, I may add), who have had close financial relationships with Russia, even when it was quite clear what kind of regime Putin leads. As for Johnson, he too was warned. At the very least all of them should disclose the precise nature of their dealings with those close to the Russian regime. However that will needs must be after this crisis abates, for now we must concentrate on saving as much as we can in Ukraine and weakening the Putin regime with all the tools we have. This does not end for at least as long as VVP leads Russia.
The only thing that spoils your generally excellent posts is your partisanship.
I'm yet to see any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn or his ilk, who spent months apologising and whatabouting for the Salisbury chemical weapons attacks.
I don't know about his ilk but this from Corbyn seems fairly on the mark; I imagine it is the word "proportionate" that upset people but it can be read both ways:- The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
Yes, though not "months" as Casino suggested. Initially he said let's not rush to judgment, but he was shown detailed evidence by the security service after a few days and accepted that the case that it was a Russian act was overwhelming.
Let's for a moment assume that there is some kind of mushy compromise and negotiation in Ukr and maybe RU gets Crimea and Donbass and some other little bits and pieces and Putin hails it as a triumph.
He is going to have to spend maybe the next five years completely rebuilding his military because based on what we have seen it is nowhere near as good as he has been told it is and certainly aint up to marching into Finland with minimal losses.
We may get some peace for a while and he is in his 70s.
Not easy to rebuild if his economy can be hit hard, though that would take time. And if he proclaims a victory of any kind it may be harder to persuade the West to drop the punishing sanctions (though I imagine they will be keen for any pretext to drop them). Sadly for the Ukrainians I would bet any ceasefire based on RU keeping some areas will effectively be permanent, since the West would apply massive pressure on them to never be the aggressor, even in seeking to return their own territory.
Why would we be eager to release their central bank reserves?
And I do wonder if a rubicon has been crossed. The utter destruction to civilian areas, the mass refugee crisis, the threat of nuclear meltdown or chemical weapons. I'm hopeful that there will be considerable resolve so long as Putin is in power.
I hope that is so. The speed and severity of the response, though not militarily as strong as Ukraine would like, has been encouraging. The shift in thinking in some nations, or at least the start of a potential shift in thinking, on defence and Russia generally, has also been encouraging.
And it should be that way - there is no rational basis for the action taking place, no mitigating circumstances, and so there should be no meeting halfway on this, no let up if, after a period of destruction, the Putin regime withdraws to lick its wounds and masturbate over supposed glory.
No, Putin's Russia should have proven itself in the eyes of the world irrevocably. He's Lukashenko with more delusional objectives. And he needs to be treated as such as long as he lives. Unfortunately, that means Russia does too.
My fear is that people will be desperate to return to normality and bow to demands to modulate the sanctions against Russia as a concession as soon as they stop killing people for 5 minutes. At the least if they cannot wait until all Ukraine is withdrawn from there should be a lengthy cooling off period before anything is lifted, to be sure he won't go back in.
Let's for a moment assume that there is some kind of mushy compromise and negotiation in Ukr and maybe RU gets Crimea and Donbass and some other little bits and pieces and Putin hails it as a triumph.
He is going to have to spend maybe the next five years completely rebuilding his military because based on what we have seen it is nowhere near as good as he has been told it is and certainly aint up to marching into Finland with minimal losses.
We may get some peace for a while and he is in his 70s.
Not easy to rebuild if his economy can be hit hard, though that would take time. And if he proclaims a victory of any kind it may be harder to persuade the West to drop the punishing sanctions (though I imagine they will be keen for any pretext to drop them). Sadly for the Ukrainians I would bet any ceasefire based on RU keeping some areas will effectively be permanent, since the West would apply massive pressure on them to never be the aggressor, even in seeking to return their own territory.
Any "compromise" that leaves Ukraine facing another Russian pincer movement from Crimea is a failure and sanctions must remain in full force. The absolute maximum that can be accepted is an Independent Crimea.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Willing patsy or unfortunate sap forced to play act? Either way, if the Ukrainians fight back I don't think this lady will have a bright fututre in local politics.
Also, if the Russians are not there to conquer but to demilitarise Ukraine, why do they need to take over local administration?
From BBC: The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied city of Melitopol following the alleged abduction of Mayor Ivan Fedorov by Moscow's troops on Friday afternoon.
Galina Danilchenko, formerly a deputy on the city council, appeared on local TV where she declared that her main task was construction of "basic mechanisms under the new reality".
Danilchenko said she was preparing to set up a "committee of people's deputies" to run the city, and urged residents not to take part in "extremist actions".
"Respected deputies, we were elected by the people. Our duty above all is to look after their well-being," she said.
"This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region."
The BBC cannot independently verify Danilchenko's appointment, though it has been widely reported in local media.
Prediction: when the Ukr retakes the city she will find herself in a very close relationship with a lamppost.
Taking a close interest in civic reconstruction, from an unconventional perspective perhaps, how inspiring.
Those who implore us to imagine what NATO expansion looks like from the Russian viewpoint never seem interested in imagining what closing NATO's doors would look like to all the nations that spent the better part of the 20th century enduring brutal Soviet occupation.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Last evening with Daughter in charge of the pub. There's been a band and discounted drinks so the place is absolutely full. It is lovely to have the sound of people together, laughing & enjoying themselves.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
Best of luck to your daughter in whatever her new life offers.
It's been enlightening to follow your posts updating us on the twist and turns of running a country pub during the last mad two years. She has done astonishing well to keep the place open and clearly that is appreciated by the local pub goers.
When England's pubs fall, England falls.
Thank you. I am immensely proud of her. She has shown tremendous grace under pressure.
As a treat we are all going to Armathwaite Hall in a week or so to celebrate her achievements, my son's new job, husband's birthday and mine from last month and surviving Covid. It's a glorious place and it will be nice to be pampered for a bit.
If WW3 could be held off until after that I'd appreciate it.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
But why steroids? They are not used for parkinsons, dementia or cancer chemotherapy.
I think he just has eaten too much during lockdown, like everybody else.
@EerikNKross Multiple sources say that 🇺🇦 forces knocked out the whole command of 🇷🇺 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade BTG in an ambush. This would mean the BTG is out. This unit was part of the little green men in Crimea in 2014.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
But why steroids? They are not used for parkinsons, dementia or cancer chemotherapy.
They can be used in cancer treatment: I have to take them before chemotherapy as an antiallergic. I was also on them for a while after stereotactic radiosurgery for brain mets.
Western Boomers delusionally atributiting thr erratic behaviour of a 68 year old to "steroid abuse" or "cancer" rather than him being a 68 year old member of a generation hell bent on destroying the prospects of their children before they leave this mortal plain
"Russian commanders are being appointed in the 🇧🇾 army to quell the resistance of 🇧🇾 soldiers against going to war against 🇺🇦. In some Brest units, riots are taking place and some MIA officers have temporarily emigrated with families to avoid going to war - @StratcomCentre" https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1502806708044849156
If (and it is an if) Ua intelligence is right this sounds like an excellent way to arm your enemies, and those Russian commissars will find themselves shot very early in the invasion.
"The occupiers left Skadovsk [just 15km from Crimea] in the Kherson region. This was stated by Mayor Alexander Yakovlev. According to him, the situation in the city is under control." https://twitter.com/prm_ua/status/1502805012476534789
Unconfirmed report. If they left willingly it indicates that Russia are seriously short of manpower, and having to prioritise which places they have a presence in.
"Multiple sources say that 🇺🇦 forces knocked out the whole command of 🇷🇺 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade BTG in an ambush. This would mean the BTG is out. This unit was part of the little green men in Crimea in 2014." https://twitter.com/EerikNKross/status/1502804943941648391
Yet another really well coordinated assault to eliminate key members of a unit to render it, at the very least, ineffective in the short/mid term. They're making good use of intercepted Russian comms.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
But why steroids? They are not used for parkinsons, dementia or cancer chemotherapy.
I think he just has eaten too much during lockdown, like everybody else.
My father was given super strong steroids when he underwent chemotherapy. He was a bit of a nightmare, for one week every month he thought he could take on the world, at one point he went AWOL and we found he ran several miles then run out of steam, another he went to the pub and was arm wrestling people for drinks.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
But why steroids? They are not used for parkinsons, dementia or cancer chemotherapy.
I think he just has eaten too much during lockdown, like everybody else.
My father was given super strong steroids when he underwent chemotherapy. He was a bit of a nightmare, for one week every month he thought he could take on the world, at one point he went AWOL and we found he ran several miles then run out of steam, another he went to the pub and was arm wrestling people for drinks.
Did he ever steal a horse and ride around half naked? If so....
Western Boomers delusionally atributiting thr erratic behaviour of a 68 year old to "steroid abuse" or "cancer" rather than him being a 68 year old member of a generation hell bent on destroying the prospects of their children before they leave this mortal plain
@John Lilburne, I'd struggle to think of any successful wartime leader or military commander who was not a bit of a bastard. It's an essential qualification.
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
But why steroids? They are not used for parkinsons, dementia or cancer chemotherapy.
I think he just has eaten too much during lockdown, like everybody else.
Honestly surprised at your response, Foxy. My wife was certainly on prednisone during her chemotherapy, particularly once she developed horrible reactions to the taxanes.
I took this from the NIH National Cancer Institute website:
Use in Cancer Prednisone is approved to be used to reduce inflammation and suppress (lower) the body's immune response.
It is used with other drugs to treat the following types of cancer:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is used as palliative therapy in adults and children. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). It is used as palliative therapy in adults. Hodgkin lymphoma. It is used as palliative therapy in adults. Mycosis fungoides (a type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is used as palliative therapy in adults.
Prednisone is also used alone or with other drugs to prevent or treat the following conditions related to cancer:
Anemia. Drug hypersensitivity (allergic reactions). Hypercalcemia (high blood levels of calcium). Thrombocytopenia (low platelet levels) in adults. Prednisone is also used alone or with other drugs to treat many other diseases and conditions. The drug continues to be studied in the treatment of many types of cancer and other conditions.
Things are getting quite difficult here in Tallinn, There is very little room to house refugees: hotels are full, Now discussions of opening schools and lots of people taking in refugees into their homes. Already there are twice the number Estonia thought they could cope with, and if we have it bad, Poland is taking in tens of thousands every day. At least 1.7 million now in Poland alone and now the forecast is maybe at total of 7 million. The UK needs to get its act together, every country in Europe is trying to help and larger countries like Britain can not just turn their backs. Putin is using terror as a weapon to create this refugee crisis and if we are not prepared to defend the Ukrainians ourselves the minimum must surely be to help the victims of this senseless and criminal war.
As for British right wing politicians´ relationships with the Siloviki, we should note that many people warned about this a long time ago. As people here know well, I am particularly contemptuous of those like Banks, Farage, or Rees Mogg among others (and Alex Salmond, I may add), who have had close financial relationships with Russia, even when it was quite clear what kind of regime Putin leads. As for Johnson, he too was warned. At the very least all of them should disclose the precise nature of their dealings with those close to the Russian regime. However that will needs must be after this crisis abates, for now we must concentrate on saving as much as we can in Ukraine and weakening the Putin regime with all the tools we have. This does not end for at least as long as VVP leads Russia.
The only thing that spoils your generally excellent posts is your partisanship.
I'm yet to see any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn or his ilk, who spent months apologising and whatabouting for the Salisbury chemical weapons attacks.
I don't know about his ilk but this from Corbyn seems fairly on the mark; I imagine it is the word "proportionate" that upset people but it can be read both ways:- The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
An interesting comment, withdrawing a previous allegation. As there are plenty of corroborated examples, seems like an effort to demonstrate that whilst there will always be propaganda in war, the Ukrainians do not intend to take people for fools.
Earlier we reported a Ukrainian allegation that Russian troops had fired on a convoy of women and children leaving a village north-west of Kyiv on Friday, killing seven people.
Ukraine's intelligence service said the incident had happened on an agreed evacuation corridor from Peremoha.
However Ukrainian government officials have now said the victims were not using an agreed evacuation corridor as previously stated.
There was no independent verification of the attack and no immediate comment from Moscow.
It seems they are being serious about the prospects for war crimes trials, and the need for reliable evidence.
Doctors' worst fears about the Texas abortion law are coming true
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/28/1083536401/texas-abortion-law-6-months … "I don't want to be talking about this at all," says Anna, who lives in Central Texas. "But it's important to share this story. Because somebody is going to die eventually."… … "Basically, the doctor looked at me and was like, well, the baby's underdeveloped," says Anna. "Even with the best NICU care in the world, they're not going to survive."
And as painful as it was to hear that, the doctors told Anna there was another urgent concern.
" 'You're at a high chance of going septic or bleeding out,' " she says the doctors told her — a risk of infection or hemorrhage, which could become deadly. " 'And unfortunately, we recommend termination, but we cannot provide you one here in Texas because of this law.' "…
Vladimir Putin 'is suffering 'roid rage from steroid treatment for cancer': Western spies believe his 'increasingly erratic' behaviour, bloated appearance and absurd social distancing for visitors is caused by medical treatment
It'd be nice to think there was a medical reason, but it feels like there's a chance this is just 'Hitler has one ball' wartime verbal jousting.
Yeah, I don't buy it. 3 completely different diseases and no evidence.
The totally over the top social distancing and the wild rules for all visitors to quarantine for two or even three weeks before meeting him is some evidence.
Yes, but not for any of the conditions mentioned, just paranoia, and that is quite common in dictators.
Foxy, wouldn't the steroids act as an immunosuppressant elevating his susceptibility to both catching COVID and developing more severe symptoms?
But why steroids? They are not used for parkinsons, dementia or cancer chemotherapy.
I think he just has eaten too much during lockdown, like everybody else.
Honestly surprised at your response, Foxy. My wife was certainly on prednisone during her chemotherapy, particularly once she developed horrible reactions to the taxanes.
I took this from the NIH National Cancer Institute website:
Use in Cancer Prednisone is approved to be used to reduce inflammation and suppress (lower) the body's immune response.
It is used with other drugs to treat the following types of cancer:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is used as palliative therapy in adults and children. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). It is used as palliative therapy in adults. Hodgkin lymphoma. It is used as palliative therapy in adults. Mycosis fungoides (a type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is used as palliative therapy in adults.
Prednisone is also used alone or with other drugs to prevent or treat the following conditions related to cancer:
Anemia. Drug hypersensitivity (allergic reactions). Hypercalcemia (high blood levels of calcium). Thrombocytopenia (low platelet levels) in adults. Prednisone is also used alone or with other drugs to treat many other diseases and conditions. The drug continues to be studied in the treatment of many types of cancer and other conditions.
Yes, but with any of those conditions he would be too ill for his public appearances. I don't think he looks cushingoid. His facial appearance is the same, only older.
His movements of his right arm are odd in some video clips, but don't look Parkinsonian. Possibly he has had a mild stroke at some point.
There is no need to invoke "roid rage" to explain his actions. The Ukraine war is similar to his previous actions over the last 15 years in power, just on a bigger scale.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wankers you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
Seems a little over the top, but I haven't been following this evening's debates.
Malc is here for the turnips above all else.
It's not just tonight. People have off days. But when it goes on for weeks someone needs to say something. And I'm pretty impervious to the abuse so let it be me.
@Farooq Big hit for yourself "Johnny come Lately". You are just some stupid wanker who has turned up recently, when you own your own blog you can play the big man. Pathetic cretin trying to tell me whjat I can and cannot post.
@malcolmg What are you even here for? You hate everybody, and everybody hates you. You repeatedly post content-free screeds and now you've even taken to outsourcing your invective to images. You seem to be single-handedly ensuring the convergence between the capabilities of AI and humans by dragging humanity into the dumbest recesses possible. I don't mind the robustness, but when there's no substance you just resemble one of those booze-addled wankers you get on the street shouting at the voices in their head. It's not even really fun winding you up because your reaction is just the same as when people are having sensible conversations.
You remember the Scousers from the Harry Enfield show, who were always starting fights over absolutely nothing? That's you, except you're just on your own. It's just you, in a room on your own, being unreasonably upset with people you don't know who aren't really doing anything. You really seem to hate it here, so I'll ask again, what are you even here for?
@farooq That post aged well dumbo. Back under your rock.
Comments
Seems a bit of a weird claim since I don't see how it would break the siege, since the siege started before Ukraine were forced from Volnovakha.
Wondering if it might be Russian disinfo - get everyone excited about the siege being lifted, but then end up not believing Ukrainian information in the future.
I feel have to give a shout for the Horseshoe Falls at Niagara. Sure, Niagara has been totally Disneyfied but the falls still take your breath away.
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/jk-rowling-accuses-keir-starmer-of-misrepresenting-equalities-law-on-trans-women-12564477
(* @TheJezziah ‘s pro-Boris rant being a hilarious recent exception.)
Jake Cordell
@JakeCordell
·
6h
❗️Russia’s stock market will be closed for the whole of next week, Central Bank announces. That’s until at least March 21. Shares last traded on Feb. 25.
This time 2 years ago Covid was just starting. What a time it has been.
I really hope the Ukrainians sock it to the Russians. We need a run of good news not occasional shafts of sunlight in the gloom.
He's ok 👍
And we know the KGB tried to recruit David Cameron. Think how useful he'd have been to their cause of breaking Britain away from Europe. They've had to make do with Boris.
We need to get used to a long hard Cold War style slog, the West containing and isolating Russia (and maybe in due course China) over decades, until it’s demographically shrunken and toothless, financially spent, and no longer an existential danger. No grand victory, just containment while we get on with life.
The attack in Salisbury was an appalling act of violence, which we condemn in the strongest terms.
The Russian authorities must be held to account on the basis of the evidence and our response must be both decisive and proportionate.
https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/973971196889980929
Early days, but based on what we have seen of the mighty Russian war machine, many in the Baltics are sleeping easier.
He is going to have to spend maybe the next five years completely rebuilding his military because based on what we have seen it is nowhere near as good as he has been told it is and certainly aint up to marching into Finland with minimal losses.
We may get some peace for a while and he is in his 70s.
This works with any politician to a degree, Boris will have said the 'right' thing on many subjects, but his general approach and actions would not suggest that right thing was his standard approach.
But I agree, let's hope consistent good times are around the corner.
I remain optimistic. 18 months ago I was in the trough of a depression and I didn't see how things would ever get better. Now, despite the dreadfulness of the news from the east, my gut feeling is that we will soon return to the pattern of each year being better for me, for Britain, and for the world than the last. Which has broadly been the case for my whole lifetime.
Not sure if that is something to be proud of or not.
* remember the area being cordoned off in Salisbury and medical staff in harm's way trying to treat the Skripals?
It's been enlightening to follow your posts updating us on the twist and turns of running a country pub during the last mad two years. She has done astonishing well to keep the place open and clearly that is appreciated by the local pub goers.
When England's pubs fall, England falls.
Need some NLAW action.
And I do wonder if a rubicon has been crossed. The utter destruction to civilian areas, the mass refugee crisis, the threat of nuclear meltdown or chemical weapons. I'm hopeful that there will be considerable resolve so long as Putin is in power.
Also, if the Russians are not there to conquer but to demilitarise Ukraine, why do they need to take over local administration?
From BBC: The Russian military has reportedly installed a new mayor in the occupied city of Melitopol following the alleged abduction of Mayor Ivan Fedorov by Moscow's troops on Friday afternoon.
Galina Danilchenko, formerly a deputy on the city council, appeared on local TV where she declared that her main task was construction of "basic mechanisms under the new reality".
Danilchenko said she was preparing to set up a "committee of people's deputies" to run the city, and urged residents not to take part in "extremist actions".
"Respected deputies, we were elected by the people. Our duty above all is to look after their well-being," she said.
"This committee will be tasked with administrative responsibilities on the territory of Melitopol and the Melitopol region."
The BBC cannot independently verify Danilchenko's appointment, though it has been widely reported in local media.
Unless you're lucky enough to miss one or both of the middle two.
Earlier we reported a Ukrainian allegation that Russian troops had fired on a convoy of women and children leaving a village north-west of Kyiv on Friday, killing seven people.
Ukraine's intelligence service said the incident had happened on an agreed evacuation corridor from Peremoha.
However Ukrainian government officials have now said the victims were not using an agreed evacuation corridor as previously stated.
There was no independent verification of the attack and no immediate comment from Moscow.
And it should be that way - there is no rational basis for the action taking place, no mitigating circumstances, and so there should be no meeting halfway on this, no let up if, after a period of destruction, the Putin regime withdraws to lick its wounds and masturbate over supposed glory.
No, Putin's Russia should have proven itself in the eyes of the world irrevocably. He's Lukashenko with more delusional objectives. And he needs to be treated as such as long as he lives. Unfortunately, that means Russia does too.
My fear is that people will be desperate to return to normality and bow to demands to modulate the sanctions against Russia as a concession as soon as they stop killing people for 5 minutes. At the least if they cannot wait until all Ukraine is withdrawn from there should be a lengthy cooling off period before anything is lifted, to be sure he won't go back in.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10606487/Is-Putin-suffering-roid-rage-Spies-suggest-bloated-appearance-drugs-effect.html
Please ignore all the UFO stuff tho.
Or have they become more ubiquitous?
Genuinely don't know.
Those who implore us to imagine what NATO expansion looks like from the Russian viewpoint never seem interested in imagining what closing NATO's doors would look like to all the nations that spent the better part of the 20th century enduring brutal Soviet occupation.
https://twitter.com/coldxman/status/1502762180571246593?cxt=HHwWgsC5rbiP8dopAAAA
As a treat we are all going to Armathwaite Hall in a week or so to celebrate her achievements, my son's new job, husband's birthday and mine from last month and surviving Covid. It's a glorious place and it will be nice to be pampered for a bit.
If WW3 could be held off until after that I'd appreciate it.
Night all.
I think he just has eaten too much during lockdown, like everybody else.
Multiple sources say that 🇺🇦 forces knocked out the whole command of 🇷🇺 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade BTG in an ambush. This would mean the BTG is out. This unit was part of the little green men in Crimea in 2014.
https://twitter.com/EerikNKross/status/1502804943941648391
"Russian commanders are being appointed in the 🇧🇾 army to quell the resistance of 🇧🇾 soldiers against going to war against 🇺🇦. In some Brest units, riots are taking place and some MIA officers have temporarily emigrated with families to avoid going to war - @StratcomCentre"
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1502806708044849156
If (and it is an if) Ua intelligence is right this sounds like an excellent way to arm your enemies, and those Russian commissars will find themselves shot very early in the invasion.
"The occupiers left Skadovsk [just 15km from Crimea] in the Kherson region. This was stated by Mayor Alexander Yakovlev. According to him, the situation in the city is under control."
https://twitter.com/prm_ua/status/1502805012476534789
Unconfirmed report. If they left willingly it indicates that Russia are seriously short of manpower, and having to prioritise which places they have a presence in.
"Multiple sources say that 🇺🇦 forces knocked out the whole command of 🇷🇺 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade BTG in an ambush. This would mean the BTG is out. This unit was part of the little green men in Crimea in 2014."
https://twitter.com/EerikNKross/status/1502804943941648391
Yet another really well coordinated assault to eliminate key members of a unit to render it, at the very least, ineffective in the short/mid term. They're making good use of intercepted Russian comms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFoyIR7B1w8
So that probably actually 300k cases...
I took this from the NIH National Cancer Institute website:
Use in Cancer
Prednisone is approved to be used to reduce inflammation and suppress (lower) the body's immune response.
It is used with other drugs to treat the following types of cancer:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is used as palliative therapy in adults and children.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). It is used as palliative therapy in adults.
Hodgkin lymphoma. It is used as palliative therapy in adults.
Mycosis fungoides (a type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma).
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is used as palliative therapy in adults.
Prednisone is also used alone or with other drugs to prevent or treat the following conditions related to cancer:
Anemia.
Drug hypersensitivity (allergic reactions).
Hypercalcemia (high blood levels of calcium).
Thrombocytopenia (low platelet levels) in adults.
Prednisone is also used alone or with other drugs to treat many other diseases and conditions. The drug continues to be studied in the treatment of many types of cancer and other conditions.
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/jeremy-corbyn-refuses-to-blame-russia-for-salisbury-attack-despite-seeing-new-evidence
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-43775577
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/28/1083536401/texas-abortion-law-6-months
… "I don't want to be talking about this at all," says Anna, who lives in Central Texas. "But it's important to share this story. Because somebody is going to die eventually."…
… "Basically, the doctor looked at me and was like, well, the baby's underdeveloped," says Anna. "Even with the best NICU care in the world, they're not going to survive."
And as painful as it was to hear that, the doctors told Anna there was another urgent concern.
" 'You're at a high chance of going septic or bleeding out,' " she says the doctors told her — a risk of infection or hemorrhage, which could become deadly. " 'And unfortunately, we recommend termination, but we cannot provide you one here in Texas because of this law.' "…
His movements of his right arm are odd in some video clips, but don't look Parkinsonian. Possibly he has had a mild stroke at some point.
There is no need to invoke "roid rage" to explain his actions. The Ukraine war is similar to his previous actions over the last 15 years in power, just on a bigger scale.