- Cash, jewellery, drugs regularly 'go missing'. Access code for one store was scribbled on the door
- Over 100 new recruits have previous convictions for crimes including theft
Over 200 warrant cards missing, too.
Seems odd. A crime and policing commisioner in Wiltshire was disbarred after election because of a traffic offence, yet the Met employs people with convictions for theft?
Wrong kind of chap - not actually a policeman.
If he had been a policeman, he would have gone sick for stress and retried. Then become PCC in another part of the country the next week, since his retirement would have shut down the enquiry.
Do we know if PCCs continue to have a future?
I'm beginning seriously to think of them as a large part of current problems with the police.
If anything the last few weeks have shown that it really doesn't matter how contemptible your politicians are when the country they are leading still holds such political and military power. Sad but true.
Maybe
The PM would have been invited to the EU summit on Thursday if BoZo wasn't such a dick.
Maybe that matters. Maybe not.
I don’t get the concern over this one. We’re not in the EU so why would we want to bother with their summit? Nothing of military consequence in Europe can be discussed without us in the room, so this just makes the NATO meeting more important, which is surely what we want?
I could believe Cummings advising Johnson to make this comment precisely for the reason of not being invited to the EU Council. It would be impossible for Johnson to refuse the invitation, but he surely doesn't want the EU to be the forum for making these decisions.
That's why instead Britain has put effort into bilateral and multilateral relationships outside the EU, like the UK-Poland-Ukraine agreement.
I could see Johnson agreeing to a US/UK/EU format of talks, where the EU is one party out of three, but going along to the EU Council where the UK and US will be two voices among thirty - that's not the format Johnson would want.
Very short-sighted of the EU to allow themselves to be riled by Johnson in this way.
Problem with this analysis is that the EUCO is precisely the meeting where the decision will be made, ie the common position between the EU and the US. This then gets rolled out to the NATO and G7 meetings but no-one is likely to diverge much from that position.
It doesn't make the UK completely irrelevant. It's a significant player in the G7 and as you say it's working on the bilaterals. NATO appears to have excluded itself from involvement this conflict but no doubt there are discussions going on about a subset of countries providing security guarantees to Ukraine and the security implications of that for NATO.
I agree the EU should have invited the UK for reasons of protocol even though it doesn't make much difference in practice.
I'm not really convinced by this argument.
The EU has about 5 opinions not 1, held by different groups of countries, and that is what is needed to be managed. That won't happen in a US / European Council meeting.
If there is to be an intervention of a sort in Ukraine, it will be decided by NATO - as EuCo (Commission not Council) has no means to intervene, and nobody would trust their personnel to it in a risk situation. EuCo will have a roll, but not that one.
Though I can see EuCo trying to grab a role in NATO for itself in the next year or two, as that is a normal process for the Brussels bureaucracy.
It's mainly on sanctions, aid including military aid and coordinated diplomatic activity. NATO is not getting involved in the Ukraine dispute but there will be likely an ad-hoc group of countries providing security guarantees to the Ukraine. I am guessing the UK will be part of that group.
The EU is key because they are a major part of the sanctions and aid regime. Also the EU's organisational USP is in herding the European cats to come to a consensus. The US doesn't want to do that themselves so they outsource the cat herding to the EU
I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.
How unpleasant. Twitter really can be a cesspit.
I also notice #ungratefulcow is trending !!!!
She's entitled to her view, and I imagine she feels rather strongly about the whole thing. I hope the MP's investigation is of some use. We thrashed around on here about why it only happened now, and its surely because the money was paid. We disagree to what extent if any Johnson's foolish words played a role, but at heart she was a hostage, in the same way that Terry Waite was all those years ago (different country, and not perhaps an exact comparison).
Talking of Terry Waite.
In Oliver North's autobiography he talked about the American hostages. One of them came out, pretty much praising his captors, and damning America. North said that some people talked about Stockholm syndrome and the like, but he thought that was rubbish. The man had been quite anti-US government when he was taken hostage and had simply remained so.
The hostages in Beirut were being held by allies of the Iranian government incidentally, and their release was at the behest of the Iranian government.
And yes, Col. North's involvement was exactly about Iran-Contra..
Terry Waite was sent to negotiate the release of hostages and was taken hostage himself. I seem to recall one of the hostages saying how unbearable Waite was as a fellow captive. Which seems ungrateful but I suppose if you spend months chained to same radiator ...
For some reason... "The Disappearance of Crispina Umberleigh"
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
Guterres : " From my outreach with various actors, elements of diplomatic progress are coming into view on several key issues.
There is enough on the table to seize hostilities and seriously negotiate now. "
I am wondering at what point people will start popping up demanding that Ukraine is *sensible* and "meets Putin half-way". And that further support is made contingent on such "sensible" behaviour.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
- Cash, jewellery, drugs regularly 'go missing'. Access code for one store was scribbled on the door
- Over 100 new recruits have previous convictions for crimes including theft
Over 200 warrant cards missing, too.
Seems odd. A crime and policing commisioner in Wiltshire was disbarred after election because of a traffic offence, yet the Met employs people with convictions for theft?
Wrong kind of chap - not actually a policeman.
If he had been a policeman, he would have gone sick for stress and retried. Then become PCC in another part of the country the next week, since his retirement would have shut down the enquiry.
Do we know if PCCs continue to have a future?
I'm beginning seriously to think of them as a large part of current problems with the police.
The original idea was have civilian oversight of the police at a lower level than the Home Office. The police got the proposals watered down and system captured the positions.....
The counter arguments (of which I find this one of the least convincing) need to be heard and considered. But much of what this article fears as a result of the sanctions had already started happening before sanctions and would have continued even had there been no sanctions. So, overall, not too impressed with it.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
"Renault's board has decided to keep its presence intact in Russia for the time being, while complying with international sanctions and with the backing of its main shareholder, the French state, two sources close to the matter told Reuters."
Reading through this thread instead of updating my instructions to my family 'IF', as I promised my wife, I think my decision to avoid Twitter was totally justified.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Alright February borrowing figures but holy moly a downwards revision of 12bn (almost 10%) of borrowing in the year to date, and which means borrowing in this financial year is about what we borrowed in GDP terms in 2011 or 2012.
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
I have heard an interesting rumour - that further sanctions by the US and UK are being considered. That would directly go after oil and gas purchases from Russia. As in any bank handling the transactions.... which would directly fuck with any country buying from Russia.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
I've read one tweet which says Renault makes a huge chunk of its profits in Russia, and that is what is behind this move. No idea if that is true, however, tho it would explain it
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
I have heard an interesting rumour - that further sanctions by the US and UK are being considered. That would directly go after oil and gas purchases from Russia. As in any bank handling the transactions.... which would directly fuck with any country buying from Russia.
About three weeks too late if so. But JFDI.
Can't see France, Germany, Italy getting much of the work to rebuild Ukraine once this is all over.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Yes this would be good.
What about Vicarage Road?
👍
Well located – but is it a bit small, unless extensions are planned?
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
I've read one tweet which says Renault makes a huge chunk of its profits in Russia, and that is what is behind this move. No idea if that is true, however, tho it would explain it
I agree it is extraordinary. Shameless c*nts
During the later stages of the Yugoslav wars, it was discovered that French Intelligence was giving data on NATO recon over flights to the Serbs - as a quid pro quo for leaving French assets alone.
When discovered, they were somewhat shocked by the naivety of people thinking that others people secrets weren't a commodity.
Mind you they (French Intelligence), so the story goes, were somewhat surprised to find that the Americans had known and used an unusually humorous response to it. They had swapped some data in the databases round, so the French were actually leaking the details of French recon flights, not the American ones.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
I have heard an interesting rumour - that further sanctions by the US and UK are being considered. That would directly go after oil and gas purchases from Russia. As in any bank handling the transactions.... which would directly fuck with any country buying from Russia.
About three weeks too late if so. But JFDI.
Can't see France, Germany, Italy getting much of the work to rebuild Ukraine once this is all over.
I have strong doubts it is going to happen - it would be a massive breach between the UK, US and the countries dependent on Russian gas/oil.
“Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”
NYT ($$)
You are actually calling more more culture warring now?
FFS. Get a life.
No, I am calling for "more culture war" as a way of trolling lefties and getting them angry, so as to distract them from more important things, like the actual culture war
I want a meta-culture war. Duh
The 'duh' must be fair then, as I now have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever!
@Leon sometimes argues at a level of abstraction inaccessible to mere mortals. IOW, he's incomprehensible.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.
How unpleasant. Twitter really can be a cesspit.
I also notice #ungratefulcow is trending !!!!
She's entitled to her view, and I imagine she feels rather strongly about the whole thing. I hope the MP's investigation is of some use. We thrashed around on here about why it only happened now, and its surely because the money was paid. We disagree to what extent if any Johnson's foolish words played a role, but at heart she was a hostage, in the same way that Terry Waite was all those years ago (different country, and not perhaps an exact comparison).
Talking of Terry Waite.
In Oliver North's autobiography he talked about the American hostages. One of them came out, pretty much praising his captors, and damning America. North said that some people talked about Stockholm syndrome and the like, but he thought that was rubbish. The man had been quite anti-US government when he was taken hostage and had simply remained so.
The hostages in Beirut were being held by allies of the Iranian government incidentally, and their release was at the behest of the Iranian government.
And yes, Col. North's involvement was exactly about Iran-Contra..
Terry Waite was sent to negotiate the release of hostages and was taken hostage himself. I seem to recall one of the hostages saying how unbearable Waite was as a fellow captive. Which seems ungrateful but I suppose if you spend months chained to same radiator ...
There's only so much "C'mon everybody! Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya...." you can take without going the full tonto...
Virtue signalling by association (but also some may find this interesting): some friends of mine have offered an entire house which they just happen to have spare to a family of Ukrainian refugees. Not typical refugee territory: this is a huge house among other huge houses on the leafy fringes of southern GM. Driven partly by a feeling of wanting to do something useful (and partly, I must admit, by shame in that she has done something so big; and by the opportunity to feel virtuous about myself) I'm going to be spending collecting pledges of furniture in a van and busying myself with screwdriver and alan keys. Rather looking forward to having a minor part to play in all this.
“Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”
NYT ($$)
You are actually calling more more culture warring now?
FFS. Get a life.
No, I am calling for "more culture war" as a way of trolling lefties and getting them angry, so as to distract them from more important things, like the actual culture war
I want a meta-culture war. Duh
The 'duh' must be fair then, as I now have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever!
@Leon sometimes argues at a level of abstraction inaccessible to mere mortals. IOW, he's incomprehensible.
On one reading, he means he wants a culture war about culture wars. Which is, in an important sense, not just more culture war, statue defending, etc. It is a culture war about statue defending/bothering, but not incorporating them. Not sure it makes sense to me either ...
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Yes this would be good.
What about Vicarage Road?
👍
Well located – but is it a bit small, unless extensions are planned?
We probably won't need the extension if we are in League 1 by then 😡
“Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”
NYT ($$)
You are actually calling more more culture warring now?
FFS. Get a life.
No, I am calling for "more culture war" as a way of trolling lefties and getting them angry, so as to distract them from more important things, like the actual culture war
I want a meta-culture war. Duh
The 'duh' must be fair then, as I now have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever!
@Leon sometimes argues at a level of abstraction inaccessible to mere mortals. IOW, he's incomprehensible.
As private parts to the Gods are we, they play with us for their sport.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
You forgot the London Stadium.
What about Riverside, Middlesborough. Seem to recall some really good games there in past World or whatever cups. And/or The Stadium of Light, Sunderland? The Etihad, Manchester?
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
How will they get parts in ? Their supply base will be extended and some goods will come in from Europe.
“Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”
NYT ($$)
You are actually calling more more culture warring now?
FFS. Get a life.
No, I am calling for "more culture war" as a way of trolling lefties and getting them angry, so as to distract them from more important things, like the actual culture war
I want a meta-culture war. Duh
The 'duh' must be fair then, as I now have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever!
@Leon sometimes argues at a level of abstraction inaccessible to mere mortals. IOW, he's incomprehensible.
As private parts to the Gods are we, they play with us for their sport.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
How will they get parts in ? Their supply base will be extended and some goods will come in from Europe.
At a guess , this is not about actually re-starting production. More about the stuff coming from Moscow about appropriating the companies/investments of those shutting down to take part in sanctions. So they may well be unable to do much, but can tell Putin & Co. "We tried".....
Wood whose boss was such a doughty defender of the Union in 2014, say they only have a small team still operating in Russia. 200 doesn't sound that small to me.
I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.
How unpleasant. Twitter really can be a cesspit.
I also notice #ungratefulcow is trending !!!!
She's entitled to her view, and I imagine she feels rather strongly about the whole thing. I hope the MP's investigation is of some use. We thrashed around on here about why it only happened now, and its surely because the money was paid. We disagree to what extent if any Johnson's foolish words played a role, but at heart she was a hostage, in the same way that Terry Waite was all those years ago (different country, and not perhaps an exact comparison).
Talking of Terry Waite.
In Oliver North's autobiography he talked about the American hostages. One of them came out, pretty much praising his captors, and damning America. North said that some people talked about Stockholm syndrome and the like, but he thought that was rubbish. The man had been quite anti-US government when he was taken hostage and had simply remained so.
The hostages in Beirut were being held by allies of the Iranian government incidentally, and their release was at the behest of the Iranian government.
And yes, Col. North's involvement was exactly about Iran-Contra..
Terry Waite was sent to negotiate the release of hostages and was taken hostage himself. I seem to recall one of the hostages saying how unbearable Waite was as a fellow captive. Which seems ungrateful but I suppose if you spend months chained to same radiator ...
There's only so much "C'mon everybody! Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya...." you can take without going the full tonto...
NSR has been in conversation with TW since she has returned - was mentioned at the Press Conference.
Large number of journos asking her political questions at the conference , after the intro said specifically that she would not take them.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
Stupid mistake by me! Now added...
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham • Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Would you not use the Aviva in Dublin?
Don't think you can use Old Trafford unless it's rebuilt in the interim.
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
I have heard an interesting rumour - that further sanctions by the US and UK are being considered. That would directly go after oil and gas purchases from Russia. As in any bank handling the transactions.... which would directly fuck with any country buying from Russia.
About three weeks too late if so. But JFDI.
Can't see France, Germany, Italy getting much of the work to rebuild Ukraine once this is all over.
I have strong doubts it is going to happen - it would be a massive breach between the UK, US and the countries dependent on Russian gas/oil.
Has not Germany already signed at least one deal with Qatar for either oil or gas? It's a start...
I see lots of work accelerating on Pocket Nuclear Power in DE.
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
You forgot the London Stadium.
What about Riverside, Middlesborough. Seem to recall some really good games there in past World or whatever cups. And/or The Stadium of Light, Sunderland? The Etihad, Manchester?
Stadium of Light is a great stadium, but almost certainly too close to St James' Park which is an absolute certainty because it's in central Newcastle, which is a great city. Middlesbrough isn't a place that will appeal to Uefa.
For Eastlands, see Stadium of Light problem – don't think they'll have two in Greater Manchester or Greater Newcastle.
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham • Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
You forgot the London Stadium.
I think White Hart Lane is absolutely certain to get the nod in north/east London, it's probably the best stadium in the world. London Stadium and Nu Highbury to miss out I think.
“Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”
NYT ($$)
You are actually calling more more culture warring now?
FFS. Get a life.
No, I am calling for "more culture war" as a way of trolling lefties and getting them angry, so as to distract them from more important things, like the actual culture war
I want a meta-culture war. Duh
The 'duh' must be fair then, as I now have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever!
@Leon sometimes argues at a level of abstraction inaccessible to mere mortals. IOW, he's incomprehensible.
As private parts to the Gods are we, they play with us for their sport.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Would you not use the Aviva in Dublin?
Don't think you can use Old Trafford unless it's rebuilt in the interim.
By Landsdowne Road I mean the 'Aviva' – I can't bear to use corporate names. Why no Old Trafford? Eastlands a decent alternative anyway (although significantly smaller).
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
I have heard an interesting rumour - that further sanctions by the US and UK are being considered. That would directly go after oil and gas purchases from Russia. As in any bank handling the transactions.... which would directly fuck with any country buying from Russia.
About three weeks too late if so. But JFDI.
Can't see France, Germany, Italy getting much of the work to rebuild Ukraine once this is all over.
I have strong doubts it is going to happen - it would be a massive breach between the UK, US and the countries dependent on Russian gas/oil.
Russia needs a massive nudge towards the negotiating table.
Wood whose boss was such a doughty defender of the Union in 2014, say they only have a small team still operating in Russia. 200 doesn't sound that small to me.
Lol, nae luck. How the hell do you manage to lose money in the grift fest that is the US arms trade?
'The company (John Wood Group) announced in February 2022 that it would make a loss of US$222 million on an anti-missile defence facility for the United States Army Corps of Engineers
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
“Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”
NYT ($$)
You are actually calling more more culture warring now?
FFS. Get a life.
No, I am calling for "more culture war" as a way of trolling lefties and getting them angry, so as to distract them from more important things, like the actual culture war
I want a meta-culture war. Duh
The 'duh' must be fair then, as I now have no idea what you are talking about whatsoever!
@Leon sometimes argues at a level of abstraction inaccessible to mere mortals. IOW, he's incomprehensible.
As private parts to the Gods are we, they play with us for their sport.
Like flies to wanton boys, shirley...
Indeed but I am quoting Melchett from Blackadder
Ah sorry! Useless at getting these new fangled modern cultural references...
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
Can you show us how a remainer would criticise Renault and France for this?
Wood whose boss was such a doughty defender of the Union in 2014, say they only have a small team still operating in Russia. 200 doesn't sound that small to me.
Lol, nae luck. How the hell do you manage to lose money in the grift fest that is the US arms trade?
'The company (John Wood Group) announced in February 2022 that it would make a loss of US$222 million on an anti-missile defence facility for the United States Army Corps of Engineers
You know what they say about those that talk to themselves.
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Swedish Carl Bildt and Finnish Alexander Stubb (who BTW has a British wife and a PhD from the LSE) have merely noted that the Conservative Party and the Leave campaign were up to their necks in Russian money, which is simply a statement of fact, so not sure what that has to do with Renault.
Renault is part owned by the French government. So this is a French government decision as much as a Renault decision
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
I have heard an interesting rumour - that further sanctions by the US and UK are being considered. That would directly go after oil and gas purchases from Russia. As in any bank handling the transactions.... which would directly fuck with any country buying from Russia.
About three weeks too late if so. But JFDI.
Can't see France, Germany, Italy getting much of the work to rebuild Ukraine once this is all over.
I have strong doubts it is going to happen - it would be a massive breach between the UK, US and the countries dependent on Russian gas/oil.
Russia needs a massive nudge towards the negotiating table.
Even if it went through, it would only be an inconvenience in purchasing Russia oil and gas. Though they might have to resort to what Obama did with Iran when he sent them some money they were owed (similar thing to the UK tank deal) - cash was sent. Literally, shrink-wrapped stack of cash on pallets, IIRC.
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
Thanks for the continuing updates. But take care in Cambridge - the place is heaving with Russian spies you know.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
I've read one tweet which says Renault makes a huge chunk of its profits in Russia, and that is what is behind this move. No idea if that is true, however, tho it would explain it
I agree it is extraordinary. Shameless c*nts
Not a huge chunk, but they have 40% of the Russian market, so by far the most exposure of car makers.
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Swedish Carl Bildt and Finnish Alexander Stubb (who BTW has a British wife and a PhD from the LSE) have merely noted that the Conservative Party and the Leave campaign were up to their necks in Russian money, which is simply a statement of fact, so not sure what that has to do with Renault.
Don't spoil his narrative. He is utilising repetition compulsion to convince himself that Brexit isn't totally pointless. Part of that strategy is to attack any furriners that have the audacity to point out that the Brexit Emperor is a fat lying shit.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
Stupid mistake by me! Now added...
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
Nailed on:
Wembley Old Trafford (assuming it isn't being rebuilt...) Aviva (Dublin) Principality (Cardiff) St James's Park Villa Park (hopefully this will be 50,000 by 2028)
And at least one in Scotland. I suspect Hampden would get the nod and then hopefully Murrayfield is also used.
I think it would be fair enough to use another venue in London given it serves a big population. Could Twickenham be an option given it has 20,000 more seats than WHL?
And I wouldn't rule out the Etihad being used and I wouldn't be surprised if the Stadium of Light is used.
Elland Road and Hillsborough need some TLC, but I'd like to see both used. If they rebuild the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough, they can get that up to 45,000.
East Midlands is tricky. I think Leicester is more likely than Nottingham. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a second tier to some of the ground to make it 40,000+. Same goes for Southampton.
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
Thanks for the continuing updates. But take care in Cambridge - the place is heaving with Russian spies you know.
Check for snow on their boots.....
Lieutenant George : Smithy, you haven't seen any suspicious characters hanging around have you, who might be German spies? Brigadier Smith : Nein. Lieutenant George : Nine! Well, the Cap's got his work cut out, then.
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Swedish Carl Bildt and Finnish Alexander Stubb (who BTW has a British wife and a PhD from the LSE) have merely noted that the Conservative Party and the Leave campaign were up to their necks in Russian money, which is simply a statement of fact, so not sure what that has to do with Renault.
The same Conservative party which has, as the UK government, trained and armed the Ukrainians for almost a decade
The fact is the UK has done and is doing and will continue to do more for Ukraine than any other Western European country. As Renault and the French government have just shown
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Swedish Carl Bildt and Finnish Alexander Stubb (who BTW has a British wife and a PhD from the LSE) have merely noted that the Conservative Party and the Leave campaign were up to their necks in Russian money, which is simply a statement of fact, so not sure what that has to do with Renault.
The same Conservative party which has, as the UK government, trained and armed the Ukrainians for almost a decade
The fact is the UK has done and is doing and will continue to do more for Ukraine than any other Western European country. As Renault and the French government have just shown
If you were Russian, Putin would love you. Boris Johnson doesn't even have to completely control the state media to have you parroting his propaganda.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Wembley (90000) and Lansdowne Road (51700), Millenium (74500) are the certs I think. and Hampden Park (51866) is very very likely. Windsor Park too (18614) as it's an NI joint bid.
Teams are 24, venues are 10 - so that leaves 5 remaining venues.
Leaves 5
Capacities required are 3 stadia with 30,000+ 2 with 40,000+
Virtue signalling by association (but also some may find this interesting): some friends of mine have offered an entire house which they just happen to have spare to a family of Ukrainian refugees. Not typical refugee territory: this is a huge house among other huge houses on the leafy fringes of southern GM. Driven partly by a feeling of wanting to do something useful (and partly, I must admit, by shame in that she has done something so big; and by the opportunity to feel virtuous about myself) I'm going to be spending collecting pledges of furniture in a van and busying myself with screwdriver and alan keys. Rather looking forward to having a minor part to play in all this.
Good on you. For me personally, it's not virtue signalling when you actually do something good rather than just talking about it.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
Stupid mistake by me! Now added...
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
Nailed on:
Wembley Old Trafford (assuming it isn't being rebuilt...) Aviva (Dublin) Principality (Cardiff) St James's Park Villa Park (hopefully this will be 50,000 by 2028)
And at least one in Scotland. I suspect Hampden would get the nod and then hopefully Murrayfield is also used.
I think it would be fair enough to use another venue in London given it serves a big population. Could Twickenham be an option given it has 20,000 more seats than WHL?
And I wouldn't rule out the Etihad being used and I wouldn't be surprised if the Stadium of Light is used.
Elland Road and Hillsborough need some TLC, but I'd like to see both used. If they rebuild the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough, they can get that up to 45,000.
East Midlands is tricky. I think Leicester is more likely than Nottingham. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a second tier to some of the ground to make it 40,000+. Same goes for Southampton.
The City Ground should have 38,000 seats by then and will be bigger than the King Power. And Nottingham is a far better city than Leicester so I think it might get the nod again (as in 1996) assuming Forest confirm that the redevelopment will be complete by 2028. But it's a close call, as you say.
Re: Stadium of Light, do you think they will have two in Greater Newcastle? As you say St James' Park is a certainty.
Good point about Twickenham, but sure WHL will be in there? London could probably have three as they are all far enough apart from each other?
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
Thanks for the continuing updates. But take care in Cambridge - the place is heaving with Russian spies you know.
Check for snow on their boots.....
Lieutenant George : Smithy, you haven't seen any suspicious characters hanging around have you, who might be German spies? Brigadier Smith : Nein. Lieutenant George : Nine! Well, the Cap's got his work cut out, then.
Reuters: French automaker Renault resumes production in Moscow.
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
How the FUCK does Renault think this is acceptable?
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
Reuters report that they "have the backing of the French government" [a major shareholder] to resume production. That sounds...extraordinary.
I've read one tweet which says Renault makes a huge chunk of its profits in Russia, and that is what is behind this move. No idea if that is true, however, tho it would explain it
I agree it is extraordinary. Shameless c*nts
Not a huge chunk, but they have 40% of the Russian market, so by far the most exposure of car makers.
Hyundai, the No2 in the market, has still suspended operations, but are I think still considering whether or not to reopen.
This French company manages to be even more shameless
“Leroy Merlin, which said earlier this month its 112 Russian stores will continue normal operations, came under fire Monday after Ukraine's Ministry of Defense tweeted an image of what appears to be a Leroy Merlin store destroyed by Russian bombing in Ukraine, writing Leroy Merlin "became the first company in the world to finance the bombing of its own stores,” following a Saturday report in the Telegraph that the company largely owned by French billionaire Michel Leclercq was ramping up its Russian business following competitors’ exits.”
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
Invaluable reportage. Thankyou
Yes, it's good to have Cicero's thoughtful, considered, informative and non-hysterical posts on the situation, isn't it Leon?
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
Can you show us how a remainer would criticise Renault and France for this?
Boris Johnson launches special military operation attacking innocent green car maker.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
Stupid mistake by me! Now added...
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
Nailed on:
Wembley Old Trafford (assuming it isn't being rebuilt...) Aviva (Dublin) Principality (Cardiff) St James's Park Villa Park (hopefully this will be 50,000 by 2028)
And at least one in Scotland. I suspect Hampden would get the nod and then hopefully Murrayfield is also used.
I think it would be fair enough to use another venue in London given it serves a big population. Could Twickenham be an option given it has 20,000 more seats than WHL?
And I wouldn't rule out the Etihad being used and I wouldn't be surprised if the Stadium of Light is used.
Elland Road and Hillsborough need some TLC, but I'd like to see both used. If they rebuild the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough, they can get that up to 45,000.
East Midlands is tricky. I think Leicester is more likely than Nottingham. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a second tier to some of the ground to make it 40,000+. Same goes for Southampton.
The City Ground should have 38,000 seats by then and will be bigger than the King Power. And Nottingham is a far better city than Leicester so I think it will might get the nod again (as in 1996) assuming Forest confirm that the redevelopment will be complete by 2028. But it's a close call, as you say.
Re: Stadium of Light, do you think they will have two in Greater Newcastle? As you say St James' Park is a certainty.
Good point about Twickenham, but sure WHL will be in there? London could probably have three as they are all far enough apart from each other?
There will be pressure from UKG to make sure there is at least one stadium in every UK nation. So Belfast will get one, likewise Cardiff
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
While you pointedly ignore the bigger issue here..
Belarus must be a wildcard at the moment. The strength of opinion against Lukashenka, which seems to be spreading into the ranks of the military, must surely be very dangerous for him because during wars people's inhibitions drop. The fact there is open sabotage of Russian logistics within Belarus suggests they are feeling confident and relatively unafraid.
What happens if there is an attempted street revolution in Belarus, or even a palace coup? Putin surely doesn't have the forces to march into Minsk to restore order. They are already at full stretch next door in Ukraine. Do the dominoes then start falling?
If Belarus goes there is no Crimea or Donbass or Transnistria or South Ossetia to keep Russian involvement going. It's a pretty homogenous Russian speaking state with no mini breakaway regions. It becomes a Taiwan - a threat to the Moscow order. Or Italy once they ditched Mussolini. I think that then becomes a dangerous moment for Putin, and by extension a dangerous moment for the world.
All complete guesswork of course, but I've felt since the start of the invasion that Belarus might play a decisive role one way or the other.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Wembley (90000) and Lansdowne Road (51700), Millenium (74500) are the certs I think. and Hampden Park (51866) is very very likely. Windsor Park too (18614) as it's an NI joint bid.
Teams are 24, venues are 10 - so that leaves 5 remaining venues.
Leaves 5
Capacities required are 3 stadia with 30,000+ 2 with 40,000+
Can't see Brighton making the cut.
Nope – teams very likely to be 32 in 2028. The tournament is being expanded.
Windsor Park will have to be rebuilt/extended to satisfy Uefa rules (I have just read). But it surely will be if/when we win the bid. NI will have to have at least one venue as you say.
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Swedish Carl Bildt and Finnish Alexander Stubb (who BTW has a British wife and a PhD from the LSE) have merely noted that the Conservative Party and the Leave campaign were up to their necks in Russian money, which is simply a statement of fact, so not sure what that has to do with Renault.
Indeed - Renault are too busy making dosh in Russia!
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
Can you show us how a remainer would criticise Renault and France for this?
I am no longer a remainer, because there is no longer the option, any more than you are a "leaver" unless it that applies to the absence of your brain on occasion. If you are asking *me* I will tell you; it is fucking outrageous. That help you? I was commenting on the ridiculous and monotonous regularity that Leon wants to turn anything negative that a continental government government does into a reason for Brexit, because deep down he knows Brexit was fucking pointless. Same reason as Boris Johnson and his ridiculous parallel that he drew the other day.
Just arrived in a very spring like Cambridge for a Baltic event here.
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
Invaluable reportage. Thankyou
Yes, it's good to have Cicero's thoughtful, considered, informative and non-hysterical posts on the situation, isn't it Leon?
@Cicero's posts throw @Leon's into sharp relief. Hysterical panic just isn't the same without a background of calmness....
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Would you not use the Aviva in Dublin?
Don't think you can use Old Trafford unless it's rebuilt in the interim.
By Landsdowne Road I mean the 'Aviva' – I can't bear to use corporate names. Why no Old Trafford? Eastlands a decent alternative anyway (although significantly smaller).
Ah, I see. Clear that Dublin doesn't have as many stadiums as I thought.
I also don't like the corporate names, but had missed the history of that one.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
Stupid mistake by me! Now added...
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
Nailed on:
Wembley Old Trafford (assuming it isn't being rebuilt...) Aviva (Dublin) Principality (Cardiff) St James's Park Villa Park (hopefully this will be 50,000 by 2028)
And at least one in Scotland. I suspect Hampden would get the nod and then hopefully Murrayfield is also used.
I think it would be fair enough to use another venue in London given it serves a big population. Could Twickenham be an option given it has 20,000 more seats than WHL?
And I wouldn't rule out the Etihad being used and I wouldn't be surprised if the Stadium of Light is used.
Elland Road and Hillsborough need some TLC, but I'd like to see both used. If they rebuild the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough, they can get that up to 45,000.
East Midlands is tricky. I think Leicester is more likely than Nottingham. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a second tier to some of the ground to make it 40,000+. Same goes for Southampton.
The City Ground should have 38,000 seats by then and will be bigger than the King Power. And Nottingham is a far better city than Leicester so I think it will might get the nod again (as in 1996) assuming Forest confirm that the redevelopment will be complete by 2028. But it's a close call, as you say.
Re: Stadium of Light, do you think they will have two in Greater Newcastle? As you say St James' Park is a certainty.
Good point about Twickenham, but sure WHL will be in there? London could probably have three as they are all far enough apart from each other?
There will be pressure from UKG to make sure there is at least one stadium in every UK nation. So Belfast will get one, likewise Cardiff
Millennium Stadium is a cert as is (somewhere in) NI – but see my post above, Windsor Park doesn't currently meet Uefa criteria so some work required...
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
You forgot the London Stadium.
Nah, shit atmosphere for football. The two best London venues are WHL and Wembley.
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
While you pointedly ignore the bigger issue here..
Are you referring to the bigger issue of Renault, or the bigger issue of how much the Russians have infiltrated our political system? I would say the latter is a little larger.
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
I think ROI probably deserve another stadium. Cork or Galway, perhaps?
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
Stupid mistake by me! Now added...
• Wembley, London • White Hart Lane, London • Old Trafford, Manchester • Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium) • Murrayfield, Edinburgh • Anfield, Liverpool • Millennium, Cardiff • Lansdowne Road, Dublin • City Ground (extended), Nottingham • St James' Park, Newcastle • Windsor Park, Belfast • Elland Road, Leeds • Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?) • Falmer, Brighton (maybe) • Villa Park, Birmingham
Nailed on:
Wembley Old Trafford (assuming it isn't being rebuilt...) Aviva (Dublin) Principality (Cardiff) St James's Park Villa Park (hopefully this will be 50,000 by 2028)
And at least one in Scotland. I suspect Hampden would get the nod and then hopefully Murrayfield is also used.
I think it would be fair enough to use another venue in London given it serves a big population. Could Twickenham be an option given it has 20,000 more seats than WHL?
And I wouldn't rule out the Etihad being used and I wouldn't be surprised if the Stadium of Light is used.
Elland Road and Hillsborough need some TLC, but I'd like to see both used. If they rebuild the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough, they can get that up to 45,000.
East Midlands is tricky. I think Leicester is more likely than Nottingham. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a second tier to some of the ground to make it 40,000+. Same goes for Southampton.
The City Ground should have 38,000 seats by then and will be bigger than the King Power. And Nottingham is a far better city than Leicester so I think it might get the nod again (as in 1996) assuming Forest confirm that the redevelopment will be complete by 2028. But it's a close call, as you say.
Re: Stadium of Light, do you think they will have two in Greater Newcastle? As you say St James' Park is a certainty.
Good point about Twickenham, but sure WHL will be in there? London could probably have three as they are all far enough apart from each other?
Anabobz being uncharacteristically uncaring of provincial sensibilities here - *Greater Newcastle*? I can hear the splutters of Mackem indignation from here. And 'Nottingham is a far better city than Leicester'? FWIW I probably agree, but that's a casually lobbed hand grenade if I ever I saw one.
Never again shall we allow ourselves to be lectured by Macron or the EU or FBPEers on Ukraine.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
Still doing that repetition strategy I see. You only need do a few more thousand posts and you will genuinely believe Brexit was not pointless. As Frank Spencer might have put it "Every day in every way I get better and better"
Can you show us how a remainer would criticise Renault and France for this?
I am no longer a remainer, because there is no longer the option, any more than you are a "leaver" unless it that applies to the absence of your brain on occasion. If you are asking *me* I will tell you; it is fucking outrageous. That help you? I was commenting on the ridiculous and monotonous regularity that Leon wants to turn anything negative that a continental government government does into a reason for Brexit, because deep down he knows Brexit was fucking pointless. Same reason as Boris Johnson and his ridiculous parallel that he drew the other day.
You're such a rude bitch.
Edit - And made sure you attacked me/Brexit/Boris more than Renault/France.
Comments
I'm beginning seriously to think of them as a large part of current problems with the police.
The EU is key because they are a major part of the sanctions and aid regime. Also the EU's organisational USP is in herding the European cats to come to a consensus. The US doesn't want to do that themselves so they outsource the cat herding to the EU
On March 22, the company decided to resume operations in the country. Renault is the majority owner of AvtoVaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer famous for the Lada brand.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1506215422185648129?s=20&t=RusMOrgYGS2V05UdNQs4mw
https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1506113379118764033
PS Love this tweet down thread from the posted story:
Replying to
@nexta_tv
I know of a good source for more tank parts -
Call:
1(800)UKR-FARM
if busy, try -
1(888)FCK-PUTN
All of the West is making big sacrifices to put pressure on Russia, but Renault just says, Nah, fuck it, we're not joining in, we make too much profit in Russia
They must have some excuse which we have not seen? If not, I hope the reputational damage drives them bankrupt
https://unherd.com/2022/03/sanctioning-russia-could-topple-the-west/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups[0]=18743&tl_period_type=3&mc_cid=4784fad75d&mc_eid=836634e34b
Still, every little helps.....
Would be absolutely fantastic news. It's likely to be 32 teams so we'll need a lot of stadiums in great cities. Here's my recommendations:
• Wembley, London
• White Hart Lane, London
• Old Trafford, Manchester
• Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium)
• Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• Anfield, Liverpool
• Millennium, Cardiff
• Lansdowne Road, Dublin
• City Ground (extended), Nottingham
• St James' Park, Newcastle
• Windsor Park, Belfast
• Elland Road, Leeds
• Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?)
• Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
Really, all that fucking bloviating over a few misjudged remarks by Boris, and here is the fucking French government just casually undermining the anti-Putin sanctions regime, for profit
GRRRR
https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/renault-resumes-production-moscow-plant
What about Vicarage Road?
👍
I agree it is extraordinary. Shameless c*nts
Can't see France, Germany, Italy getting much of the work to rebuild Ukraine once this is all over.
When discovered, they were somewhat shocked by the naivety of people thinking that others people secrets weren't a commodity.
Mind you they (French Intelligence), so the story goes, were somewhat surprised to find that the Americans had known and used an unusually humorous response to it. They had swapped some data in the databases round, so the French were actually leaking the details of French recon flights, not the American ones.
“Renault's exposure to Russia remains the highest in Fitch's portfolio of European auto and auto-supplier issuers. Fitch estimates that Renault generated 10% of its revenue and around 12% of its operating margin in Russia in 2021.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2022/03/08/renault-shares-pummelled-again-as-russian-operation-threatens-recovery-plan/?sh=735bc77b5d1d
Does this mean that Renault will be subject to sanctions? *sucks teeth*
IOW, he's incomprehensible.
Also, Villa Park. You can’t leave out Britains second city…
And/or The Stadium of Light, Sunderland? The Etihad, Manchester?
Agreed. The locals deserve to see some decent footy for a change.
Perhaps Carl bildt and the ex Finnish PM could give us their opinion on Renault simply ignoring sanctions. For the pursuit of profit
'War in Ukraine: Scottish firms still operating in Russia'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-60820611
Wood whose boss was such a doughty defender of the Union in 2014, say they only have a small team still operating in Russia. 200 doesn't sound that small to me.
Large number of journos asking her political questions at the conference , after the intro said specifically that she would not take them.
Very good at saying "eff off, please", politely.
• Wembley, London
• White Hart Lane, London
• Old Trafford, Manchester
• Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium)
• Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• Anfield, Liverpool
• Millennium, Cardiff
• Lansdowne Road, Dublin
• City Ground (extended), Nottingham
• St James' Park, Newcastle
• Windsor Park, Belfast
• Elland Road, Leeds
• Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?)
• Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
• Villa Park, Birmingham
I came from Tallinn via Warsaw over the weekend and the situation in Poland is quite a bit different from that I had imagined. Firstly there are Ukrainians EVERYWHERE in Warsaw. There are quite a few Ukrainian flags in Tallinn, but in Warsaw they can be seen in every context from car flags to paint designs. Almost everyone is wearing a gold and blue ribbon. Of course there are quite a few Ukrainian registered cars in Warsaw too, hardly a surprise since there are now nearly 3 million Ukrainians in Poland. The news is 100% wall-to-wall on Ukraine, there is almost literally nothing else. The Poles are very emotional about it. I was there when the concert with the little Ukrainian girl was broadcast and I am not sure, but the viewing figures must have been enormous. The pictures of Kharkiv and Mariupol carry a deep and intense resonance for Varsovians in particular. The Poles are angry and not a little scared, but most of all they are contemptuous: "What else can you expect from such barbarians?". Russia, is now hated and despised.The precipitate collapse of the Russian economy has made Poland suggest that it should now take the place of Russia in the G-20, since on several measures it now has a larger economy that the Russian Federation.
Coming to London and seeing the rather insipid displays of support for the beleagured Ukrainian nation has actually been slightly restful, since the intensity of feeling in Poland is so strong that it is almost difficult to take. The calm and phlegmatic Estonians doubtless feel just as stongly, but they are more diffident about showing intense feelings.
The NATO defence planning for the Baltic, despite the poor preformance of the Russian forces has unquestionably been taken to a new level. The idea of "trip wire", token forces has now been comprehensively abandonned and there is little doubt at the Estonian level, there will be full reinforcement. Tallinn expects the NATO/Russia basic agreement ot be denounced, and certainly there rotation of Uk troops will not now be made for many months.
We still cannot tell what the outcome of this shocking and barbaric Russian campaign will be, but for as long as the Ukrainians are in the fight, the propsects for Russia are growing dim indeed. There is little doubt that any Belarusian troops sent into Ukraine would either surrender immediately of even defect to the Ukrainian side, so it is hardly surprising the Lukashenka is looking like a man very much caught between two stools. While Russian passive resistence faces appalling repression, the campaign in Belarus is growing.
In the end I think it may be the fate of the Chechens that decides this. Their troops are hated and feared on their own side, so the loss of so many Chechen troops early in the campaign robbed the Russian commanders of a weapon to drive their troops forward. The Loss of Kadyrov would likewise be a very severe blow to Putin.
I see a few others have finally woken up to it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Páirc_Uí_Chaoimh
• Wembley, London
• White Hart Lane, London
• Old Trafford, Manchester
• Parkhead, Glasgow (preferred to Hampden, better stadium)
• Murrayfield, Edinburgh
• Anfield, Liverpool
• Millennium, Cardiff
• Lansdowne Road, Dublin
• City Ground (extended), Nottingham
• St James' Park, Newcastle
• Windsor Park, Belfast
• Elland Road, Leeds
• Bramhall Lane, Sheffield (preferred to Hillsborough as closer to city centre?)
• Falmer, Brighton (maybe)
• Villa Park, Birmingham
• Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork
Don't think you can use Old Trafford unless it's rebuilt in the interim.
I see lots of work accelerating on Pocket Nuclear Power in DE.
For Eastlands, see Stadium of Light problem – don't think they'll have two in Greater Manchester or Greater Newcastle.
I think White Hart Lane is absolutely certain to get the nod in north/east London, it's probably the best stadium in the world. London Stadium and Nu Highbury to miss out I think.
AvivaLandsdowne Road.'The company (John Wood Group) announced in February 2022 that it would make a loss of US$222 million on an anti-missile defence facility for the United States Army Corps of Engineers
https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/deal-putin-leaves-renault-trapped-russia
...Russia accounted for about 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) of Renault's revenue last year, and roughly 315 million euros of operating profit could be at risk, Bloomberg Intelligence estimates. ...
Group revenue was 46bn euros in 2021.
Hyundai, the No2 in the market, has still suspended operations, but are I think still considering whether or not to reopen.
Wembley
Old Trafford (assuming it isn't being rebuilt...)
Aviva (Dublin)
Principality (Cardiff)
St James's Park
Villa Park (hopefully this will be 50,000 by 2028)
And at least one in Scotland. I suspect Hampden would get the nod and then hopefully Murrayfield is also used.
I think it would be fair enough to use another venue in London given it serves a big population. Could Twickenham be an option given it has 20,000 more seats than WHL?
And I wouldn't rule out the Etihad being used and I wouldn't be surprised if the Stadium of Light is used.
Elland Road and Hillsborough need some TLC, but I'd like to see both used. If they rebuild the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough, they can get that up to 45,000.
East Midlands is tricky. I think Leicester is more likely than Nottingham. It wouldn't be too difficult to add a second tier to some of the ground to make it 40,000+. Same goes for Southampton.
Lieutenant George : Smithy, you haven't seen any suspicious characters hanging around have you, who might be German spies?
Brigadier Smith : Nein.
Lieutenant George : Nine! Well, the Cap's got his work cut out, then.
The fact is the UK has done and is doing and will continue to do more for Ukraine than any other Western European country. As Renault and the French government have just shown
Seems like a fair exchange to me ...
and Hampden Park (51866) is very very likely.
Windsor Park too (18614) as it's an NI joint bid.
Teams are 24, venues are 10 - so that leaves 5 remaining venues.
Leaves 5
Capacities required are 3 stadia with 30,000+
2 with 40,000+
Can't see Brighton making the cut.
For me personally, it's not virtue signalling when you actually do something good rather than just talking about it.
Re: Stadium of Light, do you think they will have two in Greater Newcastle? As you say St James' Park is a certainty.
Good point about Twickenham, but sure WHL will be in there? London could probably have three as they are all far enough apart from each other?
“Leroy Merlin, which said earlier this month its 112 Russian stores will continue normal operations, came under fire Monday after Ukraine's Ministry of Defense tweeted an image of what appears to be a Leroy Merlin store destroyed by Russian bombing in Ukraine, writing Leroy Merlin "became the first company in the world to finance the bombing of its own stores,” following a Saturday report in the Telegraph that the company largely owned by French billionaire Michel Leclercq was ramping up its Russian business following competitors’ exits.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/03/22/leroy-merlin-nokian-tyres-renault-here-are-the-companies-under-fire-for-russian-ties/
Tho at least the French government did not make this decision.
Gob-smacking
What happens if there is an attempted street revolution in Belarus, or even a palace coup? Putin surely doesn't have the forces to march into Minsk to restore order. They are already at full stretch next door in Ukraine. Do the dominoes then start falling?
If Belarus goes there is no Crimea or Donbass or Transnistria or South Ossetia to keep Russian involvement going. It's a pretty homogenous Russian speaking state with no mini breakaway regions. It becomes a Taiwan - a threat to the Moscow order. Or Italy once they ditched Mussolini. I think that then becomes a dangerous moment for Putin, and by extension a dangerous moment for the world.
All complete guesswork of course, but I've felt since the start of the invasion that Belarus might play a decisive role one way or the other.
Windsor Park will have to be rebuilt/extended to satisfy Uefa rules (I have just read). But it surely will be if/when we win the bid. NI will have to have at least one venue as you say.
I also don't like the corporate names, but had missed the history of that one.
http://100groundsclub.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-matchday-256-raydale-park.html
or if that's already booked the Emirates is OK
Edit - And made sure you attacked me/Brexit/Boris more than Renault/France.
Brava Bitch.