If Macron gets to 24% it means he has under-performed all the polling. Given how tight the R2 polling is between him and MLP that is very worrying for those of us who would prefer not to have a Putin apologist with access to all NATO’s military secrets living next door
you mean another apologist
Macron already is one
He's not been as resolute as Johnson has, but he has been better than the leaders of Italy, Germany, Japan, or a host of other countries. He has shipped weapons to Ukraine. And he has backed sanctions.
Now, could he have done more, such as getting Total to fully withdraw from Russia, and pressuring other state owned businesses such as Renault to pull out? Could he have backed a full ban on all energy imports from Russia? Sure he could. There's lots more he could have done.
But to claim that Macron and Le Pen are on the same page as far as Putinphilia is patently ridiculous.
Its a slow Sunday and its PB, we have to have a bit of excitement or else its Citys disallowed goal.
But lets be clear hes currently not just President of France, he's le grand fromage of Europe and so far he's done very little but do Maria Zakharovas job for her.
Wow. That's a spectacularly piece of "whataboutery".
I didnt say it Macron did, so much for solidarite commune in a time of crisis/
It is ridiculous whataboutery, and you know it.
Because the discussion wasn't about whether Macron is a cock, or whether he insulted the Polish PM, or whatever. It is about an equivalence in Putinaphilia between Le Pen and Macron.
And there is no equivalence.
Macron might not like Putin but he does still want his business and would happily sell the easten Europeans to get it.
And yet France has never been the block behind any of the EU sanctions - that would be Italy, Hungary and Germany. Nor have they been backward in sending arms.
So basically, it's an assertion without any actual evidence.
France is suffering - like the rest of the world - with a cost of living crisis. Macron is in a tight election. He could easily have sold out the Ukrainians for cheaper petrol at the pump. He did not.
Now, am I claiming he's somehow a paragon of virtue? Nope. He's got his eyes very firmly fixed on French national interest. And he's also anglophobe whose statements on AZ were beyond irresponsible.
But he has not sold out the Eastern Europeans. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. But you don't know. And your attempts to claim that he is somehow equivalent with a woman who plastered Putin over her campaign literature really tells us more about you than anything else.
Macron is not pushing the feet draggers and thats his job in Europe, if leadership hurts he shouldnt take the job .. Macron was also happy to take the PR by sitting with Putin for the PR when it looks good.
Nah I think you are wrong on this. I think Macron has done a bloody good job so far regarding Ukraine. Certainly far better than many others in the EU and easily on a par with Johnson and Biden. Not much to choose between all three of them in terms of the way they have stepped up to the mark.
I said it a few weeks ago, I think Macron deserves to win this election simply on the strength of his leadership in the Ukraine crisis and for being willing to put up with listening to Putin ranting away day after day.
He was, in the run up to the start of the war, trying to make Ukraine accept Minsk II. Which is why the Ukrainians were/are a bit wary of the his position.
Yes. If he’d been an independent communications line fielding negotiations between the two sides, rather than simply delivering Putin’s demands to Kiev, then there might be more respect for him in Ukraine.
"Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will travel to Russia on Monday to meet President Vladimir Putin, an Austrian government spokesperson has said according to Reuters."
Is it really appropriate to meet him in person given the current situation?
Austria, not being a NATO member, is presumably trying to be some sort of rational mediator, good luck, but I dont think it will work, at least not at this point.
Talking of which, we spend a lot of time talking about Finland and Sweden joining NATO, but never discuses Austria joining, presumably that's because of constiuatale reasons Austria can not join? but do we know if there is any public support for joining NATO?
I think there was something formal, as a condition for Russia withdrawing from its sector of occupation of Austria and allowing the country to transition to a post-occupation state. Ah yes, here it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Neutrality
Thanks for sharing that link
yes it seems to have a strong constitutional block on joining any military alliance. presumably as a soverin nation Austria could, if the parliament wanted to vote to change this. but that's probably a moot point if only 18% of the population what to join NATO, its no worth spending to much time thinking about.
Austria is in the currently privileged position of being landlocked and sharing land borders only with NATO countries, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. If Austria has to start to worry about joining NATO then things have gone south very rapidly. Sweden and Finland are a bit more exposed.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Hmmm.
How many of us were happy going to Spain on holiday whilst it was run by Franco? How many of us would be happy going to Russia now? Should it matter?
I'm, as Zsa-Zsa Gabor may have said to the end of her days, too young to have had the option.
I did go to Spain when Franco was in power, but was still in nappies at the time, so have an excuse. I greatly enjoyed the 2018 World Cup and am keen to see more of Russia. It has long been on my list to do the Trans-Siberian, but that have to put that off for a few years.
Wife and I were last year planning the Trans-Siberian for next summer. Obviously not now, and not while Putin is alive.
Maybe Lviv this summer instead. Ukraine needs the foreign money.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
Rather ridiculous given Tugendhat is a Remainer unlike Sunak and not even in the Cabinet.
Wallace should be in the top 3 to succeed Boris alongside Truss and Sunak, not Tugendhat
Is the Leaver/Remainer thing still a dynamic though? I get the impression that the Tories are now seeing Brexit as something of an embarrassment best forgotten about. (The last strained attempt to make a virtue out of it was the stuff with Rees-Mogg and The Sun but I doubt there'll be any repetition of that - just too silly.)
Of course it is, given the vast majority of Tory voters let alone Tory members are still strongly pro Brexit and the Brexit deal we have. That will continue to be the case for at least a generation
You live in a world of make believe
I am in favour of brexit but want a deal that draws the UK - EU closer together especially on trade
You are a Remain voter who voted for Blair and has never been a great fan of Boris.
That rather proves my point, you are hardly typical of most current Tory voters and Tory members
Mate, you are a fan of Franco. I think G is more in tune with Conservative voters than you are.
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
I never said I was a fan of his anyway, just he did keep Spain together
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
No. Just no.
He makes the most extraordinary comments with absolutely no evidence
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
I'd stick him on your list of people to read about. I make him one of the last 3 Dictators in Western Europe - Greece, Portugal, Spain all went in the mid-1970s.. I've left out Albania.
Won a bloody civil war in the late 1930s, with a leftist volunteer International Brigade opposition forces with many feel was heroic. 50k volunteers. 15k died. Echoes of Ukraine in some respects.
To approach the Spanish Civil War, I don't know who to advise you to read - except to approach it perhaps look out some of the reporting from Martha Gellhorn (I have no idea where to find it - New Yorker archives?) or read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway.
Others will know far more than me on that, and I would welcome recommendations myself.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
They are struggling for supreme control with the Whataboutists.
Dunno who the ultimate winner will be, but I do know I am a loser.
I've never seen you condemn the rape of the Sabine, nor the selling of the Carthaginians into slavery, so I'm going to assume that you enthusiastically endorse Rome's actions.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Hirohito and the boys were slackers - the War of the Triple Alliance is believed to have killed 80%+of the male 16+ population of Paraguay. And half the women.
I have always suspected PB of being a hotbed of Brazilian Imperialism....
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Hmmm.
How many of us were happy going to Spain on holiday whilst it was run by Franco? How many of us would be happy going to Russia now? Should it matter?
I'm, as Zsa-Zsa Gabor may have said to the end of her days, too young to have had the option.
I did go to Spain when Franco was in power, but was still in nappies at the time, so have an excuse. I greatly enjoyed the 2018 World Cup and am keen to see more of Russia. It has long been on my list to do the Trans-Siberian, but that have to put that off for a few years.
Wife and I were last year planning the Trans-Siberian for next summer. Obviously not now, and not while Putin is alive.
Maybe Lviv this summer instead. Ukraine needs the foreign money.
I wanted to go to St Petersburg
hats probably out for some time.
That was on the list too, probably for the recently-announced F1 race there.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
Did Hirohito actually have much influence? Or was he just a mascot. I don't know, and have never read about his personal life and views.
I know the story of him stopping it at the end, and that he was in a military-nationalistic bubble. But not very much more.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
No, to turn serious for a moment, I'm all in favour of repeating the truth about Stalin's crimes. Not a few months ago I was recommending a film ("Mr Jones") about the holodomor. But it's a bit silly to essentially accuse people of ignoring Stalin's crimes when it does get talked about. It's not like the tenor of the conversation had been about listing all the shitbags and unaccountably Stalin was missing. Then, Alanbrooke's contribution would have been necessary instead of silly. It was a brief comparison of a few fascist and subfascists of 20th century Europe. It was absolutely ok that we didn't digress into a global survey of genocidal maniacs.
Yes, it does seem strange, I'm guessing its Putin Reminding his puppet, that he his subordinate by saying I what to see you but you need to come to where ever I happen to be to see me.
Vosnotchy is c.6,500 km from Moscow. Lukachenko has a ten-hour flight to meet Putin. We sometimes forget the scale of Russia.
The same ratio to a normal state trip as Putin's table to a normal dining table. Also, I wonder if his plane will successfully make the return journey?
So much for the LIbre leaks - looks pretty safe for Macron unless something goes horribly wrong in the next two weeks. Melanchon's result is above expectations - he got most of the left in the end.
Rather ridiculous given Tugendhat is a Remainer unlike Sunak and not even in the Cabinet.
Wallace should be in the top 3 to succeed Boris alongside Truss and Sunak, not Tugendhat
Is the Leaver/Remainer thing still a dynamic though? I get the impression that the Tories are now seeing Brexit as something of an embarrassment best forgotten about. (The last strained attempt to make a virtue out of it was the stuff with Rees-Mogg and The Sun but I doubt there'll be any repetition of that - just too silly.)
Of course it is, given the vast majority of Tory voters let alone Tory members are still strongly pro Brexit and the Brexit deal we have. That will continue to be the case for at least a generation
You live in a world of make believe
I am in favour of brexit but want a deal that draws the UK - EU closer together especially on trade
You are a Remain voter who voted for Blair and has never been a great fan of Boris.
That rather proves my point, you are hardly typical of most current Tory voters and Tory members
Mate, you are a fan of Franco. I think G is more in tune with Conservative voters than you are.
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
I never said I was a fan of his anyway, just he did keep Spain together
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
No. Just no.
He makes the most extraordinary comments with absolutely no evidence
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
I'd stick him on your list of people to read about. I make him one of the last 3 Dictators in Western Europe - Greece, Portugal, Spain all went in the mid-1970s.. I've left out Albania.
Won a bloody civil war in the late 1930s, with a leftist volunteer International Brigade opposition forces with many feel was heroic. 50k volunteers. 15k died. Echoes of Ukraine in some respects.
To approach the Spanish Civil War, I don't know who to advise you to read - except to approach it perhaps look out some of the reporting from Martha Gellhorn (I have no idea where to find it - New Yorker archives?) or read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway.
Others will know far more than me on that, and I would welcome recommendations myself.
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell is very good. The infighting between Republican factions shows why they failed. It is also key to understanding how Orwells views of Stalin evolved.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
No, to turn serious for a moment, I'm all in favour of repeating the truth about Stalin's crimes. Not a few months ago I was recommending a film ("Mr Jones") about the holodomor. But it's a bit silly to essentially accuse people of ignoring Stalin's crimes when it does get talked about. It's not like the tenor of the conversation had been about listing all the shitbags and unaccountably Stalin was missing. Then, Alanbrooke's contribution would have been necessary instead of silly. It was a brief comparison of a few fascist and subfascists of 20th century Europe. It was absolutely ok that we didn't digress into a global survey of genocidal maniacs.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
They are struggling for supreme control with the Whataboutists.
Dunno who the ultimate winner will be, but I do know I am a loser.
I've never seen you condemn the rape of the Sabine, nor the selling of the Carthaginians into slavery, so I'm going to assume that you enthusiastically endorse Rome's actions.
Sabine women thang was an abduction, not a rape at all
I’ve found a problem with the east coast in the spring. It’s really hard to find somewhere sunny in the evening for a beer, and it gets bloody chilly in the shade. I’ve managed to find a place on the edge of the town square where I’ve got the last glimmer of sunshine coming down the street. When that goes I’ll need my coat and scarf on!
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
No, to turn serious for a moment, I'm all in favour of repeating the truth about Stalin's crimes. Not a few months ago I was recommending a film ("Mr Jones") about the holodomor. But it's a bit silly to essentially accuse people of ignoring Stalin's crimes when it does get talked about. It's not like the tenor of the conversation had been about listing all the shitbags and unaccountably Stalin was missing. Then, Alanbrooke's contribution would have been necessary instead of silly. It was a brief comparison of a few fascist and subfascists of 20th century Europe. It was absolutely ok that we didn't digress into a global survey of genocidal maniacs.
LOL, we have a new posting arbiter
Yes, there was a vote and everything. I'm as shocked as you are but democracy must prevail.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
No, to turn serious for a moment, I'm all in favour of repeating the truth about Stalin's crimes. Not a few months ago I was recommending a film ("Mr Jones") about the holodomor. But it's a bit silly to essentially accuse people of ignoring Stalin's crimes when it does get talked about. It's not like the tenor of the conversation had been about listing all the shitbags and unaccountably Stalin was missing. Then, Alanbrooke's contribution would have been necessary instead of silly. It was a brief comparison of a few fascist and subfascists of 20th century Europe. It was absolutely ok that we didn't digress into a global survey of genocidal maniacs.
This may be a hinge point for the next generation, and it is important to get it as right as we can.
There's too much of a habit to treat wars as a game - especially the more distant they are, rather than something very very serious.
Perhaps we need to rediscover an 18C concept of Europe in our heads? I'd say our more Eastern (Germany, Poland, Hungary etc) friends will have a more realistic concept of that than we do.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Hirohito and the boys were slackers - the War of the Triple Alliance is believed to have killed 80%+of the male 16+ population of Paraguay. And half the women.
I have always suspected PB of being a hotbed of Brazilian Imperialism....
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Hirohito and the boys were slackers - the War of the Triple Alliance is believed to have killed 80%+of the male 16+ population of Paraguay. And half the women.
I have always suspected PB of being a hotbed of Brazilian Imperialism....
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
They are struggling for supreme control with the Whataboutists.
Dunno who the ultimate winner will be, but I do know I am a loser.
I've never seen you condemn the rape of the Sabine, nor the selling of the Carthaginians into slavery, so I'm going to assume that you enthusiastically endorse Rome's actions.
Sabine women thang was an abduction, not a rape at all
Even the Metropolitan Police would say it was rape - as well as abduction.
As I am not 'au fait' with the French procedures is Macron safe or does Le Pen have a chance and if so a realistic one ?
Top 2 go forward to the next round, so I'd be amazed if Macron doesn't finish at least in 2nd.
Terrible for Macron as he cannot now finish in a higher position than he did in 2017. Wonderful for Le Pen who cannot now finish in a lower position than she did in 2017.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Hirohito and the boys were slackers - the War of the Triple Alliance is believed to have killed 80%+of the male 16+ population of Paraguay. And half the women.
I have always suspected PB of being a hotbed of Brazilian Imperialism....
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
Please, everyone, stop talking about how bad fascists are, it seems to upset Alanbrooke because reasons.
Alanbrooke makes a perfectly reasonable point. In the great league table of fucking rabid genocidal nutters Stalin wins hands down against all comers. Yet there is a faction of the left that seems to hate having this pointed out. Your reaction would seem to indicate you are part of this faction.
Of course that doesn't for a second excuse the right wing fucking rabid genocidal nutters but we still live in a world where it is acceptable to display the Hammer and Sickle but not the Swastika when both should be equally offensive.
Why are you all silent on Emperor Hirohito's forces massacring 14 million people in China and Asia more widely. I've always suspected this place to be a hotbed of Sinophobic fascists, and I guess that's now confirmed.
Because compared to Stalin and Mao he's an amateur.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
No, to turn serious for a moment, I'm all in favour of repeating the truth about Stalin's crimes. Not a few months ago I was recommending a film ("Mr Jones") about the holodomor. But it's a bit silly to essentially accuse people of ignoring Stalin's crimes when it does get talked about. .
It does, but he and his faction are still, comparitively speaking, oddly accepted by some. Same with Mao. But as you say the references were not meant as a definitive list.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Somehow Stalin never gets a look in.
He also forget Pol Pot, Fidel Castro, Mark Zuckerberg and Chairman Mao.
Somehow Jimmy Carter never gets a look in
Too right. All those folk with peanut allergy he's done in over the years.
As I am not 'au fait' with the French procedures is Macron safe or does Le Pen have a chance and if so a realistic one ?
Le Pen still has a chance , much depends on how the left vote transfers . Macron has to put out an olive branch to those voters but today’s projections so far are better than he could have hoped for and suggest there was already some fear of Le Pen amongst voters .
Very consistent from Melenchon on last time. Are The Republicans going the say of the Socialist Party?
Though as I recall Le Pen's mob essentially get shut out in the assembly elections never mind her personal performance (given you only need to get to the low 20s to get into second place).
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Hmmm.
How many of us were happy going to Spain on holiday whilst it was run by Franco? How many of us would be happy going to Russia now? Should it matter?
I'm, as Zsa-Zsa Gabor may have said to the end of her days, too young to have had the option.
I did go to Spain when Franco was in power, but was still in nappies at the time, so have an excuse. I greatly enjoyed the 2018 World Cup and am keen to see more of Russia. It has long been on my list to do the Trans-Siberian, but that have to put that off for a few years.
I'm not sure that excuses you @Foxy At what age did you stop (assuming you have stopped) wearing nappies?
Rather ridiculous given Tugendhat is a Remainer unlike Sunak and not even in the Cabinet.
Wallace should be in the top 3 to succeed Boris alongside Truss and Sunak, not Tugendhat
Is the Leaver/Remainer thing still a dynamic though? I get the impression that the Tories are now seeing Brexit as something of an embarrassment best forgotten about. (The last strained attempt to make a virtue out of it was the stuff with Rees-Mogg and The Sun but I doubt there'll be any repetition of that - just too silly.)
Of course it is, given the vast majority of Tory voters let alone Tory members are still strongly pro Brexit and the Brexit deal we have. That will continue to be the case for at least a generation
You live in a world of make believe
I am in favour of brexit but want a deal that draws the UK - EU closer together especially on trade
You are a Remain voter who voted for Blair and has never been a great fan of Boris.
That rather proves my point, you are hardly typical of most current Tory voters and Tory members
Mate, you are a fan of Franco. I think G is more in tune with Conservative voters than you are.
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
I never said I was a fan of his anyway, just he did keep Spain together
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
No. Just no.
He makes the most extraordinary comments with absolutely no evidence
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
I'd stick him on your list of people to read about. I make him one of the last 3 Dictators in Western Europe - Greece, Portugal, Spain all went in the mid-1970s.. I've left out Albania.
Won a bloody civil war in the late 1930s, with a leftist volunteer International Brigade opposition forces with many feel was heroic. 50k volunteers. 15k died. Echoes of Ukraine in some respects.
To approach the Spanish Civil War, I don't know who to advise you to read - except to approach it perhaps look out some of the reporting from Martha Gellhorn (I have no idea where to find it - New Yorker archives?) or read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway.
Others will know far more than me on that, and I would welcome recommendations myself.
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell is very good. The infighting between Republican factions shows why they failed. It is also key to understanding how Orwells views of Stalin evolved.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spanish-Civil-War-Hugh-Thomas/dp/0141011610/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=spanish+civil+war&qid=1649614568&sr=8-3 is generally considered to be the most balanced book - Thomas was at different times Labour, Conservative and Liberal, but he tried to represent the war fairly, though somewhat unhelpfully to the International Brigade. Orwell had a specific bias to the POUM (Trotskyists) who had a long feud with the Stalinist communists - neither side were exactly innocent and they were both idiots, as the feud facilitated Franco's victory. That said, there are lots of books that celebrate the International Brigade, which mobilised a whole generation of young leftists to die for the Popular Front.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Hmmm.
How many of us were happy going to Spain on holiday whilst it was run by Franco? How many of us would be happy going to Russia now? Should it matter?
I'm, as Zsa-Zsa Gabor may have said to the end of her days, too young to have had the option.
I did go to Spain when Franco was in power, but was still in nappies at the time, so have an excuse. I greatly enjoyed the 2018 World Cup and am keen to see more of Russia. It has long been on my list to do the Trans-Siberian, but that have to put that off for a few years.
I'm not sure that excuses you @Foxy At what age did you stop (assuming you have stopped) wearing nappies?
It was a while back, and still some time before I need them again 😇
Key data point for me is Le Pen + Zemmour. Looks like 30%-31%, which is a low base for her to start R2 from.
On the other hand Macron + Les Republicains + Le Parti Socialiste is down from 50% after the first round in 2017 to 35-36% so he has a lower base than last time.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Hmmm.
How many of us were happy going to Spain on holiday whilst it was run by Franco? How many of us would be happy going to Russia now? Should it matter?
I'm, as Zsa-Zsa Gabor may have said to the end of her days, too young to have had the option.
I did go to Spain when Franco was in power, but was still in nappies at the time, so have an excuse. I greatly enjoyed the 2018 World Cup and am keen to see more of Russia. It has long been on my list to do the Trans-Siberian, but that have to put that off for a few years.
I'm not sure that excuses you @Foxy At what age did you stop (assuming you have stopped) wearing nappies?
It was a while back, and still some time before I need them again 😇
Rather ridiculous given Tugendhat is a Remainer unlike Sunak and not even in the Cabinet.
Wallace should be in the top 3 to succeed Boris alongside Truss and Sunak, not Tugendhat
Is the Leaver/Remainer thing still a dynamic though? I get the impression that the Tories are now seeing Brexit as something of an embarrassment best forgotten about. (The last strained attempt to make a virtue out of it was the stuff with Rees-Mogg and The Sun but I doubt there'll be any repetition of that - just too silly.)
Of course it is, given the vast majority of Tory voters let alone Tory members are still strongly pro Brexit and the Brexit deal we have. That will continue to be the case for at least a generation
You live in a world of make believe
I am in favour of brexit but want a deal that draws the UK - EU closer together especially on trade
You are a Remain voter who voted for Blair and has never been a great fan of Boris.
That rather proves my point, you are hardly typical of most current Tory voters and Tory members
Mate, you are a fan of Franco. I think G is more in tune with Conservative voters than you are.
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
I never said I was a fan of his anyway, just he did keep Spain together
The average Tory member is probably more a fan of Franco than the EU now.
No. Just no.
He makes the most extraordinary comments with absolutely no evidence
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
I'd stick him on your list of people to read about. I make him one of the last 3 Dictators in Western Europe - Greece, Portugal, Spain all went in the mid-1970s.. I've left out Albania.
Won a bloody civil war in the late 1930s, with a leftist volunteer International Brigade opposition forces with many feel was heroic. 50k volunteers. 15k died. Echoes of Ukraine in some respects.
To approach the Spanish Civil War, I don't know who to advise you to read - except to approach it perhaps look out some of the reporting from Martha Gellhorn (I have no idea where to find it - New Yorker archives?) or read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway.
Others will know far more than me on that, and I would welcome recommendations myself.
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell is very good. The infighting between Republican factions shows why they failed. It is also key to understanding how Orwells views of Stalin evolved.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spanish-Civil-War-Hugh-Thomas/dp/0141011610/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=spanish+civil+war&qid=1649614568&sr=8-3 is generally considered to be the most balanced book - Thomas was at different times Labour, Conservative and Liberal, but he tried to represent the war fairly, though somewhat unhelpfully to the International Brigade. Orwell had a specific bias to the POUM (Trotskyists) who had a long feud with the Stalinist communists - neither side were exactly innocent and they were both idiots, as the feud facilitated Franco's victory. That said, there are lots of books that celebrate the International Brigade, which mobilised a whole generation of young leftists to die for the Popular Front.
Yes, Orwell writes from his own perspective, but really catches the flavour of the Revolutionaries on the Republicans side. I read Hugh Thomas some years ago, but found it an exhaustive but rather dull account.
As I am not 'au fait' with the French procedures is Macron safe or does Le Pen have a chance and if so a realistic one ?
Le Pen still has a chance , much depends on how the left vote transfers . Macron has to put out an olive branch to those voters but today’s projections so far are better than he could have hoped for and suggest there was already some fear of Le Pen amongst voters .
I've been expecting Macron to get 58-60% in the runoff but massive abstentionism among Melenchon supporters(and some switching to Le Pen) could still push it down to 55-45 or closer?
On these numbers, can we infer much about the parliamentary elections? Strong performance for FN?
It's a little better than last time but not much, and it didn't help them then. The key is presumably whether, this time, RN is more transfer friendly than FN, despite being the same party?
On these numbers, can we infer much about the parliamentary elections? Strong performance for FN?
It's a little better than last time but not much, and it didn't help them then. The key is presumably whether, this time, RN is more transfer friendly than FN, despite being the same party?
That feels right. I’m also assuming human nature means that if you feel “forced” to vote for Macron you’re going to give his lot a kicking in Parliament.
On these numbers, can we infer much about the parliamentary elections? Strong performance for FN?
It's a little better than last time but not much, and it didn't help them then. The key is presumably whether, this time, RN is more transfer friendly than FN, despite being the same party?
Does anyone have that chart of who went where between the 2 rounds last time?
On these numbers, can we infer much about the parliamentary elections? Strong performance for FN?
It's a little better than last time but not much, and it didn't help them then. The key is presumably whether, this time, RN is more transfer friendly than FN, despite being the same party?
Last time about 3 million people voted 'blanc' in the second round and turnout also dropped between the two rounds. She's probably less toxic than in 2017 so that effect may be bigger.
Nobody should admire Franco for any reason. Of course HYUFD talks again of stuff he didn't live thru' (unlike many of us who were around when he was in power and visited Spain), although a quick look at Wikipedia answers the question as to whether he should be admired for anything.
I know nothing about Franco except a vague sense that he was not a good guy based on the fact he was close to Mussolini and Peron. Is that unfair, or can I stick him on my list of shit I don’t to know about?
Franco was a butcher who overthrew a democratic government and slaughtered his opponents wholesale. One can make two mitigating claims for him. He stayed out of WW2, to the disappointment of Hitler, which enabled us to maintain Gibaltar. And in his later years, he largely stopped murdering people and it became possible to expressed mild dissent at an individual level without getting arrested.
All things are relative. He was arguably marginally less bad than Mussolini, and certainly less bad than Hitler.
Hmmm.
How many of us were happy going to Spain on holiday whilst it was run by Franco? How many of us would be happy going to Russia now? Should it matter?
I'm, as Zsa-Zsa Gabor may have said to the end of her days, too young to have had the option.
I did go to Spain when Franco was in power, but was still in nappies at the time, so have an excuse. I greatly enjoyed the 2018 World Cup and am keen to see more of Russia. It has long been on my list to do the Trans-Siberian, but that have to put that off for a few years.
Wife and I were last year planning the Trans-Siberian for next summer. Obviously not now, and not while Putin is alive.
Maybe Lviv this summer instead. Ukraine needs the foreign money.
I wanted to go to St Petersburg
hats probably out for some time.
That was on the list too, probably for the recently-announced F1 race there.
That’s not to be, either.
I had 3 weeks in Russia planned for this September. Will go to Ukraine if at all possible though.
Ministry map isn't live, AFP seems to be test data so this Guardian live map is best one I've found so far, shows how many communes counted in each department:
Good projection for Macron and Le Pen. Macron up 4% on what he got in the 2017 first round and Le Pen up 2 or 3% on what she got in the first round last time.
Reasonably good result for Melenchon too who is projected to be up slightly too on what he got last time and his supporters will likely now determine who wins the Presidency in the runoff.
Terrible projection for Pecresse, down 15% on what Fillon got in 2017 when he was Les Republicains candidate. Poor result for Hidalgo too who is also down 4% on what the Socialist party's 2017 candidate Hamon got.
OK result for Zemmour in that he beat Pecresse but he would have hoped for a higher voteshare. Most of his supporters will now probably switch to Le Pen in the runoff
Comments
hats probably out for some time.
Admit it, you just can't stand seeing those left wing icons being compared to the fascists.
(That last is slightly tongue in cheek)
Won a bloody civil war in the late 1930s, with a leftist volunteer International Brigade opposition forces with many feel was heroic. 50k volunteers. 15k died. Echoes of Ukraine in some respects.
To approach the Spanish Civil War, I don't know who to advise you to read - except to approach it perhaps look out some of the reporting from Martha Gellhorn (I have no idea where to find it - New Yorker archives?) or read For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway.
Others will know far more than me on that, and I would welcome recommendations myself.
I have always suspected PB of being a hotbed of Brazilian Imperialism....
That’s not to be, either.
I know the story of him stopping it at the end, and that he was in a military-nationalistic bubble. But not very much more.
28.1 vs 23.3.
Macron: 28.5%
Le Pen: 24.2%
Melenchon: 20.2%
Zemmour: 7.1%
Pecresse: 5.1%
But it's a bit silly to essentially accuse people of ignoring Stalin's crimes when it does get talked about. It's not like the tenor of the conversation had been about listing all the shitbags and unaccountably Stalin was missing. Then, Alanbrooke's contribution would have been necessary instead of silly. It was a brief comparison of a few fascist and subfascists of 20th century Europe. It was absolutely ok that we didn't digress into a global survey of genocidal maniacs.
https://www.resultats-elections.interieur.gouv.fr/presidentielle-2022/084/001/001009.html
Largely as final polls predicted Macron and Le Pen head to the runoff, maybe a little higher for Melenchon and a little lower for Pecresse
https://twitter.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1513215861716398086?s=20&t=xwJkkIQdxvukYmwClxDJOA
Better than last time, and better than most polls.
These flash results are usually very accurate, so lay Melenchon to advance.
Looks reasonably safe
This may be a hinge point for the next generation, and it is important to get it as right as we can.
There's too much of a habit to treat wars as a game - especially the more distant they are, rather than something very very serious.
Perhaps we need to rediscover an 18C concept of Europe in our heads? I'd say our more Eastern (Germany, Poland, Hungary etc) friends will have a more realistic concept of that than we do.
(Just speculating)
I guess when the very annoying US golf fans shout “GET IN THE HOLE!”, he’ll reply “THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguayan_War#Theories_about_British_influence_on_the_outbreak_of_war
Dreadful result for Pecresse.
Edit - 2nd in THIS round.
The guesstimate is that Macron will hold his lead. We hope.
As you were.
Utterly incredible.
Wonderful for Le Pen who cannot now finish in a lower position than she did in 2017.
Night, all.
Though as I recall Le Pen's mob essentially get shut out in the assembly elections never mind her personal performance (given you only need to get to the low 20s to get into second place).
and nobody is talking about it
Nouvelle Thread
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1513219450606137346?s=20&t=xwJkkIQdxvukYmwClxDJOA
At what age did you stop (assuming you have stopped) wearing nappies?
I would have got 1.25 but my bank frigging 2-ID'ed me so it cost me a minute and I lost the price.
Where Melenchon's voters go will be decisive, Macron is favourite but still a long way to go
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I've been expecting Macron to get 58-60% in the runoff but massive abstentionism among Melenchon supporters(and some switching to Le Pen) could still push it down to 55-45 or closer?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2022/apr/10/french-election-2020-projected-results-and-latest-results
Reasonably good result for Melenchon too who is projected to be up slightly too on what he got last time and his supporters will likely now determine who wins the Presidency in the runoff.
Terrible projection for Pecresse, down 15% on what Fillon got in 2017 when he was Les Republicains candidate. Poor result for Hidalgo too who is also down 4% on what the Socialist party's 2017 candidate Hamon got.
OK result for Zemmour in that he beat Pecresse but he would have hoped for a higher voteshare. Most of his supporters will now probably switch to Le Pen in the runoff