If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
There's a claim on twitter that Ukraine have retaken Donetsk airport, which was occupied by Russia in 2015. Ukraine have mostly held the pre-Feb 24th frontline between occupied Horlivka and Donetsk City, so there's potential for Ukrainian advances into territory held by Russia for years, before all the territory occupied since February is recovered.
Crimea is a bit different, because it's south of Kherson Oblast, and the routes onto the peninsula are relatively narrow, and so easier to defend.
The east-west line of the front line of Donetsk/Luhansk barely seems to have moved from 2014 even during the early stages. I'm guessing the Ukrainians were very well dug in in that area?
SMOO https://mobile.twitter.com/maryilyushina/status/1568603258586894337 Russian Defense Ministry now acknowledging the retreat, calling it “regrouping.” “In order to achieve goals of the special military operation…a decision was made to regroup the Russian troops stationed in Balakliya and Izyum to step up efforts in the Donetsk direction.”
And this week's Hirohito award goes to...
I am fecking loving this.
No doubt heads will be rolling at the Kremlin soon. Shoigu must be done for?
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
It sounds like the German Gepard flakpanzers have been very useful in the offensive.
That's interesting. I had thought the Gepards were somewhat towards the obsolete end of the spectrum, compared with the Starstreak system the UK supplied, but the Ukrainians would know.
We are not seeing much of the US Marines in Korea attitude are we? "The enemy are in front of us, behind us and on both sides. They won't get away this time."
It's more, never wanted to be here in the first place.
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
It sounds like the German Gepard flakpanzers have been very useful in the offensive.
That's interesting. I had thought the Gepards were somewhat towards the obsolete end of the spectrum, compared with the Starstreak system the UK supplied, but the Ukrainians would know.
Nicola Sturgeon becomes the first First Minister in history to sign a proclamation document… the Acts of Union and Scotland’s constitutional tie to England loom large in this moment.
The 'Oath' signed to protect the Protestant Church of Scotland.
Edit: more specifically the [Established] Church of Scotland. That was put into the Treaty of Union to keep the ministers happy, like the retention of Scots Law did the lawyers (and also everyone who owned land, for obvious reasons of stability).
Come to think of it, the Kirk isn't Established any more - and it hasn't been since the 1920s. So this must be the fourth time they're using an obsolete wording in the Proclamation. How odd.
No, it is still established as the National Church, it’s just the government gave up the right to make appointments or to guide it on matters spiritual (ie overrule the Declaratory Articles). This is separate from that and undertaking that it will remain the National Church without being replaced by any other.
So it does make sense in that context.
It was also, I might add, the only way it could recognise the distinctive status of Scotland within the United Kingdom before the establishment of a Scottish Parliament, as the CoS was about the only truly National body going. And not just a religious one either. When did it lose substantial control of education? I want to say 1944?
PS e qualification to what I said: of course the local C of S etc ministers would be very much taking an interest in the local state school, on the commitee and so on, so in that limited sense they had some control still. But that's not the same as the old style Knox & Melville parish school with funding from the teinds [tithes] and the dominie very much part of the Kirk (often as a divinity grad who was either planning to obtain a call to a parish or had failed and was stuck, the stickit minister).
Given the tendency for the new state schools to default to C of S, the RCs and Piskies therefore obtained their own state funded schools (or their existing schools got state funding, whatever). So we ended up in the situation where state schools tended to be either default Presbyterian or full on Episc. or RC. In recent decades the non-Ep, non-RC 'default' schools have become much less Christian and more secular, so we have a de facto choice of secular vs EC vs RC (and possibly one or two others, not sure).
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
At some point, though, it becomes clear that it is in Germany's best interest to see Putin's Russia comprehensively defeated.
SMOO https://mobile.twitter.com/maryilyushina/status/1568603258586894337 Russian Defense Ministry now acknowledging the retreat, calling it “regrouping.” “In order to achieve goals of the special military operation…a decision was made to regroup the Russian troops stationed in Balakliya and Izyum to step up efforts in the Donetsk direction.”
Regrouping into internment camps seems a strange and cunning plan...
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
It sounds like the German Gepard flakpanzers have been very useful in the offensive.
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
At some point, though, it becomes clear that it is in Germany's best interest to see Putin's Russia comprehensively defeated.
The Tory membership must be deeply regretting electing Liz now. Her entire raison d'être was to terrorize the moderates by delivering hard-right libertarian shock and awe from the outset, but that's been completely derailed by events. All they're left with is a rather odd little lady sporting bondage imagery. She surely won't last a year.
The conservative party have elected a leader that is going to give labour a run for their money and may just confound you
I remember when you were proclaiming Theresa as 'a serious politician for serious times'.
The one thing I have actively wanted for months is Johnson out of office
I reserved judgement on Truss prior to her appointment but she has performed well in her baptism by fire and she has 2 more years before she has to fight an election and as this week has shown events can change narratives
Certainly labour need to be careful of complacency and taking the next election for granted and yes they will face Truss
You keep repeating this mantra about Labour being need to be careful of complacency - I don't know why.
Whatever one thinks of Starmer and Labour's chances, I haven't detected one whiff of complacency from Starmer. Quite the opposite, in fact - he's the epitome of zero complacency, as evidenced by his grim determination to nullify every potential Tory attack line.
Watching town after town being liberated by the Ukrainian armed forces today has been incredibly moving. From the Estonian perspective, the sense of gratitude for the appalling price that Ukrainians have had to pay is immense. The courage and determination of the Ukrainian nation is literally awe inspiring. As the defeat grows into an ever greater and faster rout, the outlook for the Russian army changes faster than ever. We hear of partisans already in Mariupol, and a further crushing defeat in Kherson. The Ukrainian reserve has not yet been released, so unless the Russian front line can be consolidated within a matter of hours, we could see the rout become a collapse.
Our hopes are fixed and even if this is not the end, the achievements of the past few hours are immense. Glory to Ukraine indeed.
Looking at the map one could see the Ukes chopping the Russian force in two by driving to the Black Sea around azov
Leaving Crimea isolated and only accessible by sea and by that bridge
OSInt types are saying that Ukraine has at least another brigade equivalent force they’ve held back. If it turns out they don’t need it to support the attack in the north & Kherson remains nicely bottled up (no one wants to make an assault on a defended city if they can avoid it) then cutting the Russian front in half looks like an excellent plan.
Probably held back in case Mad Vlad the Mad decides to have another go at Kyiv through Belarus.
Ukraine's position would be so much safer if that bastard Lukashenko fell out a window....
Lukashenko has to be worried right now.
And if he thinks Putin's defeat is inevitable, then will he jump?
If I was the leader of a small internationally unrecognised breakaway republic that had splintered from a nation on Russia's periphery I would be tugging my collar and looknig around quite a a lot at the moment.
A change in government in Georgia would make things particularly uncomfortable for South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Can I just ask, what drunken idiot thought Alex Lees was the answer to England's opening problem? They would have been better off with Vince. At least he scored a few runs before getting himself out to a straight one.
We are not seeing much of the US Marines in Korea attitude are we? "The enemy are in front of us, behind us and on both sides. They won't get away this time."
It's more, never wanted to be here in the first place.
There were plenty of troops on Korea who panicked, alongside those who stood and fought. Isn’t that where the phrase “bug out” originated ?
(edit) originated a bit earlier, but Korea is where it came into widespread use.
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
There's a claim on twitter that Ukraine have retaken Donetsk airport, which was occupied by Russia in 2015. Ukraine have mostly held the pre-Feb 24th frontline between occupied Horlivka and Donetsk City, so there's potential for Ukrainian advances into territory held by Russia for years, before all the territory occupied since February is recovered.
Crimea is a bit different, because it's south of Kherson Oblast, and the routes onto the peninsula are relatively narrow, and so easier to defend.
The east-west line of the front line of Donetsk/Luhansk barely seems to have moved from 2014 even during the early stages. I'm guessing the Ukrainians were very well dug in in that area?
Yes, and had their best troops there. In April, when Russia advanced on Izyum, the fear was that they would be able to achieve a grand encirclement of that whole front line, and therefore not have to break through those fortified defences with a frontal assault. Didn't work out that way.
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
It sounds like the German Gepard flakpanzers have been very useful in the offensive.
That's interesting. I had thought the Gepards were somewhat towards the obsolete end of the spectrum, compared with the Starstreak system the UK supplied, but the Ukrainians would know.
Particularly good for shooting down drones it seems
Funny, isn't it? As much as I might rationally try to dismiss it, in the end this is where I am from. It's my country and all this matters a hell of a lot toi me. I am not just watching it; I am feeling it too. It makes no sense, but it is what it is. We're not better or worse than anyone else. We are what we are. And what we are is this.
Thoughts and prayers to those people trying to give updates on the situation in eastern Ukraine. You've barely finished writing a paragraph and drawing a map showing the current reality and then 3 more settlements have be recaptured
Funny, isn't it? As much as I might rationally try to dismiss it, in the end this is where I am from. It's my country and all this matters a hell of a lot toi me. I am not just watching it; I am feeling it too. It makes no sense, but it is what it is. We're not better or worse than anyone else. We are what we are. And what we are is this.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
Lovely touch although, maybe not surprisingly, the Mail gets the background slightly wrong.
It is an old tradition in many parts of Europe - and subsequently exported to other parts of the world - to inform the bees of any significant events in the household, not just deaths but also marriages and births.
But deaths are the most important and there are many fine stories and poems written around the tradition of 'Telling the Bees'.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
Lovely touch although, maybe not surprisingly, the Mail gets the background slightly wrong.
It is an old tradition in many parts of Europe - and subsequently exported to other parts of the world - to inform the bees of any significant events in the household, not just deaths but also marriages and births.
But deaths are the most important and there are many fine stories and poems written around the tradition of 'Telling the Bees'.
I remember googling it after seeing the hilarious title of the last Outlander novel 'Go tell the bees that I am gone'. Full sentence titles seem to be all the rage now, but that was a corker.
If things are truly collapsing, what will be very interesting will be if the Ukrainians attempt at some point to reverse the 2014 losses, and if the West will stay firm for that.
They should, it was no less an invasion (Crimea might be difficult though, clearly being a lot more pro-Russian), but it's easy to see some arguing for a return to January 2022 as a first step and then pause.
I agree you will see the first split. I think our position has been “all territory regained” but I doubt the Germans agree.
It sounds like the German Gepard flakpanzers have been very useful in the offensive.
That's interesting. I had thought the Gepards were somewhat towards the obsolete end of the spectrum, compared with the Starstreak system the UK supplied, but the Ukrainians would know.
Gepards would be very good against drones, if they can get a lock on the radar. A round or 2 would be low enough cost to make it a good exchange.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Before them, under the garden wall, Forward and back, Went drearily singing the chore-girl small, Draping each hive with a shred of black.
Trembling, I listened: the summer sun Had the chill of snow; For I knew she was telling the bees of one Gone on the journey we all must go!
Then I said to myself, “My Mary weeps For the dead to-day: Haply her blind old grandsire sleeps The fret and the pain of his age away.”
But her dog whined low; on the doorway sill, With his cane to his chin, The old man sat; and the chore-girl still Sung to the bees stealing out and in.
And the song she was singing ever since In my ear sounds on:— “Stay at home, pretty bees, fly not hence! Mistress Mary is dead and gone!”
What's remarkable is how long it took Russia to grind out conquering towns like Izyum.
Reversed in hours.
With all respect to the areas Russia has rolled over previously, whilst Ukraine was also outmanned and outgunned, it was a very different prospect to trying to bully poor, say, Georgia. It's big, it's populated, and it was more prepared even if it needed(and needs) all the help it can get.
Watching town after town being liberated by the Ukrainian armed forces today has been incredibly moving. From the Estonian perspective, the sense of gratitude for the appalling price that Ukrainians have had to pay is immense. The courage and determination of the Ukrainian nation is literally awe inspiring. As the defeat grows into an ever greater and faster rout, the outlook for the Russian army changes faster than ever. We hear of partisans already in Mariupol, and a further crushing defeat in Kherson. The Ukrainian reserve has not yet been released, so unless the Russian front line can be consolidated within a matter of hours, we could see the rout become a collapse.
Our hopes are fixed and even if this is not the end, the achievements of the past few hours are immense. Glory to Ukraine indeed.
Looking at the map one could see the Ukes chopping the Russian force in two by driving to the Black Sea around azov
Leaving Crimea isolated and only accessible by sea and by that bridge
OSInt types are saying that Ukraine has at least another brigade equivalent force they’ve held back. If it turns out they don’t need it to support the attack in the north & Kherson remains nicely bottled up (no one wants to make an assault on a defended city if they can avoid it) then cutting the Russian front in half looks like an excellent plan.
Probably held back in case Mad Vlad the Mad decides to have another go at Kyiv through Belarus.
Ukraine's position would be so much safer if that bastard Lukashenko fell out a window....
Lukashenko has to be worried right now.
And if he thinks Putin's defeat is inevitable, then will he jump?
If I was the leader of a small internationally unrecognised breakaway republic that had splintered from a nation on Russia's periphery I would be tugging my collar and looknig around quite a a lot at the moment.
A change in government in Georgia would make things particularly uncomfortable for South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Putin's best hope now would be to take a leaf out of Lin Biao's little red book and get his pilot to divert to Mongolia. He should fill the tank first, though. One should always learn from the mistakes of others.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently, etc.
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. I mean some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's knickers on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently, etc.
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. I mean some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history.
You fall flat on your arse so frequently, I am surprised if you don't wear custom body armour. As explained in the article itself and in this thread this is an English beekeeping tradition, absolutely not a specifically royal one.
You do come across like a really oafish 6 year old phatboi trying his best to spoil the smaller childrens' Christmas. Save it: we already know he's not real.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. It's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Time to strike!
They should remember Edward IV's efforts in the marriage bed by standing up and shouting 'Put in small cock!'
Which would be misunderstood by a certain person, due to a lack of security in this area, and lead to a nuclear war.
I can confirm that Chamonix is considerably more scenic than that today (and any other day tbf)
Yeah but at the end of my Infinity Sheep Dip, I’ve got….
…. Ostriches
Aren’t those rheas ?
Not sufficiently blobby, rheas? (even before one remembers that rheas aka "South American Ostriches"). The neck to body transition is quite smooth in rheas. These look like Boris Johnson with a rubber tube stuck in his hair. So pukka ostriches? Young ones?
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently, etc.
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. I mean some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently, etc.
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. I mean some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Time to strike!
Russia seems to be able to be very economical. Doubling up with a funeral for Gorbachov and for the reputation of its armed forces...
Mary Ilyushina @maryilyushina · 48m Members and “volunteers” of Russia-installed admin in Kharkiv are fleeing back to Russia. United Russia party in charge of them said they are evacuating from Balakliya, Izyum, Volchansk to border with Belgorod region due to 🇺🇦 counteroffensive. I guess there goes the referendum…
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Time to strike!
Russia seems to be able to be very economical. Doubling up with a funeral for Gorbachov and for the reputation of its armed forces...
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
What was weirder was their stance that there would be no point in even trying to defeat or hold off Russia, so just end things now.
It's quite possible for someone to win militarily but at such cost they cannot hold onto their gains, and so well worth resisting.
Rather gave the game away about their real concerns.
Either he hasn't be following the actual military situation properly or as you say had another agenda. I can't see how anyone looking at things in August could say there was simply no way Ukr could defeat the invaders.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Time to strike!
Bitter that your boys are taking a beating in the Donbass?
What was weirder was their stance that there would be no point in even trying to defeat or hold off Russia, so just end things now.
It's quite possible for someone to win militarily but at such cost they cannot hold onto their gains, and so well worth resisting.
Rather gave the game away about their real concerns.
As far as I can see, the Stopper/Tankie position is moving to “we need to stop this before the inevitable war crimes against Russian civilians in the areas retaken by Ukraine.”
Which was, interestingly the position the same people took in the Yugoslav wars when the Serbs started losing. Serb war crimes hadn’t been a concern, of course….
Russia ‘regrouping’, yeah sure. They will be lucky to come out of this in the same position they went into it.
Are we translating 'regroup' from Russian correctly. Perhaps it should read 'running for their lives'?
Yep, perhaps in the coming weeks we will need a Ukrainian version of that famous Norwegian Soccer commentator ‘Josef Stalin, Lev Yashin, Chekov from Star Trek, Yuri Gagarin, Catherine the Great, your boys took one hell of a beating’
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Royal beekeeper informs the Queen's bees that Her Majesty has died
He adds:
“love our country, love our traditions, love our monarchy - fucking amazing”
🥂
There's a lot of scope for someone of appropriate bent to make up an even more ridiculous story - e.g.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
A Scroogian epiphany is required. He needs to wake, breathless and witless at the very tail end of the pageantry with a sudden emptiness and run, helter skelter through the streets in his nightshirt until, like the boy in the coca cola advert, he catches the very end of the very last parade and sheds a tear at the beautiful tabards and gowns
Mary Ilyushina @maryilyushina · 48m Members and “volunteers” of Russia-installed admin in Kharkiv are fleeing back to Russia. United Russia party in charge of them said they are evacuating from Balakliya, Izyum, Volchansk to border with Belgorod region due to 🇺🇦 counteroffensive. I guess there goes the referendum…
All the Russian Occupation admin will now collapse, even before the military, as who would want to be caught by the vengeful Ukes, as an active collaborator? Why take the chance? Why rely on this shit army to protect you?
Many people have been murdered, raped, tortured, slaughtered. There will be reprisals. There will be lynchings
Mary Ilyushina @maryilyushina · 48m Members and “volunteers” of Russia-installed admin in Kharkiv are fleeing back to Russia. United Russia party in charge of them said they are evacuating from Balakliya, Izyum, Volchansk to border with Belgorod region due to 🇺🇦 counteroffensive. I guess there goes the referendum…
If the Russian rout continues, then Biden could well come out smelling of roses, while the Trumpists have rather a lot of egg on their faces.
If I'm honest, I didn't believe they could win either, although I admired the courage and determination the Ukrainians were showing.
I shall be incredibly happy if I am proven completely wrong.
I won't believe fully in a victory until it is all confirmed, but the natural response to that would be to help to as much as we can to help, not advise surrender, which is effectively what that lot do.
What was weirder was their stance that there would be no point in even trying to defeat or hold off Russia, so just end things now.
It's quite possible for someone to win militarily but at such cost they cannot hold onto their gains, and so well worth resisting.
Rather gave the game away about their real concerns.
As far as I can see, the Stopper/Tankie position is moving to “we need to stop this before the inevitable war crimes against Russian civilians in the areas retaken by Ukraine.” .
Ah yes, I can see it now. 'Terribly good that Ukraine is advancing, absolutely, but perhaps they should slow down because in a unified Ukraine russian speakers may be treated poorly'.
If Donetsk is under attack, then something even more drastic is happening than is being reported. Bearing in mind, the Ukrainians have been trying and failing to take it for eight years.
And if the Russian army has collapsed entirely, we will all laugh...
Mary Ilyushina @maryilyushina · 48m Members and “volunteers” of Russia-installed admin in Kharkiv are fleeing back to Russia. United Russia party in charge of them said they are evacuating from Balakliya, Izyum, Volchansk to border with Belgorod region due to 🇺🇦 counteroffensive. I guess there goes the referendum…
What was weirder was their stance that there would be no point in even trying to defeat or hold off Russia, so just end things now.
It's quite possible for someone to win militarily but at such cost they cannot hold onto their gains, and so well worth resisting.
Rather gave the game away about their real concerns.
I think it's fair to say that Dura Ace has utterly humiliated himself on this front. His "expert" military analysis has proven comprehensively and embarrassingly wrong at virtually every stage, from pea-shooter NLAWs on
He should stick to driving like a Count with nothing to lose
That lot will still be blaming the West enthusiastically for everything even if the Ukrainians do manage to pull it off. All of the death and destruction is obviously our fault for scaring poor, vulnerable, innocent Czar Vladimir the Baby Butcher, innit?
Charles’s “kind” comments about Harry and Meghan need to be seen in the context of Harry’s book deal. The firm are terrified about it’s contents.
Thanks to events, they’ve got H&M pinned down. This is their one and only opportunity.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall!
If Charles was smart, he’d recognise that Liz’s disastrous “no half-in-half-out” policy was a major factor contributing to the current situation.
Meghan and Harry's standing among the British people is not quite as bad as Prince Andrew's, but it's a long way below everyone else in the royal family. I don't think they are any sort of threat, however much insight they provide into the problems faced by titled multi-millionaires.
I am far less worried about them than I was 2 years ago, when I think they did real political damage - particularly in the Carribean and amongst younger non-white Britons here.
But, they've shot their bolt now.
Hmm. Arguably Harry identified the right question (what does the Spare Heir do once they're not needed any more?) and had a better answer than his uncles (get the hell out of Dodge and do something else with the rest of his life).
Which is not the answer that the tabloids wanted. And some of the fuckups on the way have been blown up into great evil as a result.
He could have chosen to withdraw from public life and work hard for his charities and causes.
Instead, he (and his wife) has built his ‘career’ on criticising his own family - something which was quickly wearing off before the events of this week.
You'll love Harry's book launch. Especially if it's at the Al Fayed place in Finland.
Why shouldn't a person criticise family members if they've treated them like absolute dirt? In real life, people do it all the time. Who TF does the king think he is?
I wonder whether Harry will be allowed to his grandmother's funeral.
"It is understood Harry was at Frogmore cottage in Windsor when Charles called to say he should not bring his wife.
The Sussexes had announced they would travel up to Balmoral together, without consulting royals, The Sun reported.
But a source told the paper: "Charles told Harry that it wasn't right or appropriate for Meghan to be in Balmoral at such a deeply sad time.
'It was pointed out to him that Kate was not going and that the numbers really should be limited to the very closest family. Charles made it very, very clear Meghan would not be welcome.' [...]
Harry was also refused a seat on the RAF plane that took up his brother William, now the Prince of Wales, as well as Prince Andrew and Prince Edward."
Thinking further about that, what an utterly appalling piece of shittiness declining to give your own brother a lift to see his dying grandmother. I don't do the Daily Mail blood boiling about the Royal Family thing, but that is as spiteful a bit of shittiness as it is possible to imagine.
The RAF lot got to balmoral at 5pm so landed Aberdeen say 1545 so left London 1415. So he has been told to fuck off by 2 pm absolute latest. So either he was - almost incredibly - deprived of the chance of final words with his grandmother, or everyone involved knew she was dead by then anyway (and it is still a jawdropping bit of petty shittiness).
We are straight into a Royal crisis when people cotton on to this.
Unwise to assume that a lot of speculation in a newspaper report resembles the facts.
A small voice in my head is worrying though whether Putin does something insane if he fears he is losing? Let's hope not.
Yes, of course, that is the fear
But you can’t fight a war based on fears like that. Because that way Putin can get anything he wants just with the threat, and we will never be rid of this scourge
We have to pray that saner voices in Russia, or perhaps the Chinese, sort him out
A small voice in my head is worrying though whether Putin does something insane if he fears he is losing? Let's hope not.
Yes, of course, that is the fear
But you can’t fight a war based on fears like that. Because that way Putin can get anything he wants just with the threat, and we will never be rid of this scourge
We have to pray that saner voices in Russia, or perhaps the Chinese, sort him out
After an amazing 24 hours, things seem to be moving ever faster. If the Ukrainians take Donetsk airport, then the city itself may also fall quickly. It would be good to see Shakhtar playing at home again.
I must admit, this "hope" after so long a time of fear and doubt is a powerful feeling. What an incredible performance from the brave Ukrainian armed forces.
The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians. Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine, and we, too, brothers, we'll live happily in our land.
We’ll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom and we’ll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin.
What was weirder was their stance that there would be no point in even trying to defeat or hold off Russia, so just end things now.
It's quite possible for someone to win militarily but at such cost they cannot hold onto their gains, and so well worth resisting.
Rather gave the game away about their real concerns.
I think it's fair to say that Dura Ace has utterly humiliated himself on this front. His "expert" military analysis has proven comprehensively and embarrassingly wrong at virtually every stage, from pea-shooter NLAWs on
He should stick to driving like a Count with nothing to lose
I think Dura Ace has plenty to contribute given experience, but when people were hanging on his every word of analysis they missed one of his own comments that he should not be regarded as talking gospel about such matters. A more pessimistic analysis may well be needed against general optimism, but as we've seen for at least the last week, sometimes good news does happen.
If the Russian rout continues, then Biden could well come out smelling of roses, while the Trumpists have rather a lot of egg on their faces.
If I'm honest, I didn't believe they could win either, although I admired the courage and determination the Ukrainians were showing.
I shall be incredibly happy if I am proven completely wrong.
I thought it would grind into a stalemate, before a Ukranian spring offensive. It may still do so of course.
That is also what General Lord Dannett thought would happen in a talk of his I attended in early July. So if you are happily wrong, you are in good company.
If the Russian rout continues, then Biden could well come out smelling of roses, while the Trumpists have rather a lot of egg on their faces.
If I'm honest, I didn't believe they could win either, although I admired the courage and determination the Ukrainians were showing.
I shall be incredibly happy if I am proven completely wrong.
The point here is to try and avoid making predictions, unless they are based on some kind of professional knowledge, insight and expertise. Even then, such predictions are always going to be a hostage to fortune, so unless you are extremely certain, they should be caveated.
Comments
No doubt heads will be rolling at the Kremlin soon. Shoigu must be done for?
Full reversal, including Crimea.
It's more, never wanted to be here in the first place.
'They're all black mate'
https://twitter.com/hiyol92/status/1568588272418553856?s=20&t=OaqWtOUoKab3pyG1qACGgg
Given the tendency for the new state schools to default to C of S, the RCs and Piskies therefore obtained their own state funded schools (or their existing schools got state funding, whatever). So we ended up in the situation where state schools tended to be either default Presbyterian or full on Episc. or RC. In recent decades the non-Ep, non-RC 'default' schools have become much less Christian and more secular, so we have a de facto choice of secular vs EC vs RC (and possibly one or two others, not sure).
The musical Wicked observed two minutes’ silence before the start, as a mark of respect, followed by the opening line.
“Good news, she’s dead.”
@rogerdamus ?
It isn't even close.
Whatever one thinks of Starmer and Labour's chances, I haven't detected one whiff of complacency from Starmer. Quite the opposite, in fact - he's the epitome of zero complacency, as evidenced by his grim determination to nullify every potential Tory attack line.
A change in government in Georgia would make things particularly uncomfortable for South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Nope, wrong again. It did look as if it was cutting back in.
Isn’t that where the phrase “bug out” originated ?
(edit) originated a bit earlier, but Korea is where it came into widespread use.
…. Ostriches
It is an old tradition in many parts of Europe - and subsequently exported to other parts of the world - to inform the bees of any significant events in the household, not just deaths but also marriages and births.
But deaths are the most important and there are many fine stories and poems written around the tradition of 'Telling the Bees'.
Izyum liberated (49.178222, 37.276340)
(@geoconfirmed)
https://twitter.com/zcjbrooker/status/1568605056496181249
EdIt : maybe time to think about resurecting this - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/T249_Vigilante
Reversed in hours.
* Duke of Cornwall swaps turds with the Earl Marshal, in a tradition dating back to Agincourt, or
* Lord Chamberlain wears his oldest servant's unwashed underwear on his head as he recites lines from the Book of Revelations in the direction of the Palace mousehouse.
Do it right, and Tory monarchists will praise it. They will say that such "traditions" make Britain a country that is so much finer than all the foreign countries. Some will refer to Chesterton's fence. They will sneer that only Kremlin-paid dirty oiks in the IRA who shop at Aldi's and don't deserve to get health treatment if they fall ill would think any differently. "Ignorant" - that's what any person who scoffs at this anthropologically wholly healthy and species-enriching behaviour is. That's obvious! Obvious once you have the sophistication and culture to approve of it!
There's gotta be scope to pull something like this. Some Tories are watching blokes dressed in mediaeval tabards on their TV sets and blubbing and saying they're living through such an important moment in history. They say this openly. They boast about it. They're half cracking up over it.
Time to strike!
Cricket got it spot on today with the tone.
https://twitter.com/benstokes38/status/1568169569058963457
Forward and back,
Went drearily singing the chore-girl small,
Draping each hive with a shred of black.
Trembling, I listened: the summer sun
Had the chill of snow;
For I knew she was telling the bees of one
Gone on the journey we all must go!
Then I said to myself, “My Mary weeps
For the dead to-day:
Haply her blind old grandsire sleeps
The fret and the pain of his age away.”
But her dog whined low; on the doorway sill,
With his cane to his chin,
The old man sat; and the chore-girl still
Sung to the bees stealing out and in.
And the song she was singing ever since
In my ear sounds on:—
“Stay at home, pretty bees, fly not hence!
Mistress Mary is dead and gone!”
Matt Zarb-Cousin
@mattzarb
Not sure when it became blasphemous to argue Ukraine can’t defeat a global nuclear superpower??
https://twitter.com/mattzarb/status/1554942022607314945
https://twitter.com/Igor_from_Kyiv_/status/1568338010034343938
You do come across like a really oafish 6 year old phatboi trying his best to spoil the smaller childrens' Christmas. Save it: we already know he's not real.
Which would be misunderstood by a certain person, due to a lack of security in this area, and lead to a nuclear war.
@shaunwalker7
·
1h
Syrski, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, runs Ukrainian flag-raising ceremony in Balakliia (vid via Vertikal telegram channel). Amazing.
https://twitter.com/shaunwalker7/status/1568589151997464577
I suspect Jennings will be back for Pakistan, but I've no idea who will partner him.
https://www.hameaualbert.fr/en/traditional-restaurant
Cowabunga !
Russia ‘regrouping’, yeah sure. They will be lucky to come out of this in the same position they went into it.
In that case partner him with Rory Burns
It's quite possible for someone to win militarily but at such cost they cannot hold onto their gains, and so well worth resisting.
Rather gave the game away about their real concerns.
@maryilyushina
·
48m
Members and “volunteers” of Russia-installed admin in Kharkiv are fleeing back to Russia. United Russia party in charge of them said they are evacuating from Balakliya, Izyum, Volchansk to border with Belgorod region due to 🇺🇦 counteroffensive. I guess there goes the referendum…
https://twitter.com/maryilyushina/status/1568600965108092929
https://twitter.com/anonopsse/status/1568603651664478208?s=21&t=8VluIRM0iw8w_22sOnQSPw
The war could end before tea at the Test
Tucker: By any actual reality based measure, Vladimir Putin is not losing the war in Ukraine. He is winning the war in Ukraine (30th August)
https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1564408136378843136?t=R6KZ8A3PHxXY5hBOuK5iWg&s=19
If the Russian rout continues, then Biden could well come out smelling of roses, while the Trumpists have rather a lot of egg on their faces.
I shall be incredibly happy if I am proven completely wrong.
Which was, interestingly the position the same people took in the Yugoslav wars when the Serbs started losing. Serb war crimes hadn’t been a concern, of course….
All the Russian Occupation admin will now collapse, even before the military, as who would want to be caught by the vengeful Ukes, as an active collaborator? Why take the chance? Why rely on this shit army to protect you?
Many people have been murdered, raped, tortured, slaughtered. There will be reprisals. There will be lynchings
In that scenario you would run for your life
Issue for another day, chaps.
Of more interest is when the nuclear power plant gets evacuated of Russians.....
https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1568534648073977856?s=21&t=9s37TT2pe_wfMs1W-_TtnA
And if the Russian army has collapsed entirely, we will all laugh...
https://twitter.com/NadiaDobryanska/status/1568571617357225984?t=TjRrXQwAIHIWkf9NaWWLvQ&s=09
A small voice in my head is worrying though whether Putin does something insane if he fears he is losing? Let's hope not.
He should stick to driving like a Count with nothing to lose
But you can’t fight a war based on fears like that. Because that way Putin can get anything he wants just with the threat, and we will never be rid of this scourge
We have to pray that saner voices in Russia, or perhaps the Chinese, sort him out
Strange times, eh? ;-)
https://www.cpac.ca/episode?id=441a0101-eca4-4e08-85ee-e593a2c07f88
I must admit, this "hope" after so long a time of fear and doubt is a powerful feeling. What an incredible performance from the brave Ukrainian armed forces.
The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine,
and we, too, brothers, we'll live happily in our land.
We’ll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom
and we’ll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin.
The point here is to try and avoid making predictions, unless they are based on some kind of professional knowledge, insight and expertise.
Even then, such predictions are always going to be a hostage to fortune, so unless you are extremely certain, they should be caveated.