Having seen Russian nationalist blogs and tweets on Ukraine over the last few months I think we face a category error, and on their terms Ukraine is indeed full of Nazis.
To an average Westerner the Nazis are the people who did the holocaust. The defining feature is racism, anti-semitism and genocide. To Russia, I’m increasingly convinced “Nazi” simply means someone from Europe who hates Russia. On that measure Ukrainian nationalists are Nazis.
Hence why a Russian nationalist can decry homosexuals and woke cuck Dems on the one hand and Ukrainian “Nazis” on the other.
Nazism for Russians is inextricably linked to the Nazi attempt to wipe Russia out by mass genocide. FWIW my Russian-born mother did regard Ukrainian nationalism as inextricably tainted by Nazism, because of Bandera's collaboration with the Germans during the war. She died 20 years ago but I've little doubt she'd have been cheering Putin on.
Conversely the atrocities committed by Stalin against Ukraine did make some Ukrainian nationalist leaders pro-Nazi as "the lesser evil who will free us", and that attitude has persisted among some to the present day (cf. Azov). It's all a long time ago, but these prejudices linger, especially outside the cosmopolitan cities.
There's no reason why a rational ex-Soviet Russian shouldn't regret Ukraine wanting to be separate, without supporting a war to prevent it, in the same way that we in England might regret a Scottish decision to go independent without wanting (pace HYUFD) to send tanks to Edinburgh. But if Scottish leaders had supported Hitler during the war it would complicate attitudes here too. The war is an atrocity, but both populations are haunted by the sins of past generations, and it's possible to oppose the war, support Ukraine's defence, and still not entirely accept the ultra-nationalists on either side.
I find this sort of comment rather distasteful at the current time. Talking about 'ultra-nationalists on either side' equates Ukrainians and Russians, when Ukrainian is being hammered by a state that is, in my opinion, fascist. The Ukrainian state, for all its faults, is not.
It is also utterly playing into Putin's hands. Ukrainians are not Nazis.
The chancellor is to fast track to today many billions of pounds worth of tax and spending measures from the debt plan, announcing them a fortnight earlier than expected.
It is the second time the date of further details have been brought forward, and it will be the latest in an abrupt series of U-turns on the policies announced in the mini-budget just over three weeks ago. Pulling the announcements forward from the planned 31 October date of the medium term fiscal strategy is designed to help reassure jittery markets before they open here this morning.
The announcement of the £18bn U-turn on corporation tax on Friday, and the firing of former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, did not calm rising UK government borrowing costs.
Yesterday, new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told the BBC that nothing was off the table. Announcements by lunchtime and then a statement to the House of Commons will see many billions more in reversals of policy, to plug a hole in borrowing forecasts worth tens of billions.
The delay of the plan to cut the basic rate of income tax to 19p in April is widely expected. The cut to National Insurance is expected to survive, as it has already very nearly passed through Parliament. More clarity on the extent of savings in public sector spending could also be on the cards.
The Treasury has just confirmed that the measures brought forward from the debt plan “will support fiscal sustainability”.
Markets will reopen shortly in the UK without support from Bank of England emergency purchases of government borrowing. This will be a key test. Today’s moves, which could amount to a significant fiscal event in and of itself, is designed to reinject market confidence.
There’s an aggressive information operations campaign for the Western audience related to nazism in Ukraine… this will soon be linked to a new Russian pretext related to terrorism… Putin had an interview last week and now 🇷🇺 is fighting “terrorism”…be ready for this. https://twitter.com/ivanastradner/status/1581647657126150144
Having seen Russian nationalist blogs and tweets on Ukraine over the last few months I think we face a category error, and on their terms Ukraine is indeed full of Nazis.
To an average Westerner the Nazis are the people who did the holocaust. The defining feature is racism, anti-semitism and genocide. To Russia, I’m increasingly convinced “Nazi” simply means someone from Europe who hates Russia. On that measure Ukrainian nationalists are Nazis.
Hence why a Russian nationalist can decry homosexuals and woke cuck Dems on the one hand and Ukrainian “Nazis” on the other.
Nazism for Russians is inextricably linked to the Nazi attempt to wipe Russia out by mass genocide. FWIW my Russian-born mother did regard Ukrainian nationalism as inextricably tainted by Nazism, because of Bandera's collaboration with the Germans during the war. She died 20 years ago but I've little doubt she'd have been cheering Putin on.
Conversely the atrocities committed by Stalin against Ukraine did make some Ukrainian nationalist leaders pro-Nazi as "the lesser evil who will free us", and that attitude has persisted among some to the present day (cf. Azov). It's all a long time ago, but these prejudices linger, especially outside the cosmopolitan cities.
There's no reason why a rational ex-Soviet Russian shouldn't regret Ukraine wanting to be separate, without supporting a war to prevent it, in the same way that we in England might regret a Scottish decision to go independent without wanting (pace HYUFD) to send tanks to Edinburgh. But if Scottish leaders had supported Hitler during the war it would complicate attitudes here too. The war is an atrocity, but both populations are haunted by the sins of past generations, and it's possible to oppose the war, support Ukraine's defence, and still not entirely accept the ultra-nationalists on either side.
I find this sort of comment rather distasteful at the current time. Talking about 'ultra-nationalists on either side' equates Ukrainians and Russians, when Ukrainian is being hammered by a state that is, in my opinion, fascist. The Ukrainian state, for all its faults, is not.
It is also utterly playing into Putin's hands. Ukrainians are not Nazis.
It also ignores the fact that what is now Ukraine suffered a great deal more than what is now Russia at the hands of the Nazis. And proportionally many more Ukrainians fought and died against Hitler than did Russians. The attempt to “wipe Russia out by mass genocide” included Ukraine, of course. Every country occupied by Hitler - and especially those whose state institutions were destroyed - saw collaboration with the Nazis in the Holocaust.
What influence does Nick believe the “ultra nationalists” have on the government of Ukraine today ?
There’s an aggressive information operations campaign for the Western audience related to nazism in Ukraine… this will soon be linked to a new Russian pretext related to terrorism… Putin had an interview last week and now 🇷🇺 is fighting “terrorism”…be ready for this. https://twitter.com/ivanastradner/status/1581647657126150144
Witness Nick Palmer's comment earlier on this thread.
Archbishop of Canterbury takes aim at trickle-down economics
It isn't just Joe Biden taking a public view on Liz Truss's trickle-down economics (see 9.30pm).
The Most Rev Justin Welby, who made critical remarks while on a tour of Australia, said that if rich people have money they are more likely to save it than spend it.
He argued that a better way to generate spending in the economy would be to put more money into the pockets of those who need to buy food.
"In the UK, the priority is the cost of living, with the poorest," he told the Guardian. "And from aneconomics point of view, I’m deeply sceptical about trickle-down theory."
I always listen to old Etonians on fiscal matters.
bleating ninny.
Maybe the old fucker can start off by donating Lambeth Palace and the CoE pension fund to the poor
You don't like that he's said it, you don't think it's his place to interfere? Ok fair enough.
But what he's said is certainly true.
It probably is but I have a real problem with hypocrisy. There is plenty the CoE could be doing by example and leading but it's not. I find clergy who live in fine palaces and benefit from all the trappings of historical privilege pontificating about what's right and not right nauseating
Bishops should live in Palaces as befits their status in the realm, historically equivalent to peers of the realm, however unfortunately nowadays only a few like the Archbishops of York and Canterbury and Bath and Wells still do.
If we had more Bishops' Palaces again, we might have more high Tory Bishops again
Why should Bishops live in Palaces and at the same time claim to help the poor
Hypocrisy from them and the church in spades
Protestant Catholic split here in spades.
Big G is clearly very low church
You have no idea of my faith but certainly the wealth of the COE is in direct conflict with not only the way their staff live ( Bishops etc) but also the way they claim to be on the side of the poor
No it isn't, the average Bishop earns about £40k, the average vicar about £25k and they don't even have the grand Bishops Palaces and Vicars Rectories they did 100 years ago either
You completely miss the point
It is nothing to do with how much each individual earns but the hypocrisy of the church and their staff
Why? They aren't millionaires
The wealth of the church is obscene and it is utter hypocrisy for their staff to preach for the poor while living in Palaces etc
The opposite, not enough Bishops now live in Palaces.
You can put “More palaces for bishops, now!” in your next ward leaflet, next time “Bigger bonuses for bankers!”
Reflecting a little further on Liz Truss’s predicament.
The thing that gets me is…. I don’t think she realised she was playing poker with the bond market. It’s not that she gambled and lost. She didn’t even realise the risk she was taking.
That’s astonishing ineptitude.
There was a story somewhere that said her advisors at the IEA thought the markets would reward them for cutting taxes
Yet some at least of the hedge fund managers, with whom Kwarteng rushed off to celebrate straight after his speech, made big money from shorting the £!
“Congratulations, my dear friend Kwasi….now please excuse me while I make a quick call”
There’s an aggressive information operations campaign for the Western audience related to nazism in Ukraine… this will soon be linked to a new Russian pretext related to terrorism… Putin had an interview last week and now 🇷🇺 is fighting “terrorism”…be ready for this. https://twitter.com/ivanastradner/status/1581647657126150144
Witness Nick Palmer's comment earlier on this thread.
I appreciate that saying anything that might give succour to Putin is deeply undesirable at the moment.
But accusing Nick Palmer of following a pro-Putin line isn't on. At all.
His take appears to be based on family lore - the Germans were responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians in the Soviet Union, so it is unsurprising that Bandera is an Oliver Cromwell style bogeyman. (Just because Putin uses the war as Russia's foundation myth doesn't mean it didn't happen).
Hopefully we'll be able to discuss Ukraine's idiosyncrasies without being accused of being shills once we return to some sort of status quo.
There’s an aggressive information operations campaign for the Western audience related to nazism in Ukraine… this will soon be linked to a new Russian pretext related to terrorism… Putin had an interview last week and now 🇷🇺 is fighting “terrorism”…be ready for this. https://twitter.com/ivanastradner/status/1581647657126150144
Witness Nick Palmer's comment earlier on this thread.
I appreciate that saying anything that might give succour to Putin is deeply undesirable at the moment.
But accusing Nick Palmer of following a pro-Putin line isn't on. At all.
His take appears to be based on family lore - the Germans were responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians in the Soviet Union, so it is unsurprising that Bandera is an Oliver Cromwell style bogeyman. (Just because Putin uses the war as Russia's foundation myth doesn't mean it didn't happen).
Hopefully we'll be able to discuss Ukraine's idiosyncrasies without being accused of being shills once we return to some sort of status quo.
It's convenient how his lines have repeatedly been similar to Russian lines, though.
*) We shouldn't 'poke' Russia into invading Ukraine. *) We promised Russia no eastwards NATO expansion. *) Ukrainian NAZIs !!!! etc.
All bullshit, especially from an undoubtedly intelligent man.
Comments
It is also utterly playing into Putin's hands. Ukrainians are not Nazis.
Hunt to announce more mini-budget U-turns today
Faisal Islam
Economics editor
The chancellor is to fast track to today many billions of pounds worth of tax and spending measures from the debt plan, announcing them a fortnight earlier than expected.
It is the second time the date of further details have been brought forward, and it will be the latest in an abrupt series of U-turns on the policies announced in the mini-budget just over three weeks ago. Pulling the announcements forward from the planned 31 October date of the medium term fiscal strategy is designed to help reassure jittery markets before they open here this morning.
The announcement of the £18bn U-turn on corporation tax on Friday, and the firing of former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, did not calm rising UK government borrowing costs.
Yesterday, new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt told the BBC that nothing was off the table. Announcements by lunchtime and then a statement to the House of Commons will see many billions more in reversals of policy, to plug a hole in borrowing forecasts worth tens of billions.
The delay of the plan to cut the basic rate of income tax to 19p in April is widely expected. The cut to National Insurance is expected to survive, as it has already very nearly passed through Parliament. More clarity on the extent of savings in public sector spending could also be on the cards.
The Treasury has just confirmed that the measures brought forward from the debt plan “will support fiscal sustainability”.
Markets will reopen shortly in the UK without support from Bank of England emergency purchases of government borrowing. This will be a key test. Today’s moves, which could amount to a significant fiscal event in and of itself, is designed to reinject market confidence.
(BBC)
https://twitter.com/ivanastradner/status/1581647657126150144
https://twitter.com/AVindman/status/1581668528054095872
The attempt to “wipe Russia out by mass genocide” included Ukraine, of course.
Every country occupied by Hitler - and especially those whose state institutions were destroyed - saw collaboration with the Nazis in the Holocaust.
What influence does Nick believe the “ultra nationalists” have on the government of Ukraine today ?
“Congratulations, my dear friend Kwasi….now please excuse me while I make a quick call”
But accusing Nick Palmer of following a pro-Putin line isn't on. At all.
His take appears to be based on family lore - the Germans were responsible for the deaths of millions of civilians in the Soviet Union, so it is unsurprising that Bandera is an Oliver Cromwell style bogeyman. (Just because Putin uses the war as Russia's foundation myth doesn't mean it didn't happen).
Hopefully we'll be able to discuss Ukraine's idiosyncrasies without being accused of being shills once we return to some sort of status quo.
What on earth is he wearing???
*) We shouldn't 'poke' Russia into invading Ukraine.
*) We promised Russia no eastwards NATO expansion.
*) Ukrainian NAZIs !!!!
etc.
All bullshit, especially from an undoubtedly intelligent man.