Please mention that to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In fact, I would say that a fairly high proportion of student romances end in marriage/long term cohabitation - roughly 40% in my circle (although as I spent eight and a half years at university until I was approaching thirty, I appreciate my experience may be exceptional)!
Not to mention Ken Clarke and his other half (Caius and Newnham). Oh, and me and my other half of 22 years (same).
That's very nearly a statistic.
(My brief delurk after about 5 years is over. Back to the shadows for me.)
You can occasionally hear shades such as myself shuffling around, if you listen very carefully at around 4am when even the Nats and anti-Nats have collapsed into their cots.
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
Why do you think they're interested in sorting ISIS out?
Russia has enough trouble with Islamists from the Caucasus and Central Asia without ISIS spurring them on or providing recruits, then there is the Russian naval base in Syria that Russia would like to keep secure. It is definitely in Russia's interest to see ISIS defeated.
@RuthDavidsonMSP: This cannot be right. Surely to goodness someone in the captioning department has just won a bet. And lost their job. http://t.co/NDLYvXfyd0
Could it be that the Russians have taken the view that Isis is on its way down and that by getting involved now they can take the credit for its defeat. Putin is quite a clever game player
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
Why do you think they're interested in sorting ISIS out?
As in "they are and what do I think there reasons for doing so are" or (more likely) "They're not so why do I think they are?"
I read an article last week about it which suggested they were. I'll try and find it, hang on
EDIT: Here we are
This was the most brazen overseas military deployment by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. But it caught Nato off guard. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, we learnt of the Islamic State’s new caliphate — arguably the most important development in the region since the founding of Israel in 1948 — only when its leader announced the event on YouTube. Still, the question remains: why did the Russians move to guarantee Assad’s survival? The short answer is because the West’s Syrian strategy was in such disarray that Russia could expect Nato to look the other way.
Assad’s forces, long thought to be on the verge of collapse, meanwhile celebrated the bolstering of their military arsenal by bombing Islamic State targets in the north. Wave after wave of airstrikes hit their targets with previously unimaginable precision. Who could object to that? Senior Washington and London politicians, after years of repeating like a mantra that The Evil Dictator Assad Must Go Now, suddenly found themselves mumbling that, come to think of it, Assad does not need to go just yet after all. In fact, Nato should co-ordinate with Russia, in a renewed effort to destroy the Islamic State and stem the flow of refugees. Russia’s bluff played off."
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
'Except of course, there were still large numbers of non-voters in the marginals too, more than enough to win a lot of them if you got a decent percentage of them out on your side.'
Problem is that with Corbyn as leader the most likely non- voters that turnout will be not be voting for him.
Are any of their supporters happy that Labour's current position on Trident is to pay for it but to promise not to use it? If they are happy with that then they're stupider than I imagined possible.
No good asking Labour supporters, they've all gone mad.
Even that nice Dr Palmer has lost the plot...
Do you think any of them will even try to justify that position though? It would be most entertaining to read!
I wonder what "Tim" thinks about it?
Didn't he want to bomb the hell out of everyone most of the time? :^O
@RuthDavidsonMSP: This cannot be right. Surely to goodness someone in the captioning department has just won a bet. And lost their job. http://t.co/NDLYvXfyd0
I notice on all the maps of Syria they show four areas of control: Assad, ISIS, Kurds and "rebels". They don't distinguish between al-Nusra and the FSA. Presumably that's because the FSA don't actually hold any territory these days.
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
What threat did ISIS pose to residents of North East London?
I just like that someone is sorting them out... And that it's not us
North East London is one of the most likely places to find Homegrown ISIS mind you
Except Vlad isn't sorting out ISIS as such, but taking out Assad's other opponents. Still, if you're happy with to live with a false sense of security.
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
What threat did ISIS pose to residents of North East London?
I just like that someone is sorting them out... And that it's not us
North East London is one of the most likely places to find Homegrown ISIS mind you
Except Vlad isn't sorting out ISIS as such, but taking out Assad's other opponents. Still, if you're happy with to live with a false sense of security.
Haha just a minute ago you implied they posed no threat anyway, now it's a false sense of security! Make your mind up!
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
What threat did ISIS pose to residents of North East London?
I just like that someone is sorting them out... And that it's not us
North East London is one of the most likely places to find Homegrown ISIS mind you
Except Vlad isn't sorting out ISIS as such, but taking out Assad's other opponents. Still, if you're happy with to live with a false sense of security.
Haha just a minute ago you implied they posed no threat anyway, now it's a false sense of security! Make your mind up!
I'm not the one shaking like a shitting dog, and cowering behind the sofa!
From what you say, perhaps Vlad should start offensive operations in Walthamstow.
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
What threat did ISIS pose to residents of North East London?
I just like that someone is sorting them out... And that it's not us
North East London is one of the most likely places to find Homegrown ISIS mind you
Except Vlad isn't sorting out ISIS as such, but taking out Assad's other opponents. Still, if you're happy with to live with a false sense of security.
Haha just a minute ago you implied they posed no threat anyway, now it's a false sense of security! Make your mind up!
I'm not the one shaking like a shitting dog, and cowering behind the sofa!
From what you say, perhaps Vlad should start offensive operations in Walthamstow.
Who is?! I just said I feel safer knowing someone who takes no shit is sorting them out
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
BTW IIRC opinion polls during the pre-election campaign showed that the young weren't as enthusiastic about labour as they used to be. The BBC even ran a radio programme on it last year http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046kr4j
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
I quite like Russia doing it. Hopefully a lot of extremists will be killed and Russia will get the blowback.
Russia drops a few bombs and suddenly everyone jumps to their own conclusions.
The thing about Russia is that when they wage war then they wage war, nor an orchestrated ballet of manoeuvres of troops so hamstrung by politically correct edicts that the enemy have a good belly-laugh before slaughtering them.
BTW IIRC opinion polls during the pre-election campaign showed that the young weren't as enthusiastic about labour as they used to be. The BBC even ran a radio programme on it last year http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046kr4j
Labour had one of their biggest leads ever with the under-30s this year. But turnout was very low.
Just to say, it's not necessarily the case that a huge increase in young turnout would only favour Labour in their safe seats. Quite a lot of the southern marginals have VERY high young populations (Milton Keynes especially comes to mind).
I think Sean F posted a while back a report showing a lot of the big southern towns are demographically becoming a lot more like London (as young leftie graduates and ethnic minorities get priced out of London itself), which could theoretically be very good news for Labour.
Apart from a few areas like Brighton, where 2/3 seats are Labour or Green already, that is more the case in outer London where Labour did better than average at the election in marginal seats. Most of the Kent and Essex marginals still have far more elderly and white man van voters than young graduates and ethnic minorities
No, the report said much of the South was demographically trending towards being more multi-ethnic and younger on average - though it did single out Essex as an exception to that.
Seats like Reading and Stevenage and Milton Keynes maybe, seats like Chatham and Rochestor and Thanet probably not. Of course Essex differs between areas like Epping, Upminster, Hornchurch and Romford which are really outer London border and Southend and Braintree and Thurrock and Basildon, Colchestor and Chelmsford and Saffron Walden which may be less prone to change
Luton, Brighton and Hove, and Exeter are clear examples of a pro-Labour swing. Peterborough and Reading may head that way. Milton Keynes isn't heading that way. Stevenage almost looks like a safe Tory seat.
I didn't say Milton Keynes was trending Labour yet - but it (and quite a lot of other southern towns) is trending towards a more Labour-friendly demographic, which should show up in the election results sooner rather than later. The other side of the coin though is the more white and middle-aged/elderly Midlands towns will continue trending Tory - some of the old classic marginals like Tamworth and the Wrekin probably wouldn't even fall to Labour on a 1997-style landslide now.
Just to say, it's not necessarily the case that a huge increase in young turnout would only favour Labour in their safe seats. Quite a lot of the southern marginals have VERY high young populations (Milton Keynes especially comes to mind).
I think Sean F posted a while back a report showing a lot of the big southern towns are demographically becoming a lot more like London (as young leftie graduates and ethnic minorities get priced out of London itself), which could theoretically be very good news for Labour.
Apart from a few areas like Brighton, where 2/3 seats are Labour or Green already, that is more the case in outer London where Labour did better than average at the election in marginal seats. Most of the Kent and Essex marginals still have far more elderly and white man van voters than young graduates and ethnic minorities
No, the report said much of the South was demographically trending towards being more multi-ethnic and younger on average - though it did single out Essex as an exception to that.
Seats like Reading and Stevenage and Milton Keynes maybe, seats like Chatham and Rochestor and Thanet probably not. Of course Essex differs between areas like Epping, Upminster, Hornchurch and Romford which are really outer London border and Southend and Braintree and Thurrock and Basildon, Colchestor and Chelmsford and Saffron Walden which may be less prone to change
Luton, Brighton and Hove, and Exeter are clear examples of a pro-Labour swing. Peterborough and Reading may head that way. Milton Keynes isn't heading that way. Stevenage almost looks like a safe Tory seat.
I didn't say Milton Keynes was trending Labour yet - but it (and quite a lot of other southern towns) is trending towards a more Labour-friendly demographic, which should show up in the election results sooner rather than later. The other side of the coin though is the more white and middle-aged/elderly Midlands towns will continue trending Tory - some of the old classic marginals like Tamworth and the Wrekin probably wouldn't even fall to Labour on a 1997-style landslide now.
Yes and it is still the Midlands not Southern marginals which determine elections, even in 1997 the South remained Tory
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
I quite like Russia doing it. Hopefully a lot of extremists will be killed and Russia will get the blowback.
Russia drops a few bombs and suddenly everyone jumps to their own conclusions.
The thing about Russia is that when they wage war then they wage war, nor an orchestrated ballet of manoeuvres of troops so hamstrung by politically correct edicts that the enemy have a good belly-laugh before slaughtering them.
Russia are not waging war in Syria any more than the West are.
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
Whoever wrote that Spectator article needs to do some research.
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
Could it be that the Russians have taken the view that Isis is on its way down and that by getting involved now they can take the credit for its defeat. Putin is quite a clever game player
A bit like Russia bravely attacking Japan a week before the end of WWII and stealing the Kurils.
Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out
What threat did ISIS pose to residents of North East London?
I just like that someone is sorting them out... And that it's not us
North East London is one of the most likely places to find Homegrown ISIS mind you
All Vlad is doing is making sure Syria empties quicker. Prepare for many many more people fleeing to europe. Vlad helps Assad, europe gets more refugees causing more splits. Ukraine gets forgotten about.
If Corbyn's policies are science fiction, so is the belief that the UK deports anyone anymore. Once you're in, you're in.
Corbyn becoming PM will always remain a fiction though, whereas George and Dave have the rather more serious task of actually getting to grips with crap like this !
Could it be that the Russians have taken the view that Isis is on its way down and that by getting involved now they can take the credit for its defeat. Putin is quite a clever game player
A bit like Russia bravely attacking Japan a week before the end of WWII and stealing the Kurils.
Steady on - they did fight the Germans all the way from Moscow and Stalingrad to Berlin!
Just to say, it's not necessarily the case that a huge increase in young turnout would only favour Labour in their safe seats. Quite a lot of the southern marginals have VERY high young populations (Milton Keynes especially comes to mind).
I think Sean F posted a while back a report showing a lot of the big southern towns are demographically becoming a lot more like London (as young leftie graduates and ethnic minorities get priced out of London itself), which could theoretically be very good news for Labour.
Apart from a few areas like Brighton, where 2/3 seats are Labour or Green already, that is more the case in outer London where Labour did better than average at the election in marginal seats. Most of the Kent and Essex marginals still have far more elderly and white man van voters than young graduates and ethnic minorities
No, the report said much of the South was demographically trending towards being more multi-ethnic and younger on average - though it did single out Essex as an exception to that.
Seats like Reading and Stevenage and Milton Keynes maybe, seats like Chatham and Rochestor and Thanet probably not. Of course Essex differs between areas like Epping, Upminster, Hornchurch and Romford which are really outer London border and Southend and Braintree and Thurrock and Basildon, Colchestor and Chelmsford and Saffron Walden which may be less prone to change
Upminster, Hornchurch and Romford are in Greater London. Epping is in Essex.
We must get home! How could we stray like this? - So far from home, we know not where it is, - Only in some fair, apple-blossomy place Of children's faces - and the mother's face -
(...and so on, for about 12 verses...)
Creep back from the vain quest through endless strife To find not anywhere in all of life A happier happiness than blest us then... We must get home - we must get home again!
We must get home! How could we stray like this? - So far from home, we know not where it is, - Only in some fair, apple-blossomy place Of children's faces - and the mother's face -
(...and so on, for about 12 verses...)
Creep back from the vain quest through endless strife To find not anywhere in all of life A happier happiness than blest us then... We must get home - we must get home again!
We must get home! How could we stray like this? - So far from home, we know not where it is, - Only in some fair, apple-blossomy place Of children's faces - and the mother's face -
(...and so on, for about 12 verses...)
Creep back from the vain quest through endless strife To find not anywhere in all of life A happier happiness than blest us then... We must get home - we must get home again!
No doubt In honour of JohnO.
The poor guy is never going to be allowed to forget that one, is he?
We must get home! How could we stray like this? - So far from home, we know not where it is, - Only in some fair, apple-blossomy place Of children's faces - and the mother's face -
(...and so on, for about 12 verses...)
Creep back from the vain quest through endless strife To find not anywhere in all of life A happier happiness than blest us then... We must get home - we must get home again!
No doubt In honour of JohnO.
The poor guy is never going to be allowed to forget that one, is he?
As an act of PB comradeship and sympathy a short amnesty for JohnO might be considered during the first few weeks of Jezza's premiership ...
And in other news, looks like the Ruskies have been bombing the US-backed rebels rather than ISIS. "Urgent Talks" to happen between the two superpowers today.
And in other news, looks like the Ruskies have been bombing the US-backed rebels rather than ISIS. "Urgent Talks" to happen between the two superpowers today.
1) What do the Russians want out of this? What is their end game? 2) What do we want out of this? What is our end game?
Possible answers: 1) The Russians want a secure warm-water port at Tartus, more influence in the region via a puppet regime, and the relaxation of sanctions. 2) We want ... well, an end to IS, obviously. And for everyone to be jolly nice to one another.
It seems to me that Russian aims are far more focussed and achievable than ours.
Also: Russia will not want to inflame the situation with Islamic nutters too much. It has had massive problem in its mainly-Muslim regions (e.g. Chechnya), and even the US's failure in Afghanistan will not ease the Russian military's memory of their embarrassment in that same country twenty years earlier. Russia will be well aware - more than us - that the Muslim fighter is fanatical in the extreme, and all too willing to export that fanatacism to countries that attack it.
Expect Russia to do the minimum possible to achieve their aims, whilst letting others do the hard and really risky graft against IS.
Two very good questions, Mr Jessop. Both questions which it doesn’t appear anyone is answering, or even thinking about answering, least of all in the US.
Two very good questions, Mr Jessop. Both questions which it doesn’t appear anyone is answering, or even thinking about answering, least of all in the US.
I think the Russian end game is relatively clear. It's the western end game which is unclear and fuzzy, and has been since the vote not to bomb Assad and the conflict's further spread and complication.
From what Yokel and others are saying, it's clear that Russia doesn't have the military might in Syria to go anywhere near beating IS, and neither is it clear that they want to do that. (*) They're looking after their own interests, front, right, and centre. Unfortunately their interests do not necessarily coincide with our own fuzzy ones.
(*) And how exactly do we 'beat' IS? It is as much an idea as a state, and ideas are hard to destroy.
Interesting how language works isn't it. We have 'valuable allies in the war on terror' You have 'a puppet regime'
The neocons really are spinning hard here aren't they, desperately trying to suggest Russia are strenuously avoiding attacking jihadis whilst focusing all their efforts on some mysterious non-existent 'moderate rebels'. You can almost hear the cognitive dissonance from here.
The western endgame is fuzzy because it suits establishment interests for IsIs to win, but they obviously can't be seen to support that. The right wing transatlantic foreign policy establishment have never found an Islamic fundamentalist insurgency they don't prefer over a solid strong, secular, independent state.
And in other news, looks like the Ruskies have been bombing the US-backed rebels rather than ISIS. "Urgent Talks" to happen between the two superpowers today.
1) What do the Russians want out of this? What is their end game? 2) What do we want out of this? What is our end game?
Possible answers: 1) The Russians want a secure warm-water port at Tartus, more influence in the region via a puppet regime, and the relaxation of sanctions. 2) We want ... well, an end to IS, obviously. And for everyone to be jolly nice to one another.
It seems to me that Russian aims are far more focussed and achievable than ours.
Also: Russia will not want to inflame the situation with Islamic nutters too much. It has had massive problem in its mainly-Muslim regions (e.g. Chechnya), and even the US's failure in Afghanistan will not ease the Russian military's memory of their embarrassment in that same country twenty years earlier. Russia will be well aware - more than us - that the Muslim fighter is fanatical in the extreme, and all too willing to export that fanatacism to countries that attack it.
Expect Russia to do the minimum possible to achieve their aims, whilst letting others do the hard and really risky graft against IS.
I had a thought this morning about this. We all know that Putin is devious in the extreme and plays multi layered games. How about this bombing campaign has another function - to further destabilise the region and to stimulate even more people to leave Syria and look for refuge in the EU. This puts even more strain on the economic and political establishment in the EU, foments internal dispute, and diverts attention away from Ukraine.
There's so many sides to this one - residents, tourists, black cabbies, minicabs and the upstarts.
As a resident I want a roadworthy car with a non-criminal driver and an approved meter. As a tourist I want the above plus a driver who knows where he's going and isn't going to spend hours stuck in traffic As a black cabbie who studied for 3 years and spent 30k on a car, I'd be pretty peeved if anyone with a smartphone can call themselves a cabbie. As an existing minicab I want my company to be better equipped to compete with the upstart. As the upstart I want to ignore all the rules, or pretend they don't apply to me. One upstart in particular is being particularly sh1tty about ignoring rules.
The specific proposals mentioned seem designed to attack the upstart but in completely the wrong way - by attacking the things that the residents and tourists WANT from them.
A better approach would be to require commercial licences for drivers, regular inspections of vehicles and public liability insurance from companies operating cars for hire, then let the market work things out.
This doesn’t mean that more cannot be done to bolster our ownership society, and reverse the decline in home ownership, but Mr Corbyn’s mindset should terrify his supporters. He cannot comprehend that the UK is not merely a larger version of Islington North, his inner-London constituency, where just 28 per cent of householders own their own homes, two thirds don’t have a car and which has voted Labour continuously since 1935. It is home to vast numbers of poor people, a small number of wealthy residents, and not much of a middle class.
Interesting how language works isn't it. We have 'valuable allies in the war on terror' You have 'a puppet regime'
The neocons really are spinning hard here aren't they, desperately trying to suggest Russia are strenuously avoiding attacking jihadis whilst focusing all their efforts on some mysterious non-existent 'moderate rebels'. You can almost hear the cognitive dissonance from here.
The moderate rebels are non-existent only because they were all but wiped out following Miliband's treachery two years ago.
So go on: if you really are wise: what would your end game be for the UK wrt Syria and ISIS? How would you get there?
Comments
"Maybe a terrible thing to say, but I feel a bit safer knowing Russia are in Syria sorting ISIS out"
I guess we'll see a mass return of the headbangers from Birmingham now they look like facing the might of the Red army
http://t.co/NDLYvXfyd0
1. NATO weren't taken by surprise. Russian intent was communicated the West before the forces landed. Christ, I was able to post on here about the beginnings of those movements. You think if I knew NATO didn't? The writer needs to wise up. The West just sat on its hands.
2. Russian airpower has yet to attack any strategic IS areas at all.
3. The Syrian airforce have always been capable of launching short term intensive air attacks, but they cant sustain them at a high tempo for long and their resources are spread thin to cover all areas they need to at any one time. Secondly they are so bolstered that they are launching sea mines out of choppers.....
Assad's forces are severely degraded and the biggest area of degradation is good manpower. Bashar was on TV admitting it himself a few months back. 1000 Russian Marine Infantry are not going to change that and nor is 3 months.
4. What tanks are those? How many exactly?
'Except of course, there were still large numbers of non-voters in the marginals too, more than enough to win a lot of them if you got a decent percentage of them out on your side.'
Problem is that with Corbyn as leader the most likely non- voters that turnout will be not be voting for him.
https://twitter.com/RuthDavidsonMSP?lang=en-gb
Apparently it now features on his Wiki page
North East London is one of the most likely places to find Homegrown ISIS mind you
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Bradley
From what you say, perhaps Vlad should start offensive operations in Walthamstow.
But you might be onto something with Walthamstow
http://www.channel4.com/news/radical-british-muslims-islamic-state-caliphate-iraq-Syria
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/29/police-hunt-missing-mother-zahera-tariq-walthamstow-syria
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/12961985.Walthamstow_jihadi_promises_Western_coffee_and_chocolate_in_Isis_recruitment_drive/?ref=mr&lp=3
Haha you silly old fool
Haha
Have a werthers original and go to bed gramps xx
Vlad helps Assad, europe gets more refugees causing more splits. Ukraine gets forgotten about.
by James Whitcomb Riley
We must get home! How could we stray like this? -
So far from home, we know not where it is, -
Only in some fair, apple-blossomy place
Of children's faces - and the mother's face -
(...and so on, for about 12 verses...)
Creep back from the vain quest through endless strife
To find not anywhere in all of life
A happier happiness than blest us then...
We must get home - we must get home again!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11900853/Putin-request-for-use-of-Russian-troops-in-Syria-approved-live.html
1) What do the Russians want out of this? What is their end game?
2) What do we want out of this? What is our end game?
Possible answers:
1) The Russians want a secure warm-water port at Tartus, more influence in the region via a puppet regime, and the relaxation of sanctions.
2) We want ... well, an end to IS, obviously. And for everyone to be jolly nice to one another.
It seems to me that Russian aims are far more focussed and achievable than ours.
Also: Russia will not want to inflame the situation with Islamic nutters too much. It has had massive problem in its mainly-Muslim regions (e.g. Chechnya), and even the US's failure in Afghanistan will not ease the Russian military's memory of their embarrassment in that same country twenty years earlier. Russia will be well aware - more than us - that the Muslim fighter is fanatical in the extreme, and all too willing to export that fanatacism to countries that attack it.
Expect Russia to do the minimum possible to achieve their aims, whilst letting others do the hard and really risky graft against IS.
From what Yokel and others are saying, it's clear that Russia doesn't have the military might in Syria to go anywhere near beating IS, and neither is it clear that they want to do that. (*) They're looking after their own interests, front, right, and centre. Unfortunately their interests do not necessarily coincide with our own fuzzy ones.
(*) And how exactly do we 'beat' IS? It is as much an idea as a state, and ideas are hard to destroy.
We have 'valuable allies in the war on terror'
You have 'a puppet regime'
The neocons really are spinning hard here aren't they, desperately trying to suggest Russia are strenuously avoiding attacking jihadis whilst focusing all their efforts on some mysterious non-existent 'moderate rebels'. You can almost hear the cognitive dissonance from here.
The right wing transatlantic foreign policy establishment have never found an Islamic fundamentalist insurgency they don't prefer over a solid strong, secular, independent state.
Well quite!
There's none so blind as cannot see...the irony the irony...
As a resident I want a roadworthy car with a non-criminal driver and an approved meter.
As a tourist I want the above plus a driver who knows where he's going and isn't going to spend hours stuck in traffic
As a black cabbie who studied for 3 years and spent 30k on a car, I'd be pretty peeved if anyone with a smartphone can call themselves a cabbie.
As an existing minicab I want my company to be better equipped to compete with the upstart.
As the upstart I want to ignore all the rules, or pretend they don't apply to me. One upstart in particular is being particularly sh1tty about ignoring rules.
The specific proposals mentioned seem designed to attack the upstart but in completely the wrong way - by attacking the things that the residents and tourists WANT from them.
A better approach would be to require commercial licences for drivers, regular inspections of vehicles and public liability insurance from companies operating cars for hire, then let the market work things out.
Nimbys vote Tory too.
So go on: if you really are wise: what would your end game be for the UK wrt Syria and ISIS? How would you get there?