Let’s stop this fetish over VI polling – these are the numbers that matter – politicalbetting.com
Comments
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I tend to agree with a lot of that, but the dimension of Russian motivation, particularly with regard to energy, does look somewhat more interesting to me, in the respects the author is heading toward in the article. Putin is often preoccupied with various off-centre strategies, either informational or economic.OnlyLivingBoy said:
Unlikely. China has $3 trillion of FX reserves, mostly in USD. The USD has been strengthening over the last year and will likely strengthen even more if the shooting starts, as it tends to in a risk-off environment. The sell-off in US Treasuries reflects the Fed pivoting to a more aggressive hiking cycle rather than anything China or Russia is up to. China certainly wants the RMB to play a bigger role as a global reserve currency alongside the USD, and both Russia and China want to weaken the US as a global power, but for China especially taking down the USD would be a self-destructive act, even if it were within their power to do it.WhisperingOracle said:Quite an interesting point of view here, which I suspect we might hear more of at least some aspects of as the weeks go on, and which considers this all as part of a co-ordinated Russian-Chinese attempt to dethrone the dollar as the world's reserve currency .
https://3circleinvestments.substack.com/p/russia-isnt-attacking-ukraine-they0 -
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?0 -
Am back briefly.
Anyone know if Leon did indeed board the flight back to a stormy UK this week? Or did he listen to his heart and stay out in his much-loved Sri Lanka?0 -
As someone unwisely encouraged me with a like, I’ll carry on.MoonRabbit said:
I agree with you Farooq! except it’s worse than you say. The naivety of our political class in how they allowed themselves to be groomed and accepted the dirty money of the Chinese and Russians now means it’s not being properly dealt with or exposed because none of them want the truth to come out. 🤬Farooq said:
Well done for spotting that this is an issue for both left and right.Aslan said:
100%. It just shows the level of hatred for the West that exists in pockets of left and right, that they bend over backwards to find ways to blame the West in what is a completely unambiguous case of Russian aggression. Parts of the left because they like to self identify as fighting the establishment, and parts of the right because they are angry the West is a less conservative society than in their idealized vision.JosiasJessop said:
Sorry Nick, but that's bullshit. Pure and absolute bullshit. I feel bad using such language against you, but it needs saying.NickPalmer said:
He is, and that needs to be very clearly seen as the main issue. But we are poking as well, and some of it is disingenuous and aimed at domestic headlines. Reserving the option to move missiles up to the Russian border (why?), insisting that we might want to bring a former part of the country into NATO (when we clearly are not going to), and issuing predictions of invasion every week for months are all unhelpful, and many patriotic Ukrainians are fed up with it (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/13/ukrainians-in-kyiv-shrug-off-threat-of-russian-invasion).Sean_F said:
The Ambassador would be unlikely to say that Russia would back down in the face of sanctions.Heathener said:The point about the West stoking up Putin is one I've made previously: poking the bear. It's not particularly smart.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10507761/Putin-doesnt-s-t-sanctions-Russian-ambassador-says-amid-Ukraine-invasion-fears.html
In Boris Johnson's case it would suit him if Russia invades. Remember: he will throw anyone or anything or any country under the bus if it helps save his skin. If you don't like this, you don't know Boris Johnson.
Putin is acting like a bully in this case. We are not the one's poking him.
This isn't to excuse Putin's sabre-rattling at all, and if it turns out to be worse than sabre-rattling, that will apply triply. But we have made the mistake many times of whipping up local fervour in a small country and then letting them down, and if we quietly reinforced Ukraine and made Nordstream completely and permanently dependent on no invasion, that would probably be more effective than the noisy public stuff.
Putin has invaded Ukraine twice - the first time capturing very valuable territory, and the second with his surrogates getting bogged down. Saying we are 'poking' them when they have this track record, and he has moved massive numbers of troops to the border, is ridiculous.
We have zero fault in this. The Russian supporters (or anti-western) people would see *anything* we said as 'poking'.
As for why we should support Ukraine,:
*) They got rid of their nukes in return international agreement for their protection.
*) The right to self-determination.
*) The Holodmor. Russia's behaviour wrt Ukraine has never been good (indeed, the same goes for other countries against Ukraine as well.)
Russia is the aggressor here. Save your ire for them.
Add to that the political links Russia tries to forge with all parties. Conservatives and Labour have definitely both unwisely accepted donations from Russian-linked people. Doubtless other parties have also been vulnerable to this, and nobody should be complacent about it.
What is it about the UK mindset, it couldn’t see the reason why Chinese and Russian soft power was tickling the back of the neck and giving a shoulder massage?
There is a huge story here the MSM (as Mike writes in header or LSM to be accurate) need to put their political bias aside and expose for us.
If the Libdems didn’t have an MP exposed as being in bed with a spy, you could think it would be them to campaign on how the other parties have succumbed to the relentless grooming inside and outside the lobby - but Libdems are suspiciously quiet too on this!
And we shouldn’t stop at China and Russia buying our democracy and political decision making - some MPs, through stop the war, have clearly got themselves far too close to some foreign causes unable to take balanced view on Palestine whilst other MPs may well have succumbed to the soft power of Saudi Arabia or Israel as examples (that’s what Priti Patel was sacked for lying about wasn’t it? whilst with FA change of mind on Newcastle deal, was there any political lobbying for them to change their mind?).
Strong on defence also means having democracy, elections and lobby system robust against interference from soft power! Unless you think I am wrong about that?1 -
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?0 -
Welcome back.Heathener said:Am back briefly.
Anyone know if Leon did indeed board the flight back to a stormy UK this week? Or did he listen to his heart and stay out in his much-loved Sri Lanka?
I don't know.
Strange question to come back for.1 -
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”7 -
Benpointer said:
Welcome back.Heathener said:Am back briefly.
Anyone know if Leon did indeed board the flight back to a stormy UK this week? Or did he listen to his heart and stay out in his much-loved Sri Lanka?
I don't know.
Strange question to come back for.
I confess that I don't spend all that long on here: just dip in and out. I was intrigued as to whether he might have gone with his heart and decided to stay out there.
We're in for a wild week of weather, especially second half, so brace yourselves not just for storms but also for an awful lot of complaining from the direction Camden Town.0 -
My fellow PBers let us all be thankful that OGH has rejected one particular fetish and he may further slim down others from his catalogue of Lib Dem vice and woes. 8
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Are the trolls and shills still spinning that the govt is competent, Boris is wonderful and Brexit is such a success that the EU will disintegrate in jealousy later this week?
1 -
Yes, and the Greek and Italian economies are about to collapse entirely, everyone's clamouring to leave, and the French and Germans have had enough of each other, etc etc, ad infinitum.Beibheirli_C said:Are the trolls and shills still spinning that the govt is competent, Boris is wonderful and Brexit is such a success that the EU will disintegrate in jealousy later this week?
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Imagine that oaf Lavrov in charge. Would be like Johnson only without the sense of humour.Farooq said:
Really interesting post, thank you.Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry, someone did ask me an interesting rhetorical question, namely "how much damage has already been done to the Putin regime ?"
The point is that Putin has given tacit approval to Kadyrov (the Chechen leader) to continue his murderous campaign against journalists and even his making threats to a former judge. https://cpj.org/2022/02/investigative-reporter-elena-milashina-flees-russia-after-threats-from-chechen-leader/
Meanwhile, there seems to be growing resistence to the idea of going into Ukraine from inside the Russian high command after the publication of a letter from retired General Ivashov who is the chairman of the All Russian officers assembly. In it he denies that NATO is a threat, that a war with Ukraine will destroy the standing of Russia and would be a criminal act, and he even calls on Putin to stand down.
http://ooc.su/news/obrashhenie_obshherossijskogo_oficerskogo_sobranija_k_prezidentu_i_grazhdanam_rossijskoj_federacii/2022-01-31-79-0-1 (in Russian, sorry).
So the evidence that Putin is in a trap of his own making is definitely growing. One model for thinking about the way the regime works is that instead of being a classic tyranny it is a power broking opreration between different mafia factions. However by letting Kadyrov persecute his enemies so brutally it has put two of the factions, Russian nationalists and Chechens at each other´s throats. The invasion of Ukraine could easily see a return of the "mothers" and significant protests if the war goes badly. I even heard someone who has just returned from Moscow suggest that Putin´s health might suddenly become "an issue" and there is slightly feverish talk of a possible coup.
So the short answer is that the regime is already under very heavy pressure. However the German sherpas, ahead of Scholz´s visit to Moscow are playing down expectations of any breakthrough. Nevertheless if the Kremlin does not take this last minute lifeline and actually enacts the detailed plans for an invasion that have been made public then I think that there is a real risk that the regime could face a terminal crisis within a matter of weeks or months.
It seems to me a coup in Russia wouldn't be ideal, but may be preferable to the status quo, depending on who seizes the reins. Of course, the ideal would be a pivot towards democracy but it doesn't feel likely.0 -
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
0 -
Indeed so. Our range of "Party Pies" have been a roaring success to a particular group. Full of the finest bullshit and only available to the scatty of the Conservative Party. It's a huge market !! ..ydoethur said:
Good to see you your Grace. I trust you are well and the pies continue to give satisfaction.JACK_W said:My fellow PBers let us all be thankful that OGH has rejected one particular fetish and he may further slim down others from his catalogue of Lib Dem vice and woes.
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Well, yes. Then @Malmesbury will make me Secretary of State for Education and I can fire the whole lot into the heart of the sun.Farooq said:
We can perhaps hope for a revolution then?ydoethur said:
Imagine that oaf Lavrov in charge. Would be like Johnson only without the sense of humour.Farooq said:
Really interesting post, thank you.Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry, someone did ask me an interesting rhetorical question, namely "how much damage has already been done to the Putin regime ?"
The point is that Putin has given tacit approval to Kadyrov (the Chechen leader) to continue his murderous campaign against journalists and even his making threats to a former judge. https://cpj.org/2022/02/investigative-reporter-elena-milashina-flees-russia-after-threats-from-chechen-leader/
Meanwhile, there seems to be growing resistence to the idea of going into Ukraine from inside the Russian high command after the publication of a letter from retired General Ivashov who is the chairman of the All Russian officers assembly. In it he denies that NATO is a threat, that a war with Ukraine will destroy the standing of Russia and would be a criminal act, and he even calls on Putin to stand down.
http://ooc.su/news/obrashhenie_obshherossijskogo_oficerskogo_sobranija_k_prezidentu_i_grazhdanam_rossijskoj_federacii/2022-01-31-79-0-1 (in Russian, sorry).
So the evidence that Putin is in a trap of his own making is definitely growing. One model for thinking about the way the regime works is that instead of being a classic tyranny it is a power broking opreration between different mafia factions. However by letting Kadyrov persecute his enemies so brutally it has put two of the factions, Russian nationalists and Chechens at each other´s throats. The invasion of Ukraine could easily see a return of the "mothers" and significant protests if the war goes badly. I even heard someone who has just returned from Moscow suggest that Putin´s health might suddenly become "an issue" and there is slightly feverish talk of a possible coup.
So the short answer is that the regime is already under very heavy pressure. However the German sherpas, ahead of Scholz´s visit to Moscow are playing down expectations of any breakthrough. Nevertheless if the Kremlin does not take this last minute lifeline and actually enacts the detailed plans for an invasion that have been made public then I think that there is a real risk that the regime could face a terminal crisis within a matter of weeks or months.
It seems to me a coup in Russia wouldn't be ideal, but may be preferable to the status quo, depending on who seizes the reins. Of course, the ideal would be a pivot towards democracy but it doesn't feel likely.
Also in Russia.
Unless somebody wants to make me a better offer.0 -
With an 'a' on the end? Don't other cultures have that too?MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.0 -
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.0 -
The Department for Education. That was the very specific deal we struck.Farooq said:
Wait, who is being fired into the heart of the sun? Teachers? The department for education? The youth of today?ydoethur said:
Well, yes. Then @Malmesbury will make me Secretary of State for Education and I can fire the whole lot into the heart of the sun.Farooq said:
We can perhaps hope for a revolution then?ydoethur said:
Imagine that oaf Lavrov in charge. Would be like Johnson only without the sense of humour.Farooq said:
Really interesting post, thank you.Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry, someone did ask me an interesting rhetorical question, namely "how much damage has already been done to the Putin regime ?"
The point is that Putin has given tacit approval to Kadyrov (the Chechen leader) to continue his murderous campaign against journalists and even his making threats to a former judge. https://cpj.org/2022/02/investigative-reporter-elena-milashina-flees-russia-after-threats-from-chechen-leader/
Meanwhile, there seems to be growing resistence to the idea of going into Ukraine from inside the Russian high command after the publication of a letter from retired General Ivashov who is the chairman of the All Russian officers assembly. In it he denies that NATO is a threat, that a war with Ukraine will destroy the standing of Russia and would be a criminal act, and he even calls on Putin to stand down.
http://ooc.su/news/obrashhenie_obshherossijskogo_oficerskogo_sobranija_k_prezidentu_i_grazhdanam_rossijskoj_federacii/2022-01-31-79-0-1 (in Russian, sorry).
So the evidence that Putin is in a trap of his own making is definitely growing. One model for thinking about the way the regime works is that instead of being a classic tyranny it is a power broking opreration between different mafia factions. However by letting Kadyrov persecute his enemies so brutally it has put two of the factions, Russian nationalists and Chechens at each other´s throats. The invasion of Ukraine could easily see a return of the "mothers" and significant protests if the war goes badly. I even heard someone who has just returned from Moscow suggest that Putin´s health might suddenly become "an issue" and there is slightly feverish talk of a possible coup.
So the short answer is that the regime is already under very heavy pressure. However the German sherpas, ahead of Scholz´s visit to Moscow are playing down expectations of any breakthrough. Nevertheless if the Kremlin does not take this last minute lifeline and actually enacts the detailed plans for an invasion that have been made public then I think that there is a real risk that the regime could face a terminal crisis within a matter of weeks or months.
It seems to me a coup in Russia wouldn't be ideal, but may be preferable to the status quo, depending on who seizes the reins. Of course, the ideal would be a pivot towards democracy but it doesn't feel likely.
Also in Russia.
Unless somebody wants to make me a better offer.
I need to know what I'm signing up for before I vote for Malmesbury's benign dictatorship.
Edit - and you don't exactly get 'votes' in dictatorships. Sometimes confirmatory ballots. But as we know, Malmesbury is one who does everything by the numbers.1 -
Natasha has to be one of the most beautiful names, especially if you pronounce it the Russian way with the emphasis heavily on the first syllable.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.2 -
Tatyana and Katya - two of the world's most beautiful names, I think.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.1 -
As always we exist here merely in hope of distinguished visits from your Grace. Not that we actually deserve any at all for our so many nefarious vices and Libdemisms. [insert curtsy emoji]JACK_W said:My fellow PBers let us all be thankful that OGH has rejected one particular fetish and he may further slim down others from his catalogue of Lib Dem vice and woes.
If anyone needs to surrender a fetish, I am more than happy to take it on for them, if it should be my burden, my only purpose here in PB metaverse. If you have any wearisome fetishes long passed usefulness, I would very much welcome the opportunity of relieving you of them, if it would make you happy, Your Grace.0 -
Her foreplay was checking foreskins? Kinky.Farooq said:
Potato was not "sensual".MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
Every time someone mentioned 9/11 she'd lean in and whisper "you know Israel did it?" Foot and mouth was Jews as well, if I recall. Those apartments that got blown up in Russia, when was that in about 2000?, that was a Zionist plot too.
A friend of mine slept with her, and he swears to us she checked he wasn't circumcised before, uh, proceeding. Absolutely barking mad.
What if he'd had phimosis?0 -
Evening all
Back in the real world....
Counting has started in the Castile & Leon regional election. Looking like a good night for PP with the party perhaps closer to a majority than the last polls suggested.
A very early projection has PP on 37 seats in the 81 seat regional Cortes, PSOE on 25 and VOX on 13 with 6 for other parties. I wonder if PP would like to do a deal with a minor party rather than have to go to VOX as it would leave options open for the national election next year.0 -
Er I'm fairly sure the stress is on the second syllable. It is of course a diminutive of Natalya.Peter_the_Punter said:
Natasha has to be one of the most beautiful names, especially if you pronounce it the Russian way with the emphasis heavily on the first syllable.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.0 -
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as Boris Johnson's successor?
https://twitter.com/PigsAndPolling/status/14929277811345571881 -
What does Tatyana mean?Farooq said:
Potato was not "sensual".MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
Every time someone mentioned 9/11 she'd lean in and whisper "you know Israel did it?" Foot and mouth was Jews as well, if I recall. Those apartments that got blown up in Russia, when was that in about 2000?, that was a Zionist plot too.
A friend of mine slept with her, and he swears to us she checked he wasn't circumcised before, uh, proceeding. Absolutely barking mad.
fairy queen
Origin
Russian
She is a Fairy Queen Farooq! 🧚🏼♀️0 -
The diminutive that always amused me was Janet, which actually has more letters and syllables than Jane even jf it's shorter overall.JohnLilburne said:
Er I'm fairly sure the stress is on the second syllable. It is of course a diminutive of Natalya.Peter_the_Punter said:
Natasha has to be one of the most beautiful names, especially if you pronounce it the Russian way with the emphasis heavily on the first syllable.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
Also confuses the hell out of many English teachers, who form elaborate theories about why Rochester calls Jane Eyre 'Janet' all the time, without realising it's an affectionate diminutive.0 -
EkatarinaWhisperingOracle said:
Tatyana and Katya - two of the world's most beautiful names, I think.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
As in Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Gringov.
Want to see something beautiful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmvGHYdCxTM
NB This clip is only for people who have a soul0 -
Like Sally, originally a diminutive of Sarah, it has made it all the way to being considered an independent name.ydoethur said:
The diminutive that always amused me was Janet, which actually has more letters and syllables than Jane even jf it's shorter overall.JohnLilburne said:
Er I'm fairly sure the stress is on the second syllable. It is of course a diminutive of Natalya.Peter_the_Punter said:
Natasha has to be one of the most beautiful names, especially if you pronounce it the Russian way with the emphasis heavily on the first syllable.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
Also confuses the hell out of many English teachers, who form elaborate theories about why Rochester calls Jane Eyre 'Janet' all the time, without realising it's an affectionate diminutive.1 -
Actually it's Sabine. Borrowed into Latin and popular in the East.MoonRabbit said:
What does Tatyana mean?Farooq said:
Potato was not "sensual".MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
Every time someone mentioned 9/11 she'd lean in and whisper "you know Israel did it?" Foot and mouth was Jews as well, if I recall. Those apartments that got blown up in Russia, when was that in about 2000?, that was a Zionist plot too.
A friend of mine slept with her, and he swears to us she checked he wasn't circumcised before, uh, proceeding. Absolutely barking mad.
fairy queen
Origin
Russian
She is a Fairy Queen Farooq! 🧚🏼♀️1 -
Interesting - if it pans out the PP will have exceeeded the polling by around 8 /9 points - indeed CIS - the national polling company had PSOE ahead as they do wrt national polling - so far out of line with the private polling companies that makes it really suspicious. On your substantive point I think at least one of the minor parties may get 2/3 seats which could take PP across the line. Interestingly it wil not be Citizens who have been obliterated.stodge said:Evening all
Back in the real world....
Counting has started in the Castile & Leon regional election. Looking like a good night for PP with the party perhaps closer to a majority than the last polls suggested.
A very early projection has PP on 37 seats in the 81 seat regional Cortes, PSOE on 25 and VOX on 13 with 6 for other parties. I wonder if PP would like to do a deal with a minor party rather than have to go to VOX as it would leave options open for the national election next year.0 -
Always makes me think of GoldeneyeJohnLilburne said:
It is of course a diminutive of Natalya.Peter_the_Punter said:
Natasha has to be one of the most beautiful names, especially if you pronounce it the Russian way with the emphasis heavily on the first syllable.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/Natalya_Simonova_(Izabella_Scorupco)
0 -
“Farooq is a common Arabic given and family name. Al-Fārūq literally means "the one who distinguishes between right and wrong."”Farooq said:
NA-tashaJohnLilburne said:
Er I'm fairly sure the stress is on the second syllable. It is of course a diminutive of Natalya.Peter_the_Punter said:
Natasha has to be one of the most beautiful names, especially if you pronounce it the Russian way with the emphasis heavily on the first syllable.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
na-TAH-sha
let's call the whole thing off.
But you are nearly always wrong Farooq! 🤷♀️0 -
The numbers are still pitching around as the votes are counted.felix said:
Interesting - if it pans out the PP will have exceeeded the polling by around 8 /9 points - indeed CIS - the national polling company had PSOE ahead as they do wrt national polling - so far out of line with the private polling companies that makes it really suspicious. On your substantive point I think at least one of the minor parties may get 2/3 seats which could take PP across the line. Interestingly it wil not be Citizens who have been obliterated.
With 20.5% counted, it's now PP 33, PSOE 26, VOX 14 and Others 8
It looks as though PP's options will either be a minority or a deal with VOX.0 -
Like others who've responded I think that's utter bullshit and this is all 100% Putin's responsibility. No equivocation.NickPalmer said:
He is, and that needs to be very clearly seen as the main issue. But we are poking as well, and some of it is disingenuous and aimed at domestic headlines. Reserving the option to move missiles up to the Russian border (why?), insisting that we might want to bring a former part of the country into NATO (when we clearly are not going to), and issuing predictions of invasion every week for months are all unhelpful, and many patriotic Ukrainians are fed up with it (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/13/ukrainians-in-kyiv-shrug-off-threat-of-russian-invasion).Sean_F said:
The Ambassador would be unlikely to say that Russia would back down in the face of sanctions.Heathener said:The point about the West stoking up Putin is one I've made previously: poking the bear. It's not particularly smart.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10507761/Putin-doesnt-s-t-sanctions-Russian-ambassador-says-amid-Ukraine-invasion-fears.html
In Boris Johnson's case it would suit him if Russia invades. Remember: he will throw anyone or anything or any country under the bus if it helps save his skin. If you don't like this, you don't know Boris Johnson.
Putin is acting like a bully in this case. We are not the one's poking him.
This isn't to excuse Putin's sabre-rattling at all, and if it turns out to be worse than sabre-rattling, that will apply triply. But we have made the mistake many times of whipping up local fervour in a small country and then letting them down, and if we quietly reinforced Ukraine and made Nordstream completely and permanently dependent on no invasion, that would probably be more effective than the noisy public stuff.
But I'm curious what you mean by "we might want to bring a former part of the country into NATO" - a former part of which country?
If you mean Crimea, that's still as far as we recognise it a part of Ukraine that's occupied by Russia it isn't a former anything, but I've not seen anyone propose that we invite Crimea into NATO.
If you mean former Soviet Republics being invited into NATO - if that is what they want, we should welcome them with open arms. Their decision and their free will. So long as they're willing to meet all relevant requirements and commitments of membership. But they're not a former part of any nation - unless like Putin seems to think, you view former Soviet Republics as errant former parts of Russia?2 -
Yes I just saw on the TV - closer to the main polling but still above most forecasts for the right and centre right - awful for Citizens and pretty poor for the socialists PSOE too. VOX have a clear foothold in Spanish politics but they remain a clear minority on the right.stodge said:
The numbers are still pitching around as the votes are counted.felix said:
Interesting - if it pans out the PP will have exceeeded the polling by around 8 /9 points - indeed CIS - the national polling company had PSOE ahead as they do wrt national polling - so far out of line with the private polling companies that makes it really suspicious. On your substantive point I think at least one of the minor parties may get 2/3 seats which could take PP across the line. Interestingly it wil not be Citizens who have been obliterated.
With 20.5% counted, it's now PP 33, PSOE 26, VOX 14 and Others 8
It looks as though PP's options will either be a minority or a deal with VOX.0 -
31% now counted - PP 33 PSOE 28 VOX 13 and others 7.felix said:
Yes I just saw on the TV - closer to the main polling but still above most forecasts for the right and centre right - awful for Citizens and pretty poor for the socialists PSOE too. VOX have a clear foothold in Spanish politics but they remain a clear minority on the right.stodge said:
The numbers are still pitching around as the votes are counted.felix said:
Interesting - if it pans out the PP will have exceeeded the polling by around 8 /9 points - indeed CIS - the national polling company had PSOE ahead as they do wrt national polling - so far out of line with the private polling companies that makes it really suspicious. On your substantive point I think at least one of the minor parties may get 2/3 seats which could take PP across the line. Interestingly it wil not be Citizens who have been obliterated.
With 20.5% counted, it's now PP 33, PSOE 26, VOX 14 and Others 8
It looks as though PP's options will either be a minority or a deal with VOX.0 -
I have to inform you that fetishes do not exist within the Scottish aristocracy, as any such behaviour is entirely normal and accordingly would be of no use to you as a seasoned practitioner.MoonRabbit said:
As always we exist here merely in hope of distinguished visits from your Grace. Not that we actually deserve any at all for our so many nefarious vices and Libdemisms. [insert curtsy emoji]JACK_W said:My fellow PBers let us all be thankful that OGH has rejected one particular fetish and he may further slim down others from his catalogue of Lib Dem vice and woes.
If anyone needs to surrender a fetish, I am more than happy to take it on for them, if it should be my burden, my only purpose here in PB metaverse. If you have any wearisome fetishes long passed usefulness, I would very much welcome the opportunity of relieving you of them, if it would make you happy, Your Grace.
1 -
The province of Valladolid is interesting - it's where teachers say the best Spanish is spoken - the poshest if you will - and I notice the almost total dominance of the right wing parties there.stodge said:
31% now counted - PP 33 PSOE 28 VOX 13 and others 7.felix said:
Yes I just saw on the TV - closer to the main polling but still above most forecasts for the right and centre right - awful for Citizens and pretty poor for the socialists PSOE too. VOX have a clear foothold in Spanish politics but they remain a clear minority on the right.stodge said:
The numbers are still pitching around as the votes are counted.felix said:
Interesting - if it pans out the PP will have exceeeded the polling by around 8 /9 points - indeed CIS - the national polling company had PSOE ahead as they do wrt national polling - so far out of line with the private polling companies that makes it really suspicious. On your substantive point I think at least one of the minor parties may get 2/3 seats which could take PP across the line. Interestingly it wil not be Citizens who have been obliterated.
With 20.5% counted, it's now PP 33, PSOE 26, VOX 14 and Others 8
It looks as though PP's options will either be a minority or a deal with VOX.
EDIT: Ooops misread the table - more like 50/50 left and right!0 -
Hard to imagine ice dance any more perfect than that. It was beautiful.Heathener said:
EkatarinaWhisperingOracle said:
Tatyana and Katya - two of the world's most beautiful names, I think.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
As in Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Gringov.
Want to see something beautiful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmvGHYdCxTM
NB This clip is only for people who have a soul
If anyone has lost their soul, this should help them find it.0 -
.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia0
-
Very well said your Grace.JACK_W said:
I have to inform you that fetishes do not exist within the Scottish aristocracy, as any such behaviour is entirely normal and accordingly would be of no use to you as a seasoned practitioner.MoonRabbit said:
As always we exist here merely in hope of distinguished visits from your Grace. Not that we actually deserve any at all for our so many nefarious vices and Libdemisms. [insert curtsy emoji]JACK_W said:My fellow PBers let us all be thankful that OGH has rejected one particular fetish and he may further slim down others from his catalogue of Lib Dem vice and woes.
If anyone needs to surrender a fetish, I am more than happy to take it on for them, if it should be my burden, my only purpose here in PB metaverse. If you have any wearisome fetishes long passed usefulness, I would very much welcome the opportunity of relieving you of them, if it would make you happy, Your Grace.
I now shall busy myself ensuring all your posts have the requisite number of likes. [insert curtsy walking backwards through door emoticon]0 -
47% now counted - PP 32 PSOE 28 VOX 13 and others 8 so closer still to the final polls.felix said:
The province of Valladolid is interesting - it's where teachers say the best Spanish is spoken - the poshest if you will - and I notice the almost total dominance of the right wing parties there.stodge said:
31% now counted - PP 33 PSOE 28 VOX 13 and others 7.felix said:
Yes I just saw on the TV - closer to the main polling but still above most forecasts for the right and centre right - awful for Citizens and pretty poor for the socialists PSOE too. VOX have a clear foothold in Spanish politics but they remain a clear minority on the right.stodge said:
The numbers are still pitching around as the votes are counted.felix said:
Interesting - if it pans out the PP will have exceeeded the polling by around 8 /9 points - indeed CIS - the national polling company had PSOE ahead as they do wrt national polling - so far out of line with the private polling companies that makes it really suspicious. On your substantive point I think at least one of the minor parties may get 2/3 seats which could take PP across the line. Interestingly it wil not be Citizens who have been obliterated.
With 20.5% counted, it's now PP 33, PSOE 26, VOX 14 and Others 8
It looks as though PP's options will either be a minority or a deal with VOX.
EDIT: Ooops misread the table - more like 50/50 left and right!0 -
Will they be returning the money from Len McCluskey as well?Scott_xP said:.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia
4 -
What's the connection?ydoethur said:
Will they be returning the money from Len McCluskey as well?Scott_xP said:.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia
0 -
It was a joke about McCluskey's admiration for the Soviet Union.tlg86 said:
What's the connection?ydoethur said:
Will they be returning the money from Len McCluskey as well?Scott_xP said:.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia
0 -
Why would they give back money to Russia? Do Labour want them to invade poland as well?Scott_xP said:.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia
1 -
Oh, I see.ydoethur said:
It was a joke about McCluskey's admiration for the Soviet Union.tlg86 said:
What's the connection?ydoethur said:
Will they be returning the money from Len McCluskey as well?Scott_xP said:.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia
0 -
In pure ice dance, this is still the best:MoonRabbit said:
Hard to imagine ice dance any more perfect than that. It was beautiful.Heathener said:
EkatarinaWhisperingOracle said:
Tatyana and Katya - two of the world's most beautiful names, I think.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
As in Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Gringov.
Want to see something beautiful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmvGHYdCxTM
NB This clip is only for people who have a soul
If anyone has lost their soul, this should help them find it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc-0BCSyWtc0 -
Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.1 -
It is, it must be one of the best preserved warships and it's brilliantly presented.MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.
Oh, sorry, did you mean the film?2 -
Sorry, I can't resist being a pedant, but they were a figure skating pair rather than ice dancers like Torvill and Dean.MoonRabbit said:
Hard to imagine ice dance any more perfect than that. It was beautiful.Heathener said:
EkatarinaWhisperingOracle said:
Tatyana and Katya - two of the world's most beautiful names, I think.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
As in Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Gringov.
Want to see something beautiful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmvGHYdCxTM
NB This clip is only for people who have a soul
If anyone has lost their soul, this should help them find it.0 -
What are your Oscar tips Mark? I've been told that Benedict Cumberbatch has got best actor all but sewn up. Also @Roger, what are your best guesses?MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.
0 -
Strictly speaking, wearing an anachronistic WW2 colour scheme in view of its present 1950s refit configuration - but who worries? A coat of paint can easily be changed next time the maintenance schedule comes round. And there is so much on the ship to see, including the Admiralty Fire Control Table (gunnery analogue computer), artificers' workshop, engine rooms, and so on and so forth.ydoethur said:
It is, it must be one of the best preserved warships and it's brilliantly presented.MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.
Oh, sorry, did you mean the film?0 -
And as I recall, a galley made by the Carron Company, who used to make the "smashers" for Nelson's navyCarnyx said:
Strictly speaking, wearing an anachronistic WW2 colour scheme in view of its present 1950s refit configuration - but who worries? A coat of paint can easily be changed next time the maintenance schedule comes round. And there is so much on the ship to see, including the Admiralty Fire Control Table (gunnery analogue computer), artificers' workshop, engine rooms, and so on and so forth.ydoethur said:
It is, it must be one of the best preserved warships and it's brilliantly presented.MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.
Oh, sorry, did you mean the film?1 -
I don't get this false flag stuff. No one not an ally of Russia would believe it, and if they are they'd accept any pretext given anyway. These are the same people arguing NATO doing something 25 years ago is the escalation, not the build up of 100k troops.Gallowgate said:https://twitter.com/nolanwpeterson/status/1492912340072808448
A Ukrainian soldier on the Donbas front lines near Luhansk, with whom I’m in touch, reports that his unit's leaves have been cancelled & soldiers on leave have been recalled. His unit is under strict orders to obey the ceasefire and not shoot back “under any circumstances.”
“I think we are now in the final stages before the attack,” he said.
Overall, and based on other reports I'm receiving from Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian armed forces are quietly preparing their defenses while also being incredibly cautious about not giving Russia a false flag pretense for escalation.0 -
I've not seen many mentioning it but I'd like to see Encanto win one and I think Dos Orugitas is a good nominee for Best Original Song.MaxPB said:
What are your Oscar tips Mark? I've been told that Benedict Cumberbatch has got best actor all but sewn up. Also @Roger, what are your best guesses?MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.0 -
It is perhaps just a case that everyone has got wise to Russian tacticskle4 said:
I don't get this false flag stuff. No one not an ally of Russia would believe it, and if they are they'd accept any pretext given anyway. These are the same people arguing NATO doing something 25 years ago is the escalation, not the build up of 100k troops.Gallowgate said:https://twitter.com/nolanwpeterson/status/1492912340072808448
A Ukrainian soldier on the Donbas front lines near Luhansk, with whom I’m in touch, reports that his unit's leaves have been cancelled & soldiers on leave have been recalled. His unit is under strict orders to obey the ceasefire and not shoot back “under any circumstances.”
“I think we are now in the final stages before the attack,” he said.
Overall, and based on other reports I'm receiving from Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian armed forces are quietly preparing their defenses while also being incredibly cautious about not giving Russia a false flag pretense for escalation.0 -
In a way NATO [not] doing stuff has created the opportunity for Russia to do this.kle4 said:
I don't get this false flag stuff. No one not an ally of Russia would believe it, and if they are they'd accept any pretext given anyway. These are the same people arguing NATO doing something 25 years ago is the escalation, not the build up of 100k troops.Gallowgate said:https://twitter.com/nolanwpeterson/status/1492912340072808448
A Ukrainian soldier on the Donbas front lines near Luhansk, with whom I’m in touch, reports that his unit's leaves have been cancelled & soldiers on leave have been recalled. His unit is under strict orders to obey the ceasefire and not shoot back “under any circumstances.”
“I think we are now in the final stages before the attack,” he said.
Overall, and based on other reports I'm receiving from Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian armed forces are quietly preparing their defenses while also being incredibly cautious about not giving Russia a false flag pretense for escalation.
If there were tens of thousands of NATO troops stationed in Ukraine guaranteeing their freedom then Putin wouldn't dare attack.1 -
It would be for internal consumption - it forces people to play along. After all, you don’t want to accuse the great leader of lying now do you? Because that would be a very career / life limiting move...kle4 said:
I don't get this false flag stuff. No one not an ally of Russia would believe it, and if they are they'd accept any pretext given anyway. These are the same people arguing NATO doing something 25 years ago is the escalation, not the build up of 100k troops.Gallowgate said:https://twitter.com/nolanwpeterson/status/1492912340072808448
A Ukrainian soldier on the Donbas front lines near Luhansk, with whom I’m in touch, reports that his unit's leaves have been cancelled & soldiers on leave have been recalled. His unit is under strict orders to obey the ceasefire and not shoot back “under any circumstances.”
“I think we are now in the final stages before the attack,” he said.
Overall, and based on other reports I'm receiving from Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian armed forces are quietly preparing their defenses while also being incredibly cautious about not giving Russia a false flag pretense for escalation.
It works until it doesn’t of course.0 -
I agree with your main point - most strongly motivated behaviour only stops with the prospect hard consequences. However, you don't need to embellish that with dripping bile about personal stuff - that's just someone giving way to their visceral hatred of Russia, which is Anne Applebaum's fantasy, and shouldn't have any part in foreign policy. Always a mistake to hate your opponent.darkage said:
Her condemnation is as much of Germany, as it is of the UK. The west have been too soft. She is right that the Russians will only respect hard power and definitive actions. Russia has already invaded part of Ukraine with no significant consequence, and the west have already effectively said that they can invade more and we will do nothing. So it will eventually continue, until such point as they are met head on.Luckyguy1983 said:
So Anne Applebaum thinks that Liz Truss has control over energy supplies to Europe, schools in Switzerland, and *double checks* power over the sea. The woman is unhinged. Quite apart from the fact that what she's advocating is a foreign policy of flouncing around and pissing off your opponents for kicks, like an early Mussolini.darkage said:
You can tell a lot from the public theatre, and the continuous humiliation the UK has experienced over the last decade. This article (below) is very good.TimT said:
Unless you are still connected to the backroom negotiations, Nick, I am not sure you can state that there is no attempt to find an acceptable climb down. There is the public theatre, which has to be where it is at atm, and then there is the real behind-the-scenes diplomacy.NickPalmer said:
Sorry, but you're completely missing my point - as in a lot of dangerous situations, what we're seeing is people taking one side and not looking for a way through. I agree that Putin is the aggressor - whether he invades or not, but especially if he invades. I'm taking a sronger line than (I think) Biden, Johnson or Scholz on the concrete leverage of Nordstream, suggesting we should threaten *never* to authorise it if an invasion takes place. The current position appears to be that it won't be opened any time soon after an invasion, which is pathetic - you can guarantee it'll be quietly revisited after a year.JosiasJessop said:
Sorry Nick, but that's bullshit. Pure and absolute bullshit. I feel bad using such language against you, but it needs saying.NickPalmer said:
He is, and that needs to be very clearly seen as the main issue. But we are poking as well, and some of it is disingenuous and aimed at domestic headlines. Reserving the option to move missiles up to the Russian border (why?), insisting that we might want to bring a former part of the country into NATO (when we clearly are not going to), and issuing predictions of invasion every week for months are all unhelpful, and many patriotic Ukrainians are fed up with it (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/13/ukrainians-in-kyiv-shrug-off-threat-of-russian-invasion).Sean_F said:
The Ambassador would be unlikely to say that Russia would back down in the face of sanctions.Heathener said:The point about the West stoking up Putin is one I've made previously: poking the bear. It's not particularly smart.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10507761/Putin-doesnt-s-t-sanctions-Russian-ambassador-says-amid-Ukraine-invasion-fears.html
In Boris Johnson's case it would suit him if Russia invades. Remember: he will throw anyone or anything or any country under the bus if it helps save his skin. If you don't like this, you don't know Boris Johnson.
Putin is acting like a bully in this case. We are not the one's poking him.
This isn't to excuse Putin's sabre-rattling at all, and if it turns out to be worse than sabre-rattling, that will apply triply. But we have made the mistake many times of whipping up local fervour in a small country and then letting them down, and if we quietly reinforced Ukraine and made Nordstream completely and permanently dependent on no invasion, that would probably be more effective than the noisy public stuff.
Putin has invaded Ukraine twice - the first time capturing very valuable territory, and the second with his surrogates getting bogged down. Saying we are 'poking' them when they have this track record, and he has moved massive numbers of troops to the border, is ridiculous.
We have zero fault in this. The Russian supporters (or anti-western) people would see *anything* we said as 'poking'.
As for why we should support Ukraine,:
*) They got rid of their nukes in return international agreement for their protection.
*) The right to self-determination.
*) The Holodmor. Russia's behaviour wrt Ukraine has never been good (indeed, the same goes for other countries against Ukraine as well.)
Russia is the aggressor here. Save your ire for them.
What I'm saying, though, is that we're mostly not handling it well - 90 parts hysteria to 10 points actual help for Ukraine and 0 points willingness to consider whether there are reasonable ways to facilitate a climbdown. Flipping the above, simply agreeing to open Nordstream if he buggers off, and closing it permanently if he ever tries it on again would be the route I'd suggest.
I, for one, have no idea what that behind-the-scenes activity is, or where it stands.
"...the fact that Lavrov is disrespectful and disagreeable is old news... Truss should have known all of this. Instead of offering empty language about rules and values, she could have started the press conference like this:
Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen of the press. I am delighted to join you after meeting my Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. This time, we have not bothered to discuss treaties he won’t respect and promises he won’t keep. We have told him, instead, that an invasion of Ukraine will carry very, very high costs—higher than he has ever imagined. We are now planning to cut off Russian gas exports completely—Europe will find its energy supplies somewhere else. We are now preparing to assist the Ukrainian resistance, for a decade if need be. We are quadrupling our support for the Russian opposition, and for Russian media too. We want to make sure that Russians will start hearing the truth about this invasion, and as loudly as possible. And if you want to do regime change in Ukraine, we’ll get to work on regime change in Russia.
Truss, or Borrell before her, could have added just a touch of personal insult, in the style of Lavrov himself, and wondered out loud just how it is that Lavrov’s official salary pays for the lavish properties that his family makes use of in London. She could have listed the names of the many other Russian public servants who send their children to schools in Paris or Lugano. She could have announced that these children are now, all of them, on their way home, along with their parents: No more American School in Switzerland! No more pied-à-terres in Knightsbridge! No more Mediterranean yachts!"
https://www.anneapplebaum.com/2022/02/12/why-the-wests-diplomacy-with-russia-keeps-failing/0 -
93% counted in Castile & Leon - PP 31 (+2), PSOE 28 (-7), VOX 13 (+12), Others 9
Just listening to the VOX leader who seems to be suggesting PP need VOX more than VOX needs PP - interesting.0 -
Early on a Sunday morning, with Russia and its 100k army on the brink of invading Ukraine, I’m wondering where are all the anti war protesters in western capitals who hate imperialism so much? A striking absence of the present moment…
https://twitter.com/sbg1/status/1492833930353033217
Wanking off over their Vladimir Putin pin-up calendars would be my guess. Here's a round-up of the latest articles from the website of our old friends the Stop the War Coalition:
"Keir Starmer's cynical embrace of NATO is a sad sight indeed"
"Watch: No war in Ukraine, stop NATO expansion" (NB: title artfully imposed over map of Ukraine with Crimea removed - clearly the whole thing about stopping wars doesn't apply when they are started by Russia)
"Deceitful activities: US expands its intelligence and military presence in UK"
"Amnesty is right: Israel is an apartheid state"
These people are not entirely without valid arguments to make, but being the far left they ruin everything by being so blatantly in love with any autocracy, however cruel, however corrupt, on the face of the planet that does anything to oppose the US and its allies. If Russian tanks do roll into Ukraine then I don't think any of us should hold our breath waiting for them to hold one of their demos outside the Russian embassy. They'll just invent excuses to blame the West for everything. Ditto if Comrade Xi decides to have a pop at Taiwan.1 -
Our beloved Negative Nationalists would suck it up.....darkage said:
It is perhaps just a case that everyone has got wise to Russian tacticskle4 said:
I don't get this false flag stuff. No one not an ally of Russia would believe it, and if they are they'd accept any pretext given anyway. These are the same people arguing NATO doing something 25 years ago is the escalation, not the build up of 100k troops.Gallowgate said:https://twitter.com/nolanwpeterson/status/1492912340072808448
A Ukrainian soldier on the Donbas front lines near Luhansk, with whom I’m in touch, reports that his unit's leaves have been cancelled & soldiers on leave have been recalled. His unit is under strict orders to obey the ceasefire and not shoot back “under any circumstances.”
“I think we are now in the final stages before the attack,” he said.
Overall, and based on other reports I'm receiving from Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian armed forces are quietly preparing their defenses while also being incredibly cautious about not giving Russia a false flag pretense for escalation.0 -
Yes - this is airport novel fantasy diplomacy. In reality, being a arse in diplomatic negotiation is seen as being boorish and uncluttered.Luckyguy1983 said:
I agree with your main point - most strongly motivated behaviour only stops with the prospect hard consequences. However, you don't need to embellish that with dripping bile about personal stuff - that's just someone giving way to their visceral hatred of Russia, which is Anne Applebaum's fantasy, and shouldn't have any part in foreign policy. Always a mistake to hate your opponent.darkage said:
Her condemnation is as much of Germany, as it is of the UK. The west have been too soft. She is right that the Russians will only respect hard power and definitive actions. Russia has already invaded part of Ukraine with no significant consequence, and the west have already effectively said that they can invade more and we will do nothing. So it will eventually continue, until such point as they are met head on.Luckyguy1983 said:
So Anne Applebaum thinks that Liz Truss has control over energy supplies to Europe, schools in Switzerland, and *double checks* power over the sea. The woman is unhinged. Quite apart from the fact that what she's advocating is a foreign policy of flouncing around and pissing off your opponents for kicks, like an early Mussolini.darkage said:
You can tell a lot from the public theatre, and the continuous humiliation the UK has experienced over the last decade. This article (below) is very good.TimT said:
Unless you are still connected to the backroom negotiations, Nick, I am not sure you can state that there is no attempt to find an acceptable climb down. There is the public theatre, which has to be where it is at atm, and then there is the real behind-the-scenes diplomacy.NickPalmer said:
Sorry, but you're completely missing my point - as in a lot of dangerous situations, what we're seeing is people taking one side and not looking for a way through. I agree that Putin is the aggressor - whether he invades or not, but especially if he invades. I'm taking a sronger line than (I think) Biden, Johnson or Scholz on the concrete leverage of Nordstream, suggesting we should threaten *never* to authorise it if an invasion takes place. The current position appears to be that it won't be opened any time soon after an invasion, which is pathetic - you can guarantee it'll be quietly revisited after a year.JosiasJessop said:
Sorry Nick, but that's bullshit. Pure and absolute bullshit. I feel bad using such language against you, but it needs saying.NickPalmer said:
He is, and that needs to be very clearly seen as the main issue. But we are poking as well, and some of it is disingenuous and aimed at domestic headlines. Reserving the option to move missiles up to the Russian border (why?), insisting that we might want to bring a former part of the country into NATO (when we clearly are not going to), and issuing predictions of invasion every week for months are all unhelpful, and many patriotic Ukrainians are fed up with it (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/13/ukrainians-in-kyiv-shrug-off-threat-of-russian-invasion).Sean_F said:
The Ambassador would be unlikely to say that Russia would back down in the face of sanctions.Heathener said:The point about the West stoking up Putin is one I've made previously: poking the bear. It's not particularly smart.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10507761/Putin-doesnt-s-t-sanctions-Russian-ambassador-says-amid-Ukraine-invasion-fears.html
In Boris Johnson's case it would suit him if Russia invades. Remember: he will throw anyone or anything or any country under the bus if it helps save his skin. If you don't like this, you don't know Boris Johnson.
Putin is acting like a bully in this case. We are not the one's poking him.
This isn't to excuse Putin's sabre-rattling at all, and if it turns out to be worse than sabre-rattling, that will apply triply. But we have made the mistake many times of whipping up local fervour in a small country and then letting them down, and if we quietly reinforced Ukraine and made Nordstream completely and permanently dependent on no invasion, that would probably be more effective than the noisy public stuff.
Putin has invaded Ukraine twice - the first time capturing very valuable territory, and the second with his surrogates getting bogged down. Saying we are 'poking' them when they have this track record, and he has moved massive numbers of troops to the border, is ridiculous.
We have zero fault in this. The Russian supporters (or anti-western) people would see *anything* we said as 'poking'.
As for why we should support Ukraine,:
*) They got rid of their nukes in return international agreement for their protection.
*) The right to self-determination.
*) The Holodmor. Russia's behaviour wrt Ukraine has never been good (indeed, the same goes for other countries against Ukraine as well.)
Russia is the aggressor here. Save your ire for them.
What I'm saying, though, is that we're mostly not handling it well - 90 parts hysteria to 10 points actual help for Ukraine and 0 points willingness to consider whether there are reasonable ways to facilitate a climbdown. Flipping the above, simply agreeing to open Nordstream if he buggers off, and closing it permanently if he ever tries it on again would be the route I'd suggest.
I, for one, have no idea what that behind-the-scenes activity is, or where it stands.
"...the fact that Lavrov is disrespectful and disagreeable is old news... Truss should have known all of this. Instead of offering empty language about rules and values, she could have started the press conference like this:
Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen of the press. I am delighted to join you after meeting my Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. This time, we have not bothered to discuss treaties he won’t respect and promises he won’t keep. We have told him, instead, that an invasion of Ukraine will carry very, very high costs—higher than he has ever imagined. We are now planning to cut off Russian gas exports completely—Europe will find its energy supplies somewhere else. We are now preparing to assist the Ukrainian resistance, for a decade if need be. We are quadrupling our support for the Russian opposition, and for Russian media too. We want to make sure that Russians will start hearing the truth about this invasion, and as loudly as possible. And if you want to do regime change in Ukraine, we’ll get to work on regime change in Russia.
Truss, or Borrell before her, could have added just a touch of personal insult, in the style of Lavrov himself, and wondered out loud just how it is that Lavrov’s official salary pays for the lavish properties that his family makes use of in London. She could have listed the names of the many other Russian public servants who send their children to schools in Paris or Lugano. She could have announced that these children are now, all of them, on their way home, along with their parents: No more American School in Switzerland! No more pied-à-terres in Knightsbridge! No more Mediterranean yachts!"
https://www.anneapplebaum.com/2022/02/12/why-the-wests-diplomacy-with-russia-keeps-failing/1 -
Did mccluskey lend money to the tories?ydoethur said:
Will they be returning the money from Len McCluskey as well?Scott_xP said:.@UKLabour calls on @Conservatives to return money from donors linked to Russia @guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/06/labour-calls-on-tories-to-return-money-from-donors-linked-to-russia
2 -
I have seen very few of the movies this year. BAFTA have moved from a system of sending out DVD screeners to an online system this year - that has been quite a disaster. Our broadband speed is not able to cope (a common story).MaxPB said:
What are your Oscar tips Mark? I've been told that Benedict Cumberbatch has got best actor all but sewn up. Also @Roger, what are your best guesses?MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.0 -
It needs a new coat of paint.Carnyx said:
Strictly speaking, wearing an anachronistic WW2 colour scheme in view of its present 1950s refit configuration - but who worries? A coat of paint can easily be changed next time the maintenance schedule comes round. And there is so much on the ship to see, including the Admiralty Fire Control Table (gunnery analogue computer), artificers' workshop, engine rooms, and so on and so forth.ydoethur said:
It is, it must be one of the best preserved warships and it's brilliantly presented.MarqueeMark said:Just back from seeing Belfast.
Superb, I thought.
Oh, sorry, did you mean the film?
Which reminds me - must find that chap who was trying to build a Dreyer Mk1 in his garage,,,,1 -
I always love the summaries of the conversations between the leaders involved in the Russia-Ukraine stuff. Things like this, from the BBC article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60370541
"On Sunday, President Zelensky spoke for nearly an hour by phone with US President Joe Biden. The White House said President Biden reiterated US support for Ukraine, and that both leaders had agreed on "the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence".
Hopefully they spent an hour talking about more constructive things than "we support you" and "we keep trying diplomacy".1 -
has the nuclear clock moved closer to midnight with this Russian impending invasion?0
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UK cases by specimen date
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UK cases by specimen date scaled to 100K
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UK R
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Case summary
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Hospitals
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Deaths
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Age related data
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COVID Summary
- Cases down. R falling. R segmented by age falling, R falling in all regions, apart from Scotland & Wales - where it is level.
- Hospital admission down. R is solidly below 1
- MV beds down.
- In hospital down.
- Deaths down. A lot.
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The real test comes when he tries those lifts with Ann Widdecombewilliamglenn said:
In pure ice dance, this is still the best:MoonRabbit said:
Hard to imagine ice dance any more perfect than that. It was beautiful.Heathener said:
EkatarinaWhisperingOracle said:
Tatyana and Katya - two of the world's most beautiful names, I think.MoonRabbit said:
All those three are lovely. Tatyana is on the road to sounding sensual, if a playful sense.Farooq said:
I've known three Russian women. Olga, Vera, and Tatyana. I'll let you judge for yourself whether those names are "gorgeous".MoonRabbit said:
Don’t Russian girls have such gorgeous feminine names!Farooq said:
Plot twist: Alina and Natasha were regime stooges, and the aim of the questions was to help spread the idea that Crimea isn't Ukrainian as well. Putin's 6-dimensional judo is once again successful.MoonRabbit said:
Putin was visiting a school in Moscow to promote the nations power on the world wide stage.Sunil_Prasannan said:
It would be a Crime-ea to miss it!MoonRabbit said:
It seemed funnier when you done this gag yesterday.Sunil_Prasannan said:
Q. Who is Ukraine's entry for Eurovision this year?Cicero said:Although the main news in Tallinn is the selection of the Estonian Eurovision entry,
A. Crimea Wurst!
(I thank you!)
Are you here all week?
The children were allowed to ask questions before lunch.
Little Alina speaks up and says to Putin...
“I have two questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“And why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
Putin responds
“Good questions”
but before he can say anything else the bell goes and the kids go for lunch.
When they come back to the classroom, there is room for more questions.
Natasha speaks up to Putin,
“I have four questions”
“Why did Russia take Crimea?”
“Why are we sending troops to Ukraine?”
“Why did the bell go off 20 minutes early?”
“And where is Alina?”
Plot twist twist: Alina and Natasha both end up sent to Siberia anyway.
We used to call Tatyana "potato" behind her back. Don't feel bad for her, though. She was a raging antisemite.
As in Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Gringov.
Want to see something beautiful?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmvGHYdCxTM
NB This clip is only for people who have a soul
If anyone has lost their soul, this should help them find it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc-0BCSyWtc0
