Pointing out that POTUS gets tongue-tied is hardly news, nor is it evidence of he's (to coin a phrase) a demented vegetable.
Are those who think this an especially cogent argument, themselves slightly soft in the head?
As for Patel, I stand corrected, neither she nor her parents were refugees thrown out of Uganda by Idi Amin. I was wrong on that point. Though perhaps the Home Sec has relatives who were refugees?
I was still totally wrong on THAT point. Mea culpa, and thanks to LG for pointing it my unforced error.
It wasn't me who pointed out the error er. Patel's second generation status. And my comments were not (for a change) a pop at Biden for being gaffe-prone - I was criticising his casual assumption that black people would automatically support him, and his irate response when they didn't, because your original post reminded me of that attitude. That's not a Biden thing, it's a common 'left of centre' in politics thing. The left's client groups are their client groups, and those who go off-message are particularly despised (Patel being no exception).
Apologies for my mixup re: Patel.
Am not going to defend Biden re: saying “[if you] have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black”. It was a stupid thing to say, but think he meant it more in sense that 45 was anti-Black, than all Blacks MUST be Democrats.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) chair of Congressional Black Caucus:
“I cringed, no question about that,” the South Carolina congressman said of Biden in an interview on “The View.”
But Clyburn chalked the remarks — which were rebuked by President Donald Trump, his GOP allies, and even fellow Democrats — up to a misstatement by Biden. Clyburn argued that everyone says things they don’t mean from time to time. “They come out a little bit wrong, and that's what happened here,” he said.
UK to provide world's best anti-air weapons to Ukraine. I wonder whether the Russian air force will ever really recover from the degradation in capability they will see over the next two weeks.
If they shoot down a few in the first 24 hrs with these new gizmos, won’t the Russians just go back to long range shelling instead? All a bit like modern war with aircraft carriers. Have there looking shiny but not dare risking them in the line of fire.
Its also worth pointing out that Starstreak has never been used in combat - as far as I am aware. Lots of people say nice things about it, but...
As President and co-founder of the Start The War Coalition, the outrage at the hospital shows why Putin must either end up in The Hague or get the Heydrich/Yamamoto treatment.
Stocks - Putin belongs in stocks. I'm planning ahead and practicing my pitching of rotten peaches.
I doubt it would end as it does for Jack Aubrey when he got a turn in the stocks.
Am I misremembering or did Surprise's crew turn out to intimidate any rock throwers? Perhaps Vlad would get similar from a team of KGB/FSBers.
It was more than the Surprise crew - IIRC it was every Navy sailor available, encouraged by their officers.
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
On a bight outlook - Brexit, covid, end of Putin. That's huge.
Looking less brightly.. Brexit, covid, pontifications of Putin. Hopeless!
Who knows.
Quite. But either way he gets a legacy. 100 years from now he’ll be discussed even if he went tomorrow. Not all PMs get that.
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
Omnium surely meant, a good legacy?
Yes, but whatever else he does that judgement will be shaped by views on Brexit only. For those that hate it, he’ll never redeem himself. For those that wanted it, they’ll always be grateful.
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
Omnium surely meant, a good legacy?
Yes, but whatever else he does that judgement will be shaped by views on Brexit only. For those that hate it, he’ll never redeem himself. For those that wanted it, they’ll always be grateful.
(I did mean that Boris would like a good legacy)
By having lots of Ukrainian babies, according to BigG?
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
On a bight outlook - Brexit, covid, end of Putin. That's huge.
Looking less brightly.. Brexit, covid, pontifications of Putin. Hopeless!
Who knows.
Quite. But either way he gets a legacy. 100 years from now he’ll be discussed even if he went tomorrow. Not all PMs get that.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
As President and co-founder of the Start The War Coalition, the outrage at the hospital shows why Putin must either end up in The Hague or get the Heydrich/Yamamoto treatment.
Stocks - Putin belongs in stocks. I'm planning ahead and practicing my pitching of rotten peaches.
I doubt it would end as it does for Jack Aubrey when he got a turn in the stocks.
Am I misremembering or did Surprise's crew turn out to intimidate any rock throwers? Perhaps Vlad would get similar from a team of KGB/FSBers.
It was more than the Surprise crew - IIRC it was every Navy sailor available, encouraged by their officers.
Ah, of course. Much of Russia's security forces seem to turn up when someone raises their voice so not dissimilar.
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
On a bight outlook - Brexit, covid, end of Putin. That's huge.
Looking less brightly.. Brexit, covid, pontifications of Putin. Hopeless!
Who knows.
Quite. But either way he gets a legacy. 100 years from now he’ll be discussed even if he went tomorrow. Not all PMs get that.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
If you think invading Kaliningrad is a good idea then he's got seven bridges to sell you.
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
You think that, if there is a World War Three, people will forget who started it?
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal low standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
On Topic, at the moment I couldn't care less who the next PM is.
On Ukraine, I find myself surprisingly in a hawkish position, in tune with Jack W. Putin only understands strength. The western response has been weakish. What is the difference between supplying stingers and manpads and supplying planes?
The scenes in places like Mariupol are inhuman. In Europe, in 2022. Putin is deliberately targeting hospitals. Same in Kharkiv and Sumy. And these are places where Russian Ukrainians live. Morally, we need to tell Putin this is unacceptable and will provoke a response.
UK to provide world's best anti-air weapons to Ukraine. I wonder whether the Russian air force will ever really recover from the degradation in capability they will see over the next two weeks.
If they shoot down a few in the first 24 hrs with these new gizmos, won’t the Russians just go back to long range shelling instead? All a bit like modern war with aircraft carriers. Have there looking shiny but not dare risking them in the line of fire.
Time for Zelensky to announce a 24 hour amnesty on Russian artillery troops for them to surrender or desert.
After the 24 hours there will be a bounty on their heads, they will be proactively targeted during and after the war and no quarter given in any engagement.
We need to send balloons or drones or something releasing millions of leaflets telling them to desert - or be captured and tried for war crimes. Tell them their air force is bombing maternity wards. During a ceasefire. Show them pictures. Dead babies and all.
"This could have been your child. Is this what you signed up for? Is this how Russia fights its war? Is this how you fight war? Come out now - or we must assume it is...."
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
Hold a plebiscite in the style of Napoleon. "Let them vote. My brother will count them".
When it comes back 126.2% in favour of being part of my principality, I will reluctancy accept the unDictatorship.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
I'm not sure, let me think about it.
Lebensraum might not be the best precedent.
Move all the Russians who want to to Russia and then hand it over to refugees from Hong Kong?
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
On a bight outlook - Brexit, covid, end of Putin. That's huge.
Looking less brightly.. Brexit, covid, pontifications of Putin. Hopeless!
Who knows.
Quite. But either way he gets a legacy. 100 years from now he’ll be discussed even if he went tomorrow. Not all PMs get that.
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
You think that, if there is a World War Three, people will forget who started it?
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Fair point. Maybe forget is the wrong word
What I mean, diminish the emotional importance of "who started it". Saving the entire world will be much much bigger
Putin certainly gives the impression of a man trying to torment the West into war
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
I'm not sure, let me think about it.
Lebensraum might not be the best precedent.
I should add that instinctively I agree with you on this and always have. The existence of the Kaliningrad oblast is something of a threat to the west,and more importantly, is untidy. But I don't have a good solution.
I don't want it to become received wisdom that Johnson has been saved by the war. He could still be ditched before the GE. I don't think so but he might be. It depends on the polls. Plus he might not have been ditched in any case. Lying to parliament, breaking Covid laws, generally being corrupt, this clearly isn't enough for Tory MPs. It would have depended on the polls. Common thread - the polls.
It almost seems bad taste discussing our party politics in the current situation but here is an idle thought. If Ukraine situation is resolved in next 12 months then Johnson will decide to go rather than risk being ousted or losing the election having decided he has enough for his 3 volume memoirs?
PMs want a legacy. Boris's jury is massively out.
On that note, surely Brexit alone (whether you love or hate it) gives him a meaningful place in the history books beyond most PMs? Both the referendum before he was in power and forcing the final act in 2019. I can’t imagine anything he might do will equal that for good or ill, short of a place in WW3.
Omnium surely meant, a good legacy?
Yes, but whatever else he does that judgement will be shaped by views on Brexit only. For those that hate it, he’ll never redeem himself. For those that wanted it, they’ll always be grateful.
(I did mean that Boris would like a good legacy)
By having lots of Ukrainian babies, according to BigG?
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
You think that, if there is a World War Three, people will forget who started it?
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Fair point. Maybe forget is the wrong word
What I mean, diminish the emotional importance of "who started it". Saving the entire world will be much much bigger
Putin certainly gives the impression of a man trying to torment the West into war
If that were the case, I don’t think he needs us to do anything more than we are doing already.
He gives the impression of a man desperately trying to threaten us into NOT starting a war, so that he can get on with his special operation unimpeded
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
You think that, if there is a World War Three, people will forget who started it?
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Fair point. Maybe forget is the wrong word
What I mean, diminish the emotional importance of "who started it". Saving the entire world will be much much bigger
Putin certainly gives the impression of a man trying to torment the West into war
If that were the case, I don’t think he needs us to do anything more than we are doing already.
He gives the impression of a man desperately trying to threaten us into NOT starting a war, so that he can get on with his special operation unimpeded
He gives a much better impression of a man who has completely lost the plot.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
Yeah, as awful as it is, time is very much against Putin and Russia.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
I'm not sure, let me think about it.
Lebensraum might not be the best precedent.
I should add that instinctively I agree with you on this and always have. The existence of the Kaliningrad oblast is something of a threat to the west,and more importantly, is untidy. But I don't have a good solution.
the thing is, all of the germans who were there left and it's just Russians. Poland, Lithuania and Germany don't want it. Just like Finland doesn't want the region back it gave up to Russia. the influx of russians into the country (especially for Lithuania) would destabilise them. Regardless of what you think about it, it'll remain part of Russia.
for security reasons the only thing you could do is occupy it but that would require starting WWIII
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
You think that, if there is a World War Three, people will forget who started it?
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Fair point. Maybe forget is the wrong word
What I mean, diminish the emotional importance of "who started it". Saving the entire world will be much much bigger
Putin certainly gives the impression of a man trying to torment the West into war
If that were the case, I don’t think he needs us to do anything more than we are doing already.
He gives the impression of a man desperately trying to threaten us into NOT starting a war, so that he can get on with his special operation unimpeded
He gives a much better impression of a man who has completely lost the plot.
He has a long career of managing special operations, which achieved their objectives in short order against minimal or inferior opposition. Clearly he didn’t bank on ending up where he is now. Nevertheless, he’s still favourite to come out ahead in a purely military confrontation; the problem thereafter is that he has burned a whole lot of bridges.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
It was ethnically cleansed after WW2 so the current population is basically Russian.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
They *are* Russian. The Germans were kicked out in 1946 and replaced with a population from Russia itself.
Oh fuck, I've just realised Russia are gearing up to use Chemical weapons.
They've been pushing a seemingly idiotic attack line that the USA has been funding a bioweapons research in Ukraine.
I couldn't understand why beyond the usual "russian bullshit" reasons.
But they are clearly going to drip and claim they hit a sarin gas lab or some bullshit lile that. Like when Assad gassed people in Syria.
@alistaircoleman Here’s Russia’s RIA-Novosti claiming Ukrainian nationalists have brought 80 tons of ammonia to a village near Kharkiv so they can stage a “false flag” chemical weapons attack. Straight from their Syria playbook, where it never happened either.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
after the second world war, most of the germans left and were replaced with Russians. it was historically part of the Russian soviet republic.
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
I've been saying that for days
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
You think that, if there is a World War Three, people will forget who started it?
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Fair point. Maybe forget is the wrong word
What I mean, diminish the emotional importance of "who started it". Saving the entire world will be much much bigger
Putin certainly gives the impression of a man trying to torment the West into war
If that were the case, I don’t think he needs us to do anything more than we are doing already.
He gives the impression of a man desperately trying to threaten us into NOT starting a war, so that he can get on with his special operation unimpeded
He gives a much better impression of a man who has completely lost the plot.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
I'm not sure, let me think about it.
Lebensraum might not be the best precedent.
How about a newly reconstituted 'Duchy of Prussia' within Poland? That's basically what it was prior to its unification with Brandenburg.
What if for Putin, this crisis has never just been about Ukraine, what if he actually wants to provoke NATO?
It doesn't seem very implausible to me. Not that he necessarily will have predicted their and the EU response correctly, but assuming he is not a total idiot he must be able to figure our that invading Ukraine because of a supposed chance of it joining NATO would only make others more committed to the bloc, or more willing to cooperate with it even if they don't join. So did he actually want that? He is weak and painting the West as the enemy has not been very convincing as it was not really an enemy of his in the way so beloved of his formative years. So spark a cold war and hardship as a result of Western sanctions and he can suggest the two are true enemies and so what if the people suffer?
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
after the second world war, most of the germans left and were replaced with Russians. it was historically part of the Russian soviet republic.
Kaliningrad Oblast demographics (2010 census)
According to the 2010 census (via wiki) the ethnic composition of the oblast was as follows:[6]
772,534 Russians (86.4%) 32,771 Ukrainians (3.7%) 32,497 Belarusians (3.6%) 9,769 Lithuanians (1.1%) 9,226 Armenians (1%) 7,349 Germans (0.8%) 4,534 Tatars (0.5%) 3,282 Azeris (0.4%) 2,788 Poles (0.3%) 2,245 Uzbeks (0.3%) 16,857 others (1.9%) 48,021 people were registered from administrative databases and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.
100 years from now he’ll be discussed even if he went tomorrow. Not all PMs get that.
And for 100 years the discussion will be "How the fuck did we end up with that asshole, and why didn't he go sooner?"
Indeed. We don’t know how the story ends. But it’ll either be electoral rejection - which is actually the best outcome for him - or scandal, and if it isn’t the breaking of his own covid laws scandal, or the cosying up to corrupt Russians scandal, that only leaves some even worse scandal that we can’t yet envisage.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
Just like its famous bridge problem is unsolvable , the issue of the enclave itself is also unfortunately
100 years from now he’ll be discussed even if he went tomorrow. Not all PMs get that.
And for 100 years the discussion will be "How the fuck did we end up with that asshole, and why didn't he go sooner?"
I think after 100 years the heat of the debate will have toned down a tad more than that. Except on PB 2100, as HYUFD valiantly sees off all the newcomers.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
It was historically a German city, for hundreds of years. Home town of Immanuel Kant and mathematics genius David Hilbert. It was never really a Polish or Lithuanian city.
What the hell is she doing. Does she think her faction's treatment of dissenting women is significantly better, relative to the norms of our time?
That is bizarre - Who is she apologising to ? Their relatives today include EVERYONE no doubt . They are 500 years dead themselves and dont care (unless they really are witches and live forever in some occult level) .What a stupid thing to do . Even her enemies dont think she had anything to do with the witch hunt .
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
Just like its famous bridge problem is unsolvable , the issue of the enclave itself is also unfortunately
I hadn't plan to travel, not had I planned to sell anything!
'Insoluble' no?
However what I really wanted to know, and what you entirely failed to address is whether the good people that these baffled salesmen wish to visit regard themselves as Russian or whatever else.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
after the second world war, most of the germans left and were replaced with Russians. it was historically part of the Russian soviet republic.
What the hell is she doing. Does she think her faction's treatment of dissenting women is significantly better, relative to the norms of our time?
That is bizarre - Who is she apologising to ? Their relatives today include EVERYONE no doubt . They are 500 years dead themselves and dont care (unless they really are witches and live forever in some occult level) .What a stupid thing to do . Even her enemies dont think she had anything to do with the witch hunt .
I doubt there's anyone today arguing it was a good thing who needed to be disabused of that notion either.
Exclusive: John Terry's Ape Kids NFT project has plunged 90% in recent weeks, with top players Ashley Cole and Tammy Abraham quietly deleting their endorsements as prices have crashed.
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
after the second world war, most of the germans left and were replaced with Russians. it was historically part of the Russian soviet republic.
The Germans didn't leave. They were expelled.
Whether by choice or by force, my statement was true. yours may me more precise but that does not make mine wrong. they left.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
Just like its famous bridge problem is unsolvable , the issue of the enclave itself is also unfortunately
I hadn't plan to travel, not had I planned to sell anything!
'Insoluble' no?
However what I really wanted to know, and what you entirely failed to address is whether the good people that these baffled salesmen wish to visit regard themselves as Russian or whatever else.
The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is not the travelling salesman problem! The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is can you find a route which crosses each Bridge exactly once. And you can't; and there is a mathematical proof that you can't. The travelling salesman problem is how does a travelling salesman most efficiently visit all of the cities he needs to? There is a solution to any given travelling salesman problem, but can it be worked out by any means except trial and error? It appears it cannot. But the question of whether it can or cannot is mathematically interesting.
It is also true that the labs exist, and that they're there due a partnership between Ukraine and the US defense department. The rest is pure speculation of course.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
In other news, the Irish government seem to have created a political lesson worthy for the textbooks.
They've decided to spend an immense amount of money (€300m, equivalent to £3.5 bn) on a large temporary cut in fuel duty (only until August) but for no political benefit at all. Indeed, by intervening, they've effectively taken political responsibility for the future of fuel prices, and so will suffer all the more if they continue to rise.
The reaction, which includes unanimous opposition support for a price cap, should be a warning for other politicians who might be tempted to try to intervene to reduce fuel prices.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
It was historically a German city, for hundreds of years. Home town of Immanuel Kant and mathematics genius David Hilbert. It was never really a Polish or Lithuanian city.
Well, no, but presumably all the Germans were driven out after WW2? And restocked with Russians?
We have to make it clear that we regard that as a red line that would entail a NATO military response to drive the Russians out of all Ukraine.
Deterrence is the only way we can prevent such an attack.
It has to be an extremely clear message. Probably reinforced by sending it via China as well as directly.
Agree. Say that we would send NATO troops into Ukraine in such a circumstance, and go with a no-fly zone.
I hate to say it but China could be very useful here - while they are backing Russia, there are enough clear signals they are worried where this is going, Chemical weapon usage would like provoke a similar reaction to nuclear weapon usage i.e. it would encourage China's neighbours to look for weapons of mass deterrence.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
What does he have to lose by sacking Patel? Would she really be a threat to him from the backbenches?
I'd have assumed she was really popular with the grassroots for her hang em and flog em attitudes, but she's right near the bottom of the Cabinet League Table as surveyed for ConHome, so seemingly not. Leon may be right about the optics, but honestly diversity is not really a problem in the Johnson Cabinet.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
Just like its famous bridge problem is unsolvable , the issue of the enclave itself is also unfortunately
I hadn't plan to travel, not had I planned to sell anything!
'Insoluble' no?
However what I really wanted to know, and what you entirely failed to address is whether the good people that these baffled salesmen wish to visit regard themselves as Russian or whatever else.
The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is not the travelling salesman problem! The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is can you find a route which crosses each Bridge exactly once. And you can't; and there is a mathematical proof that you can't. The travelling salesman problem is how does a travelling salesman most efficiently visit all of the cities he needs to? There is a solution to any given travelling salesman problem, but can it be worked out by any means except trial and error? It appears it cannot. But the question of whether it can or cannot is mathematically interesting.
I stand corrected. Wasn't it the Koenigsberg bridges that were used to illustrate the travelling salesman problem though?
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
What does he have to lose by sacking Patel? Would she really be a threat to him from the backbenches?
I'd have assumed she was really popular with the grassroots for her hang em and flog em attitudes, but she's right near the bottom of the Cabinet League Table as surveyed for ConHome, so seemingly not. Leon may be right about the optics, but honestly diversity is not really a problem in the Johnson Cabinet.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
Perhaps a peace deal for Putin: give Kaliningrad back to Germany in exchange for Crimea.
Does anyone know what the opinions of people in Koenigsberg/Kaliningrad are? Historically it's hard to see them as Russian, but perhaps they are happy with that?
Just like its famous bridge problem is unsolvable , the issue of the enclave itself is also unfortunately
I hadn't plan to travel, not had I planned to sell anything!
'Insoluble' no?
However what I really wanted to know, and what you entirely failed to address is whether the good people that these baffled salesmen wish to visit regard themselves as Russian or whatever else.
The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is not the travelling salesman problem! The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is can you find a route which crosses each Bridge exactly once. And you can't; and there is a mathematical proof that you can't. The travelling salesman problem is how does a travelling salesman most efficiently visit all of the cities he needs to? There is a solution to any given travelling salesman problem, but can it be worked out by any means except trial and error? It appears it cannot. But the question of whether it can or cannot is mathematically interesting.
I stand corrected. Wasn't it the Koenigsberg bridges that were used to illustrate the travelling salesman problem though?
I don't think so. I think they are two separate problems. But I may be wrong.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
If you want to provoke NATO into a no fly zone, what better way than bombing a hospital?
Putin seems to want to broaden things.
I very much doubt the hospital was targeted. The Russian jets will have chucked their bombs at the city, turned around and scarpered. I doubt there was any actual aiming involved.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
The West needs to start treating the Russian threat as equivalent to that of Covid-19 at the outset of the pandemic. That means mass government spending, subsidies and encouragement of green energy, nuclear power, domestically generated gas/oil, and gas/oil reserve storage. On a completely unprecedented scale.
Energy independence via cutting Russia gas/oil out of our economies is the strongest economic measure we can collectively take.
The stories out of Ukraine are tragic, horrific, unforgivable. But waging military war on Russia would only multiple the frequency of similar horrors. I think economic warfare and military support for Ukraine remains the least bad option.
All that rather crass talk about a Johnson revival/the irrelevance of Partygate etc is surely starting to pall already. The fact is that he remains deep into "can't do anything right" territory, and this is the worst example so far
Aircraft flying near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and near Finland’s eastern border with Russia have noticed interference with their GPS signals, according to Finnish authorities.
The interference began soon after Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö met Joe Biden in Washington on Saturday to discuss deepening defense ties between Finland and Nato due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin told Reuters she had no information about the source of the disturbances, nor about whether they originated in Russia, while the foreign ministry said it was looking into the events.
“If they would be caused by outside influence, it would surely be said publicly,” Marin said.
The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the reported interference.
As I noted on Saturday we need to invade Kaliningrad to secure peace in Europe.
What would you do with Kaliningrad if you had it? Persuade the 650,000 Russians that live there to become model Western citizens? Clear them out and give the space to Poland or Lithuania? None of the options look terribly practical.
It was historically a German city, for hundreds of years. Home town of Immanuel Kant and mathematics genius David Hilbert. It was never really a Polish or Lithuanian city.
If you want to provoke NATO into a no fly zone, what better way than bombing a hospital?
Putin seems to want to broaden things.
Losing to Ukraine would be a humiliation, but military conflict with NATO would be a matter of national survival. A defeat to NATO that was limited to Ukraine's borders could be spun as some sort of glorious victory, and would justify the pre-emptive attack.
If you want to provoke NATO into a no fly zone, what better way than bombing a hospital?
Putin seems to want to broaden things.
I very much doubt the hospital was targeted. The Russian jets will have chucked their bombs at the city, turned around and scarpered. I doubt there was any actual aiming involved.
Maybe. But the fact remains a hospital was hit. You have to ask the question given the implications. If you did want a no fly zone, this is the strategy you would follow.
Comments
Am not going to defend Biden re: saying “[if you] have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black”. It was a stupid thing to say, but think he meant it more in sense that 45 was anti-Black, than all Blacks MUST be Democrats.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) chair of Congressional Black Caucus:
“I cringed, no question about that,” the South Carolina congressman said of Biden in an interview on “The View.”
But Clyburn chalked the remarks — which were rebuked by President Donald Trump, his GOP allies, and even fellow Democrats — up to a misstatement by Biden. Clyburn argued that everyone says things they don’t mean from time to time. “They come out a little bit wrong, and that's what happened here,” he said.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/26/clyburn-biden-comments-black-voters-282006
So I hear what you're saying, and agree to a point, but not whole hog. And, again, mea culpa!
The Guardian disagrees.
What the hell is she doing. Does she think her faction's treatment of dissenting women is significantly better, relative to the norms of our time?
Lord North has also entered the chat.
Much of Russia's security forces seem to turn up when someone raises their voice so not dissimilar.
Putin knows he has fucked up, everyone in the Russian elite knows he has fucked up, Xi knows he has fucked up. He needs a huge dead Siberian tiger on the table, to distract from this
If he can goad NATO into open conflict, and a potential nuclear showdown, then everyone will forget that he started it. We need to resist, despite these appalling war-crimes
That’s deluded way beyond even your normal low standards.
The proportion of people who still know about Sarajevo and the Archduke remains surprisingly high, to this day.
Lebensraum might not be the best precedent.
On Ukraine, I find myself surprisingly in a hawkish position, in tune with Jack W. Putin only understands strength. The western response has been weakish. What is the difference between supplying stingers and manpads and supplying planes?
The scenes in places like Mariupol are inhuman. In Europe, in 2022. Putin is deliberately targeting hospitals. Same in Kharkiv and Sumy. And these are places where Russian Ukrainians live. Morally, we need to tell Putin this is unacceptable and will provoke a response.
"This could have been your child. Is this what you signed up for? Is this how Russia fights its war? Is this how you fight war? Come out now - or we must assume it is...."
When it comes back 126.2% in favour of being part of my principality, I will reluctancy accept the unDictatorship.
What I mean, diminish the emotional importance of "who started it". Saving the entire world will be much much bigger
Putin certainly gives the impression of a man trying to torment the West into war
He gives the impression of a man desperately trying to threaten us into NOT starting a war, so that he can get on with his special operation unimpeded
They've been pushing a seemingly idiotic attack line that the USA has been funding a bioweapons research in Ukraine.
I couldn't understand why beyond the usual "russian bullshit" reasons.
But they are clearly going to drop chem weapons and claim they hit a sarin gas lab or some bullshit like that. Like when Assad gassed people in Syria.
for security reasons the only thing you could do is occupy it but that would require starting WWIII
But I suppose it's better than 'Orgasms now!'
Here’s Russia’s RIA-Novosti claiming Ukrainian nationalists have brought 80 tons of ammonia to a village near Kharkiv so they can stage a “false flag” chemical weapons attack. Straight from their Syria playbook, where it never happened either.
https://twitter.com/alistaircoleman/status/1501637151133470722
"West fears Russia could use non-conventional weapons"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60683248
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y3FzVQi-R8&t=6s
According to the 2010 census (via wiki) the ethnic composition of the oblast was as follows:[6]
772,534 Russians (86.4%)
32,771 Ukrainians (3.7%)
32,497 Belarusians (3.6%)
9,769 Lithuanians (1.1%)
9,226 Armenians (1%)
7,349 Germans (0.8%)
4,534 Tatars (0.5%)
3,282 Azeris (0.4%)
2,788 Poles (0.3%)
2,245 Uzbeks (0.3%)
16,857 others (1.9%)
48,021 people were registered from administrative databases and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.
Deterrence is the only way we can prevent such an attack.
It has to be an extremely clear message. Probably reinforced by sending it via China as well as directly.
'Insoluble' no?
However what I really wanted to know, and what you entirely failed to address is whether the good people that these baffled salesmen wish to visit regard themselves as Russian or whatever else.
Johnson would reduce the notice the oligarchs have to move their dodgy money out of London from six months to three.
Patel would open another Home Office outpost for the refugees, at least an hour’s travel from Calais.
Truss would be harder pressed to come up with a suitable photoshoot for her Insta account.
Meanwhile the Premier League is in talks over a huge official NFT deal
https://theathletic.com/news/john-terrys-nft-collection-plunges-90-in-value/O0qBVJcqpDit/
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Philosophy-of-Modern-Song/Bob-Dylan/9781451648706
https://twitter.com/johnharris1969/status/1501631046844100611/photo/1
The Konigsberg Bridge Problem is can you find a route which crosses each Bridge exactly once. And you can't; and there is a mathematical proof that you can't. The travelling salesman problem is how does a travelling salesman most efficiently visit all of the cities he needs to? There is a solution to any given travelling salesman problem, but can it be worked out by any means except trial and error? It appears it cannot. But the question of whether it can or cannot is mathematically interesting.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/25/fact-check-claim-us-biolabs-ukraine-disinformation/6937923001/
They've decided to spend an immense amount of money (€300m, equivalent to £3.5 bn) on a large temporary cut in fuel duty (only until August) but for no political benefit at all. Indeed, by intervening, they've effectively taken political responsibility for the future of fuel prices, and so will suffer all the more if they continue to rise.
The reaction, which includes unanimous opposition support for a price cap, should be a warning for other politicians who might be tempted to try to intervene to reduce fuel prices.
I hate to say it but China could be very useful here - while they are backing Russia, there are enough clear signals they are worried where this is going, Chemical weapon usage would like provoke a similar reaction to nuclear weapon usage i.e. it would encourage China's neighbours to look for weapons of mass deterrence.
Putin seems to want to broaden things.
So there's a certain logic there.
Energy independence via cutting Russia gas/oil out of our economies is the strongest economic measure we can collectively take.
The stories out of Ukraine are tragic, horrific, unforgivable. But waging military war on Russia would only multiple the frequency of similar horrors. I think economic warfare and military support for Ukraine remains the least bad option.
They ain't happening.