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How’s the polling going to look in two years time – politicalbetting.com

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  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,547
    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339

    RobD said:

    I've not been following this aspect all that closely. Is this a change in their position?
    This isn't particularly new in that Zelensky was saying similar things last week. I have no doubt this is all linked with the talks process - to the extent there is a way out of this, it will probably involve some compromises over governance of the Donbas, and Ukraine and the US giving some ground on ambition to join and willingness to admit Ukraine to NATO.
    Note the language on guarantees. In theory he already had our (and Russia’s) agreement to protect his territorial integrity via the Budapest Memorandum, but that came to nothing. If I was him I’d want something bespoke like that.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,547
    TimT said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    I don't know what is happening, nor do I make confident predictions of where it will end up. But my worry is that, despite the Gospel according to Twitter (good news twitter posts), Russian troops keep on advancing inexorably without any significant Ukrainian counter-attacks.

    Until Russia stops advancing completely, or until there are significant Russian setbacks in terms of Ukrainian counter attacks, I will consider the attrition/culmination outcome as a hope, with the default expectation of eventual Russian occupation of all of Ukraine followed by a decade or so of pain for everyone.
    That seems a reasonable position.

    It'll be interesting to see what happens in, and around, Odessa.
  • HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,620

    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    Virgin keep throwing higher speeds at me to keep me happy, although as you say it’s complete overkill. I now have 400mbps real word speeds throughout a three story house and garden (using Orbi). What does anyone need this for?
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789
    The Russian sanctions list targets Biden and Blinken, as well as people like Hillary Clinton and Samantha Power. They clearly still imagine they can turn this into a partisan issue in the US but I think they're clutching at straws.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    Twitter...
  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,387

    Naval News
    @navalnewscom
    ·
    21m
    The Russian Navy is advancing on the Odessa region of Ukraine. Analysis shows that the force includes landing ships 🇷🇺🇺🇦

    Unclear if a bluff, to tie down Ukraine forces in the region.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,630

    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    Backup to cloud is awesome when you are on 1Gb/1Gb. Also means running your own streaming from the home NAS etc is significantly better.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339

    The Russian sanctions list targets Biden and Blinken, as well as people like Hillary Clinton and Samantha Power. They clearly still imagine they can turn this into a partisan issue in the US but I think they're clutching at straws.

    Their Info Ops suddenly look amateurish, now the West has woken up and engaged.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,044
    Andy_JS said:

    The Russian war effort could collapse in 10 to 14 days according to a number of military experts. Apparently the word to describe it is "culmination".

    https://twitter.com/general_ben/status/1503367516529250305

    A culmination could result in an operational pause when peace talks could finally succeed.

    A long ten days for the Ukr to hold on though.

    Looks like Odessa next in the line. I lot of RU are gonna die on those shores.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,778
    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Ukraine are obviously getting the shit kicked out of them. That's what happens when you have a lot of artillery and point it at cities.

    On the other hand, the Russians don't seem to be making a lot of progress either. They've taken appalling losses of men and materiel, and they haven't really succeeded in capturing and holding any significant sized cities.

    Sure, they will probably starve Maripoul into submission, and Kharkov and (eventually) Kiev too.

    But with close to 10,000 dead and a similar number captured and wounded, they have already lost as many men as the Soviet army lost in the whole of the Afghanistan conflict.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328

    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    Seems there are some gamers on PB too. They can eat up data.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,603

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,387
    rcs1000 said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Ukraine are obviously getting the shit kicked out of them. That's what happens when you have a lot of artillery and point it at cities.

    On the other hand, the Russians don't seem to be making a lot of progress either. They've taken appalling losses of men and materiel, and they haven't really succeeded in capturing and holding any significant sized cities.

    Sure, they will probably starve Maripoul into submission, and Kharkov and (eventually) Kiev too.

    But with close to 10,000 dead and a similar number captured and wounded, they have already lost as many men as the Soviet army lost in the whole of the Afghanistan conflict.
    They can both lose.
  • The Russian sanctions list targets Biden and Blinken, as well as people like Hillary Clinton and Samantha Power. They clearly still imagine they can turn this into a partisan issue in the US but I think they're clutching at straws.

    Does Sleepy Joe have a nice little dacha on the outskirts of Yaroslavl, or is this rather meaningless?
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    If (still an if) Ukraine emerges as a surviving democracy, we’re doing to need a Marshall Plan.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,630
    rcs1000 said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Ukraine are obviously getting the shit kicked out of them. That's what happens when you have a lot of artillery and point it at cities.

    On the other hand, the Russians don't seem to be making a lot of progress either. They've taken appalling losses of men and materiel, and they haven't really succeeded in capturing and holding any significant sized cities.

    Sure, they will probably starve Maripoul into submission, and Kharkov and (eventually) Kiev too.

    But with close to 10,000 dead and a similar number captured and wounded, they have already lost as many men as the Soviet army lost in the whole of the Afghanistan conflict.
    It's a slow, horrible, meat grinder.

    The question - can Ukraine hold out until sanctions really fuck Russia up?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,842
    Chelsea really are out of order.
    I notice they have a piece in the Mail moaning about having to travel to Boro by coach.
  • pingping Posts: 3,724
    edited March 2022
    After much deliberation, I’ve slightly opposed honeysuckle @ 4/5, to lock in a profit.

    Win +£440
    Lose +£75

    All from a £25 accumulator.

    Great first day of Cheltenham, here at ping stables.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,630
    TimT said:

    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    Seems there are some gamers on PB too. They can eat up data.
    While I don't use it - I'm getting 2ms pings. Fibre all the way to my router....
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    malcolmg said:

    🐎 😍

    great start for you
    Thanks. I just knew constitution hill would do that. Class above.

    Great Racing. The two races since been amazing.

    Crowd rather quiet, do they only cheer if an Irish horse wins?
  • MightyAlexMightyAlex Posts: 1,410
    A Ukrainian Soldier Is Laid to Rest | Russia-Ukraine War (NYT)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoFdE0ssDSA

    Worth watching.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,044
    biggles said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    If (still an if) Ukraine emerges as a surviving democracy, we’re doing to need a Marshall Plan.
    They'll get one. There's several 100 billion of RU state assets that can be used.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614

    rcs1000 said:

    Given there are bugger all Yuan assets available for Saudi Arabia to own, this is basically just for show.
    In addition; surely Saudi Arabia only has another decade or two to gain all those lovely petrochemical Yuans if the plans to electrify and go green occur to schedule? Whilst there will always be a demand for oil and gas, isn't that demand going to reduce dramatically in the next few years?
    Why do we think Dubai has spent the last two decades building an actual city, and why the Saudis and Qatar are quickly trying to do the same?
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    I think this is unduly pessimistic should Ukraine manage to rid itself of Russian occupation. It would not be equivalent to post-WWII as only Ukraine would be rebuilding and the West would have an interest in getting it rebuilt and fully integrated economically, politically and militarily ASAP.

    Furthermore, the vastest swathes of Ukraine are open agricultural land. Unless the Russians have poisoned this, that will be back and functioning relatively quickly.

    It will take years to rebuild, but not, I think decades. Unless Russia stays as an occupying force. Then all bets are off.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,928
    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
  • Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,928

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    Berlin wasn't reunified until 1989.
  • No need to join NATO as it will be armed and trained by them
    To be honest, being armed and trained by NATO is nowhere near as good as membership. A key benefit of membership is that an attack on one is an attack on all, and forces of fellow NATO members will deploy as required for operations. Additionally, you get an integrated air defence system with ballistic missiles.

    That's even more useful for smaller states like Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, who inevitably have smaller armed forces. But Ukraine could do with having it.
  • philiphphiliph Posts: 4,704

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339
    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    I assume Ukraine has mined the fuck out of the coastline.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,044
    biggles said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    I assume Ukraine has mined the fuck out of the coastline.
    Apparently they have.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,719

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,165

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
    I really hope that in a few years time we'll be able to say that Russia bombed Ukraine and caused a trillion dollars of improvements.

  • NEXTA
    @nexta_tv
    In front of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior the police detained a girl with a poster "The 6th Commandment. Thou shalt not kill."

    https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1503740117630038030
  • HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
    Of course, and that's why they won't do it. I was simply pointing out that an attack on a NATO membership isn't a prerequisite for NATO to become directly involved in a combat rather than peace-keeping role.
  • ApplicantApplicant Posts: 3,379

    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    The Internet is really, really great...
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    I don't think the Ukrainian have anti-ship missiles. I believe the one they sank, they did so by repurposing and anti-aircraft missile.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,603
    ...

    Look who has turned up in Poland.




    That does beg a wider question.

    Anyway, it was very nice of HMQ to vacate Buck House for the refugees. Respect!
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,778

    Look who has turned up in Poland.




    That's awful.

    But it made me chuckle.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    Missiles and mines. Many of both.

    Hopefully a total sh!t-show tonight for the Russian navy.
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 13,766

    The Russian sanctions list targets Biden and Blinken, as well as people like Hillary Clinton and Samantha Power. They clearly still imagine they can turn this into a partisan issue in the US but I think they're clutching at straws.

    It is not a very good look for Trump if he doesn't get similar treatment. I guess he would probably be amongst the last in the West to get sanctioned by Putin, along with Salmond, Corbyn and Farage
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    Sandpit said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    Missiles and mines. Many of both.

    Hopefully a total sh!t-show tonight for the Russian navy.
    If they can, sink the mine-clearing ships first.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,719

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
    Of course, and that's why they won't do it. I was simply pointing out that an attack on a NATO membership isn't a prerequisite for NATO to become directly involved in a combat rather than peace-keeping role.
    It is unless you are a military insignificant, small nation that can swiftly be beaten
  • TazTaz Posts: 10,704
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    Sandpit said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    Missiles and mines. Many of both.

    Hopefully a total sh!t-show tonight for the Russian navy.
    Have they received land-launched Harpoons or Exocets? Would be nice to think they had some of those for the welcoming fireworks.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,630
    TimT said:

    Sandpit said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    Missiles and mines. Many of both.

    Hopefully a total sh!t-show tonight for the Russian navy.
    Have they received land-launched Harpoons or Exocets? Would be nice to think they had some of those for the welcoming fireworks.
    Both Harpoon and Exocet are incredibly ancient...

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_(cruise_missile)
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    TimT said:

    Sandpit said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    Missiles and mines. Many of both.

    Hopefully a total sh!t-show tonight for the Russian navy.
    If they can, sink the mine-clearing ships first.
    Good point. I’m sure some friendly Western intelligence will point their troops on the ground in the right direction.

    Maybe even a friendly submarine or SBS-types, hanging around for a bit to distract the hell out of them.
  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,387
    ping said:

    After much deliberation, I’ve slightly opposed honeysuckle @ 4/5, to lock in a profit.

    Win +£440
    Lose +£75

    All from a £25 accumulator.

    Great first day of Cheltenham, here at ping stables.

    I preferred the bar chart. Even though in my world, ££££££££ would literally mean £7. At least when it comes to the horses....
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
    Of course, and that's why they won't do it. I was simply pointing out that an attack on a NATO membership isn't a prerequisite for NATO to become directly involved in a combat rather than peace-keeping role.
    It is unless you are a military insignificant, small nation that can swiftly be beaten
    That’s not what the projections for a land invasion to liberate Kosovo looked like. And it was on the cards.

    There again, that was back when we thought T72/90s were a match for a modern battle tank and couldn’t be overcome by tractors.
  • PhilPhil Posts: 1,919
    Taz said:
    No military experience & no connection to Ukraine. So he was a walt who Ukraine is better off without.

    I bet there will be a few of these, but there are plenty of people arriving with actual military experience who presumably know what they’re getting into.
  • MightyAlexMightyAlex Posts: 1,410
    TimT said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    I don't think the Ukrainian have anti-ship missiles. I believe the one they sank, they did so by repurposing and anti-aircraft missile.
    You would be wrong. They make one.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_(cruise_missile)

    I'm obviously bullshitting but maybe they used the MLRs barrage as cover for a few of these.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    Kerching. Best horse with 7 lbs on most of the field. +£16
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    Taz said:
    He sounds like a bit of a self-obsessed virtue-signaling wanker to me.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339
    Pulpstar said:

    Kerching. Best horse with 7 lbs on most of the field. +£16

    We’ve all felt like that post lockdown, don’t give it a complex.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    TimT said:

    Sandpit said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    Missiles and mines. Many of both.

    Hopefully a total sh!t-show tonight for the Russian navy.
    Have they received land-launched Harpoons or Exocets? Would be nice to think they had some of those for the welcoming fireworks.
    There were reports of anti-ship weapons heading over the border from Poland a week or two ago, and there have ben a couple of ships sunk that we know about. Don’t know exactly what type they are though.

    The mayor of Odessa had made it clear, that there will be quite the welcoming party coming out for any Russian landing efforts. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/06/gennadiy-leonidovich-trukhanov-odesa-ukraine-invasion-russia/

    In general weapons news, there was another C17 spotted unloading at one of the Eastern Polish airfields today, possibly Australian Air Force.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,719
    biggles said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
    Of course, and that's why they won't do it. I was simply pointing out that an attack on a NATO membership isn't a prerequisite for NATO to become directly involved in a combat rather than peace-keeping role.
    It is unless you are a military insignificant, small nation that can swiftly be beaten
    That’s not what the projections for a land invasion to liberate Kosovo looked like. And it was on the cards.

    There again, that was back when we thought T72/90s were a match for a modern battle tank and couldn’t be overcome by tractors.
    There was no land invasion just jets sent in but Serbia did not have nuclear weapons and has an active army of just 28,000 compared to over 1 million in Russia's army
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,861
    Pulpstar said:

    Kerching. Best horse with 7 lbs on most of the field. +£16

    Good day for favs generally so far.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,547
    When did Russia last attempt an amphibious landing? Have they ever attempted one? Did they routinely practice them during the Cold War?
  • BigRichBigRich Posts: 3,489
    Not a nice photo, so only click if what to see a dead Russian Maj General.

    https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1503655923625123840

    But is this real? have the Russians lost another Maj General? if so how many is that now?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    TimT said:

    Taz said:
    He sounds like a bit of a self-obsessed virtue-signaling wanker to me.
    That’s a little harsh on self-obsessed virtue-signalling wankers.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789

    When did Russia last attempt an amphibious landing? Have they ever attempted one? Did they routinely practice them during the Cold War?

    When they invaded the Kuril Islands at the end of WW2?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,928

    When did Russia last attempt an amphibious landing? Have they ever attempted one? Did they routinely practice them during the Cold War?

    Sakhalin and the Kuriles, presumably (1945)
  • ChelyabinskChelyabinsk Posts: 488
    edited March 2022

    When did Russia last attempt an amphibious landing?

    Three weeks ago.
    JosiasJessop said:

    Did they routinely practice them during the Cold War?


    They still do.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,603

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, the World will have won. And for their sacrifice the World will owe Ukrainians a Marshall Plan, something of course Coventry did not benefit from.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,082
    TimT said:

    philiph said:

    biggles said:

    It looks like the postponed amphibious landing in Odessa may be back on again:

    @CovertShores
    Substantial #Russian Navy force, including landing ships, advancing on Odessa area today. Seen 09:47 UTC in satellite imagery


    image

    Are they putting on a fleet review for the visiting PMs?
    I Spithead on your naval review :lol:
    Do they have any missiles that take out ships?
    I don't think the Ukrainian have anti-ship missiles. I believe the one they sank, they did so by repurposing and anti-aircraft missile.
    I think they used rocket artillery on a pre arranged spot, having used patrol boats to lure the Russian ship close enough.

    I have no doubt that Ukranian forces (and civilians) have been taking a pasting. The question is, can they keep fighting? A war of attrition will wreck both countries economies and militaries, but it looks like the Ukranians can keep it up. Can the Russians?
  • BigRich said:

    Not a nice photo, so only click if what to see a dead Russian Maj General.

    https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1503655923625123840

    But is this real? have the Russians lost another Maj General? if so how many is that now?

    Just how serious or senior is a Russian Maj General?

    It sounds like an extremely serious title, but the rate they're dropping it makes me wonder if the Russian military is getting seriously crippled, or the Russian military treats the title General like McDonalds treats the word Manager.
  • TazTaz Posts: 10,704

    When did Russia last attempt an amphibious landing? Have they ever attempted one? Did they routinely practice them during the Cold War?

    Sakhalin and the Kuriles, presumably (1945)
    Sakhalin and the Kuriles, sounds a bit seventies prog rock.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 30,846
    Lennon said:

    Question for those more versed in the nuance of parliamentary legislation than I am.

    The previous election was in December 2019. Under the FTPA that makes the next election May 2024. However - the Tories are in the process of repealing the FTPA - which presumably means that the rules for when the next election are held revert to the previous 'will be dissolved after 5 years' and so the "time running out" point for the next election (assuming the FTPA is repealed) actually switches to December 2024. Is this correct (and if not why not)?

    (Obviously in such a scenario I would still expect a May 2024 election - but having the option to leave it till September/October is certainly an interesting one that seems worth having)

    I am not familiar with the detail of the FTPA legislation but it did repeal the Septennial Act (the one that, in its modified form post 1911 dictated a maximum 5 years between elections) in its entirety.

    So it would not just be a case of repealing the FTPA. Something else would need to be put in its place and that means it is entirely open to whatever Parliament allows to be passed at the time of the votes.
  • TazTaz Posts: 10,704

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, the World will have won. And for their sacrifice the World will owe Ukrainians a Marshall Plan, something of course Coventry did not benefit from.
    But it did get a ring road.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 58,941

    Lennon said:

    Question for those more versed in the nuance of parliamentary legislation than I am.

    The previous election was in December 2019. Under the FTPA that makes the next election May 2024. However - the Tories are in the process of repealing the FTPA - which presumably means that the rules for when the next election are held revert to the previous 'will be dissolved after 5 years' and so the "time running out" point for the next election (assuming the FTPA is repealed) actually switches to December 2024. Is this correct (and if not why not)?

    (Obviously in such a scenario I would still expect a May 2024 election - but having the option to leave it till September/October is certainly an interesting one that seems worth having)

    I am not familiar with the detail of the FTPA legislation but it did repeal the Septennial Act (the one that, in its modified form post 1911 dictated a maximum 5 years between elections) in its entirety.

    So it would not just be a case of repealing the FTPA. Something else would need to be put in its place and that means it is entirely open to whatever Parliament allows to be passed at the time of the votes.
    The new bill also specifies a five year maximum

    https://bills.parliament.uk/Publications/41467/Documents/206/21008.pdf
  • ApplicantApplicant Posts: 3,379
    .
    BigRich said:

    Not a nice photo, so only click if what to see a dead Russian Maj General.

    https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1503655923625123840

    But is this real? have the Russians lost another Maj General? if so how many is that now?

    Ukraine is claiming five, I believe.

    In fairness, apparently(*) a Russian Major General is equivalent to a British Brigadier or an American Brigadier General (the one-star rank badge on that photo would seem to back that up). So it's not good, but not as bad as "the Russians have lost five Major Generals" sounds at first look.

    (*) Well, according to Wikipedia...
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,044
    ack Detsch
    @JackDetsch
    ·
    18m
    JUST IN: The Biden admin is slapping sanctions on 11 Russian defense leaders over Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine: State Dept

    The sanctions targets include:
    • Dmitry Bulgakov, Russia’s top logistics officer
    • Alexander Mikheev, head of Russia’s state-owned arms exporter

    https://twitter.com/JackDetsch
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,304
    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited March 2022
    Taz said:
    Sky News have been giving exposure to these idiots, they ran multiple stories on the gym owner who turned up at the Ukrainian embassy.
  • TazTaz Posts: 10,704
    Leon said:

    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH

    War
    What is it good for
    Absolutely nothing
    Say it again
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339
    HYUFD said:

    biggles said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
    Of course, and that's why they won't do it. I was simply pointing out that an attack on a NATO membership isn't a prerequisite for NATO to become directly involved in a combat rather than peace-keeping role.
    It is unless you are a military insignificant, small nation that can swiftly be beaten
    That’s not what the projections for a land invasion to liberate Kosovo looked like. And it was on the cards.

    There again, that was back when we thought T72/90s were a match for a modern battle tank and couldn’t be overcome by tractors.
    There was no land invasion just jets sent in but Serbia did not have nuclear weapons and has an active army of just 28,000 compared to over 1 million in Russia's army
    Read up on the history. We were within days of ordering a land invasion using the British dominated force, and assumed heavy casualties. Fortunately he broke just before.

    Kosovo is also a really good lesson in western hubris on air campaigns. It wasn’t anything like as effective as we hoped.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited March 2022
    The truth about Neo-Nazis in Ukraine - Aris Roussinos joins Freddie Sayers to unpick this contentious topic and seek some insight into Ukraine’s far-Right
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUgKTfe-IqA&t=4s

    I didn't realise Aris Roussinos worked for UnHerd. He used to work for Vice News on the front line in places like Syria. Balls of Steel stuff.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,603
    ...
    Taz said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, the World will have won. And for their sacrifice the World will owe Ukrainians a Marshall Plan, something of course Coventry did not benefit from.
    But it did get a ring road.
    To the vanquished a Marshall Plan. To the victor, the Fletchampstead Highway.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    Ukranian numbers for Russian casualties, last 24 hours.

    (Large pinch of salt, obviously. US intelligence estimates are about half the UA figures)

    Armoured Vehicles: 30
    Tanks: 15
    Aircraft: 4
    Helicopters: 5
    Men: 4000 (dead, wounded and PoW)

    https://www.minusrus.com/en/
  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,387
    Applicant said:

    .

    BigRich said:

    Not a nice photo, so only click if what to see a dead Russian Maj General.

    https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1503655923625123840

    But is this real? have the Russians lost another Maj General? if so how many is that now?

    Ukraine is claiming five, I believe.

    In fairness, apparently(*) a Russian Major General is equivalent to a British Brigadier or an American Brigadier General (the one-star rank badge on that photo would seem to back that up). So it's not good, but not as bad as "the Russians have lost five Major Generals" sounds at first look.

    (*) Well, according to Wikipedia...
    In 2015, the UK army had 150 brigadiers, so still a high enough rank to be worth counting.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    Taz said:

    Leon said:

    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH

    War
    What is it good for
    Absolutely nothing
    Say it again
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w

    Time to roll out some Ozzy
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789
    How Lukashenko has been dealing with protests:

    "800 people were detained in anti-war rallies. Some of them have been released after 15 days. They say about torture & beating in prisons. One of them: "We were taken to the shower - 60 people in 4 booths.The convoy filled the room with gas.People got burns, were coughing""

    https://twitter.com/HannaLiubakova/status/1503645559562948610
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    Taz said:

    Leon said:

    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH

    War
    What is it good for
    Absolutely nothing
    Say it again
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w

    Time to roll out some Ozzy
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,963

    ...

    Taz said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, the World will have won. And for their sacrifice the World will owe Ukrainians a Marshall Plan, something of course Coventry did not benefit from.
    But it did get a ring road.
    To the vanquished a Marshall Plan. To the victor, the Fletchampstead Highway.
    To Coventry, The Specials.....
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339

    Applicant said:

    .

    BigRich said:

    Not a nice photo, so only click if what to see a dead Russian Maj General.

    https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1503655923625123840

    But is this real? have the Russians lost another Maj General? if so how many is that now?

    Ukraine is claiming five, I believe.

    In fairness, apparently(*) a Russian Major General is equivalent to a British Brigadier or an American Brigadier General (the one-star rank badge on that photo would seem to back that up). So it's not good, but not as bad as "the Russians have lost five Major Generals" sounds at first look.

    (*) Well, according to Wikipedia...
    In 2015, the UK army had 150 brigadiers, so still a high enough rank to be worth counting.
    I didn’t know or had forgotten the equivalence difference. To put that in context, we didn’t lose a Brigadier in Afghanistan, but they would have been close to the shooting at times so that’s more look than judgment and a reflection of casualty rates overall. On the numbers the Russians are losing, you’d expect to lose 1*s.
  • bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,339
    Taz said:

    Leon said:

    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH

    War
    What is it good for
    Absolutely nothing
    Say it again
    Affecting serious geopolitical change beyond the reach of diplomacy.

    Oh, sorry, that song was rhetorical wasn’t it…
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,082
    Leon said:

    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH

    Wars tend to do so. It is why I say it is more like 1914 than 1938
  • Russians flying the Soviet flag over Ukraine.


    Visegrád 24
    @visegrad24
    The Russian Army has replaced the Ukrainian flag in front of the main building of the Enerhodar City administration, with a Soviet flag.

    People in Central Estern Europe won’t stand for this.

    https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1503765940181385216
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 14,775

    Just installed a new WiFi hub from BT. With no alterations to the connection, we have double the download speed, and 1.5x the upload.

    It was reasonably okay before, so it doesn't really feel much different.

    Before this we had 80Mbps down, 20Mbps up. This seemed perfectly 'fine' for us; Mrs J could work perfectly well from home with it, communicating with servers all over the globe.

    They also say they're going to make some more changes outside our house that will speed it up even more.

    What does everyone use their download speed (not quotas) for? Pron? ;)

    Virgin keep throwing higher speeds at me to keep me happy, although as you say it’s complete overkill. I now have 400mbps real word speeds throughout a three story house and garden (using Orbi). What does anyone need this for?
    If I was wanting to download a lot of data from MARS at ECMWF it would make the process a lot faster. Though since I'd still have to wait for the robot arm to pick my tapes out I'd still have time for a cup of tea.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 4,557

    Dura_Ace said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    "I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them"

    On what do you base that?
    My first clue was the massive amounts of damage that are wrecking the infrastructure and social fabric of the country. That's not winning.
    Well, in the case Ukraine can never 'win'.

    But that doesn't mean a 'win' for Russia either.

    If Ukraine comes out of this a sovereign, independent country, with a functioning (not sham) democracy, then in the long run that will be a 'win' for them - especially as they might find it much easier to rebuild than Russia will.
    Hmm?

    Vast swathes of Ukraine, a country the size of France, are virtually uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. The infrastructure is a basket case. It will take months to recommission utilities. Clearing up the debris alone will take years. The World Trade Center clean up took 9 months.

    The Second WW finished in 1945 and Cologne Cathedral was reopened in 1956, Coventry Cathedral opened in May 1962.

    And Coventry won the war, even if it took years to recover from it.

    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, they will have won, even if they've been severely tried and hurt in the process.
    If Ukraine is a free nation at the end of this, the World will have won. And for their sacrifice the World will owe Ukrainians a Marshall Plan, something of course Coventry did not benefit from.
    We should fund it from the frozen Russian foreign currency reserves sitting in our central banks.
  • Nigel_ForemainNigel_Foremain Posts: 13,766
    TimT said:

    Taz said:

    Leon said:

    This war thing is getting a tiny bit out of hand. TBH

    War
    What is it good for
    Absolutely nothing
    Say it again
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w

    Time to roll out some Ozzy
    Cool, except it is Sabbath (with Ozzy) of course, just to be pedantic!

    This one also poignant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7UZeHvMYZA

    "Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?"
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,778
    biggles said:

    HYUFD said:

    biggles said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Leon said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Sandpit said:

    WHOA!!! :open_mouth:
    A whole new route to World War 3. Is this year the end of the American empire?
    I think it's inevitable now. The whole thing is getting too big and too chaotic to be contained.
    Er, which is inevitable? World War 3 or the End of the American Empire?

    Asking for 7 billion friends
    WW3. Sooner or later there's going to be an accident or false flag or some other incident that draws NATO in.

    However, in contrast to those doing their assessment via tractor memes, I think Ukraine are getting the absolute shit kicked out of them. So perhaps they will collapse and the whole thing will fizzle out before The Road becomes a self-help manual.
    Unless a NATO nation is invaded, NATO will not become directly involved
    I agree that NATO will think better of direct involvement.

    But they did, of course, get involved in Yugoslavia without a NATO member coming under attack, based on humanitarian grounds and regional stability related to a large scale refugee crisis, both of which are clearly issues in Ukraine.
    Milosevic's Serbia did not have nuclear weapons, unlike Putin's Russia and also had a far smaller military. So a completely different case
    Of course, and that's why they won't do it. I was simply pointing out that an attack on a NATO membership isn't a prerequisite for NATO to become directly involved in a combat rather than peace-keeping role.
    It is unless you are a military insignificant, small nation that can swiftly be beaten
    That’s not what the projections for a land invasion to liberate Kosovo looked like. And it was on the cards.

    There again, that was back when we thought T72/90s were a match for a modern battle tank and couldn’t be overcome by tractors.
    There was no land invasion just jets sent in but Serbia did not have nuclear weapons and has an active army of just 28,000 compared to over 1 million in Russia's army
    Read up on the history. We were within days of ordering a land invasion using the British dominated force, and assumed heavy casualties. Fortunately he broke just before.

    Kosovo is also a really good lesson in western hubris on air campaigns. It wasn’t anything like as effective as we hoped.
    Air power is great against tanks and supply convoys.

    But bloody awful against people.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,603

    Taz said:
    Sky News have been giving exposure to these idiots, they ran multiple stories on the gym owner who turned up at the Ukrainian embassy.
    Fizzy Lizzy's Barmy Army!
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,095
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 3,853
    edited March 2022
    rcs1000 said:

    Look who has turned up in Poland.




    That's awful.

    But it made me chuckle.
    It is a worry though. The potential for bad things to happen with this scheme is quite high, even if it is only to a very small proportion of refugees.

    Who will get the blame?

    And can we let the odd incident get in the way of doing the right thing?
This discussion has been closed.