So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Protecting us from dictators in Europe invading other countries when the British Army are not training, deployed on UN peace keeping duties or providing humanitarian aid, just a thought.....
That’s not what the question is asking. As the article points out, we have some hard choices about what capabilities we can afford to fund within the budget constraints. … In 2021, the Ministry of Defence’s command paper stated: ‘The Army will be designed to operate globally on a persistent basis.’ Such talk has faded since February 2022. Within months of Russia’s onslaught on Kyiv, General Sanders emphasised that Europe would now be the army’s ‘singular focus’.
Lacking a clear sense of purpose would be less of a problem if the British Army could still field a full suite of capabilities. After all, defence spending is akin to an expensive insurance premium. The UK armed forces have long tried to maintain their status as a ‘tier one’ military, able to deter or tackle any threat – from non-state actors to peer adversaries. The British Army has traditionally prided itself as a ‘reference army’ for many allies and partners. Yet, after decades of falling defence spending (in relative terms), the decision not to specialise seems questionable at best and negligent at worst. For years, the army has traded mass for the promise of better technology (for example, the Ajax reconnaissance vehicle) and has now reached a critical point where it cannot meaningfully do it all…
We simply can’t afford a full suite of capabilities without doubling what we spend on defence. We’ve pretended that we can for the last decade, but as equipment obsoletes, or gets used in Ukraine, we’ve reached the point we have to make those choices.
We could learn from others and realise that "unique requirements" are a sign of bad planning *and* design for equipment.
Either buy equipment off the shelf, or don't.
It also means taking some of these doctrinal arguments out round the back of the shed and shooting them.
You can't make an armoured force air mobile. Ukraine is shortly going to tell us whether the whole "bridges and roads can't take the weight of heavy armour" thing is true or not. Either buy new tanks (lots) or don't have any.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
I don't think Russia is closer to Canada than the to the UK.
The Bering Straits between Russia and Alaska are just 82km wide and Alaska's land border is with northern Canada
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
There seems to be fewer of them every day Stuart.
Perhaps history will repeat itself and another Stuart will quit his comfortable life on the continent to come and rally the troops.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
The Russians would lose their shit if Belarus goes Colour Revolution.
We simply can’t afford a full suite of capabilities without doubling what we spend on defence. We’ve pretended that we can for the last decade, but as equipment obsoletes, or gets used in Ukraine, we’ve reached the point we have to make those choices.
The army definitely does not have to make those choices now because Baldy Ben, through lackwitted indolence, isn't forcing the unpalatable choices upon them. Ajax rolls on. Boxer gets cut. 3rd Division has a hopelessly unbalanced force structure that makes it undeployable. I see absolutely no sign of any appetite at all for difficult choices. It's just business as usual and can we have some more money.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
TBF to BigG, he's sometimes not a Tory (and never by the standards of our local Tory officeholder).
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Hmm. Source: KGB News tho´
Old as the hills. Folk dissing pollsters when they dislike the findings. Look forward to your posts when they show a Lib Dem surge.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
My bad. I forgot you take these things so seriously.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
TBF to BigG, he's sometimes not a Tory (and never by the standards of our local Tory officeholder).
I was responding to FUDHY, not BigG.
Mind you, Mini Franco is also sometimes not a Tory, when he’s a Plaid Cymru voter.
We simply can’t afford a full suite of capabilities without doubling what we spend on defence. We’ve pretended that we can for the last decade, but as equipment obsoletes, or gets used in Ukraine, we’ve reached the point we have to make those choices.
The army definitely does not have to make those choices now because Baldy Ben, through lackwitted indolence, isn't forcing the unpalatable choices upon them. Ajax rolls on. Boxer gets cut. 3rd Division has a hopelessly unbalanced force structure that makes it undeployable. I see absolutely no sign of any appetite at all for difficult choices. It's just business as usual and can we have some more money.
I don’t include the current government in ‘we’, since they’ve proved incapable of making hard choices, as you say.
Ajax is brilliant. They’ve recently ‘solved ‘ the vibration problem by sitting the driver in a rubber slung hammock. So full steam ahead again.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
TBF to BigG, he's sometimes not a Tory (and never by the standards of our local Tory officeholder).
I was responding to FUDHY, not BigG.
Mind you, Mini Franco is also sometimes not a Tory, when he’s a Plaid Cymru voter.
I voted for every Tory candidate on that Aberystwyth Town Council ballot paper, I just on principle use all my votes and there were only 4 Tory candidates but 6 seats to vote for
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Lost the only one you care about, though, didn't they?
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
The Russians would lose their shit if Belarus goes Colour Revolution.
Introducing the death penalty for treason is supposed to stop that. Signed off by Lukashenko this week.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
TBF to BigG, he's sometimes not a Tory (and never by the standards of our local Tory officeholder).
I was responding to FUDHY, not BigG.
Mind you, Mini Franco is also sometimes not a Tory, when he’s a Plaid Cymru voter.
I voted for every Tory candidate on that Aberystwyth Town Council ballot paper, I just on principle use all my votes and there were only 4 Tory candidates but 6 seats to vote for
Doesn't mean you didn't vote for the enemy. Commendable that you voted, but with multimember wards, not using all your votes is entirely legitimate (unless you were trying to keep out the Labour or LD candidate, of course).
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
Canada will do whatever the US tells them to do as NORAD is more important to them, by a very long way, than NATO. I can't imagine DJT even knows that Canada are in NATO so he probably wouldn't give a fuck if they stayed in.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
Canada will do whatever the US tells them to do as NORAD is more important to them, by a very long way, than NATO. I can't imagine DJT even knows that Canada are in NATO so he probably wouldn't give a fuck if they stayed in.
And if Putin invades Alaska?
Russian talking heads and politicians have recently been making claims on Alaska.
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
Filatov and Kozak from VVP's presidential administration created a 10 year plan for getting Belarus into the Russian Federation by 2030. They just need Batka not to die of the massive myocardial infarction that is undoubtedly his due before then. Although all of the Belarussian opposition figures of any note are either in exile in AirBnBs in Daugavpils or being relentlessly irradiated in prison hospitals to give them cancer so I don't think they are very well placed for any revolution of any colour.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
On occasion HYUFD is the world’s most polite troll.
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
Filatov and Kozak from VVP's presidential administration created a 10 year plan for getting Belarus into the Russian Federation by 2030. They just need Batka not to die of the massive myocardial infarction that is undoubtedly his due before then. Although all of the Belarussian opposition figures of any note are either in exile in AirBnBs in Daugavpils or being relentlessly irradiated in prison hospitals to give them cancer so I don't think they are very well placed for any revolution of any colour.
Shills for regimes throughout the ages have said similar to the above, only to occasionally find the situation changes rather unexpectedly to their disadvantage.
The army might be key; an army that is rumoured to be not keen to fight in Ukraine.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
He’s one of those classic cowards who fantasises about beating folk up. If he ever saw any real life action he’d be the first to slither under the nearest rock.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
The Russians would lose their shit if Belarus goes Colour Revolution.
Introducing the death penalty for treason is supposed to stop that. Signed off by Lukashenko this week.
The sort of law that may come back to bite him in the neck, if a revolution occurs and he is accused of treason.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
He accused me of treason the other day for complaining about the crap job the Tory government was doing of defence and the improbable claims he was making about the Falklands in particular (e.g. that his statement that they were defended by a nuclear submarine was impossible without wrecking other UK armed forces commitments, not least to defending the UK itself).
The argument showed that his main aim for the British armed forces, however, was to ensure that the Tory Party remained in power, never mind how many people died (e.g. in the bombing of civilian cities).
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
He accused me of treason the other day for complaining about the crap job the Tory government was doing of defence and the improbable claims he was making about the Falklands in particular (e.g. that his statement that they were defended by a nuclear submarine was impossible without wrecking other UK armed forces commitments, not least to defending the UK itself).
The argument showed that his main aim for the British armed forces, however, was to ensure that the Tory Party remained in power, never mind how many people died (e.g. in the bombing of civilian cities).
Oh that's normal. You should have seen his earlier work:
Not quite sure what the medium term economic consequences will be, but Biden’s green industrial incentives have rocket propelled EV building in the US.
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
Filatov and Kozak from VVP's presidential administration created a 10 year plan for getting Belarus into the Russian Federation by 2030. They just need Batka not to die of the massive myocardial infarction that is undoubtedly his due before then. Although all of the Belarussian opposition figures of any note are either in exile in AirBnBs in Daugavpils or being relentlessly irradiated in prison hospitals to give them cancer so I don't think they are very well placed for any revolution of any colour.
It is an iron law of history that attempting to murder and exile the opposition just creates new opposition.
The hold dictatorial states have is the fear they create. Once that slips, there’s always someone there with the rope at the front of the crowd, with bright and burning eyes.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
He accused me of treason the other day for complaining about the crap job the Tory government was doing of defence and the improbable claims he was making about the Falklands in particular (e.g. that his statement that they were defended by a nuclear submarine was impossible without wrecking other UK armed forces commitments, not least to defending the UK itself).
The argument showed that his main aim for the British armed forces, however, was to ensure that the Tory Party remained in power, never mind how many people died (e.g. in the bombing of civilian cities).
The defence of the realm and its overseas territories is the most important job of any UK government.
Not quite sure what the medium term economic consequences will be, but Biden’s green industrial incentives have rocket propelled EV building in the US.
Korea will be a winner, though, as half the new factories are being built in collaboration with LG and Samsung’s energy subsidiaries.
Report: GM To Partner With Samsung SDI On Cylindrical Batteries https://insideevs.com/news/656051/gm-samsung-sdi-cylindrical-batteries/ … The reports build on the previous news that GM-LG Energy Solution (LGES)'s talks about the fourth battery plant in the United States stalled. GM and LGES have so far launched three Ultium Cells battery projects (the first plant is already producing battery cells, since 2022)...
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
I'm not impressed by the current SNP. But there is no suggestion they or their supporters would ever turn to violence. Scotland is not Ireland or even Wales.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
I'm not impressed by the current SNP. But there is no suggestion they or their supporters would ever turn to violence. Scotland is not Ireland or even Wales.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
SNP Armageddon No.67,685
Yawn.
No.
It’s SNP Armageddon No.67,683
67,685 is NET* next week.
*No Earlier Than
I stand corrected.
I’d advise crouching in correctly dug tank proof trench when @HYUFD comes rolling up in his Covenanter tank.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
Oh good grief. Rabbit, meet hole.
Especially when he uses the SNP and other independistas not turning to terrorism as an excuse for denying referenda.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
That’s a sub sample, posted without that caveat. TUT. Weren’t you banned for that?
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Protecting us from dictators in Europe invading other countries when the British Army are not training, deployed on UN peace keeping duties or providing humanitarian aid, just a thought.....
That’s not the question the article is asking. As the article points out, we have some hard choices about what capabilities we can afford to fund within the budget constraints. … In 2021, the Ministry of Defence’s command paper stated: ‘The Army will be designed to operate globally on a persistent basis.’ Such talk has faded since February 2022. Within months of Russia’s onslaught on Kyiv, General Sanders emphasised that Europe would now be the army’s ‘singular focus’.
Lacking a clear sense of purpose would be less of a problem if the British Army could still field a full suite of capabilities. After all, defence spending is akin to an expensive insurance premium. The UK armed forces have long tried to maintain their status as a ‘tier one’ military, able to deter or tackle any threat – from non-state actors to peer adversaries. The British Army has traditionally prided itself as a ‘reference army’ for many allies and partners. Yet, after decades of falling defence spending (in relative terms), the decision not to specialise seems questionable at best and negligent at worst. For years, the army has traded mass for the promise of better technology (for example, the Ajax reconnaissance vehicle) and has now reached a critical point where it cannot meaningfully do it all…
We simply can’t afford a full suite of capabilities without doubling what we spend on defence. We’ve pretended that we can for the last decade, but as equipment obsoletes, or gets used in Ukraine, we’ve reached the point we have to make those choices.
Dump aircraft carriers and trident and spend the cash on a real army rather than pretending to be a big player. With what they have nowadays they could not hold a piss up in a brewery.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Protecting the Falklands and Gibraltar.
Plus taking part in UN and NATO operations
The British Empire going out in a whimper.
Bit like the SNP post Sturgeon!!!
SNP 47% Lab 28% Con 8% Grn 6% LD 6% Ref 3%
(PeoplePolling/GB News; 1,231; 8 March)
Tories in single figures and the SNP near 50%, after 15 years in government and eleven election victories in a row.
The lack of self-awareness is stunning.
Sturgeon is still SNP leader, once calamity Yousaf or Gilead Forbes succeeds her those ratings will collapse like a lack of cards
SNP Armageddon No.67,685
Yawn.
No.
It’s SNP Armageddon No.67,683
67,685 is NET* next week.
*No Earlier Than
That's gross.
Reminds me of an old joke.
Toilet cleaner is engaged for the Reading Festival. He happily cleans half of the 288 portaloos, but refuses to do the other half. Asked why, he says, "well, I've done 144: gross; doing 288 would be two gross"
Odd silence over Lord Sugar's rants on Twitter, also employed by the BBC.
Or Packham's own hypocrisy and comments, for that matter.
Indeed. Packham really pushes it. He’s more vocal than Lineker
I like him a lot as a nature presenter but his online presence is irksome. He’s quite badly autistic (self described as such) so he probably doesn’t realise how much he can irritate
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
Oh good grief. Rabbit, meet hole.
Especially when he uses the SNP and other independistas not turning to terrorism as an excuse for denying referenda.
Indeed. It is one of his weirdest obsessions: terrorist deserve to be rewarded, but democrats must be ruthlessly crushed.
Odd silence over Lord Sugar's rants on Twitter, also employed by the BBC.
Or Packham's own hypocrisy and comments, for that matter.
Indeed. Packham really pushes it. He’s more vocal than Lineker
I like him a lot as a nature presenter but his online presence is irksome. He’s quite badly autistic (self described as such) so he probably doesn’t realise how much he can irritate
Odd silence over Lord Sugar's rants on Twitter, also employed by the BBC.
Or Packham's own hypocrisy and comments, for that matter.
Indeed. Packham really pushes it. He’s more vocal than Lineker
I like him a lot as a nature presenter but his online presence is irksome. He’s quite badly autistic (self described as such) so he probably doesn’t realise how much he can irritate
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
I'm not impressed by the current SNP. But there is no suggestion they or their supporters would ever turn to violence. Scotland is not Ireland or even Wales.
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
The big problem is that the current incumbents think that since they got there (they believe) on merit, that they are the peak of he pyramid. The manifestation of Ra, gleaming down on the grateful hordes below.
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
I don't think Russia is closer to Canada than the to the UK.
The Bering Straits between Russia and Alaska are just 82km wide and Alaska's land border is with northern Canada
Russia to Canadian border is about 1500km. UK to Kalingrad is about 1200km. Google Maps can give you exact numbers.
PB’s Scottish Subdivision is suffering the peculiar delusion that accusing me of living a life of “booze, drugs, lots of casual sex and generalized brothel-going” is some kind of INSULT
On topic: Donald Trump is a bad bet at evens for the nomination. The probabilities of all the ways he doesn't get it add up to considerably more than 50%. That said, large parts of the GOP are drop-dead crazy and I'm glad most of my Big Short is for the WH.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
I don't think Russia is closer to Canada than the to the UK.
The Bering Straits between Russia and Alaska are just 82km wide and Alaska's land border is with northern Canada
Russia to Canadian border is about 1500km. UK to Kalingrad is about 1200km. Google Maps can give you exact numbers.
And as posted earlier Russian TV is now talking about invading Alaska and next stop would then be Canada
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Sadly, the moronic usage of the above has polluted an interesting point about the origins and intentions of the disparate subgroupings that made up the Nazis
Tolkien got close with “they are a combination of the worst of Kaiserism and Bolshevism”
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
Oh good grief. Rabbit, meet hole.
Especially when he uses the SNP and other independistas not turning to terrorism as an excuse for denying referenda.
Indeed. It is one of his weirdest obsessions: terrorist deserve to be rewarded, but democrats must be ruthlessly crushed.
Northern Ireland remains in the UK, the IRA failed in that objective.
Just there is no hard border in Ireland imposed by the UK government
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
The big problem is that the current incumbents think that since they got there (they believe) on merit, that they are the leak of he pyramid. The manifestation of Ra, gleaming down on the grateful hordes below.
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
There is still an old school tie element to it, a significant one in my experience. As a comprehensive educated person I just take it as given that I'm unlikely to advance in any organisation run by British people.
PB’s Scottish Subdivision is suffering the peculiar delusion that accusing me of living a life of “booze, drugs, lots of casual sex and generalized brothel-going” is some kind of INSULT
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
I don't think Russia is closer to Canada than the to the UK.
The Bering Straits between Russia and Alaska are just 82km wide and Alaska's land border is with northern Canada
Russia to Canadian border is about 1500km. UK to Kalingrad is about 1200km. Google Maps can give you exact numbers.
Numbers were given earlier in the thread, only 45km difference.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
Best Father Ted voice: ‘tried’ is past tense referring to something that has already happened
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
Oh good grief. Rabbit, meet hole.
Especially when he uses the SNP and other independistas not turning to terrorism as an excuse for denying referenda.
Indeed. It is one of his weirdest obsessions: terrorist deserve to be rewarded, but democrats must be ruthlessly crushed.
That was the result of the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Economically they kinda were, tho. State directed capitalism is probably the best descriptor, a bit like China today
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
Oh good grief. Rabbit, meet hole.
Especially when he uses the SNP and other independistas not turning to terrorism as an excuse for denying referenda.
Indeed. It is one of his weirdest obsessions: terrorist deserve to be rewarded, but democrats must be ruthlessly crushed.
That was the result of the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
Not quite sure what the medium term economic consequences will be, but Biden’s green industrial incentives have rocket propelled EV building in the US.
Korea will be a winner, though, as half the new factories are being built in collaboration with LG and Samsung’s energy subsidiaries.
Report: GM To Partner With Samsung SDI On Cylindrical Batteries https://insideevs.com/news/656051/gm-samsung-sdi-cylindrical-batteries/ … The reports build on the previous news that GM-LG Energy Solution (LGES)'s talks about the fourth battery plant in the United States stalled. GM and LGES have so far launched three Ultium Cells battery projects (the first plant is already producing battery cells, since 2022)...
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Economically they kinda were, tho. State directed capitalism is probably the best descriptor, a bit like China today
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
If the Nazis had a bit of proper centralised, state owned industry they might have had a better war. Instead they had a sack of squabbling, competing, grifting vipers, so thank feck they weren’t socialists.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
I'm not impressed by the current SNP. But there is no suggestion they or their supporters would ever turn to violence. Scotland is not Ireland or even Wales.
You’ve never seen a Rangers Celtic match then
Remember once when the broadcaster schedules an Old Firm match for 7pm on a Saturday, and there wasn’t too much left of Glasgow my Sunday morning. Now the polis insist on lunchtime Saturday kickoffs for the fixture.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Protecting us from dictators in Europe invading other countries when the British Army are not training, deployed on UN peace keeping duties or providing humanitarian aid, just a thought.....
That’s not the question the article is asking. As the article points out, we have some hard choices about what capabilities we can afford to fund within the budget constraints. … In 2021, the Ministry of Defence’s command paper stated: ‘The Army will be designed to operate globally on a persistent basis.’ Such talk has faded since February 2022. Within months of Russia’s onslaught on Kyiv, General Sanders emphasised that Europe would now be the army’s ‘singular focus’.
Lacking a clear sense of purpose would be less of a problem if the British Army could still field a full suite of capabilities. After all, defence spending is akin to an expensive insurance premium. The UK armed forces have long tried to maintain their status as a ‘tier one’ military, able to deter or tackle any threat – from non-state actors to peer adversaries. The British Army has traditionally prided itself as a ‘reference army’ for many allies and partners. Yet, after decades of falling defence spending (in relative terms), the decision not to specialise seems questionable at best and negligent at worst. For years, the army has traded mass for the promise of better technology (for example, the Ajax reconnaissance vehicle) and has now reached a critical point where it cannot meaningfully do it all…
We simply can’t afford a full suite of capabilities without doubling what we spend on defence. We’ve pretended that we can for the last decade, but as equipment obsoletes, or gets used in Ukraine, we’ve reached the point we have to make those choices.
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Economically they kinda were, tho. State directed capitalism is probably the best descriptor, a bit like China today
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
If the Nazis had a bit of proper centralised, state owned industry they might have had a better war. Instead they had a sack of squabbling, competing, grifting vipers, so thank feck they weren’t socialists.
This is a really peculiar statement, on multiple levels
The Canadian justice system is evidently vastly superior to ours. At least on the evidence of this decision.
https://www.canlii.org/en/qc/qccq/doc/2023/2023qccq630/2023qccq630.html … To be abundantly clear, it is not a crime to give someone the finger. Flipping the proverbial bird is a God-given, Charter enshrined right that belongs to every red-blooded Canadian. It may not be civil, it may not be polite, it may not be gentlemanly.
[169] Nevertheless, it does not trigger criminal liability. Offending someone is not a crime. It is an integral component of one’s freedom of expression. Citizens are to be thicker-skinned, especially when they behave in ways that are highly likely to trigger such profanity – like driving too fast on a street where innocent kids are playing. Being told to “fuck off” should not prompt a call to 9-1-1…
… 174] In the modern-day vernacular, people often refer to a criminal case “being thrown out”. Obviously, this is little more than a figurative expression. Cases aren’t actually thrown out, in the literal or physical sense. Nevertheless, in the specific circumstances of this case, the Court is inclined to actually take the file and throw it out the window, which is the only way to adequately express my bewilderment with the fact that Mr. Epstein was subjected to an arrest and a fulsome criminal prosecution. Alas, the courtrooms of the Montreal courthouse do not have windows.
[175] A mere verdict of acquittal will have to suffice.
What a ruling, littered with gems. Here's another:
[8] For reasons explained below, the Court is resoundingly acquitting the accused. Since I’m hesitant to draft an entire decision in bold and caps-lock characters, I offer the following observations instead.
I've seen some shocking Canadian supreme court decisions, but this judge clearly knows good sense. Less positive is the dozens and dozens who did not to get there.
Interesting piece on the Belarus partisans. Russia losing Belarus from its orbit would really cause Putin to lose his shit. Especially if it joined NATO.
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
That would be an amazing outcome to this tragedy - in seeking to gain Ukraine Putin loses Belarus. We can dream.
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Economically they kinda were, tho. State directed capitalism is probably the best descriptor, a bit like China today
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
If the labels are misleading, and they are, I do not think the first sentence holds up.
Are any of the ostensibly communist countries actually communist in ideology now? The 'real x has never been tried' will be glad, ignoring why they moved away from it.
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Why? Why do you say stuff like this? The SNP are a lot of things, but terrorists isn't one of them.
The scenario involved extreme Scottish Nationalists turning to terrorism
I'm not impressed by the current SNP. But there is no suggestion they or their supporters would ever turn to violence. Scotland is not Ireland or even Wales.
You’ve never seen a Rangers Celtic match then
Remember once when the broadcaster schedules an Old Firm match for 7pm on a Saturday, and there wasn’t too much left of Glasgow my Sunday morning. Now the polis insist on lunchtime Saturday kickoffs for the fixture.
Indeed. And there is a serious point here
Westminster cannot forever deny a 2nd Scottish indyref, because in the end some Scots WOULD turn to violence, if there was literally no democratic way of them expressing their opinion on this fundamental issue. The sentiment is evidently there. And if you deny democracy forever you get violence, because what is the alternative?
However the UK has a right to its own say, and the Act of Union was not an act of colonialism, it was an agreed marriage. The generation argument is therefore the best one. You consult again when an entirely new generation has arisen, with perhaps a different view. 20-30 years? We waited too long for our second EU referendum. 40 years. That’s one reason it went wrong for europhiles, who continuously and egregiously denied the democratic will beforehand
This is also why the 2nd vote Remoaners were such demented fools. If they’d had their way the democratic will of the British people would have been annulled. Ignored and overridden. That’s the end of democracy. Anyone that espoused the cancellation of the Brexit vote should now slink away from politics in shame - looking at you Keir Starmer
Dom Cummings has speculated that if the 2nd voters had won the argument, there would then have been violence on the streets. He is surely right. Fuck, I might have chucked a geriatric patrol bomb myself
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Try governing ourselves again?
And if Putin then walks into Poland or the Baltic states?
He would get his arse kicked. Post Ukraine he will no longer have a functioning army for at least a decade. Which is an interesting context for the article @Nigelb linked to in the last thread: what is the British army for?
Easy peasy: crushing rebellious Scots.
Dead easy. Only around 42% of Scots are currently rebellious and most of them will either be pissed, high or out campaigning for more wokery, so I reckon a bunch of local TA could quell them🤡
The entire TA (outwith Scotland) is approx 30,000. How exactly are they going to invade and occupy Scotland, pop approx 5.5 million?
There is no invasion needed, suppression of secessionists who tried terrorism is not invasion as Scotland remains within the UK
Nobody mentioned terrorism. Now you’re having your wet dreams in the middle of the day.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The Spanish certainly didn't muck about when dealing with Basque secessionist ETA terrorism
Oh good grief. Rabbit, meet hole.
Especially when he uses the SNP and other independistas not turning to terrorism as an excuse for denying referenda.
Indeed. It is one of his weirdest obsessions: terrorist deserve to be rewarded, but democrats must be ruthlessly crushed.
That was the result of the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
Are you a Man of Violence then?
And the reason for the NIPP was ....?
To make terrorists happy by giving them 6 figure jobs
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
The big problem is that the current incumbents think that since they got there (they believe) on merit, that they are the leak of he pyramid. The manifestation of Ra, gleaming down on the grateful hordes below.
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
Yep. Believing you've achieved power & wealth purely on merit is largely a self-supporting delusion. But it's deeply understandable too, so let's not be too harsh. Even very successful people need to protect a sense of self-worth. This can easily disappear if you fully acknowledge, even to yourself, the amount of chance and other non-merit factors involved.
"I didn't get where I am today, Reggie, by fully acknowledging the amount of chance and other non-merit factors involved."
And like many problems this one - our Mediocre Establishment - is a heck of a lot easier to talk about than to resolve. I've given my remedy fwiw - radically reduce the link between parental bank balance and educational outcomes. I personally don't see things improving much unless we find a way to do this.
Not quite sure what the medium term economic consequences will be, but Biden’s green industrial incentives have rocket propelled EV building in the US.
Korea will be a winner, though, as half the new factories are being built in collaboration with LG and Samsung’s energy subsidiaries.
Report: GM To Partner With Samsung SDI On Cylindrical Batteries https://insideevs.com/news/656051/gm-samsung-sdi-cylindrical-batteries/ … The reports build on the previous news that GM-LG Energy Solution (LGES)'s talks about the fourth battery plant in the United States stalled. GM and LGES have so far launched three Ultium Cells battery projects (the first plant is already producing battery cells, since 2022)...
Biden picked on one thing - the ICE to EV changeover is a massive point of disruption, where it is possible to pick up a massive chunk of the world market.
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
The big problem is that the current incumbents think that since they got there (they believe) on merit, that they are the leak of he pyramid. The manifestation of Ra, gleaming down on the grateful hordes below.
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
There is still an old school tie element to it, a significant one in my experience. As a comprehensive educated person I just take it as given that I'm unlikely to advance in any organisation run by British people.
I tried to help yesterday, start calling “football” soccer and you will find the doors of the oak panelled establishment swing open.
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Economically they kinda were, tho. State directed capitalism is probably the best descriptor, a bit like China today
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
If the labels are misleading, and they are, I do not think the first sentence holds up.
Are any of the ostensibly communist countries actually communist in ideology now? The 'real x has never been tried' will be glad, ignoring why they moved away from it.
IIRC there are only five theoretically commie countries left. Laos, Vietnam, China, N Korea, Cuba
I’ve been to all of them except DPRK. The only one that actually seems remotely communist, economically, is Cuba. And it is an economic basket case
I am sure DPRK is pretty commie as well but who wants to boast about that?
The others are just autocratic, one party capitalist states with some silly flags and slogans as a hangover from history
So trump wins the presidency next year, cuts support for Ukraine and quits NATO. What do we do?
Stay in NATO with most of the rest of Europe, Turkey and Canada
Trump didn't leave NATO last time, can't see him doing it next time either, if he gets elected. But does Canada stay in if the US leaves? It's not as if Europe is going to declare war on the US if it then invades Canada, is it? So presumably Canada would be more interested in having bilateral treaty with US.
I can see Trump abandoning Ukraine though. Either that or a nuclear first strike on Russia.
Of course Canada stays in NATO. Russia is closer to Canada than it is to the UK for starters!
You do seem to have forgotten however the US invaded Canada in the War of 1812 and the Canadians pushed them back only with support from Britain
I don't think Russia is closer to Canada than the to the UK.
The Bering Straits between Russia and Alaska are just 82km wide and Alaska's land border is with northern Canada
Russia to Canadian border is about 1500km. UK to Kalingrad is about 1200km. Google Maps can give you exact numbers.
And as posted earlier Russian TV is now talking about invading Alaska and next stop would then be Canada
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
The big problem is that the current incumbents think that since they got there (they believe) on merit, that they are the leak of he pyramid. The manifestation of Ra, gleaming down on the grateful hordes below.
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
There is still an old school tie element to it, a significant one in my experience. As a comprehensive educated person I just take it as given that I'm unlikely to advance in any organisation run by British people.
We had a comprehensive educated PM 6 months ago, can't say she was the greatest holder of the office though!
I fear PB is not immune to bouts of ‘But the Nazis were socialists’ dumbfuckery.
Economically they kinda were, tho. State directed capitalism is probably the best descriptor, a bit like China today
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
PB’s Scottish Subdivision is suffering the peculiar delusion that accusing me of living a life of “booze, drugs, lots of casual sex and generalized brothel-going” is some kind of INSULT
Since the media don't seem to be reporting it much, here's a report about the Post Office Horizon scandal.
"IT worker evidence reveals a toxic Post Office IT helpdesk that discriminated against subpostmasters IT worker tells public inquiry that the Post Office Horizon helpdesk was toxic, rudderless and racist"
In the end, this Post office issue is why it is good to live in this country, problems like this get unearthed and eventually resolved.
Judging by the interviews with various postmasters, the Post Office seemed quite capable of ruining the lives of WWC subpostmasters.
Seriously - I have little doubt that such a stupidly, malevolent policy was carried out with racism, sexism, homophobia and about every prejudice they could find. Scum are like that.
The deeply depressing thing about the human condition was that cruel indifference was enough. Nothing else required than an inability to care or empathise.
The former CEO of Fujitsu is one Michael Keegan, husband of the Education Secretary and a Crown Representative in the Cabinet Office with special responsibility for managing contracts with BaE. The other company he was on the board of, Centerprise Ltd, was awarded some 17 governments contracts during 2019-20. His expertise is, according to him, in Technology, IT, Payment and Banking Services.
Quite why someone who was in charge of a company intimately involved in and partly responsible for possibly the worst and largest miscarriage of justice in British history is in such a comfortable position when sub-postmasters are having to fight for every scrap of compensation is one to ponder.
He is part of the New Upper 10,000
Since they owe their position To Merit, they are there by divine right. Unlike their aristocratic predecessors who were just their by divine right.
It is nothing less than their due that they receive a big payout and a better job each time they fail.
This is not limited to this country. The career of Ursula von der Leyen is a perfect example.
What about all the people in top positions who've got there on merit and aren't like this? Are they not part of the "New Upper 10,000"?
There are people like that?
Who won't take the better job and the pile of money as a reward for abject failure?
If you can find one, Diogenes can put down his lantern at long, long, last.
C'mon, ultra-cynicism and naivety are two cheeks on the same arse.
There are plenty of people in top jobs who got them on merit, work hard, have ethics, do not abjectly fail, and if they did would not expect to be rewarded for it, of course there are. And my question - a serious one since I want to know what you're on about with this - is are these good ones in top jobs pukka members of your New Upper 10,000?
Or can you only be in the New Upper 10,000 if you're one of the bad 'abjectly fail and expect reward for it' ones?
It's an interesting question. They are part of the same Gilded Class. They are subject to the same privileges. How many actually take responsibility for the manifest failures we see? Apart from a token apology and some performative theatre.
If we want to deal with some the structural issues we talk about in this country, it will require not shuffling the failures in circles.
EDIT: It rather resembles the question of Starmer under Corbyn. These people sit on the boards, and watch as the guilty are praised, the innocent punished and uninvolved rewarded. Yet they do not speak out. Why?
So you're talking about our Mediocre Establishment. Yes I too see this as a problem. And I agree we shouldn't assume that to the extent people attain power and wealth by merit (rather than class) this means all is well. It doesn't. They are intertwined.
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
The big problem is that the current incumbents think that since they got there (they believe) on merit, that they are the leak of he pyramid. The manifestation of Ra, gleaming down on the grateful hordes below.
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
There is still an old school tie element to it, a significant one in my experience. As a comprehensive educated person I just take it as given that I'm unlikely to advance in any organisation run by British people.
We had a comprehensive educated PM 6 months ago, can't say she was the greatest holder of the office though!
Edit: Her chancellor went to a very posh school. You know, the only schools you approve of.
Comments
Either buy equipment off the shelf, or don't.
It also means taking some of these doctrinal arguments out round the back of the shed and shooting them.
You can't make an armoured force air mobile. Ukraine is shortly going to tell us whether the whole "bridges and roads can't take the weight of heavy armour" thing is true or not. Either buy new tanks (lots) or don't have any.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-belarus-guerillas-sabotage-2c5074209663a2403752bb0c6404b32e
It would make at least the west of Ukraine far more secure. Without having to guard against another effort on Kyiv from the north through Belarus, the Ukrainians could push tens of thousands of troops and weapons eastwards.
The fall of Lukashenko and the end of his regime is likely a top bit of wargaming going on in Langley.
Got an unexpected giggle out of me this morning.
My bad. I forgot you take these things so seriously.
Mind you, Mini Franco is also sometimes not a Tory, when he’s a Plaid Cymru voter.
Ajax is brilliant. They’ve recently ‘solved ‘ the vibration problem by sitting the driver in a rubber slung hammock. So full steam ahead again.
https://www.newsweek.com/russian-state-tv-guest-yevgeny-satanovsky-revives-effort-reclaim-alaska-us-1780536
Just a sign of their insanity.
Yawn.
We all know you are a great admirer of Castilian terrorism.
The army might be key; an army that is rumoured to be not keen to fight in Ukraine.
It’s SNP Armageddon No.67,683
67,685 is NET* next week.
*No Earlier Than
The argument showed that his main aim for the British armed forces, however, was to ensure that the Tory Party remained in power, never mind how many people died (e.g. in the bombing of civilian cities).
Santos accused of orchestrating credit card skimming operation
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3892920-santos-accused-of-orchestrating-credit-card-skimming-operation/
https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/3845764#Comment_3845764
VW Pauses Plans For Cell Plant In Europe, Prioritizes North America
Volkswagen Group estimates it could get up to $10.6 billion in US incentives for a cell factory in North America.
https://insideevs.com/news/656460/vw-group-pauses-plans-for-cell-plant-europe-prioritizes-north-america/
Current energy prices also come into it.
The hold dictatorial states have is the fear they create. Once that slips, there’s always someone there with the rope at the front of the crowd, with bright and burning eyes.
See Ceaușescu, Mussolini, Gaddafi etc.
You on the other hand wish to break the UK up
Report: GM To Partner With Samsung SDI On Cylindrical Batteries
https://insideevs.com/news/656051/gm-samsung-sdi-cylindrical-batteries/
… The reports build on the previous news that GM-LG Energy Solution (LGES)'s talks about the fourth battery plant in the United States stalled. GM and LGES have so far launched three Ultium Cells battery projects (the first plant is already producing battery cells, since 2022)...
Is there a fundamentalist version of House going on here?
Merit (as it's traditionally thought of) flows from education and in this country education strongly correlates to class. Unless you break the latter link all you can realistically expect are marginal improvements to the Establishment rather than a transformation.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-war-russia-hypersonic-missile-putin-nuclear-b2297882.html
Wagner and Putin no longer besties?
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421449/
You really do need help.
Toilet cleaner is engaged for the Reading Festival. He happily cleans half of the 288 portaloos, but refuses to do the other half. Asked why, he says, "well, I've done 144: gross; doing 288 would be two gross"
The truth is that it’s a mixture of merit, cliques and tongs. It’s not old school ties any longer - look at the networks in the charitable world for example. And in many cases it’s hereditary - the promotion of children via various routes by their parents.
This obscures their very average talents.
We were talking of BritVolt the other day. In talking to people in business and permanent government on this, a pattern emerges.
BritVolt had a business plan and that was all they needed. They may have had no technology or technological innovation - but that was irrelevant. You just hire the slightly icky technical types later.
https://www.newsweek.com/russian-state-tv-guest-yevgeny-satanovsky-revives-effort-reclaim-alaska-us-1780536
Tolkien got close with “they are a combination of the worst of Kaiserism and Bolshevism”
Just there is no hard border in Ireland imposed by the UK government
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62132156
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/20/lord-sugar-under-fire-over-racist-senegal-world-cup-team-tweet
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/alan-sugar-sparks-racism-row-22456055
Are you a Man of Violence then?
These labels are all so misleading. Eg I am sitting in a charming al fresco cocktail bar in Hoi An, Vietnam, as I write this. Drinking a passion fruit margarita
Hoi An is quite ferociously capitalist. The competition between bars and restaurants is intense and fortunes are being made (or lost)
And yet 100m from here is the local HQ of the “Vietnam Communist Party” which still ostensibly runs the country. Schools are still named after Ho Chi Minh. And yet it is several light years away from the visions of Marxist-Leninism
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/03/09/the-global-ice-industry-cliff-is-here/
And that was before the absurdity of a majority of Republicans in Congress believing Trump won the last election.
Are any of the ostensibly communist countries actually communist in ideology now? The 'real x has never been tried' will be glad, ignoring why they moved away from it.
Westminster cannot forever deny a 2nd Scottish indyref, because in the end some Scots WOULD turn to violence, if there was literally no democratic way of them expressing their opinion on this fundamental issue. The sentiment is evidently there. And if you deny democracy forever you get violence, because what is the alternative?
However the UK has a right to its own say, and the Act of Union was not an act of colonialism, it was an agreed marriage. The generation argument is therefore the best one. You consult again when an entirely new generation has arisen, with perhaps a different view. 20-30 years? We waited too long for our second EU referendum. 40 years. That’s one reason it went wrong for europhiles, who continuously and egregiously denied the democratic will beforehand
This is also why the 2nd vote Remoaners were such demented fools. If they’d had their way the democratic will of the British people would have been annulled. Ignored and overridden. That’s the end of democracy. Anyone that espoused the cancellation of the Brexit vote should now slink away from politics in shame - looking at you Keir Starmer
Dom Cummings has speculated that if the 2nd voters had won the argument, there would then have been violence on the streets. He is surely right. Fuck, I might have chucked a geriatric patrol bomb myself
"I didn't get where I am today, Reggie, by fully acknowledging the amount of chance and other non-merit factors involved."
And like many problems this one - our Mediocre Establishment - is a heck of a lot easier to talk about than to resolve. I've given my remedy fwiw - radically reduce the link between parental bank balance and educational outcomes. I personally don't see things improving much unless we find a way to do this.
I’ve been to all of them except DPRK. The only one that actually seems remotely communist, economically, is Cuba. And it is an economic basket case
I am sure DPRK is pretty commie as well but who wants to boast about that?
The others are just autocratic, one party capitalist states with some silly flags and slogans as a hangover from history
It's like someone in Russia saying 'Uk betting site now talking about England invading Scotland' because they read one of your posts.
http://www.ub.edu/graap/nazi.pdf
Autarky was their really big thing, though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_and_Necessity
Edit: Her chancellor went to a very posh school. You know, the only schools you approve of.