Re Afghanistan I was against the invasion. HOWEVER, having been there 20+ years and the hard yards having been done, Afghan society transforming and young Afghan girls and boys grown up enjoying education and opportunities, the West should haver stuck it out. As for the rest,,blah blah blah I've read it several times and, I must be tired after a long week because you are jumping from topic to topic and I can't follow So for the benefit of clarity: * The UK should be an entirely independent nation * The UK should avoid getting involved in foreign wars unless it directly affects the UK * We are still living with the consequences of BLair and Bush megalomania * The way that Biden ran from Afghanistan was shameful, and will have emboldened Putin * UK defence has been allowed to decay over at least 40 years to the point it's a joke - we have 120 or so jets, 200 or so tanks, 20 or so warships.. and couldn't invade the Isle of Wight * The EU should do the heavy lifting of defending it's own eastern border * The EU failure to put Russia under meaningful sanctions shows what a rotten club it really is and I'm glad 52% voted out * The NATO and EU creep east was always likely to end in friction with Russia, for it to come as a surprise is laughable, there should have been a plan * Since the US swapped deterrence for internal woke identity politics the world has become a more dangerous place, with China and Russia filling the void * Take a glance back at the Warsaw map of 1985, what it was in 2015, and wonder what it will look like in 2045 because it will be different * This war could have been avoided, or at least, delayed, by US troops invited into Ukraine as going to war with the US is a very different prospect to going to war with Ukraine Think I've covered it
A shame the old Politics section was deleted as would've been nice to be able to quote some of your frequent apologism (and sometimes admiration) for Putin back at you. Good to see your world view has moved on slightly.
Joe Barnes on Twitter: "Italian prime minister Mario Draghi successfully secured a carve out for Italian luxury goods from the EU's package of economic sanctions against Nato, EU dip tells me. 'Apparently selling Gucci loafers to oligarchs is more of a priority than hitting back at Putin,' source adds." / Twitter Joe Barnes on Twitter: "Belgium's diamond industry is also not included in the package of sanctions, but wider point is Mario Draghi lobbied to ensure luxury goods were kept out, and is still lobbying to make sure they're not included in future package of sanctions." / Twitter
TBF he does have a point. Certain countries, including Italy and Germany, haven't covered themselves with glory.... especially blocking the efforts of others to ban Russia from Swift. Unfortunately money still is the biggest motivator for some.
So, at root, nothing to do with Blairites or Starmerites (whatever the latter may be), but a failure of policy on many fronts by the 'western alliance', with the leading roles taken by USA Republican Presidents. I am no Blair apologist and I agree with much of your analysis, but let's lay the majority of any blame fairly.
Who'd've thunk it,eh? But at least good 'ole Boris had a crack at pronouncing Russian and Ukrainian.....Trump struggled with Am-er-i-caan.
A couple of comments. What does 'directly affects UK' mean? How do you define 'directly'? Under your terms, was UK wrong for declaring war on Nazi Germany in 1939 as they had 'only invaded Poland' after all? It is not simply 'the EU's eastern border' however you try to spin it. It is not possible to simply detach current UK foreign policy from almost 150 years of intertwined policy, much of which the UK was central to formulating. You have made a similar point when saying 'the west's' past actions in such as Afghanistan is having direct impacts today. You can't chop and change that argument when it suits.
I doubt that line will hold and in other respects EU countries have gone further than we have, but yes, shytty show.
Interesting Twitter thread this, though like most of the stuff on there could be something close to the truth or could be a fairytale: https://twitter.com/RihoTerras/status/1497537193346220038?t=5Y0cRpBfduWts9nwt6L5Tg&s=19 Probably the latter but feels like it could be close-ish to the truth. Also a fair smattering of videos on social media coming out showing clueless Russian conscript soldiers demonstrating little interest in fighting, or running out of fuel/food/both.
Visegrád 24 on Twitter: "Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, says he is baffled by the response he has received from German officials after asking for military aid. He says that ministers he has talked to say “you Ukrainians have only a few hours left. There is no point in helping you now”. https://t.co/O5ikFKHWE0" / Twitter
I'm not sure how long it'll last but the Ukrainians are showing an amazing determination to fight for their country:
There could well be truth in it. Russia's military is a lot less capable than they try to make people think it is, and much of the equipment is old and well past replacement. Ukraine is putting up a fierce and spirited resistance instead of folding to the blitzkrieg, something I'm sure they didn't anticipate. Zelensky is proving to be a quite inspiring leader: "I need ammunition, not a ride" he said after the US offered to extract him. An absolute Chad.
IMO the West and/or NATO are equally as culpable as Putin in this disaster . Do we ever learn from history or do we simply let history repeat itself ? What did we think would happen when we allowed the ex Soviet states to join NATO ? History is littered with the West/USA being passive aggressive and then acting out . No good guys in war . Thoughts and prayers to all the innocents in this mess
In case anyone is short of things to do this weekend: https://twitter.com/theipaper/status/1497533623741956097
Yeah, it was a massive mistake to let them join NATO a few months ago *checks notes* 16 years ago. God, imagine falling hook, line and sinker for that Putin talking point. What an absolute prize numpty you'd have to be.
You are equally as guilty then . And any no mark who likes your post. Have you ever heard of Napoleon , Hitler etc etc ? Just askin'
Of course I've heard of Napoleon and Hitler. And I wouldn't dream of parroting their talking points like a pathetic fan boi.
"Comrade" ? Can you read ? I don't take sides I repeat what did the uneducated think would happen when the West/NATO expanded into former Iron Curtain states ?
It’s an odd one this, because it’s not at all clear that the Russians have committed their strongest force to this. So it would be surprising if they thought it would be over quickly. I give Putin 50/50 in living beyond 2023. I hope his odds are worse than that.
Moose . I agree. But we , the West, are not innocent in all of this. War is money . And the plebs pay the price
What sort of mental contortion it must need to take Putin's side and parrot his main talking points and then trying to claim you're not taking sides.
