Off Topic The Politics Thread

[Staines R's]

I am thinking the Americans are being setting themselves for a fall...here. Even if Putin is thinking of invading...politically he wins if he doesn't do it at exactly 6 am tomorrow morning!

And Boris is just talking up a storm ...aka Thatcher and the Falklands

If we don't get a war against Russia tomorrow, can see us going to war with the Maldives...the b******s put their flag up over OUR Chagos islands yesterday. Lets Nuke them back to the Stone Age

Whats the Maldives got to do with it Beth you warmonger…trying to create a true global conflict are you ?

 

[Staines R's]

Or the US and U.K. deliberately gave Putin the chance to make them look foolish…..and avoid a conflict in the process.

If you try and think this **** through from every angle you could end up as a gibbering wreck……

Interesting column by William Hague in todays Times, who met Putin a few times, on his motivations on ‘uniting’ the Russian peoples (he regards the Ukrainians as Russians) before he gets too old….whether this be through absorbing them into Russia or having them as a satellite state like Belarus.

Personally I think he’s just another bloke drunk on power, a keen level of paranoia and with a weird sense of ‘destiny’. He must also be acutely aware of how it will all collapse around very quickly if things go wrong, he knows well enough that his country is an economic, social and legal basket case ready, largely because of him.

Mate I go from one minute thinking invasion is imminent and unavoidable…to the next minute thinking it’s all a game for Putin and he’s playing the West like chumps….blows my mind.

To be honest I think there are probably a good few in the East of Ukraine who actually do consider themselves Russian….and Putin would like to be seen as the conquering saviour who unties them from Ukrainian nationalism.

 

[Steelmonkey]

Whats the Maldives got to do with it Beth you warmonger…trying to create a true global conflict are you ?

Beth doing her best Liz Truss impression - go to war with the wrong country, that would go down well, although I'd put nothing past this government

 

[sb_73]

Mate I go from one minute thinking invasion is imminent and unavoidable…to the next minute thinking it’s all a game for Putin and he’s playing the West like chumps….blows my mind.

To be honest I think there are probably a good few in the East of Ukraine who actually do consider themselves Russian….and Putin would like to be seen as the conquering saviour who unties them from Ukrainian nationalism.

I’ve watched a good few news reports from that part of Ukraine including discussions with Russian speakers who definitely want to stay part of Ukraine……a few from Crimea saying the same, anonymously of course. Problem is when loads of people are wandering around heavily armed it’s not the best environment to get an objective view of who wants what.

But I don’t think language is necessarily the sole arbiter of identity. I’ve been reading a lot about the Habsburgs and the old Austro Hungarian empire recently (Danubia by Simon Wilder, really good). In many ways a chaotic mess, in others a brilliant example of balancing diversity, perhaps by mistake, for centuries. Right up until the end of the First World War the populations the countries making up the empire was incredibly mixed - you’d have German speakers, Czechs, Hungarians, Poles, Croats, Ruthenes and, everywhere, large Jewish populations, with no clear majorities. There were German speaking towns, originally settled by traders from Saxony, in Transylvania. They had no sense of being ‘German’ and needing to live next door to German speakers only. There were tensions but surprisingly little violence, perhaps because for a lot of the time (like continuously for centuries) they were on a war footing in case of attack from the Ottomans.

It was only after the First World War, which showed how exhausted and moribund the Habsburgs were, and the settlement that created loads of new countries in middle Europe, that the obsession with ‘nationality’ and language took hold, culminating in the massive shifts of populations in the run up to, during and after World War Two. Those Germans in Transylvania were forced out, never to return, sent to a ‘homeland’ none of them regarded as home. Same happened to many thousands of Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Italians, Serbs etc. (see Savage Continent by Keith Lowe, a really scary book. The war didn’t end in 1945 by a long chalk).

Sorry for the meander, not sure it’s at all relevant.

If this calms down with no shooting I really couldn’t care less who loses face.

 

[Staines R's]

Beth doing her best Liz Truss impression - go to war with the wrong country, that would go down well, although I'd put nothing past this government

 

[Staines R's]

I’ve watched a good few news reports from that part of Ukraine including discussions with Russian speakers who definitely want to stay part of Ukraine……a few from Crimea saying the same, anonymously of course. Problem is when loads of people are wandering around heavily armed it’s not the best environment to get an objective view of who wants what.

But I don’t think language is necessarily the sole arbiter of identity. I’ve been reading a lot about the Habsburgs and the old Austro Hungarian empire recently (Danubia by Simon Wilder, really good). In many ways a chaotic mess, in others a brilliant example of balancing diversity, perhaps by mistake, for centuries. Right up until the end of the First World War the populations the countries making up the empire was incredibly mixed - you’d have German speakers, Czechs, Hungarians, Poles, Croats, Ruthenes and, everywhere, large Jewish populations, with no clear majorities. There were German speaking towns, originally settled by traders from Saxony, in Transylvania. They had no sense of being ‘German’ and needing to live next door to German speakers only. There were tensions but surprisingly little violence, perhaps because for a lot of the time (like continuously for centuries) they were on a war footing in case of attack from the Ottomans.

It was only after the First World War, which showed how exhausted and moribund the Habsburgs were, and the settlement that created loads of new countries in middle Europe, that the obsession with ‘nationality’ and language took hold, culminating in the massive shifts of populations in the run up to, during and after World War Two. Those Germans in Transylvania were forced out, never to return, sent to a ‘homeland’ none of them regarded as home. Same happened to many thousands of Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Italians, Serbs etc. (see Savage Continent by Keith Lowe, a really scary book. The war didn’t end in 1945 by a long chalk).

Sorry for the meander, not sure it’s at all relevant.

If this calms down with no shooting I really couldn’t care less who loses face.

The tone coming out of Russia (Putins news conference) seems to be increasingly one of de escalation. A deal may have already been done behind the scenes so we can all be friends again, drink vodka, eat hot dogs and watch the soccer.

That’s until Beth decides we should attack the Maldives of course

 

[qprbeth]

Maldives /Mauritus who cares just nuke them all. A good war will unite us all behind our wonderful leader Winston Churchill.

We will all come together as one, even you Stainsey

Think of it this way...it is far better to have a war with a small nation a long way away than a big nation with a huge nuclear arsenal.

And when asked to go to the big party, we can say .."terribly sorry, already got a previous engagement, you lot start without us"

 

[Uber_Hoop]

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[Staines R's]

Maldives /Mauritus who cares just nuke them all. A good war will unite us all behind our wonderful leader Winston Churchill.

We will all come together as one, even you Stainsey

Think of it this way...it is far better to have a war with a small nation a long way away than a big nation with a huge nuclear arsenal.

And when asked to go to the big party, we can say .."terribly sorry, already got a previous engagement, you lot start without us"

You need to stay of the Vino Beth….is frazzling you brain

 

[qprbeth]

You need to stay of the Vino Beth….is frazzling you brain

My brain is already frazzled, by this government and this world Stainsey.

Watching this all unfold in a display of brinkmanship.
Seeing Boris big himself up as a "peace broker2 or "angel of destruction" depending which day we are at

Watching the interview with Djokovic, who wants more proof that the vaccine works
Watching the poor Russian skater Kamila Valieva, who accidentally took her grandfathers heart medicine, she is only 15 ffs.






view with

 

[rangercol]

Maldives /Mauritus who cares just nuke them all. A good war will unite us all behind our wonderful leader Winston Churchill.

We will all come together as one, even you Stainsey

Think of it this way...it is far better to have a war with a small nation a long way away than a big nation with a huge nuclear arsenal.

And when asked to go to the big party, we can say .."terribly sorry, already got a previous engagement, you lot start without us"

Yeah, because Britain has such a record of appeasement and not stepping up.

Christ, there's some rubbish written on here.

 

[Trammers]

I'm just concerned about my pension pot if this thing comes to fruition.........bastards all of them

 

[Staines R's]

I'm just concerned about my pension pot if this thing comes to fruition.........bastards all of them

Don’t worry mate…..money won’t cure radiation sickness

 

[ELLERS]

Has this turned into the joke thread?

 

[Staines R's]

Has this turned into the joke thread?

Why Ellers ? ‘Cos no one’s mentioned Boris for a while ?

 

[ELLERS]

Why Ellers ? ‘Cos no one’s mentioned Boris for a while ?

No because the amount if rubbish that is being posted. Russia wont invade Ukraine...or at least not a full assault on the country.

 

[Staines R's]

No because the amount if rubbish that is being posted. Russia wont invade Ukraine...or at least not a full assault on the country.

Just ‘cos you don’t agree Ellers, it doesn’t make anyones point any more or less rubbish than yours or mine.
It’s called discussion. So from your comment you think the US is talking out of its arse and creating discourse ?

 

[colognehornet]

Just ‘cos you don’t agree Ellers, it doesn’t make anyones point any more or less rubbish than yours or mine.
It’s called discussion. So from your comment you think the US is talking out of its arse and creating discourse ?

The USA obviously has a problem with the info which is fed to the presidency by the CIA - Colin Powell knew all about that when he said that they had given false information to the top prior to the Iraq war. So in this sense the USA may be talking through its arse now as it was then with the so called weapons of mass destruction.

 

[ELLERS]

Just ‘cos you don’t agree Ellers, it doesn’t make anyones point any more or less rubbish than yours or mine.
It’s called discussion. So from your comment you think the US is talking out of its arse and creating discourse ?

Yeah agree Staines.. I didn’t mean to sound arrogant or patronising.
Russia will never get into a scrap because it will show just how old an inferior it’s equipment is. They small amount of defence equipment sent in is enough to take out most of their outdated their hardware is. If they ever had a scrap with the US they would get their Cold War arses kicked. It’s all posturing and machoest behaviour from Putin who enjoys nothing more than spending time in a hot tub with butch men.

 

[Staines R's]

The USA obviously has a problem with the info which is fed to the presidency by the CIA - Colin Powell knew all about that when he said that they had given false information to the top prior to the Iraq war. So in this sense the USA may be talking through its arse now as it was then with the so called weapons of mass destruction.

You could very well be correct mate…..however they seem so specific on when an invasion will take place. It just seems bizarre