They certainly aren't. The updated tally on what they lost in a single week is an entire division's worth of tanks, personnel carriers, artillery etc, and that's only the stuff that has been visually identified. And the majority was captured and can be returned to service by Ukraine. And mass conscription isn't going to help them. Putin's stability relies heavily on the large section of the public which doesn't really engage politically because the war doesn't have any direct effect on their lives. They're passively supportive of Putin, but only insofar as none of this really affects them. The problem with mass conscription is that those are the people you'd need to do the fighting for you. And they don't want to fight (whole long thread): Their current plan for their manpower shortage? Allowing Wagner, the mercenary company that is effectively a wing of the Russian army, recruit prisoners to deploy.
As an aside (re the dollar) I ordered something online the other day in dollars and then a few days later changed my mind. The refund was £3 more as the rate had changed lol. Happy days
They can’t go too early on tax decreases as they will need something to bribe the voters with, before the next election. Cynic? Moi?
Was this Thatcher's vison but she never got round to it? It is certainly going to make the United Kingdom more divided than ever with ths unequal treatment of different regions. And it seems the Tories want to create a SE Asia type economy which will make it even more difficult to reconnect with the EU either as a full member or as an associate member like Norway. To me it is very worrying and I hope this does not come to pass before the next election. And if Labour are somehow going to form the next Government, it can restore economic and social sanity as its first act.
We are totally ****ed, aren’t we? Just bought a motor home and am seriously thinking of renting out the house and ****ing off to Europe for 3 months, then somewhere outside Schengen for 3 months then ….. who knows? I’ve just about had it here with this ****ing ERG rabble of right wing zealots running the place into the ground with the ordinary citizen sitting back and letting then do it because there aren’t enough journalists with the balls to call it out loudly.
I have a sneaking suspicion that they want to inflict as much damage on the country as they can in the next 2 years, before they are (hopefully) booted out. Then they can spend the next few years, with the aid of the media, blaming the Labour government for the mess. If you have a spare seat, I’ll go halves on petrol Dave.
Changing the voting system is really going to have to be priority one - forcing both sides to try and appeal to the masses is vital - but notably dialling back the ERG stuff For example there will be no governing majority that favours removing that bonus cap. Which just seems to be a favour to supporters. And perhaps also a tool to try and tempt Javid and Sunak to quit and go back to the City
I have seen it described as asset stripping, ahead of losing the next election. Bastards all of them. The more I see of the Tory party the more I think the film Don’t Look Up was bang on the money.
Absolutely dead on, without a doubt! And, Chilco, I have a spare seat plus the offer of the bedrooms is great, SJ …. I feel a long road trip coming on ……
I thought maybe because he was such an outstanding PM, it was a show of affection to have litter thrown at him.
For the people who told us Ukraine can't win they should give up, here's the latest progress map of the invincible fascist Russian army*. Love and hugs, Vin * Or, if you desperately want it to be just like Northern Ireland for some reason, remember the time Britain famously sent spearheads of armour to take Dublin and overthrow the government but retreated to only take over Meath, Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Galway? This is just like that, when the Eire Army kicked the Brits out of Mayo and Galway. Or something. I'm sure you can find a parallel. Remember to blame the USA!