As I said before Goldie…if it smells like **** it almost certainly is ****. The system is set up to make rich people richer….it always has been and it always will be. Just my opinion of course
Good luck trying to reform the worldwide system, Stainsey. I don't disagree with your general sentiment.
https://stocks.apple.com/A3NzIPvNGRGybHqtzjOycIg Dunno if this can be pulled up but kinda makes my point
Ben Elliot owns a company called Quintessentially, which specialises in helping Russian oligarchs buy property in London, get their kids into British schools and generally have a comfortable and easy life in Londongrad, by booking restaurants and hotel rooms for them, getting discounts at shops etc. Its Russian language website is still up and running and offering these services to the mega rich Russians. His company is linked to Gazprombank, and maintains this link despite the intention of the U.K. government to impose sanctions on this bank (already sanctioned by the US). Quintessentially’s clients include Yuri Shalamov, biggest shareholder in Gazprombank and son of a close KGB associate of Putin. His brother, Kiril, was married to Putin’s daughter. Ben Elliot is co chairman of the Conservative Party. He is the chief fundraiser, and has collected £2m in donations from Russians with proven links to Putin.
This is covered in today’s Times, which has a paywall so I can’t link. It’s believed to be a credible FSB commentary (the Ukrainians have been putting out lots of false ones) partly because of its length: fakers wouldn’t bother producing something on this scale. Sadly, although it seems Putin has no chance long term in conquering and keeping Ukraine, or even installing a puppet regime there, he still has the capability to inflict incredible damage there and, of course, elsewhere.
Interesting read. As I said earlier, the Russians are using Blitzkreig tactics from WW2, which would work if you acheived your goals in the first few days, but now they've come to a standstill and I don't think they were planning on a long term campaign. The Ukranian resistance has been a lot stronger than they anticipated - under-estimating your enemy is a fools game, and now they are paying the price.
It's very very hard to see what Russia stands to gain now, in any eventuality. They are struggling to capture Ukraine. They won't be able to hold Ukraine without heavy and sustained losses year on year. Their economy will collapse very quickly if the sanctions are applied for months. They are being 'cut off' from the rest of the world in very basic ways like not being able to access Netflix. The longer they are tied up in Ukraine the weaker their influence will become in areas like Syria. The real question now is how does Putin respond to this apparent checkmate? Can he engineer a managed retreat? Can the West allow him to save face somehow?
Do you believe that Putin looks at these things rationally? I think we are relying on some kind of internal coup, which might be very unlikely after 22 years of slave thinking.
Who knows how rational he is? If I had a proper evidence-based answer to that I'd imagine I'd be writing briefing notes at Vauxhall Cross rather than espousing on a QPR fans forum. It's the right question though, of course.
Over 4000 arrests in 53 different cities in Russia for anti-war protests yesterday - there's a groundswell of public opinion who are against this. Putin may well be able to ignore this (if anyone even has the balls to tell him) but some of his underlings will be aware. It's a matter of what they are willing to do....Putin won't let anyone near him due to his paranoia. Reading through that thread that Raving put up, the FSB guy seems to be fairly sure that Putin alone doesn't have his finger on the nuke option and is hopeful that others will prevent him going apocalyptic. It's difficult to assume things in this, but you can only see it ending up with Putin being toppled from power, either peacefully, in a coup, or even his own suicide. Russia and it's people just can't afford for this to carry on for too long.
Fortunately there’ll be a totally fair report which clears this all up and allows Tory cucks to keep on pretending Labour are somehow worse.
Its not even ubelievable anymore! The amount of Russian money involved in our politics has to be explained immediately, why was it given? What was received in return? This is the guy that even Mi5 had concerns over, yet Johnson then overrules it and hastily appoints him to the house of lords, during the height of the pandemic. How the **** did he find time inbetween all the partying he was doing?!?!?!
Johnson's still going around pretending that we're doing more than any other country to help Ukrainian refugees. He's said that 'hundreds of thousands' could be eligible to come here. So far there have been 10,000 applications and 50 visas granted.
Those 50 will be getting British help though which is the best kind of help. If they can’t pick strawberries they can **** off though.
