Russia - threadbanned users in OP

We should do neither thing, it's a petty waste of time. The focus is on ending the war and finding a way to deal with Russia in the future. Renaming roads and throwing paint on their embassy achieves nothing and only feeds their persecution complex.

I didn't mean you personally.

Look it will take a long time for the major powers in Europe to approach the level of help the English have given to the Ukraine.

Up to the last minute, Berlin, Vienna, The Hague, Rome were sending signals out that sanctions would be fought against and that Russian gas was worth more than Ukrainian lives.

They are making a virtue out of a mess they helped build and the first cracks in sanctions will come from those 4 above, same as previous times.

Help them at home first.

They enjoyed years of success derived from blood money

Life imitating art there.

Orwell got there before them with that level of Doublespeak

’Attention! Your attention, please! A newsflash has this moment arrived from the Malabar front. Our forces in South India have won a glorious victory. I am authorized to say that the action we are now reporting may well bring the war within measurable distance of its end. Here is the newsflash...

The west needs to turn as many oligarchs against putin. There are already a few of them who want vengeance on putin. But they are the ones who got him elected and completely underestimated him.

A good move freezing Chelsea.

When I first heard this proposal from Minister McConalogue I thought of parallels to Jung Chang's Wild Swans in China where every village was imposed with a ridicilious quota of steel production which led to the farcical situation of people smelting their cooking implements and burning swathes of forest to achieve the quota. It would seem to me that working on sheer economies of scale it would make much more sense to encourage and facilitate exisiting farmers who have specilisation in this field (excuse the pun!) to put more acres under tillage.

That said I think this illustrates how EU subsidies has led to hugely negative specialisation and a blinkered mentality among a lot of farmers. I also think the farming leaders didn't exactly cover themselves in glory in the run up and on the way in to the meeting the other evening, with their rehashing of all their existing gripes and looking it as an opportunity to achieve resolution on these rather than an opportunity to make major changes and contribute to something positive. I suppose it supports the adage, never waste a good opportunity especially if it come at the disadvantage of others, even if that's the poor people of Ukraine!.

Yes Danzy, we all know by now you dislike ze Germans. You said they would do absolutely nothing and carry on business as usual during a Ukraine invasion/annexation by Russia. That has been proven to be incorrect but there's never admission of that, nope. Just some more bile + calling action they take now "pretending".

Germany may have a lot of companies who make guns and weapons, but I don't think it itself has loads of such weapons on hand, given it has been running down its own military since end of Cold war (you were attacking them over that too afair). Think I recall reading (for example) that in terms of numbers of tanks Poland is now better "armed" than Germany.

It's not "a bit late". They made a mistake about Russia, basically similar to one UK made as it has its own problems with connections to Russia to sort out. (edit Next) best time to change tack is today if you are are brave enough and flexible of mind enough to own up to your mistakes.

Also how have Poland been "getting it in the neck" from "many" in the EU over this? Have seen nothing but support for what they are doing, which is separate from the many other issues the EU has with their govt.

Russian column entering the East of Kyiv got hit hard

Apparently this is the translation of the Russian comms:

- Hello, "Nitro", it's "Udar", listening to you

- Udar, it's Nitro. Almost lost the 6-th regiment

- What??

- 6-th regiment. Can't report right now. Still gathering info. A lot of losses. They waited for us. Ambushed. Commander of the regiment is killed. Checking about the other.

- As soon as you get the information, gather everything, report to me. Understood?

- They strike with artillery, tanks, UAV... As to my understanding, "Bayraktars". Checking on the other losses.

It’s very difficult to resist the urge to smash my tv listening to Lavrov's propaganda on this “press conference”.

Was just watching Lavrov (Russia's FM) speaking, he said Russia didn't attack Ukraine. They live in an alternative dimension. The only way to get anywhere near the truth is to apply the opposite to everything that's said.

Curious to see what his reasoning is for why they are in the rest of the country