It's today's social media/Irish talking point hysteria rubbish.
And it looks like the majority favour it. So we're going to have a "Free Ukraine Road" on the southside of Dublin soon.
The idea that the Russian navy could even blockade the atlantic is also irrational nonsense (imo).
Even during the cold war the Soviet navy was probably too weak to succeed in such a mission.
Germany has immense supplies of modern weaponary, a global power in weapons exports.
It handed over the oldest crap it had, and only then under duress.
Poland stepped up massively to help Ukrainian people and forces, it's been getting it the neck from many in the EU.
If others had stepped up as before the invasion. Instead of sending mixed signals to Moscow and elsewhere, this might have been different.
If Merkel hadn't greenlighted Nordstream 2 only months after the annexation of Crimea, another reward for Putin. Ukrainian lives are cheap, gas is not and it was needed.
Bit late to be pretending to be virtuous now.
I think there's a word for that... oh, yeah 'appeasement'. There IS a benefit of showing Putin/Russia they have egregiously messed up - 'even little old Ireland is sticking two fingers up to us'. Until Russia stops bombing maternity hospitals they should be attacked in EVERY way possible - they themselves will have no problem escalating attacks on civilian populations just prior to negotiations (as a tactic), so it's not like they'll be thinking, 'aw, isn't Ireland nice they decided not to rename our embassy's street after-all - let's be positive toward's Ukraine positions...kumbaya!...'.
What does Taiwan make ?
Of course 20 aircraft carriers are well known to be able to sneak around the world's oceans without anyone noticing what they are up to.
More than 600 billion GDP per annum.
'Made in Taiwan' was ubiquitous to something being made abroad. It's what China could have become if they weren't so bitter. And why they hate Taiwan's independence.
China angry
Careful, you'll be accused of being a Russian sympathiser next.
I am not pretending to be virtuous, just pointing out that the UK is always willing to help, provided it isn't an inconvenience for them at home. So, I would view their help in that light. Of course, if they end up taking 100k refugees I will stand corrected, but I find that very unlikely.
As said above Putin must have thought he could steamroll in and take the place
Absolute lunatic starting a war in Europe over territory or resources , someone needs to out him out of his misery
It's currently being debated by the relevant committee... stand by.
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.
When China invade Taiwan they'll probably rename it again. Something like "Up Beijing Avenue", or the like.
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.
In reality though, what gets Putin to engage in Diplomacy?
2 weeks ago Boris had sanctioned 3 people.
Now you can't get a coke in Moscow.
What changed and how did it change?
2 weeks ago when people were sneering at Russia being banned from the Eurovision, "that will show em - Guffaw".
Writing off acts of solidarity like this one today because certain people on here are permeant contrarians completely misses the point.
It's this act and 1000s like it that will get corporations to pull out of Russia and hurt them financially and it is the impending destruction of their economy that will get Putin to the table, not some middle aged Irish men constantly fighting some imaginary online culture war.
They enjoyed years of success derived from blood money
So they've established where they want to start from anyway.
They want Ukraine to surrender.
Ukraine don't want to surrender.
A lot of people are about to die.
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...
On the marine side, one thing of note:
The amount of Crude Oil and Chemical tankers currently docking or at anchor waiting to dock at Novorossiysk has increased dramatically. All sailing under flags of convenience of the Bahamas, Malta, Panama to name a few.
Listening to British radio right now. They can continue to pay salaries of playing and admin staff, and meet operational and travel costs. But no one can trade with them outside of that so any player whose contract expires in the summer will leave for free, as can’t enter into a new contract. Tickets can’t be sold and so the only people who can attend games are season ticket holders with prepaid tickets
The clubs fate is now tied up completely with the progress of Putin’s invasion
Talk of the name change for Orwell Rd reminds me of the lads in Cork going round painting out the word Victoria on street signs.
Slight difference being some of those complaining about the proposed name of Orwell Rd where the residents will be consulted about the change didn't seem to have a problem with the paint job name change in Cork.
I didn't have a problem with it because I never heard about it.
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.
The funny thing with China is that they don't innovate, they replicate. They can build all of the military hardware they want but I would like to think that at this point the West is wise to them and after the current situation is resolved the dependence on China will be re-evaluated.
If another person goes on about appeasement because they caught the tail end of a Discovery channel episode on Chamberlain waving a piece of paper that interrupted their binge watching Shark week, so help me... It is a sure demonstration of limited and simplistic and one sided thinking, of the kind that brought this horror in the first place.
Sanctions and boycotts are a part and parcel of diplomacy to bring sides to the table. When bullets fly it's only diplomacy that will stop them. Even when nazi Germany was utterly crushed and were dragged to the table of unconditional surrender, even here there was diplomacy going back and forth with what was left of their high command to ensure the peace in the aftermath. Renaming a road is a childish kneejerk nonsense that appeals to the temporary and emotions. Fine in the schoolyard when 'no you smell!' has some currency, idiotic beyond it. And this war will end. Hopefully sooner rather than later and diplomacy will get us there and then we have the hangover of the aftermath and moving forward whichever way that leads. At that point a changed roadsign is going to look just a bit embarrassing and petty. Yes we all got a chuckle, especially because of our history, when the Iranians renamed the British embassy's road to Bobby Sands, but Iran is sidelined and going nowhere at the moment.
Not how much if any of this is true. The Germans reversed a realpolitik and legal stance of nearly 50 years and you need to understand their sense of history to see why this is a huge and welcome move. Who's picking on the Poles? Finally, having seen Putin completely unmasked what kind of stepping up could anyone have done before this misadventures started?
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!.
Lavrov is giving a press conference at the moment and has been asked about the attack on the hospital yesterday.
Lavrov exposed a fake Western media report on the situation with the maternity hospital in Mariupol:
"This is not the first time we have seen pathetic cries about the "atrocities" inflicted by the Russian Armed Forces. On March 7, three days ago, at a UN Security Council meeting, our delegation presented the facts that this maternity hospital had long been occupied by the "Azov" battalion* and that all the women in labor had been kicked out. This was the base of the Azov battalion*, these facts were presented three days ago.
*Azov battalion is a terrorist organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation
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