Coffins don't go back to Moscow, they go back to the regions.
Australia's population is only 5 times that of Irelands and yet you say they spend 50 times as much on defence - and you consider that an argument in favour of Ireland.
I don't.
Made one small addition.
Seems to follow the normal decision-making process over there
Germany: We aren't going to do it
Germany: It might cause WW3
Germany: Okay we'll do it
German: Actually we won't, because it might annoy our friends in Russia who are selling us gas and oil
Wash and repeat
I think the hesitancy over explicitly calling it genocide is that once you do that you are required to interveen, UN rules or something. Got the impression that sending defensive weapons wasn't considered sufficiently complying with that intervention rule either.
Australia spends over 2% of it's GDP on defense just over 35 billion ,we spend a grand total of 0.2 % about 800 million per year and half of that goes on pensions and salaries , sometimes it does creep up to around a billion when we need new naval and air assets ,still only modest spends though
The problem with Option C is it is the most likely to lead to a nuclear war - Putin has a large Nuclear arsenal, so not sure how that would be considered an ass kicking. If it had been say Hungary that was the aggressor no doubt Option C would have been taken, but its not, thats why caution is needed. Ther is no winner in a nuclear war.
The threat of nuclear war is just propaganda, the FUD kinds, to dwindle support of the western population for Ukraine, sanctions, aid and military intervention.
Extraordinary Russian account of fighting in Ukraine (translated), I believe 300 refers to an injured soldier and 200 refers to a death
https://twitter.com/JackDetsch/status/1519642363924209665
If true, the account of the Chechen's actions would accord with the farcical Tik-Tok videos they have been making. Really have to wonder the mindset to make yourself look like such a gob-shite for the whole world to see.
Early lunch?
The term "Filtration camps" is sickening.
Threats and intimidation are one of the key elements of the Putin regime : they even use these tactics against their own people, never mind foreigners. They're essentially a bunch of schoolyard bullies and blowhards in possession of nuclear weapons. If all you have to offer the world is the threat of violence, then there is nothing to you at all as a country.
Is "The Irishman" a scruffy looking fuc$er with scarecrow hair and a pink shirt over a Wexford soccerball jersey?
True. Also, against their own people they use more than just threats. Doctors falling over windows when questioning the covid strategy, children arrested for saying the wrong thing, chemical attacks on foreign soil against the dissidents, whole family committing suicides.
An intercepted call by Ukrainian intelligence this week heard mention of 26000 Russian dead. It would hardly be a surprise.
I think casualties on both sides are likely to be horrific. This is highly contested and close range combat being fought with lethal weapons.
Which they then sell and use as a foreign policy weapon. Russia is a Mafia/organised crime state.
And what is it exactly you think we can do? Realistically?
Net result is far from minimalist for the people being given shelter food and safety.
The Rambo response with the delusion that we are going to make some serious military significance in the conflict is awful naive. The big debate on us joining NATO I do have to laugh as if we are going to be a game changer countries have armies nearly bigger than our population...
I often wonder how they get there own police force to carry out these acts against there own people, what ever about convincing the army that Ukraine are Nazis but the police willingly inflicting brutality on there own people I find tough to understand they are a special level of scum imo
Not sure why you quoted me there.
If someone wants to complain that Ireland is not doing enough and they want to do more than be "minimalist" then they do have the option to go over to help them in person. If they want to decry what others are doing then I would simply point out to them that they can lead by example if they want rather than being hurlers on the ditch.
At the end of the day, there are a few million people fleeing the war and they need immediate shelter and help to survive. It would be of no immediate use to them to spend a million quid buying bullets to send to their countrymen. They still need help now. If those people can't avail of help outside Ukraine, then they might as well stay there and risk being killed. So Ireland's role in helping them is very important
are you saying that's the only alternative to what he said?
If so, that's ridiculous.
Accidentally qouted you
Russia is top down, you get an order you follow it, or lose your job (or worse). The police have no fear of whoever they are arresting, but they do fear the FSB. Everything is packaged as nationalism, patriotism. Moreso in a war.
Already posted detail on that earlier However seems the issue remains unresolved
No, but it is an alternative whereby he can lead by example. Another alternative would be for other people to go over and put their lives in danger. Perhaps that is what you would call for? It's easy to call on others to do "more" if you have already decided that you won't be joining in!
if you are going to argue against a point, you should be able to do so without exaggerating to make someone's else's point sound ridiculous.
So give us an example of what Ireland could do that isn't minimalist and would have greater practical benefit to Ukraine than housing and taking care of 25k refugees?
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