Presidential Election 2025

Its Putin that is blocking negotiations. Also yesterday he announced yet another mobilisation, this time of 135,000. He is not interested in negotiations, but he is interested in ambiguity in order to drag the conflict out.

Trump made a speech to Congress in January saying Russia was ready for peace. Why does this delusion persist with some?

Putin refused to even meet Zelensky in Turkey. He did send a delegation of lower level officials, like Medinsky,the architect of his nationalist indoctrination in Russian schools. Medinsky has defended the Soviet crackdowns in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968.

Some on the Left in the West had a rose tinted attitude to the USSR. It's the same now, but more dangerous because the Far Right now actively support Russia, and are trying to export Putinism by election interference, including in the US, the Brexit referendum (alleged), the €10 million loan to Le Pens.

I think Ireland needs to make the change of mentality of neutrality that Sweden and Finland did. The police suited WW2, but doesn't suit 2025.

Even by the standards of neutral countries, Ireland is militarily too weak. Switzerland is heavily armed because other countries may not respect your neutrality without a deterrent.

Some on the Irish Left seem to prefer peace to anything else. What stance would they have taken in 1916 or the War of Independence?

In contrast in most EU countries, the Centre Left is now very supportive of rearmament. Peace without democracy, living under autocracy, is not a better option than democracy.

I'm stating the facts of what she said and correcting the malevolent misquoting by the NATO bros here.

Connolly never said anything about 'doing away with defence forces'. Stop making things up.


Explain to us why it the Trump is threatening 'more sanctions' if Putin does not comply?

Why is it that there are STILL sanctions that haven't been applied?

Why is it they were NOT applied in full the second he put boots in Crimea?

Why is it Putin and Russia were not completely ostracised and obstructed from doing business in the world the minute he put boots in Crimea?

Never mind the rest of the world, let's take some responsibility ourselves. We continued to do business with Putin and Russia right up until he went into Ukraine for the second time. Why?

A lot of people won't like the answers to some of those questions. The incomptetent Merkel created a huge vulnerability for the EU in closing down the German nuclear power stations and making Germany dependent on Russian energy sources. Then there was the failure to invest in defence with NATO. Trump, though people despise him, said that the refusal of European NATO countries to pay their dues was a problem and he specificially warned about Putin being a threat to Europe.

On the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, Biden said it would be OK if there was a small incursion. That was rapidly walked back by the Whitehouse. Putin's generals were not providing him with reliable intelligence and Putin's decision to invade was one of the worst ever due to not having the necessary logistics in place to support an invasion. Rather than a blitzkreig that would have rapidly taken over Ukraine after eliminating the government, Russia got bogged down in a war that is draining resources and manpower. The other aspect of this is China and how it is exploiting the situation. Sanctions may not be effective if others break them. Both of Putin's invasions occurred under Democrat Party presidents (Obama and Biden). Had Putin's invasion of Ukraine been successful, China would probably have made a move on Taiwan. It is a complex geopolitical situation with no easy solutions.

1930's build up of arms by the aggressor. Difference.

Did she do that or are you like some of the lads here, just making stuff up?

If you don't know what a NL is, why take offence?

Lastly, it's customary in debate and discussion to make an effort to inform oneself before pouring scorn on something, may I suggest you might inform yourself what a neoliberal is before coming here and then maybe you could discuss the matter with some insight. That's far better than engaging in Trumpesque put downs.

Germany's 'build up' and rapid re-armament against the terms of the Treaty of Versailles was NOT just done by a single aggressor or just the Nazis.
Churchill was warning about it a year before Hitler came to power.