Replacing previous thread which has continuing page count issues.
Previous Thread
Previous Original Thread:
Threabanned posters:
brickstser69
slay55
mulbot
Fresh fish…
But where is this huge military force you speak of ? every day we are hearing reports that Russia is on the brink of collapse! any yet you fear its going to invade Europe….makes no sense.
What they did with Article 122 is indefinitely block the transfer of Russian Central Bank assets on the basis that to do otherwise would damage the EU's economy. This is the first step to using those assets to help Ukraine.
Belgium proposed many amendments that would have made it more complicated. The Belgium PM protested that we are not at war with Russia, and compared seizing the assets to going into an embassy and taking all the furniture.
But he said Belgium is willing to go along with this if three conditions are met:
Silicon Wafers says that France is still protecting over €18bn in frozen Russian assets there.
Japan is refusing to join the use of the assets to fund Ukraine.
The US behind the scene tried to block the seizure of the Central Bank assets behind the scenes.
Meanwhile there are rumours the UK will join the EU move to use the Russian frozen assets.
Shows either how clueless he is or he is deliberately being disingenuous to falsely state that investing and developing our currently almost nonexistent defense forces is somehow abandoning neutrality when the exact opposite is the case. Firstly having a capable and fit for purpose defense and intelligence capability just strengthens our creditability in terms of our military neutrality. Secondly we are not neutral in any case, we are very much one of and supportive of the free, open and democratic societies of the world. We are simply militarily neutral in the sense of not being in any military alliance but there is no question we are not neutral in a general sense.
How does he manage to get to the frontlines and back without drones taking him out?
Reports Armenian President Pashinyan's plane was stuck in the sky in Moscow for an hour because of Ukrainian drones.
About that time again
Funny enough he hit on several on those cards that I didn't mention, though I didn't hear the full interview as I was in the car when I switched to it, mid-interview.
NATO expansion is one, but he also described the situation as "NATO warmongering" and argued that Ireland investing in defence was an inevitable slope to abandoning neutrality.
Discussion on whether Transnistria can be reintegrated into Moldova. Russia reporting wants to build up its presence in Transnistria to put pressure on Ukraine.
Handy reference card for the next Paul Murphy interview (source: reddit).
NATO is still pretty handy for those who need it, the countries bordering Russia. They all know they are responsible for homeland defence, but being in a military alliance increases the chances of others coming to help. And it's still a deterrent to Russia, USA or not.
Of course, vatniks would have us believe otherwise.
The final curtain for Rachmaninov.
Kupiansk mostly liberated now. 65% of the city in Ukrainian hands. Russia is in danger of being encircled. I read somewhere still 500 Russians in the center.
A problem taking Kupiansk for Russia is that the river Oskill tuns through it, and while Russia has a beachhead over it, most of the eastern side of the river is in Ukrainian hands.
Heard Paul Murphy on Radio 1 the other evening about this and he came across very poorly despite his insistence that he nor his party fly any flag for Russia.
Basically - there's zero need for Ireland to invest in military any further. It's all Western propaganda driving an arms race to fatten the pockets of the military industrial complex. There's no danger at all to Ireland, no danger to the cables off the West coast, but then bizarrely said "I'm not saying Russia couldn't do that but"…..and then descending into waffle about Europe being the problem.
Zero acknowledgement of the fact that the "arms race" is Europe desperately trying to cobble together a half-functional military in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and regular threatening of Europe, and decades of low investment, not to mention Trump's withdrawal as a reliable ally.
It baffles me that that type of person can't seem to accept the simple rationality of re-arming being an entirely logical response to a huge military invading a part of Europe and threatening to annhiliate the rest.
And specifically in relation to Ireland, it's about being able to effectively police our airspace, waters, etc against incursions, not a full blown Red Dawn invasion they push as a strawman illogical reason against investment in defence.
They also say "but we've a housing crisis, how can we invest in defence", which is about the stupidest argument I ever heard. Alright, there's a housing crisis - which we know can't be solved just by throwing money at it but that aside - don't you think there's like a million other areas of the budget we could strip money from a lot easier, if you think pure money can solve the housing crisis?
Yet you don't really hear them arguing that money invested in tonnes of other technically non-essential sectors should be stripped away to go into housing.
It's so stupid, because if we suddenly invested heavily in the Gardaí nobody would be saying we were fattening the pockets of the industries that supply policing equipment. If we invest heavily in our health service nobody says we're enriching the "health industrial complex".
It's just such a crazy, anti-West crank position to take - and they can't put forward the vaguest, logical alternative to investment in defence in light of what Russia has done and is doing, except vague waffling about "talks and dialogue", which of course textbooks through history have proven famously effective with tinpot dictators.
It would be wonderful if we lived in Utopia where militaries were redundant but that is not compatiable with reality.
To be fair I can't remember the name of the presenter on Radio 1 but she really wasn't having any of it.
I think a few of those opposed to doing anything for our security are on the Putin payroll, but most are not but are just pacifists or find Putins regime - evil as it is - less objectionable than capitalism or democracy. Russia though is a far more exploitative form of capitalism - gangster capitalism.
For anyone that didn't read the linked article. At the end it also gives info on how to track these same ships if you want using websites like - MarineTraffic.com and VesselFinder.com —
One of the vessels
HAV Snapper identifiers for tracking:
• IMO: 9001813• MMSI: 311014800• Call sign: C6XN4• Flag: Bahamas• AIS transponder: Class A
• IMO: 9001813
• MMSI: 311014800
• Call sign: C6XN4
• Flag: Bahamas
• AIS transponder: Class A
It's currently sitting about a mile off the Greek coast.
Also, it doesn't follow that Right-wing always means pro-Ruzzian as in Hungary and Germany (and even there elements of far right are wary about being to overtly friendly to Putin.) Meloni in Italy is very right but a partisan for Ukraine.
Coutesy of Paul Murphy via a post on FB, where he said:
"The propaganda campaign designed to scare people into supporting an end to neutrality and increasing military spending is going into overdrive. There is a new arms race taking place globally. The government wants us to join in. We should instead defend our neutrality."
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/12/12/stephen-collins-if-russia-decides-to-attack-the-eu-irelands-wide-open-back-door-may-give-it-a-way-in/
BYLINE IS - We need to stand up to a vocal lobby who claim to be protecting Irish neutrality but will leave the country defenceless
"Ireland is finally waking up to the need to take the country’s defence seriously. Vladimir Putin’s threat to attack the EU and the mysterious arrival of drones off the Dublin coast during Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit has made it clear that our threadbare neutrality provides no immunity from aggression.
The question now is obvious: what is to be done? The easy answer is that we need to focus on cyber security and invest in drone technology. While that is necessary, it will merely scratch the surface. The harsh reality is that we have to prepare for every contingency, no matter how far-fetched it might seem.
For instance, what would happen if a planeload or two of Russian paratroopers landed at Shannon and took over the airport? At our current level of preparedness, there is little or nothing we could do to defend ourselves. We would have to ask for help from our fellow EU member states, or, more likely, Britain."
Again I hope you're right. Current second round opinion polls beg to differ. Bardella wins in every scenario, the closest being 53/47 against Edouard Philippe.
As regards the parliament, the only reason the RN lost last time is that Macron's party and all the left parties stood aside in the second round in favour of their best-placed candidate. There's no guarantee this would happen next time, plus they have lost support since the 2024 election and the only party that had picked up slightly is Les Republicains, who certainly won't now to assist other anti-RN candidates.
Opinion polling for the 2027 French presidential election - Wikipedia
Sterling work here by these sleuths -
Seven German journalism students tracked Russian-crewed freighters lurking off the Dutch and German coast—and connected them to drone swarms over military bases.Let me walk you through what Michèle Borcherding, Clara Veihelmann, Luca-Marie Hoffmann, Julius Nieweler, Tobias Wellnitz, Sergen Kaya, and Clemens Justus pulled off.Just so you know, I’m familiar with them. I did a long OSINT training with them in Berlin. I can tell you: they went far beyond anything I taught them. The physical verification alone—chasing a ship across France, the Netherlands, and Belgium—that’s not something you learn in a classroom.
Seven German journalism students tracked Russian-crewed freighters lurking off the Dutch and German coast—and connected them to drone swarms over military bases.Let me walk you through what Michèle Borcherding, Clara Veihelmann, Luca-Marie Hoffmann, Julius Nieweler, Tobias Wellnitz, Sergen Kaya, and Clemens Justus pulled off.
Just so you know, I’m familiar with them. I did a long OSINT training with them in Berlin. I can tell you: they went far beyond anything I taught them. The physical verification alone—chasing a ship across France, the Netherlands, and Belgium—that’s not something you learn in a classroom.
They Droned Back - Digital Digging with Henk van Ess
It's telling that the authorities don't want this sort of stuff be made public. Can't be highlighting that Russia is at war with the rest of Europe now and have people actually wake up.
Well I obviously hope you're right but at a minimum we need to be prepared for the opposite.
If RN dont control the parliament then they might be forced to appoint a PM from the Establishment parties. The latest polls I saw on wikipedia from October 2025 show RN and allies on only around 35%.
Disturbing that ATC was not informed.
France's presidential election is due in May 2027, which is just over a year away. If the RN wins there'll be an immediate legislative election to secure them a parliamentary majority.
That’s a big “if” right there. There is nothing indicating they have more chances to win at the next election.
Things you love to read of a Friday evening.
Make that one oil and gas production platform and two Orc military cargo vessels hit by Ukraine in the Caspian sea.
Claiming anyone who does not agree with your hypothetical political pro terrorist state revolutions simultaneously succeeding in a number of countries is not living in the real world makes you sound fairly sure of yourself but I have my doubts in your scenario. Sounds very much like the claims made by some on this thread that Trump getting elected would suddenly see putin's terrorists turn around their fortunes in attacking Ukraine. While Trumps pro putin stance maybe lead to more deaths on the Ukrainian side we still see huge losses in putin's forces on a daily basis in the real world:
I don't think putin's terrorist state can last long enough to benefit from the hypothetical political changes you describe.
This needs to be sorted ASAP
Some good news on freezing the corrupt terrorist states assets in Belgium
(https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/eu-set-indefinitely-freeze-russian-assets-removing-obstacle-ukraine-loan-2025-12-12/)
…mutter…boards.ie v. reuters:
'EU removes obstacle behind Belgium blocking Ukraine loan backed by Russian assets
…A first big step, which EU governments agreed on Friday, is to immobilise 210 billion euros ($246 billion) worth of Russian sovereign assets for as long as needed instead of voting every six months on extending the asset freeze.'
If you think Orban will willingly cede power in a free election next year, and Trump or Vance in 2028, then you're a lot more optimistic than I am.
As for the UK, I don't think Farage is the only person who thinks Lab will struggle to stagger on to 2029.
There's also the AFD in Germany, also due an election by the spring of 2029 at the latest.
None of the above would lift a finger to defend the Baltic states or anywhere else. More likely, they would be passing their intelligence information to the Kremlin. Poland and Scandinavia would be left alone to face the Russians.
Anyone who thinks the above scenario is far fetched is not living in the real world. It may not happen (and I sincerely hope it does not) but we have to consider the possibility that it may.
