Phil Pascoe
Established Member
100%, except the Balfour Declaration was 1917.
US Election November 5th
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Phil Pascoe
Established Member
David Starkey made the point - people think the Russians and Chinese think like we do - they don't.
It depends what you mean by good and bad. A mind that's been twisted can see bad as good. The clearest modern example is Germany in the 30s.
AJB Temple
Finely figured
Realistically both Dems and Reps always cared more about Russia than Ukraine. Russia is I think the worlds 2nd largest oil and gas producer, has vast natural resources and sizeable array of ICBMs. It has global political influence in strategically important places.
The west has appeared to support Ukraine, without going overboard. Most of the EU have tripped over their dragging feet. For both the UK and US it has provided something of an opportunity to get rid or our old tanks, planes and munitions so that military refreshment can occur at home (people get rich from this....). Cynical moi?
The war is inconvenient for the west. Adversely affects supply of a lot of stuff and people have become tired of the money pit in the US.
ey_tony
Established Member
A little about the Russian people from my experience.
About 20 odd years ago I regularly used to visit and stay with friends in the South Urals/Siberia region of Russia, it was like stepping back in time maybe to the UK's 1970s. I used to spend many weeks at a time there and lived as they did so I got to know the culture and people of that region.
The ordinary Russian people were just like us only probably more modest but just as friendly and not nearly as materialistic. I was treated like a celebrity everywhere I went and was always invited to their homes to share a meal with them which was usually Ravioli which I didn't particularly care for but couldn't refuse for fear of offending them.
I never came across one person whom I found rude or unfriendly but they assumed I would be aloof from what they'd been told about Western people so when they found I was just like them they were great people to know.
The crooks at that time were the police...very corrupt and gangster like and certainly not beyond being bribed.
The ordinary people were also shocked to learn that we had a lot of crime in the form of muggings etc at that time, they were led to believe for some strange reason that every street in the UK was safe with no crime....little did they know LOL
Surprisingly from the conversations I had with them, as this was after the breakup of the FSU, the older people looked back with fondness to the days when it was still fully communist. They said that although they didn't have that much, they at least knew they would be looked after and kept warm during the harsh Siberian winters and they knew they could afford basic essentials. In other words, communism made them feel secur.
I used to enjoy a visit to their parks at weekends as they usually had a military band playing Western style music to which the older people would dance to outside the bandstand. It was nothing to see 100 elderly couples up dancing at any one time. They liked the simple things.
Once the state no longer provided everyone with a job, many men couldn't handle having to find work for themselves and took to drinking which their women-folk hated and which led to large numbers of marital breakups and an exodus of Russian women seeking Western husbands. They weren't particularly looking for men with money, it was that the man had secure employment and could be a decent family provider and who was kind and didn't drink to excess, that was their major criteria.
When I hear people talk about poverty in this country it makes me cringe because when you get out into rural regions of Russia the level of poverty is nothing remotely like the so called poverty we see in the UK. Out there there was REAL poverty and not the left wing idea of poverty that we have in this country.
I often stayed in a city called Chelyabinsk which during world war two was known as Tankograd where they built tanks and a 'closed city'. It is also famous in recent years for the 2013 meteor which presented itself in that region.
The housing was mostly multistory, usually blocks 10 long x 5 high x 2 deep. They had communal heating which was switched on once the temperature dropped to 8C three nights in a row and never went off until late spring so you were never cold unless the heating broke down.
Transport was at that time very cheap. You could travel across the city by coach, tram or mini bus and the most you paid was 10p.
I went on a 1.75 hour train journey into the country and it cost about 50p or something silly like that and heating for one's home, about $1.50 per month. Wages were low but utilities were ridiculously low.
As for Putin, the Russian people do expect their leader to be strong and Putin fits the bill which is why you often saw him bare chested in masculine poses.. when he was younger that's the image he projects and the image the people expect.
We were led to fear the Russians through Western propaganda and likewise the Russian people feared the West through Russian propaganda...that's how these things work which is why I take everything the West says with a large pinch of the proverbial, just like the propaganda put out by the Russians.
About 20 odd years ago I regularly used to visit and stay with friends in the South Urals/Siberia region of Russia, it was like stepping back in time maybe to the UK's 1970s. I used to spend many weeks at a time there and lived as they did so I got to know the culture and people of that region.
The ordinary Russian people were just like us only probably more modest but just as friendly and not nearly as materialistic. I was treated like a celebrity everywhere I went and was always invited to their homes to share a meal with them which was usually Ravioli which I didn't particularly care for but couldn't refuse for fear of offending them.
I never came across one person whom I found rude or unfriendly but they assumed I would be aloof from what they'd been told about Western people so when they found I was just like them they were great people to know.
The crooks at that time were the police...very corrupt and gangster like and certainly not beyond being bribed.
The ordinary people were also shocked to learn that we had a lot of crime in the form of muggings etc at that time, they were led to believe for some strange reason that every street in the UK was safe with no crime....little did they know LOL
Surprisingly from the conversations I had with them, as this was after the breakup of the FSU, the older people looked back with fondness to the days when it was still fully communist. They said that although they didn't have that much, they at least knew they would be looked after and kept warm during the harsh Siberian winters and they knew they could afford basic essentials. In other words, communism made them feel secur.
I used to enjoy a visit to their parks at weekends as they usually had a military band playing Western style music to which the older people would dance to outside the bandstand. It was nothing to see 100 elderly couples up dancing at any one time. They liked the simple things.
Once the state no longer provided everyone with a job, many men couldn't handle having to find work for themselves and took to drinking which their women-folk hated and which led to large numbers of marital breakups and an exodus of Russian women seeking Western husbands. They weren't particularly looking for men with money, it was that the man had secure employment and could be a decent family provider and who was kind and didn't drink to excess, that was their major criteria.
When I hear people talk about poverty in this country it makes me cringe because when you get out into rural regions of Russia the level of poverty is nothing remotely like the so called poverty we see in the UK. Out there there was REAL poverty and not the left wing idea of poverty that we have in this country.
I often stayed in a city called Chelyabinsk which during world war two was known as Tankograd where they built tanks and a 'closed city'. It is also famous in recent years for the 2013 meteor which presented itself in that region.
The housing was mostly multistory, usually blocks 10 long x 5 high x 2 deep. They had communal heating which was switched on once the temperature dropped to 8C three nights in a row and never went off until late spring so you were never cold unless the heating broke down.
Transport was at that time very cheap. You could travel across the city by coach, tram or mini bus and the most you paid was 10p.
I went on a 1.75 hour train journey into the country and it cost about 50p or something silly like that and heating for one's home, about $1.50 per month. Wages were low but utilities were ridiculously low.
As for Putin, the Russian people do expect their leader to be strong and Putin fits the bill which is why you often saw him bare chested in masculine poses.. when he was younger that's the image he projects and the image the people expect.
We were led to fear the Russians through Western propaganda and likewise the Russian people feared the West through Russian propaganda...that's how these things work which is why I take everything the West says with a large pinch of the proverbial, just like the propaganda put out by the Russians.
When I said "cares more about", I should have said "is more sympathetic to". Obviously geopolitics creates ironic situations, the notion of actively trading with someone you're at war with isn't a novel thing, a country's economic status and economic role is always something to be considered when dealing with them etc. But because Russian oil and gas are a thing (swift google puts Russia in 3rd behind Saudi), and US oil and gas are also a very big thing, makes one wonder what the relationship is.
I'm going to take an ignorant stab and say that, despite them being competitors, the fact that oil is still traded in dollars means that Russian oil trade only benefits the US ultimately and is what's driving what would have been in more geopolitcally idealogical times a strange relationship. The US will abandon NATO, run down their relationship with Europe and fight their trade war with China because the Russian oil trade benefits them.
Dunno.
I'm going to take an ignorant stab and say that, despite them being competitors, the fact that oil is still traded in dollars means that Russian oil trade only benefits the US ultimately and is what's driving what would have been in more geopolitcally idealogical times a strange relationship. The US will abandon NATO, run down their relationship with Europe and fight their trade war with China because the Russian oil trade benefits them.
Dunno.
AJB Temple
Finely figured
^^ Interesting Tony.
^ Croolis. OK. I don't know either. US political cycle of 4 years, of which the last one is all about campaigning usually, tends to mean nothing is irreversible. Soon attention will be on the next generation coming along. Trump will push one of his kids I expect.
Will be interesting what stance China will take in that period and whether a leash can be kept on N Korea.
^ Croolis. OK. I don't know either. US political cycle of 4 years, of which the last one is all about campaigning usually, tends to mean nothing is irreversible. Soon attention will be on the next generation coming along. Trump will push one of his kids I expect.
Will be interesting what stance China will take in that period and whether a leash can be kept on N Korea.
So, communism worked for them.
I enjoyed your account, I've not been tho I did some work on a Russian emigré and would have loved to visit. He spent time in Siberia, sounds pretty challenging.
RobinBHM
Established Member
Trumps interests are not the same as Ukraines.
Trumps interests are supporting Russia.
It was Russian money that helped save his businesses from bankruptcy
It was Russian bot farms that helped Trump win
The Republican party has been the party for gany decades that has supported USA as the military power keeping Russia at bay.
Now the MAGA Republican party is now a Putin apologist and on the side of Russsia, India, Iran and ironically on the same side as the radical left....yes Trump and Jeremy Corbyn are on the same side
sploo
Somewhat extinguished member
To be fair, I thought the World Series was named after something (a newspaper or publication in the US?). I don't recall; but I understood the naming didn't imply it was an international competition.
RobinBHM
Established Member
Because Democrats were victims of post covid inflation.
And also because the lies and propaganda of right wing populism are very alluring, it's a formula that works very well.....you are a good example
sploo
Somewhat extinguished member
Man-child is a fair assessment of Trump though; he throws huge toddler tantrums at the slightest provocation.
I'm sure his "side" would argue his convictions are politically motivated. Not true though.
sploo
Somewhat extinguished member
Trump won because he's a demagogue and a populist, and they thrive on pain and fear. Decades of falling living standards and shifting of money up to the mega rich have resulted in people desperate for change.
The Democrats offered more of the same. Trump offered amazing sounding promises, and simple solutions to complex problems.
Just because it's all nonsense doesn't mean it doesn't work. See also Brexit.
John Brown
Freeloading Social media influenza
I have a vague recollection of this also.
RobinBHM
Established Member
4.8 million people in UK suffer food poverty.....I guess going hungry is only left wing poverty.
That means people run out of money and can't afford to buy enough to eat. I suspect you will deny it and come up with some trope about smartphones and Netflix subs....we know you well eh Tony
RobinBHM
Established Member
So the people desperate for change have voted for shifting more money to the mega rich and even worst living stds.
Trump the populist is very skilled at selling himself as a fighting for the people against the establishment....despite the fact Trump is the billionaire establishment. Go figure
AJB Temple
Finely figured
Be nice to debate the actual issues rather than slag off Tony every time he posts.
American here
Trump says a lot of things, half of it is what he thinks people want to hear and the other half is what provokes people.
His "so called plans" as some of you like to call them, are just vindictive, petty, reactionary, responses to his own perceived slights.
There are no "plan" for governing or improving the lives of the citizens. Have you ever heard him say a word about actually helping people out or lifting them up?
Could you imagine your PM not sending aid to a certain district because he thought they didn't vote for him? These are not qualities in a leader. (This happened to California after a wildfire)
People seem to forget about Moslem bans, Family separations, lying about the severity of covid, strong-arming Ukraine for aide that was already promised, just to get at his political rival and that was the first year or so.
The next four years will be a train wreck inside a dumpster fire.
His childlike emotional state and the nonsense he spews forth will get people killed, there is no doubt at all.
He lied to his base voters, promised them everything their neanderthal instincts said they wanted, now he has to deliver. None of those people who voted for him can see past tomorrow IMO, they will never admit their mistake, few do. His "policies" will effect everyone, not just his people.They will be forced to live with the consequences of their actions along with the rest of us.
Trump says a lot of things, half of it is what he thinks people want to hear and the other half is what provokes people.
His "so called plans" as some of you like to call them, are just vindictive, petty, reactionary, responses to his own perceived slights.
There are no "plan" for governing or improving the lives of the citizens. Have you ever heard him say a word about actually helping people out or lifting them up?
Could you imagine your PM not sending aid to a certain district because he thought they didn't vote for him? These are not qualities in a leader. (This happened to California after a wildfire)
People seem to forget about Moslem bans, Family separations, lying about the severity of covid, strong-arming Ukraine for aide that was already promised, just to get at his political rival and that was the first year or so.
The next four years will be a train wreck inside a dumpster fire.
His childlike emotional state and the nonsense he spews forth will get people killed, there is no doubt at all.
He lied to his base voters, promised them everything their neanderthal instincts said they wanted, now he has to deliver. None of those people who voted for him can see past tomorrow IMO, they will never admit their mistake, few do. His "policies" will effect everyone, not just his people.They will be forced to live with the consequences of their actions along with the rest of us.
sploo
Somewhat extinguished member
Again, see Brexit. Most of those pushing it came from wealth and privilege but were skilled in getting people to vote to make themselves poorer; by making promises of riches in the case of victory.
Indeed someone talking about "the establishment" is pretty much a guarantee that they themselves are the very example of such.
sploo
Somewhat extinguished member
Where and when Tony raises a real issue it happens. A large percentage of his posts (excepting the recent interesting Russian piece) are just Daily Mail reader whinges about "the left".
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