14 March 2022
I cannot believe anyone is applying to take in a ukrainian family.
This is a govt scam to silence an anti-war movement or
at least to silence the nationalist sentiment that brought us Brexit and
Trump and populism generally
You are supposed to feel guilty if you object to receiving these immigrants.
The goal should be to offer safety until this conflict
is resolved, after which the families return home...
Monday, 14 March 2022
Saturday, 12 March 2022
EUROPE IS NOT SOVEREIGN
15 March 2022No country in Europe is sovereign because it is not reponsible for its own defence nor its own foreign policy.Europe is not sovereign while it pays NATO and the Americans for its defence. It is difficult to say these things and not be lynched. But America gas interests different from those of Europe and sometimes in opposition to. Looking at the wealth and population skills base, Europe could in principle outperform America. What does America care for Europe and Ukraine - so far away, itself independent in energy. It cares more for...
WHAT'S WRONG WITH MACRON?
12 March 2022Macron is the only politician keeping in touch with Putin. Good for Macron.
But otherwise, Macron is one of those hussard rowdy
types. He needs to be a bit less flamboyant and declarative, he needs to
listen and concentrate more, be less concerned by public opnion and
focus more on policy, make attainable objectives instead of massive
shattering unreachable goals esp given the coffers are empty, he needs
to recognise that France is a middle-ranking power and he isn't some
emperor-in-waiting, get away from...
Wednesday, 9 March 2022
UKRAINE START HERE FOR A PEACE SETTLEMENT
Look, instead of all this bloodthirsty stuff, consider Putin's petceptions and how that might be incorporated into a just solution.Hes aftaid of a colour revolution in Moscow and feels further exposed because he doesnt control the access points invaders have traditionally used, viz. Crimea, Bessarabia and Suwalki corridor.Of great significance here are the wishes of local populations and also Russia's demographics - Russia will run out of fighting-age men by the end of the decade.Plus, bear in mind that accesion to NATO and EU membership is a very...
Monday, 7 March 2022
IS MELENCHON RIGHT?
Melenchon is a utpoianist who believes man if perfectable. I know that man is flawed and only a functioning state with an operational legal system keeps man in place. (Religion can perform the same function.)Melenchon thinks that the interests of the group must predominate over the freedom of the individual. And these interests are decided by the State. I think that direction is not given top-down from some autocracy, but rises bottom-up from the summation of the wishes of the people.There should only be one party rule because competing...
Friday, 4 March 2022
LIFE IS A TALE, TOLD BY AN IDIOT
4 March 2022As we talked about Shakespeare, you might be interested in this short speech from Macbeth, perhaps one of the best known, though there are hundreds.Shakespeare's English is difficult, even for an English man, even for me But Ian McKellen makes it easy to understand.What do you think?https://youtu.be/zGbZCgHQ9m8Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,To the last syllable of recorded time;And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!Life's but a walking...
Wednesday, 2 March 2022
WHAT HAPPENS IN WAR (101 ECONOMICS)
3 March 2022After a war, the losing side loses is currency. So my small investment at 259 in POLY.L is subject to big risk.Things never go as planned in war, as we've seen, and it'll be worse than we could imagine, it's 'cos of the other side.But the winner will be he side that can endure the most pain.The kind of things we could see in Russia, my homework reveals, might be that it closes its markets, sets up asset price controls, changes ownerships, imposes exchange controls, and may change tax rates, limit stock market issuances and impose higher...
FUTURE OF UKRAINE
The Russians I'd imagine want to reduce Ukraine to rubble and leave.I remember the romans did that in the third punic war in 146BC. Not one stone was left standing on another. It took a week to put all the inhabitants of Carthage to the sword. They were throwing them off high buildings, it was quicker.But you know what?Carthage was rebuilt, it became the capital of its Roman province and the third most important city of the Roman Empire.There was a long period of prosperity from rich agricultural exports and a rich cosmopolitan culture.Christianity...
Monday, 28 February 2022
ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
28 February 2022"Ukraine had a comedian who turns out to be a leader. The UK has a leader who turned out to be a comedian."That's very funny and well put.Zelensky is a quite remarkable and unusual person, from what I can make out.His mother tongue is Russian. He is a Russian Jew from East Ukraine. He wanted to study in Israel, but his father forbade him this.He stands fast in his capital city Kiev. When offered a lift out by the Americans, he replied, "I want bullets, not a taxi."Few of us can completely escape the influence of our background and...
Sunday, 27 February 2022
THE ORIGINS OF RUSSO PHOBIA
27 February 2022 A great presentation and question and answer session with Tom and John Measheimer. https://youtu.be/Nbj1AR_aAcEOne. On the origins of Russo-phobia. This argument from John is quite American centric. If you live in Europe, you might have a different perspective. But I would say from the American perspective that the dislike of Russia goes back past the Monroe doctrine to Woodrow Wilson's talk in 1916. And from the European point of view, you have to go all the way back past the centuries and see that the...
Saturday, 26 February 2022
FIVE WAVES TO RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE
26 February 2022Well for those, like me, who thought the Americans were being alarmist and crying wolf, no, Putin invaded on 24 Feb at 03h35 UK time.It is a war with tanks, missiles, aeriel bombardments and presumably we may soon witness house-to-house and hand-to-hand fighting in the major cities of Ukraine.This is pre-planned as Putin invaded on Thursday but his announcement had been recorded on Monday 21st and he did write a White Paper in 2008 stating that a security zone is needed between Russia and another "strategic platform".So Russia entered...
