Courier Mail: Queensland’s landmark First Nations truth-telling inquiry will begin within weeks following the confirmation of long-awaited treaty appointments.The Miles…
Open Thread – Weekend 5 March 2022
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Not sure what the problem is with the Rita Panahi article Dover m’lord.
Soviet statistics – the US is now producing rubbish stats to match its rubbish economy.
Isn’t it “Boom Boom Boom”, Baldricks poem “The German Guns” put to music?
FAAFO, Biden.
Anchor What:
I’ve never even seen a Thermomix, so what the hell?
So far it sounds to me like a blender with a heating function.
Said the other day this is the single greatest crisis, when you take into account the flow-on effects, of the last several centuries. Meant it, too.
St. Ruth has taken this yuuugley important topic and turned it into an edition of Picture magazine.
Every wordwall is the equivalent of one of Picture‘s ‘Aliens Came And Stole My Tits’ headlines.
Panic in the green ranks?
‘I’m Getting Word Salad And I Don’t Even Have Dressing’: John Kennedy Grills Judicial Nominee
Note, Rex is here 24/7.
He is employed in the railways.
Therefore he is in the union.
He has to be.
He is in debt up to his ears and took the jab to keep his union job to pay for his toys and his four bedroom cream brick WA home with brown stains from his bore water sprinklers.
A job which allows him to comment here 24/7.
Is this a good enough excuse to comply?
And yes, you do need an excuse, fucking oath you do.
You don’t need to tell me your excuse…..you need to be comfortable with that yourself.
Many are not though, yet they pretend to be, and especially as the jab death rate rises and it starts taking out young national sports heroes, meaning it can’t be ignored.
You know I’m going to say it, but it’s almost poetic justice.
Sad as it is.
KD had an emergency situation….fair enough….but he’ll unfortunately pay for that soon, but that was a price he knew he may have to pay.
God knows if I were him, that stand and fight thing would be looking awfully attractive about now.
I’d be twice as furious as I am being an unjabbed new negro.
Worse , if Rex is not up to his neck in debt, that just meant he wanted to keep his overpaid union job which allows him to be on catallaxy 24/7.
Sorry Mr Churchill, I’m surrendering, but hey, I’m on your side, until you want me to sacrifice a cent. …
Gabsays:
March 6, 2022 at 9:29 am
Petition signed, Gab.
Sorry, I tried to get beneath the paywall of The Australian for a copy – but failed.
But if you can get a copy of The Weekend Australian, David Kilcullen’s article “Lessons from the first 10 days of the Russian invasion……”
is excellent.
No that’s not my words, it’s theirs.
And the rest of your response is typical butt hurt Victorian parochialism clouding your ability to think clearly.
Correct, but not in the way you think. The price is my soul, not my health – as history as repeatedly demonstrated over time that I am apparently unkillable.
You are trivialising my extreme rage at this with your constant (and partially demonstrably false) badly-spelled-placard waving extreme conspiracy horseshit.
This is what I’m talking about. Who, exactly, said that?
Nobody, that’s who.
‘Oh but that’s what they think.’
Oh god.
The Nazis said it first about the disabled and the term is being reused now amongst the globalist fuckheads doing this to us.
I’m not doing all your research for you, you lazy prick KD.
Fucking cops.
Get off your arse and do it yourself.
a
ok, yep, fine………..
Fucking bottom feeders. Find the quote, or it didn’t happen.
Did they really? Are you really sure that was what they said. Because you said – that’s exactly what they said.
Yet used those words as your own without attributing it to anyone. In other words, it’s more horsehit. Empty flag waving from a couch general.
Oops, here we go ‘Cassie of Sydney’ – the chap who’s been quoted all over this blog and elsewhere, that didn’t get you smearing the reposter (Dover & others), and repeatedly demanding they be removed, ‘for the safety of the blog’ –
“New Catallaxy Retweeted
Pedro L. Gonzalez6h
John Mearsheimer passionately argues that irresponsible DC elites provoked war, he empathizes with Ukrainians–now he’s under attack as being “pro-Putin.”
Conservatives need to shout down warmongering pundits and Republicans because they’re walking Americans into a trap.”
John Mearsheimer Endorses a Hitler Apologist and Holocaust
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/09/john-mearsheimer-endorses-a-hitler-apologist-and-holocaust-revisionist/245518/
23 Sept 2011 — He is an ex-Israeli and a self-proclaimed “self-hater” who traffics in Holocaust denial and all sorts of grotesque, medieval anti-Jewish …
Seriously though, how can we expect anyone to see through any of the Globalists’ totalitarian moves when they can’t even see their propagandists in their favourite daily blog?
Worse, how can we expect them to be on our side in the good fight in the real world, when they let anonymous names on an anonymous blog bully them into siding with propagandists for totalitarianism?
Vicki, here ‘tis.
Gab
Very interested – and done.
Or as we prefer to think of it Helldrivers HQ.
Nazis…..cripples useless eaters.
Kissenger..NWO freak…the elderly are “useless eaters”
Bill gates follows this train of thought.
Go and have a look.
Bill wants billions of us useless eaters gone to save the planet.
No conspiracy theory.
They admit it.
You took an injection from them.
Even though he doesn’t know what that means.
Clear line & paragraph breaks do not a ‘wordwall/wall of text’ make.
At least google it Cuntstable.
At least do that.
No wonder they kept you on traffic.
I’ll help .
Google Useless eaters Nazis.
Useless Eaters Kissenger and so on.
Did you know about google?
Who. Said:
fucking useless feeders ?
You said it was ‘their words’. Now it’s either their actual words, in which case I would like some proof of that, please, or you you just made that up because it had ‘the vibe’.
With accuracy comes credibility. Otherwise, it’s just another Bosi speech.
Kissinger at 98 surely does not believe his own propaganda !
We shouldn’t really be shitcanning Teh Paywallian and simultaneously reposting it. One or the other really. I still have a subscription. It is probably the only way “papers” will be here in 10 years time.
Washington seems to be deep into predicting what’s next. This is RT quoting the WP. Note the US State Dept- Nuland etc , Killary’s old coven. The US will get itself a hot war without US blood and the CIA will again be awash in shitloads of dirty money. All going to plan ;
Speaking of quotes:
Where did she say this, St. Ruth? Where?
Or is this another verse of the Bosi Address to the Nation you’ve claimed as your own?
Denialiasm.
Both KD and Rex have it bad.
You’ll notice when they have been absolutely smashed with facts and forced to admit they’re wrong, they just talk faster and hope a bluster of “that proves nothing” will suffice.
Problem is, there are more here than just me.
A few are still sane!
“Useless feeders” is not my term as you claim.
I showed you who’s term it was, where it originated and who was and is still using it.
“That proves nothing” says KD.
It’s like talking to children.
I think this is the article that Viki was talking about (hope I didn’t muck it up):
Linky
Key lessons from the first ten days of the Russia-Ukraine War
David Kilcullen
I spent the first few days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with US colleagues who specialise in irregular and resistance warfare. Simultaneously, the federation of Afghanistan veterans I have worked with since the fall of Kabul – who had managed to evacuate several dozen Afghan families to Kyiv, of all places – activated on-the-ground reporting networks across Ukraine to give evacuees and their helpers an understanding of the situation. While that effort has been humanitarian, focused on helping civilians escape the fighting, some obvious military lessons have also emerged. Based on that, here are my top lessons from the first 10 days of the war.
Russia just pulled off its own ‘reset’
Russian President Vladimir Putin ditched the Crimea playbook last week. The incremental, hybrid warfare that has been Russia’s hallmark since the “little green men” seized the peninsula in 2014 – a form of warfare tailored to do just enough, ambiguously enough, to achieve limited goals without triggering a response – is out the window.
Instead, we saw a massive, multi-domain, five-pronged offensive by land, air, sea, cyber and electronic attack, supported by missile strikes, amphibious landings and helicopter assaults.
Stealth suddenly gave way to speed, surprise and violence of action, as Russian forces sought to overwhelm and intimidate Ukrainian defenders through sheer weight of fire and metal.
This surprised me, as it surprised many Russia-watchers, given how radical a change it represents from Putin’s past practice. It’s possible that Putin only decided to invade in strength after the disastrous mid-January press conference when US President Joe Biden effectively gave a green light to what he called a “minor incursion”, but there is nothing minor about this invasion.
By telegraphing so unequivocally that any military response was off the table, US and European leaders may have emboldened Russia to risk the major offensive we now see.
It’s already clear that Russia has reset the game. This is changing the calculus for every NATO nation, especially the Scandinavian and Baltic states that might be next on Moscow’s menu. Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Poland and Estonia have offered increased military assistance to Ukraine, Finnish leaders are talking about joining NATO, while the alliance activated part of its 40,000 strong NATO Response Force – the high-readiness manoeuvre formation created in 2002 but mobilised for the first time this year.
Economic sanctions failed to deter
Despite Biden’s claim to the contrary in his first press conference after the outbreak of war, the threat of US economic sanctions was very clearly intended to deter a Russian invasion – Biden himself, Vice-President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan all said so, in as many words, as recently as the day before the invasion.
Washington has been criticised for years for its over-reliance on economic means, its penchant for fixing every problem with sanctions or tariffs, and the assumption that economic pain – for a targeted “enemy” population and for US and allied businesses and consumers – will be enough to deter an adversary from aggression. Clearly, in this case, sanctions proved woefully inadequate to deter a leader, Putin, who views NATO encroachment as a matter of national survival, regards recovering Russia’s lost greatness as his life’s mission, and sees a window of opportunity to act against a weakened West in the wake of last year’s Afghanistan debacle.
Despite failing to deter, once imposed, sanctions did have a significant effect on ordinary Russians and elites alike. Ukrainian leaders initially warned economic measures would take too long to bite, insisting they needed ammunition and military support now. Sanctions are indeed unlikely to work on their own, even as they contribute to rising petrol prices, inflation, and further disruption to global supply chains that depend on commodities from Russia and Ukraine. Arguably, the dogged Ukrainian defence of the past 10 days slowed Russia’s offensive to the point where economic measures may now have a meaningful impact on Moscow’s ability to continue the war. Still, flows of military equipment (including lethal defensive weapons) from the EU, NATO and individual countries are likely to matter more.
Pulling out the trip-wire weakened deterrence
A few weeks ago, the US military withdrew the small contingent of trainers – about 250 soldiers from the Florida National Guard – that had been working with Ukrainian forces. Likewise, a contingent of British trainers under Operation Orbital pulled out last week, and Western diplomatic staff withdrew, while the US embassy in Kyiv located to Lviv in far western Ukraine. While the troops themselves could have made little practical difference, they represented a “trip-wire” – an element deployed forward with a partner, so that any attack on that partner risks a broader military response, raising the stakes for an adversary thinking of aggression. In this case, NATO troops or diplomats being caught in the crossfire would not have triggered the Article 5 collective defence clause of the North Atlantic treaty, which is reserved for attacks on NATO member countries, but it might have given Moscow pause. There is little likelihood of NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine in the immediate future, of course, but pulling these small contingents out just as the invasion seemed imminent probably didn’t help.
Russian leaders were overconfident
As the invasion kicked off last it became clear that Russian commanders were massively overconfident, failing to commit most of their troops and neglecting to apply the heavy weight of firepower called for in their military doctrine. They seem to have planned for a lightning seizure of key locations, attempting to “bounce” the capture of Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv in the first hours of the assault, even before achieving air superiority.
The failure at Hostomel cost them dearly, leading to the failure of an assault on the capital by their elite airborne troops – known as “VDV” and a separate branch of Russia’s armed forces – along with separate setbacks in the cities of Kharkhiv and Kherson. The simultaneous amphibious landings on Ukraine’s southern coast likewise failed to secure the cities of Odessa and Mariupol, while ground offensives from the east and north initially fell short of their intended objectives.
Russia’s extended deployment over the past year – positioning ground forces all around Ukraine’s border, with amphibious ships and naval infantry coming from the Baltic and Far East to threaten Ukraine’s Black Sea and Azov coasts – was clearly designed to give Moscow the widest possible range of options, preventing Kyiv from concentrating its forces against a single offensive. But it was also a dangerous play, running the risk of defeat in detail for Russian columns too dispersed to support each other. When the campaign stalled, a victim of ill-founded Russian confidence that Ukraine would be a pushover, the dispersed assault made it difficult to concentrate behind any one thrust.
Ukraine 2022 is not Ukraine 2014
That Ukrainian forces fought so determinedly and well – inflicting losses on the Russians, by some calculations, in an eight-to-one ratio, destroying hundreds of armoured vehicles and helicopters, and shooting down multiple aircraft – emphasises that Ukraine in 2022 is not the Ukraine of 2014-15. Back then, a wave of volunteers flocked to defend Ukraine’s independence, and there was an improvised, ramshackle, thrown-together quality to the country’s defence. Those early efforts bear little resemblance to the professionalised Ukrainian armed forces of today, which have grown more twenty-fold since 2014 and now have capable armoured forces, anti-armour troops, air defences, special forces and territorial units. Perhaps most importantly, the Soviet-style operational culture of Ukraine’s military in 2014 has been replaced, to a large degree, with a more flexible and unconventional small-unit approach that has proven highly effective.
Territorial troops, tasked to defend local areas against invasion, now number 25 brigades and are deployed in every part of Ukraine, while manoeuvre forces – though obviously outclassed in size by Russian troops – are dramatically better-equipped, trained and led.
Likewise, as the defiance of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the heroism of Ukrainian units and civilians has shown, Ukrainians are united in the face of aggression and determined to defend their independence.
The Russians suck at SEAD
For all their superiority in air power, Russian forces have so far proven exceptionally poor at what military planners call “suppression of enemy air defences” (SEAD, pronounced “see-add”) – a critical early stage in any campaign, where an attacker seeks to overwhelm anti-aircraft systems. SEAD enables freedom of movement for strike aircraft and, ultimately, enables the air superiority needed to conduct air strikes, manoeuvre forces by helicopter, evacuate wounded and bring logistic support forward.
The lack of attention to SEAD was a symptom of Russian overconfidence but it also surprised many Russia-watchers who expected greater emphasis on this critical effort from a force that has fought in Syria since 2015.
Western air forces worry that 20 years of the war on terrorism – against adversaries lacking aircraft, and often with limited air defences – might have made them complacent about anti-aircraft fire. Russian planners seem to be learning the lesson the hard way.
Road-bound columns are bound to die
Somewhat less surprising has been the road-bound nature of Russian ground manoeuvre, with long columns of tanks and armoured vehicles snaking along highways and sticking to main roads, only to be ambushed and destroyed or delayed by defenders able to predict their moves simply by looking at a map or, in some cases early in the war, watching Google traffic data to identify a column’s location.
This style of manoeuvre has been characteristic of the Russian Army since the Chechen War of the 1990s, and was a key weakness in the conflict in Georgia in 2008. Given weather and terrain conditions – this is spring in Ukraine, a wet and muddy season when off-road manoeuvre is difficult – it’s not surprising to see the same road-centric approach here. But unless Russian forces adapt quickly, they will continue to suffer serious losses as a result.
Ukrainian special ops proved their worth
US and other NATO special operators trained Ukraine’s special forces for several years after 2014, only to be pulled out last year. But it may be that the Ukrainian special forces had their finest hour on the very first morning of the war, when they blunted the VDV assault on Hostomel airport outside Kyiv, forcing the Russians to delay a planned airlanding operation that would have seized the airport and put them in the capital by noon on the war’s first day. This style of operation, known as a coup de main, is characteristic of the Russian approach and was seen in several fronts of the offensive.
The idea is to quickly seize critical sites using special troops, rapidly reinforce with conventional columns, and thereby quickly destroy an adversary’s morale. The assumed success of these early coup de main operations may partly explain why Russian commanders thought it was safe to move on the main roads.
By preventing them, Ukrainian special forces, and conventional manoeuvre units who joined in the battle at Hostomel, threw the whole invasion plan off-kilter, saving Kyiv (at least for the time being) and forcing the Russians into the slow, grinding slog they are now enduring in several cities.
Urban guerrillas are in the forecast
Those cities are rapidly becoming a battleground for urban guerrillas, as Ukrainian citizens answer their government’s call to take up arms, form paramilitary defence groups in partnership with defenders from local territorial brigades, and protect their homes.
In the first days of the war, Russia’s line was that it was only targeting Ukraine’s military and that civilians had nothing to fear. But as the offensive has slowed, and resistance from civilians in cities has become part of the mix, the level of violence against civilian targets has increased significantly.
Russia has now launched a second-wave assault, bringing in more advanced weapon systems, a heavier weight of fire including potentially deadly weapons such as thermobaric, chemical or heavy conventional missiles. Russian nuclear forces have been placed on high alert and there are ominous moves – likely intended to intimidate – of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles within Russia. Russian forces are now encircling and besieging Ukraine’s cities. We can thus expect the next week to bring intensified urban combat, more guerrilla activity, and a dramatic increase in the level of violence, including against civilians.
It is impossible to predict in detail what may happen next, given the war is only 10 days old. But if what we have seen so far is any guide, the costs of the conflict for both Russia and Ukraine are likely to be tragically high, and the potential for wider spread within Europe remains all too real.
Makes ice cream too. Not coffee though. Would not recommend.
Every wordwall is the equivalent of one of Picture‘s ‘Aliens Came And Stole My Tits’ headlines.
Pictures?
Thanks Vicki I copied your words above into a new tab for Google and up the article came up,
Sometimes it works, sometimes not. More often it works on the Weekend Australian articles.
Fuck you KD.
Google it.
Your denialism has caused you to be at least 18 months behind.
I’m sick of playing this game where I prove things to you and you then quickly want me to prove something else instead of apologising.
“Sorry struth, my denialism is a giant barrier to me letting the truth in, and it makes me look like a dick when I question the basics publically.”
When you show me the proof and back up your argument I just quickly swap to something else, because up until now, I’ve not been man enough to admit I’m a moron (caused by denialism) and hope no one will notice.”
Why that’s OK KD, it’s been rough on us all….forget it.
You could make a pretty good guess, though:
In Mariupol, some of the Azov Battalion face the Russians on the front lines, while the rest of them will be massacring Russian and Greek civilians in the suburbs.
Makes one wonder who keeps trying to kill you and if that’s why even though an ex-copper (where’s The Brotherhood, don’t they have your back?), you had to run away from your home ground (widely considered the worst patch in Victoria), all the way to Darwin, where you dare not even turn up to a friendly & harmless cat’s book launch … mmm … only messin’ witcha; one would have to believe all your, ‘I was such a good copper’, stories first … a bad copper however, now that brings us back to people trying to kill you being believable … mmm …
Calli:
That’s the first time I have stopped watching one of his videos. The bloke on the right was obviously a shill.
Geebus!!
It’s a pile on!
Oh mercy!
Comment , over on the Oz, to all those demanding that Australia should bring back National Service to solve our defence issues.
Buy the Japanese one. Brenda.
I have been waiting for that.
We shouldn’t really be shitcanning Teh Paywallian and simultaneously reposting it. One or the other really. I still have a subscription. It is probably the only way “papers” will be here in 10 years time.
most of it is shite with one or two decent writers- no way would I pay money to subsidize Sheridan’s sludge or Kelly’s or Van Oscillator’s
You used the term yourself, unattributed. Then you say it was someone else’s and then refuse (again) to put your cash where your trap is. Then you air-raid about it and cover it with 1000 words of self-pity and rage Thermomixed* in together.
Sooooo emotional.
*Deliberate.
I see the nasty old clown is back spewing abuse
It’s fascinating to watch the liar change his Narrative as he exposes himself.
Only 3 days ago, Struth was saying:
That shit sadly didn’t fly, and crashed in a burning, wordwalling wreck at the first question. And pointing out that his sole available example of Wellcamp was barely a twinkle in the Wagners’ eyes as a FIFO Acommodation Facility at that time.
Today, after having screamed and stomped his little feetsies over his exposure for 3 days and called me every combination of nastiness his limited imagination can conjure, we get:
Fascinating. Just as KD said at the beginning of this thread, he’ll just continue to lie and mutate his Narrative and pretend his every previous failure was a misinterpretation or someone else’s fault so he can feel like he’s always in the ‘right.’
What a pissweak and craven little Gamma he is.
rsrsrsrrsrs and St. Ruth! The Furniture Shop crybully twinsies are coming for me!
Whatever shall I do?
I know! Fainting couches are twenty cents a dozen over there.
If only rsrsrs and the Urban Cowboy knew where the AKs were, I might be in a bit of strife.
The Nazi phrase was (broadly translated) Life unworthy of life.
Or in German Lebensunwertes Leben.
Yeah nah. Kilcullen is an authority on, and a huge fan of, the tactics and strategy that worked so well in Afghanistan. He is yesterday’s man. Literally, a loser.
Don’t believe a word the dickhead says.
Warren
@warrenvmyers
2m
·
·
Conservative News
The Double and Triple-Jabbed are More Likely to Be Reinfected and Natural Immunity Likely Lasts a Lifetime
https://gab.com/warrenvmyers/posts/107907565827241341
Dr. Richard Urso: “We have SARS-Cov-1 patients who still had immunity 18 years later. Let that sink in… This is long, broad, durable immunity.” (Source: VigilantFox)
Yeah nah. Kilcullen is an authority on, and a huge fan of, the tactics and strategy that worked so well in Afghanistan. He is yesterday’s man. Literally, a loser.
Don’t believe a word the dickhead says.
just another shill for the Washington War Machine by the sounds of things
Kilcullen has done a very good job of monetising his time as an Army officer.
It must be a tough gig, requiring constant diligent attention to keep himself monetised.
jupes
Yeah nah. Kilcullen is an authority on, and a huge fan of, the tactics and strategy that worked so well in Afghanistan. He is yesterday’s man. Literally, a loser.
He is capable of learning. His first book was hot for counter-insurgency. Not convincing. His second focused on a mad idea of western forces trying to control Third World megacities. Madness. His most recent book takes a much more realistic approach to the practical limitations of western forces operating in less developed regions.
One more book should do the job!
They had the day off yesterday. I have no idea why.
Maj Gen Mick Ryan has a new thread just up discussing the capture of Kiev. He is more open minded about it than me: I can’t see how the Russians can possibly take the place at all, given their performance so far and the forces in their TO&E. OTOH he’s a senior general and I’m a not-very-good ex-AAR private.
https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/status/1500284296694669317
Scroll to the top for the start of it.
I would like to make it absolutely clear. Struth dose not speak for the un-jabbed at least not me or others I know. The fight against mandatory/ coercive vaccination is too important to leave up to some guy with delusions of grandeur, daddy issues and a one dimensional view of history.
He is capable of learning. His first book was hot for counter-insurgency. Not convincing. His second focused on a mad idea of western forces trying to control Third World megacities. Madness. His most recent book takes a much more realistic approach to the practical limitations of western forces operating in less developed regions.
One more book should do the job!
Essentially a dilettante
Time to piss of BAs.
Putin is not Socialist.
There was supposed to be a cease fire to allow evacuation of civilians. But it appears that the Ukraine forces preferred to keep them bottled up in place as human shields, knowing full well that the civilians are the only thing preventing forceful Russian advances.
https://southfront.org/war-in-ukraine-day-10-civilian-evacuation-failed-russia-gained-tactical-successes-holding-strategic-pause-18/
That’s fine. The business is a buffet not a la carte.
Australia doesn’t rule out arming Taiwan against China
Defense Minister Peter Dutton likened China’s situation with Taiwan to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine
https://www.rt.com/news/551333-australia-china-taiwan-militarizing/
The 24’7 comrade of unionised overpaid welfarism or “rail worker” for short, tries to twist mere details hopintg to achieve what.
“The announced the building of camps on the first week”
But but but but but,,,er……they didn’t start actually building them until months later!, Sniffs a desperate Rex.
Rex likes to use the slow processes of government to deny the actual fact that they announced, AND PUT INTO motion, the building of camps within the first week of two weeks to flatten the curve.
His desperation to hold onto the irrelevence of when the first sod was turned and the corrupt months that precede it with who gets the contracts as to say the decision wasn’t made until 18 months later, is farcical.
They announced and put into process the building of camps immediately upon closing the nation down and imprisoning 26 million people.
The snivelling lunacy and straw clutching regarding when the first sod was turned is pure irrelevence.
It is important to buy that book, to keep abreast of his changing doctrine.
Bear I stopped buying it after they made Krudd Australian of the year. Enough’s enough. Of course you’re entitled to spend your money anyway you see fit.
I thought that would have been obvious.
I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire, let alone speak for you.
As we found out yesterday, you’re a liar.
You know, I get the concept of a person’s deranged hatred for his Nemesis, but this obsession with I must be Unionised and I must be in debt and must be overpaid is starting to sound remarkably like petty envy.
Struth, check these fellows out, or at least have the temerity to find them on SEEK from time to time. They are in the Whitsundays, they pay well, they want their people to be local as far as is practical, and the work will be steady, reliable and won’t upset your cartoonish preconceptions of the rail industry as it is exclusively bulk export coal haulage.
They will also train you from go to whoa! as a driver. They want people with mechanical nous and life experience, who won’t just piss off at the end of the return of service period.
Meh!
Wow. So Chicoms are being killed by Nazis in Taiwan. Who knew?
War is tough when everyone with a mobile phone is a war reporter. It wasn’t that easy before then.
No one really knows the secret to winning in Afghanistan. Everybody has had a go now.
Struth; less of the above & more bus driving stories, please.
(If you could throw in some APT-hate it’d be a much appreciated bonus)
Like much of modern politics Dutton is only the least worst option.
Makka – I’m disappointed in Southfront. They aren’t at all objective on this one. I look at them each day but they’re fairly useless. Ok I don’t mind them barracking for the Russians but I’m losing interest in them because of the rubbish they’re going on about. Lots of noise not much information. Other guys like Ryan, ISW and Telenko are much better.
The latter has been doing more interesting stuff on the maintenance and logistics issues, especially as applies to the mud season, which they’re now in.
https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko
He’s fairly partisan for the Ukrainian side (again that’s his privilege), but has really good observations on stuff like damage to roads, availability of anti-MANPAD flares and suchlike. He’s the guy who pointed out the Chinese tyre problem.
Fair enough. No Potential Greatness there.
So we are going to get nuke subs before 2040. When then, 15 years? 12 years? Australia is so unserious. We live in Clown World.
Bruce, you’re posting is dominated by pre-Ukrainian media so I’m not the least surprised you don’t want an alternative view here. IMO, the UAF is riddled with vicious neo-nazi, anti semetic war criminals, thugs and murderers. Fully supported by the EU, NATO and the US.
I’m viewing southfront as an alternative to the disgusting western MSM coverage which portrays the valiant UAF as freedom fighters , when in fact they are bully boy cowards.
I might be mistaken but didn’t Teh Paywallian sow the first seeds of doubt when KRuddy’s halo began to slip? Admittedly, that only gave us The Slapper.
Now now bespoke. On the empty echo chamber of buffoonery that is The Shop, ‘they’ have a message system*.
‘They’ are ‘we’. Apparently.
*Ahahahahahaaaaaa. Hahaha.
Good thread.
Thanks Rex but I’d rather shit in my hands and clap.
I’ve led an interesting life.
When I want an easy life where I can play on social media 24/7 and get paid for it, I’ll let you know.
And, um, the Whitsundays are a group of Islands named by Cook, if my tour driver commentary serves me correctly.
The Whitsunday passage…70 something islands….
There are no coal railways there.
I also seem to remember he named them because he thought it was Whit Sunday but it was whit Monday at the time.
In later years I transported switch rooms to the port there, because trains don’t do 8 mtre wide loads that well , from Adelaide.
On roads….of course.
Oops, should correct myself: that it was another guy responding to Telenko who pointed out the tyres were Chinese. However it was Telenko who mentioned the lack of use of the vehicles causing the embrittlement and rupture problem.
Michael Smith News.
Breaking the Mastercard/Visa duopoly would be a very good thing
The Left desperately wants squirrels delivered in bulk truckloads right now. Of course they’re “blowing their load” over this one. The MSM know they need to distract from Covid failings, truckers and the mid-terms. And CNN is in an existential fight to survive, so going back to popular 24/7 war reporting is a life saver for them.
The other fun thing is green-progs everywhere love this war so they can blame high energy prices on it. Thereby taking the public’s eye off the reality that green-prog policies are the actual cause.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-john-mearsheimer-blames-the-us-for-the-crisis-in-ukraine
A very interesting discussion. I agree with most of what Mearsheimer argues. Putin cannot – or will not – ever allow Ukraine to join NATO. Although it is not totally akin to the USA allowing Russian armament in Cuba – it is similar. Putin is nothing if not a realist. Yes – he is a committed nationalist (as he said to Tony Abbott very clearly) – but Russia no longer has the military clout of the old USSR. Of course it has hypersonic ballistic missiles with nuclear war heads. But is this something he would contemplate using? Other than a “make my day” bravado, I doubt it.
I think Zelensky understands the likely outcome. This morning I saw an interview in which he said, “Wars are ultimately finished by diplomacy”. Indeed. I have always believed that a likely end game is Eastern Ukraine (all the Russian speaking terrain) being excised from Ukraine, and an agreement that Ukraine would not join NATO. It is a tragedy that so many lives will be lost before this is achieved.
BTW I also agree with Mearsheimer that the real threat to the West – indeed, the world – is from Xi’s China. It would have been better for the West if a rapprochement with Russia could have been achieved years ago. But I fear that chance is lost. It is interesting that India is sitting on the sideline, uncommitted, in the UN over this fracas.
Rubbish, Makka, I read both sides. But I want information not propaganda. That’s more available from the middle of the road guys in the institutes and from technical guys.
I know very well that both the Ukrainians and the Russians have a large neo-Nazi paramilitary forces. Boring buggers. Hopefully they’ll exterminate each other.
It’s a terrible thing that innocent people will die over that stuff, Bruce. It’s breathtakingly evil, but the perps strut around pretending they’re on the high moral ground.
BTW I also agree with Mearsheimer that the real threat to the West – indeed, the world – is from Xi’s China.
yes and the western establishment is party to this threat
Michael Smith News.
It seems that Lidia Thorpe, a Blak (sic) Senator, is bringing an all Blak (sic) Senate team to the next election.
I’d say it would be difficult to find western politicians not compromised by China one way or another. Just look at the port of Darwin.
The “institutes” in the west at least are all bought and sold pro-US/EU/Progs. The tech guys are largely 3rd and 4th hand info churning commentators. That’s why I prefer commentary gathered from very close to raw on ground sources. Local context matters.
The “institutes” in the west at least are all bought and sold pro-US/EU/Progs.
I can’t think of one that is not
Indeed it is, Vicki.
Husband and I were members of the SCG for about 20 years. We discontinued our annual membership when they introduced pokies (don’t know if they are still there) into the Members Pavilion. By then, like elsewhere, commercialisation was destroying the much valued heritage of the place.
We missed our annual pilgrimage for the Sydney Test when husband and mate would get there when the gates opened to do “the dash” to get the best seats – for us, behind the wicket in the M.A. Noble stand. Ladies would arrive later with hamper and cushions – although we still loved the beer/glass of vino with hot chips. Binoculars were de rigueur
and earphones for listening to Kerry O’Keeffe. Bliss.
Despite all of this, when the Mardi Gras took up residence in that hallowed ground… well….I don’t regret the departure. Hell – the big tele is the next best thing.
Yep. As you know I’ve been reading the official Oz history of WW2. The actions of the Japanese were ghastly. But it is also important to realize the Aussies weren’t squeaky clean. Very few Japanese were taken prisoner. This isn’t discussed much in the history, other than some brief comments. The Aussies had good reason to be very wary of defeated Japanese, many of whom would use a suicide grenade on their captors whenever they had the chance.
I’ve quoted many times passages like these.
The approach outlined by Jesus is if they won’t see reason pray for them but otherwise have nothing to do with them. It isn’t “blow up all their cities until they surrender”.
Despite all of this, when the Mardi Gras took up residence in that hallowed ground… well….I don’t regret the departure. Hell – the big tele is the next best thing.
it’s shameful and a blight on Sydney- a great reason to move away actually
It’s also the usual marxist establishment agit prop- did they have a go at Pauline again last night?
Vicki:
The part that keeps on being is the simple fact that bot Russia and China have indulged in a low level war with the West for decades.
The USSR continually undermined our war efforts toward Hitler until they were attacked. Since then, they have infiltrated our Universities, our Parliaments, Defence institutions, etc, etc. There has been no aspect of our societies they have not tried to subvert against us.
China has been doing likewise ever since Mao. The Confucius Institutes, the bribing of our politicians, the subversion of International Treaties to their benefit, the lists of transgressions just go on and on.
These two nations have fostered the growth of the Deep State in concert with our own corruptocrats and now they are walking us off the precipice of war.
So. Who will do the fighting and dying, the 16 hour days in the factories to produce the war materiel?
Us silly buggers. They won’t, and their kids won’t.
We’ve seen this movie too many times.
If there’s no collapse by Australia’s batting prima donnas – which you wouldn’t bet against with bad money – the best that Pat Cummins’s political activists can hope for in Pakistan is a draw. Go Pakis – send our love to your mates in the Taliban!
Makka
I’m viewing southfront as an alternative to the disgusting western MSM coverage which portrays the valiant UAF as freedom fighters , when in fact they are bully boy cowards.
I take the position of Henry Kissinger in the 1980s, on the Iran-Iraq war of that decade.
Can’t they both lose?
You can’t fight everyone, Bruce. And why should you anyway?
A CalliCard of great wisdom.
Although it pays to have a rear view mirror in order to duck approaching daggers.
I have seen a situation report of unknown veracity that says the Russian airborne troops took Hostomel airport and still hold it. The Ukrainian counter attack allegedly is a myth.
This website provides an interesting alternative viewpoint:
http://thesaker.is/
Absolute bulltish. Wars finish when one side decides it can longer continue. Technically the UN is still at war with the DPRK, and armistice has held since 1953 despite years and years and years of diplomacy.
Vietnam, the US decided it no longer had the will to fight.
WW2 Japan the bomb, Germany when the Russians overran Berlin (the Western Front surrendered a few days later)
WW1 Germany decided it could no longer continue
Russia vs Japan 1905 – a bit borderline but Russia decided it could no longer fight and sought a diplomatic end
Franco Prussian – when the German Empire finished defeating every French Army sent against it.
etc etc etc
Who is more dangerous to Australia?
Putin, or this guy?
Link not workng for me, Eyrie.
The UK press will publish
any old bullshit.
Except, of course, the Sunday Sport.
That is good for an alternative view, but do be aware it’s very much a Russia stronk!!!! Type site.
A former special forces blog I read has connections, he reckons the Russian airborne troops were pretty much wiped out. I’ve not found much either way, but he is someone who knows what he’s talking about
Maybe the gay thing has lost its novelty value. That would be good. If so gays could move beyond the tokenism and start being a part of the world where all those attributes other than what you do with the contents of your underpants define who you are. It’s pretty patronising the way popular culture treats them now.
Maybe that is reading too much from a single data point.
I think that is exactly the US position today. Unstated of course. Ukraine and it’s citizenry are being manipulated as sacrificial lambs to the EU/US dream of forcing regime change in Russia. The sanctions are augmenting that, trying to get a local uprising happening in Moscow. Even if a Ukraine/Russia cease fire is negotiated, the US/EU is going to keep the conflict alive by funding an all out guerrilla war that could last a decade. Ukraine’s version of Libya.
Eyrie – Yeah, I saw that one, too somewhere. I also saw that Ukrainians have pretty much eliminated the paras, that the paras were equipped with 1950’s arms (RPG-7s) and that some paras remain and are holding 40 civs as human shields. It’s a lottery. About the only thing I can get from it is they aren’t using the airport for bringing in air landing BCGs or for serious resupply.
The last time I ever consumed any ABC content was when Skull retired from the cricket commentary. He was fun. 🙂
bespoke, that’s odd because I have him up on a tab and just refreshed it. He did say he was going to be dark for some hours today to move to another server.
The page must have been in the cache. I just refreshed again and it went away.
Try later.
I’ve been on the road.
Did the resurrected Frank Denial get a mention today?
The Saker might just be getting too much traffic. That was mentioned a couple of days ago.
Cheers Eyrie.
A former special forces blog I read has connections, he reckons the Russian airborne troops were pretty much wiped out. I’ve not found much either way, but he is someone who knows what he’s talking about
A lot of US sites seem to be in the tank for the Ukies, including people I thought were smarter. There seems to be a fair bit of whistling past the graveyard going on. As for those Chinese tyres, the Russinas have been moving their troops and equipment around on exercises for months. You’d think they might have found out about the tyres.
The Chinese government warned Saturday against foreign interference in its relations with Taiwan as it released a new report pledging to resolve the issue of Taiwanese independence “in the modern era.”
Absolute bulltish. Wars finish when one side decides it can longer continue.
Theres a short book by china Mevile where (simplifying) mankind is at war with its reflections.
So any reflective surface might be a portal to allow a evil image of yourself through to wreak havoc.
In the book the protaganist decides he will stop the war, he also convinces others he can do so but he doesnt tell anyone how.
His band of followers all get picked off one by one fighting to keep him alive.
He gets to the big bad boss at the end and simply says ‘we surrender”.
All the heroics of his band were just to allow him to capitulate.
One of the things which annoys me is the automatic ennoblement of civilian suffering, as though a group choosing to let its children starve etc (Yemen anyone) rather than surrender is excused the consequence of its choice.
One can feel sorry for the residents of Dresden, but their deaths should be sheeted home to their leaders who chose to keep fighting when all was lost.
The thousands of dead at Dresden arent worth one dead prisoner of Belsen in the scales of moral culpability.
Ukraine’s version of
LibyaSyria.I agree with a lot of that Makka. But the whole Donbas thing is so like Syria with its ethnic/religious divides. Insoluble. Assad is like Ukraine and Erdogan is like Putin. Assad demands that all of Syria be reunited under him, even the bits that hate his guts (for good reason). Erdogan wants the Sunni bits, but can’t get them without a hot war, so he uses proxies. Erdogan also has dreams of reinstating the Ottoman Empire. Russia is in Syria to stop both sides getting what they want and to prevent the Gulf States from building a pipeline to the EU. So Russia in Syria is doing exactly what the US is doing in Ukraine. The parallels are amazing, as is the hypocrisy on all sides.
Is this the official end of globalism?
We can only hope.
Via Vox Day:
Ukraine Invasion: A Comparative Analysis
This is an analysis of Russian invasion of Ukraine compared to historical invasions known for their speed and success. The DuPuy Institute’s data was utilized for some parts of this analysis. Posted with the permission of the anonymous author. – VD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Russia’s rate of conquest is extraordinary: 1.43 times faster than Israel in 1967, 1.85 times faster than US in Iraq in 2003, and 10 times faster than US in Kuwait in 1991.
Russia has plausibly lost up to 15% of its tank force but the alleged death toll of 5,000+ is grossly exaggerated. Russian deaths are in the range of 234 to 1100 dead at most. Ukraine has plausibly lost 36% of its tank force.
If Russia wants to conquer all of Ukraine, victory will be complete by the end of March, after around 41 days of fighting.
SIX DAY WAR (1967)
Israel conquered the Golan Heights (690 square miles), the West Bank (2173 square miles) and Sinai (23,000 square miles), for a total of 25,863 square miles.
Israel deployed 264,000 troops vs. 100,000 Egyptians; 75,000 Syrians; and 55,000 Jordanians. Israel started with 800 tanks and 300 combat aircraft. The Arabs started with 2,054 tanks and 957 combat aircraft.
It took 6 days for Israel to conquer the theater, for a rate of conquest of 4280 square miles per day or .016 square miles per soldier per day.
The DuPuy Institute rates the Combat Effectiveness Values (CEV) of these soldiers as Israeli 3.5, Jordan 2.27, Egyptian 2, and Syrian 1.33. So the overall force ratio was (264,000 x 3.5) vs. (200,000 + 99,750 + 124,850), or 924 vs 424, or 2.2 to 1.
In conquering the Golan Heights, West Bank, and Sinai, Israel lost 983 soldiers (0.3%), 400 tanks (50%) and 46 aircraft (15%). The Arabs lost 17,500 soldiers (7.6%), 950 tanks (46%), and 452 aircraft (47%). There were very few civilian casualties.
Note that the Israelis suffered per-capita armored vehicle losses that were higher than the Arabs. This is because fast-moving tank attacks incur more losses, many of which are mobility kills.
GULF WAR (1991)
The US conquered Kuwait, a total of 6,880 square miles.
US deployed 700,000 troops vs Iraq’s 650,000 troops. US started with 2,300 tanks. Iraq started with 4280 tanks.
It took 4.25 days to conquer Kuwait, for a rate of conquest of 1618 square miles per day, or .0023 square miles per soldier per day.
The DuPuy Institute rates the US CEV as somewhere between 4 and 6 to Iraq’s CEV of 1. I assume a mid-range CEV of 5. The force ratio was therefore 3,500,000 to 650,000 or 5.38 to 1.
In conquering Kuwait, the US lost 292 soldiers (.04%). It lost 31 tanks (1.3%). Iraq lost 50,000 soldiers (7.7%) and 3700 tanks (86%). There were approximately 5,000 civilian casualties.
Here we see that, despite having a force ratio twice as good as Israel’s in 67, the US only conquered Kuwait at a speed of about 1/7th the speed that the Israeli conquered its territories. But US only suffered per-capita losses of 1/10th the men and 1/35th the tanks. The Iraqis, meanwhile, suffered similar levels of total deaths (7.7%) as the Arab League in ’67 (7.6%).
Desert Storm is often perceived as a blitzkrieg or maneuver war but it was actually a methodical battle of annihilation in which carefully advancing shock armies followed on air strikes to destroy everything in their path.
INVASION OF IRAQ (2003)
US conquered Iraq, a total of 169,285 square miles.
US deployed 310,000 troops vs Iraq’s 538,000 troops.
It took 41 days to conquer Iraq, for a rate of conquest of 4,128 square miles per day, or .013 square miles per soldier per day.
The DuPuy Institute has not offered a CEV rating for the 2003 war. I assume a CEV of 6. The force ratio was therefore 1,860,000 to 538,000 or 3.46 to 1.
The US lost 196 soldiers (.06%). Iraq lost 30,000 killed (5.6%). Data on armored vehicle losses isn’t available but we know they were very high for Iraq. There were approximately 7,300 civilian casualties.
Here we see that the force ratio was 57% better than the force ratio in the Six Day War, but only 64% as good as the force ratio in Desert Storm. The rate of conquest was almost as fast as that in the Six Day War, and much faster than that of the Gulf War. The US losses were 50% higher per-capita than the Gulf War. The Iraqi casualties were lower (5.6%).
The 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its thunder runs, seems to have been more like a maneuver war with fast movement and somewhat higher casualties.
SUMMARY OF HISTORICAL BENCHMARKS
1967, winner: 0.3% deaths, 50% tank losses – tank losses 167x deaths; 0.016 square miles per soldier-day
1967, loser: 7.7% deaths, 46% tank losses – tank losses 6x deaths
1991, winner: 0.04% deaths, 1.3% tank losses – tank losses 33x deaths; .0023 square miles per soldier-day
1991, loser: 7.6% death, 86% tank losses – tank losses 11x deaths
2003, winner: .06% deaths; .013 square miles per soldier-day
2003, loser: 5.6% deaths
INVASION OF UKRAINE (2022)
Russia invaded Ukraine, which is 233,062 square miles.
Russia has allegedly deployed 234,000 troops vs Ukraine’s 125,000 ground troops. Russia allegedly has 1,200 tanks amassed. According to Global Security, Ukraine has 620 T-64, 100 T-64BM Bulat, 133 T-72s and 5 T-84 Oplots, for a total of 858 tanks. The T-64s and T-72s are vintage Soviet equipment, so only 105 tanks are modern. The Russian tank makeup is unknown.
What is the force ratio? Sadly the DuPuy Institute does not give us CEV for Ukraine and Russia. If we assume they are equal, the force ratio is 1.872. If we assume the Russians are better than the Ukrainians to the same ratio that Israelis were better than Jordanians, then the force ratio is 2.88. Based on the rate of advance (discussed below), the figure of 2.88 to 1 seems right.
By my estimates (plotting areas of advance on Google Earth), the Russians have conquered 33,465 square miles of terrain in 6 days. That represents .024 square miles per soldier day. That is 1.43 times faster than the Israel advance during the Six Day War, 10x times faster than the US advance during the Gulf War, and 1.85 times faster than the US advance in 2003.
So any suggestion that the Russians are moving slow is revealed as absolute nonsense.
What are the casualties? Ukraine claims to have killed 3,500 soldiers (1.4%). Losing that many men in just a few days would mean the Russians are on track to defeat (7.7% deaths being enough for Arabs to lose in 67 and 91). It seems to me to be a very carefully selected number – low enough to seem plausible, high enough to hint at defeat. But the number is certainly wrong. The US Army, in the first 25 days of Operation Overlord, lost 2,811 killed. It is implausible to believe that Russia has lost forces at 625% of the rate of the losses we incurred storming Omaha Beach and fighting through the bocage. With the entire world watching via satellite and mobile phone, it would be impossible for Russia to disguise losses like that.
Ukraine claims have destroyed 191 tanks (15.9%). That number of losses is plausible for an aggressive tank attack against a near-peer. The Israelis, after all, suffered higher tank losses in 1967, and the Russians are advancing 43% faster. If we look to history, this would suggest Russian loss of life would be somewhere around 0.1% to 0.5%, or 234 to 1170 dead.
Russia has said very little about kills, but it claims to have destroyed 314 tanks. That would be 36.5% of Ukraine’s tank force. That is a very plausible figure. Remember that Israeli inflicted 46% tank losses in 1967 by the end of the war. Here, the war is still ongoing. Ukraine’s death toll is then somewhere around 6% of its troops, or 7,500 soldiers, putting it very close to the point at which the Arabs routed.
If the above analysis is correct, Russia will have captured all of Ukraine in 41 days. The war will be over around the end of March.
I further note that the 5,300 Russian soldiers reported killed in four days of combat by the Ukrainian defense ministry is not even remotely credible when one considers that 5,732 Russian soldiers were reported killed or missing in 625 days of combat in the Chechen defeat of Russia during the First Chechen War. – VD
All these actions are one-time use. Every non-US dependency is now forced to remove themselves from the American cultural-economic grid. There’s no going back after this.
how is that not a good thing- no more gender fluidity, no more critical race theory.
The US is no longer a force for good- they proved that last year. Even SCOTUS folded.
I have seen a situation report of unknown veracity that says the Russian airborne troops took Hostomel airport and still hold it.
Paras cant fight without resupply.
So id probably guess thats not correct.
Oh.
I see St Ruth gets Sundays off from his ‘sitting on his arse while mummy earns the money’ gig.
Calli, yes – *scientist* was obviously a shill, but you really needed to watch the whole thing. His panel were over the target.
What part, jupes?
Trade, travel or diplomatic cooperation.
Serbia
Bosnia Herzegovena
Afghanistan
Libya
It’s a good thing NATO is purely defensive or they could do a lot of damage about the place.
more relevant than ever
Yes, please!
Tell us again how you increased passenger numbers singlehandedly by singling out the book learnin’ perfessers on every tour and giving them a good old dose of blue singlet commonsense around the campfire and over the bus PA.
So many word-of-mouth referrals from that.
Trade, travel or diplomatic cooperation.
how about off shoring and out sourcing
Why The Media, Central Planners, And Global Elite Want War
Rebel Capitalist
Gays are mainstream now. Which is exactly where they wanted to be.
Except when they don’t because “special”.
It’s all a bit ho hum in these days of trannies winning sports and insisting on using the ladies’ conveniences. Oh, and reading books to kiddies in the public library all glammed up.
Ordinary old gay couples are just a bit more beige in society’s wallpaper.
I dont know if those gung ho for Putin to get wrecked think hes not serious or wont take action.
Defiant Putin warns the west: your sanctions are akin to an act of war
Vladimir Putin delivered a chilling warning to the west over the imposition of sanctions on Russia on Saturday, warning that measures designed to cripple his country’s economy were “akin to an act of war”.
….
Increasingly, European diplomats believe Putin sees the west’s supply of weaponry and other support to Ukraine as direct intervention of a kind that requires retaliation.
Referring to Ukraine’s demand for Nato to impose a no-fly zone over the country – which Nato has rejected – Putin added: “The realisation of that demand would bring catastrophic results not only to Europe but to the whole world.”
Hopefully Putin will demonstrate his seriousness by launching one rocket at a uninhabited old sheep station in Australia, Canberra I think its called.
here
Oh, and reading books to kiddies in the public library all glammed up.
I wonder where that particular abomination was thought up? The US I suspect.
I’ll try. Did Oliver and Shingles Man apply the flamethrower to the apparatchik? That would be worth watching. 😀
You do yourself no favours with this envious rubbish. An open book.
here we go…
Drag Queen Story Hour started in 2015 in San Francisco
Vicki says:
March 6, 2022 at 3:52 pm
Putin cannot – or will not – ever allow Ukraine to join NATO.
Russia has been goaded by US/NATO since Clinton was President. NATO has expanded from the initial twelve member nations in 1949 to thirty nations today. Eleven of those since 2004. And with every new admission, Russia protested and raised their national security concerns. “Nothing to worry about” said the US/NATO. Uh huh. Well, the Ukraine and Finland are the last major blocks missing from a NATO wall and look where we are.
Although it is not totally akin to the USA allowing Russian armament in Cuba – it is similar.
Damn straight it is. Different time and the cold war was in full bloom but the parallels are unmistakable. The world has probably never been so close to nuclear war over an island 160 kilometres off the US coast yet NATO continued to move closer and closer to Russia’s borders without a single care for Russian security concerns, particularly since the fall of the USSR. Meanwhile, most of Asia is deeply worried, with good reason, about China’s moves in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Taiwan are in a constant state of military alert.
…….but Russia no longer has the military clout of the old USSR.
And that’s an interesting point. I believe there will come a time when, if politics cannot negotiate a solution, then Russia will ramp up their attacks to ‘fvck you’ level because of national pride. Russia was (generally) surgical in their initial attacks not wanting to leave each Ukrainian city a smoking ruin. After all, they want to govern the country, not flatten it. But, that is changing. There is no question that the majority of Ukrainians are not welcoming their new Russian overlords but Russia has a much bigger objective – regain the Ukraine and thereby ensure Russian sovereignty by stopping NATO.
Assuming no political outcome, I think it will become a matter of Russian prestige. Imagine if ‘mighty Russia’ couldn’t defeat Ukraine militarily! Abject international humiliation (at huge cost) for the Russian military and President Putin – which leads us to an interesting question. To circumvent this, do the Russian military chiefs defy Putin and say “enough” (leading to a coup) and/or, does Putin swear he was betrayed by his military and decamp for, say, sanctuary in Belarus (or China).
In my view Putin has bet ‘everything’ on this conflict and there are only three outcomes. 1st. Political solution excluding Ukraine from NATO permanently; 2nd. Russian forces ramp up to wage devastating war and crush Ukraine to a smoking ruin; 3rd. Putin is deposed politically or by the military (which has other potential outcomes – will the new President really be any different? We’re talking about Russia’s national security.)
What a mess. I presume the American’s will be rooting for option 3 with a nice compliant chap who will also swerve away from China. Hey, maybe Russia will join NATO!!!
Did the universe inflate? Don’t know but some physicists’ egos inflate on a cosmic scale.
The Memsahib always said that one advantage of working with gay men, was that she never had to worry about getting her bottom pinched in the smoke-oh room.
Bruce O’Newk:
This is where you and I differ.
When someone attacks you, you have to beat them senseless to make them realise they have done something wrong.
We did the right thing by bombing Germany and Japan to buggery and back, and if the Chinese attack us then we should nuke them till they glow in the dark.
It isn’t a kindness to hang a man slowly.
Debellation is the only way to end a war otherwise you may just as well walk away from a grass fire while it still smoulders.
This is the only article I can find in Saker’s 2022 archive:
https://www.unz.com/author/the-saker/2022/
I wouldn’t say Saker is in the tank for Putin, he’s writing from Switzerland,
but I wouldn’t take his word on anything either.
Oy! Sancho leave blues singlet’s out of it , they rock.
Attire for all occasions from fine dining to driving tractors.
Yeah except the strategic result is Sweden, Finland, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine (if it somehow survives) will now all be drawn into NATO or the EU. So the outcome will be opposite of what Russia is supposed to want.
It’s stupid, since Putin had been doing very well using economic and social strategies for so long. Economic and prestige dominance is a much better way. The EU for example has had all sorts of countries join it, with widely different ethnicities. They did that by leveraging the economic and social benefits of joining. (That’s changing of course as the EU gets its fascism going again with stuff like the ECJ.)
Speedbox, the problem I can see is Putin doesn’t ramp things up, gets replaced and his replacement goes scorched earth as a matter of national pride.
The replacement may not be as restrained, particularly of the west keeps arming Ukraine. One of big issues I have with the replace Putin crowd-what if he is the moderate?
Quick on the uptake these diplomats.
Hopefully Putin will demonstrate his seriousness by launching one rocket at a uninhabited old sheep station in Australia, Canberra I think its called.
As long as he waits until Parliament is in session.
Russia no longer has the military clout of the old USSR.
I’ve wondered about that too and also about their economy in general- I would have thought the move away from the command economy, the planned economy would have meant they were much stronger than in Soviet times.
Does the formal one have a bow tie printed on it? Or maybe a clip on with party lights?
Always elevates an ordinary outfit to outstanding.
Yep but for that people have to be willing to work and sit on comities, milton.
Jesus, what an eyesore.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/05/light-or-blight-anger-rises-at-plan-for-britains-biggest-solar-farm
The scheme, which would provide power for up to 100,000 homes, will cover nearly 2,800 acres near Newmarket, more than 10 times bigger than any scheme built to date in Britain. It is one of more than 900 solar farms in the planning pipeline to help provide green energy.
….
He was particularly concerned over the fire safety of the vast batteries that would be housed near his stud in containers up to six metres high.
…
there are concerns about some large-scale projects, including the Cottam solar project on the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire border, covering 2,800 acres; the Mallard Pass solar farm in Lincolnshire and Rutland, covering 2,175 acres; and the Gate Burton energy park, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, covering 1,690 acres.
Bruce one of the biggest differences for Sweden, Finland etc. is the terrain. Much easier to defend. Ukraine and Belarus are very plains. There’s good reason those have been the general invasion routes over centuries. Truely titanic battles were faught there in WW2.
….not just sit on comities
How dare you!!
Yep, the Winter War was a disaster in large part because the terrain was hopeless for armoured vehicles and artillery. The Russians were literally throwing bodies at the Finnish fronts so much the follow on troops were walking over their dead comrades.
Solar farms in England.
Have we reached peak clown yet?
particularly if the west keeps arming Ukraine.
which is one step removed from declaring war on Russia which is which DC would like anyway
As long as he waits until Parliament is in session.
No-no repeat after me..an *UNIHABITED* old worthless sheep station.
For those who wondered what the on earth the deal is with Struth’s [and others] contradictory WordWalls, here’s the YouTube version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh-Z8_6_m4Q
Click cc in the taskbar to see Subtitles/closed captions.
Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order by Ray Dalio
I believe the world is changing in big ways that haven’t happened before in our lifetimes but have many times in history, so I knew I needed to study past changes to understand what is happening now and help me to anticipate what is likely to happen.
How “jumped the shark” is the mardi gras?
Its approaching levels of Fonzie which havent been seen before.
Children’s music group the Wiggles speak to the media during the parade.
All hail the man in the front seat!
Solar farms in England.
Have we reached peak clown yet?
They have a clown for a PM and the heir to the throne is one too. They played Elton John in Westminster Abbey. Not a serious country anymore.
All true, possibly.
It was still a win for the Soviet Union though, they got most of what they wanted, while it cost Finland 40,000 dead men, per capita a far larger toll than Australia’s in the Great War, which was a disaster for us.
Bruce of Newcastle says:
March 6, 2022 at 5:04 pm
Yeah except the strategic result is Sweden, Finland, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine (if it somehow survives) will now all be drawn into NATO or the EU. So the outcome will be opposite of what Russia is supposed to want.
Sweden – meh, still has Finland blocking.
Finland – they will be watching the current situation very very closely. I mentioned last night that NATO in Finland draws them into the Bering Sea and very close to Murmansk and St Petersburg would be vulnerable (as would all northern Russia including Moscow). Can Russia fight on two fronts? Ukraine and Finland. All bets would be off and we should all move away from major cities.
Georgia – no way and only if they have a death wish.
Moldova – too small and buffered by Ukraine.
I’m currently reading that. It’s pretty obvious the USA is late in the cycle of being a reserve currency and government. I’ve had similar thoughts about the world for a few years, just not so organised or clearly researched and laid out. Recommended reading so far.
Roger says:
March 6, 2022 at 5:05 pm
Increasingly, European diplomats believe Putin sees the west’s supply of weaponry and other support to Ukraine as direct intervention of a kind that requires retaliation.
Quick on the uptake these diplomats.
Probably the same ones who are now realising that Russia had been serious about the encroachment of NATO and that Ukraine’s membership was a ‘red line’.
Perhaps they thought Putin’s red line was like Obama’s red line. “oh, so he actually meant it”.
consider this communist statement in light of Daliosvideo above and the behaviour of our elites
Perhaps they thought Putin’s red line was like Obama’s red line. “oh, so he actually meant it”.
……..
They have a clown for a PM and the heir to the throne is one too. They played Elton John in Westminster Abbey. Not a serious country anymore.
…….
The state of the West.
Germany could be a few rungs higher. Not only have they been cutting down the Black Forest to install wind turbines, but there’s this one today.
Fossils To The Rescue? Dismantling Of Huge Hamburg-Moorburg Coal Power Plant Halted (5 Mar)
Yes they were demolishing a 6 year old power station to not save the planet from a non problem, until a real problem occurred, whereupon they said oh shit and stopped blowing it up so they can start it up again. Amazing.
Then there’s Eraring and Liddell. So maybe we’re a rung even higher on the ladder of clowndom.
Dear oh dear, it only took the possibility of war for Fox to remove its populist mask. Aside from Tucker, it’s terrible fare.
Russia’s military is ranked 2nd in the world, well behind the US and just ahead of China.
On paper, anyway.
Putin’s circle of advisers has been becoming narrower over recent years and it’s not because he’s a moderate. He’s become not just a Russian nationalist, but a devotee of Russian messianism which views Russia as having a divinely ordained destiny, the purpose of which has been variously defined over the centuries. Putin defines it as the restoration of historical Russia.
Does burning gas create less CO2 than coal?
That’s why they have asked to join. They’re next.
Being on death row wonderfully focuses the mind.
Georgia Formally Applies for EU Membership in Parallel with Ukraine (3 Mar)
That’s a press release from the Georgian Embassy in the US.
Imagine seeing this and thinking you avoid death by doing exactly what Ukraine did.
You certainly wouldn’t here Elton John in this place:
The Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, just outside Moscow, consecrated in 2020.
hear
Dover – They believe that after Ukraine they will be conquered. So what’s the difference? It’s the thief teaching the caliph’s horse to sing. Who knows, maybe the horse really will learn to sing.
I’m not sure that’s right and it’s an incredibly risky bet.
Roger, I’m not saying Putin is a moderate. Just what if he is compared to the possible replacements.
Dover, I was reading earlier today EU membership isn’t quite the issue joining NATO is. The 2014(?) Deal lost out to Russia’s offer because it required Greece style austerity measures.
a truly dystopian nightmare, imagine a world where socialism with chinese characteristics is the dominant force and paradigm. That’s what the davos crowd believe is inevitable.
Does burning gas create less CO2 than coal?
Yes for the same amount of energy.
Simplified coal is C which burns to CO2 and releases around 20 to 30 KJ/Kg
Natural gas is largely CH4 (methane) which burns to CO2 + 2H2O and releases 50 -55 KJ/Kg
so around twice the energy per kilogram burned and same amount of CO2.
Losing Murmansk and St. Petersburg would be a disaster for the Russian Navy. The Black Sea Fleet is essentially trapped, and Vladivostok is easy prey for the USA and\or Japan.
Just think about it- a building started by Edward the Confessor nearly 1000 years ago- the play a pop song by a psychotic old poof about a demented slut
Emerald Robinson
We have just lived through the most extensive propaganda campaign in the history of the world and it was paid for with taxpayer dollars. You paid for it. I paid for it. We will probably never know how much money was spent because, according to a source familiar with the FOIAs, the Biden Administration won’t release the amounts under their “trade secrets” exemption.
I’ve been telling people for the last two years that, when the truth comes out about the deadly COVID vaccines, it will topple the American corporate media.
https://emeralddb3.substack.com/p/fox-news-and-newsmax-took-biden-money?s=r
I’ve been telling people for the last two years that, when the truth comes out about the deadly COVID vaccines, it will topple the American corporate media.
I sure hope so. And also the Australian copy cats. No better than Pravda.
I knew something was up when I found a Pet Shop Boys tape in a Waylon Jennings box. I hate it when that happens.
Maybe they need to pay attention to the lead-up of 2022. What Georgia, etc. look like to me to be doing is special pleading for entry, and so on.
BTW, how is Georgia a part of Europe?
Newsmax too eh
Wut?
You serious?
Bluey says:
March 6, 2022 at 5:05 pm
Speedbox, the problem I can see is Putin doesn’t ramp things up, gets replaced and his replacement goes scorched earth as a matter of national pride. The replacement may not be as restrained, particularly of the west keeps arming Ukraine. One of big issues I have with the replace Putin crowd-what if he is the moderate?
Correct. If, and it’s a monumentally gigantic ‘if’, Putin was somehow deposed, who do we think might replace him? Navalny? Un huh. What if Medvedev becomes President (again) and appoints Pushilin (from the Dombas) as his deputy with Pasechnik (also Dombas) as next in line. Maybe Gryzlov would like to have another run at it.
I am not suggesting Putin is somehow soft compared to those mentioned but FFS, anybody hoping/anticipating Putin may be forcibly ‘retired’ need to be careful what they wish for ‘cos Navalny won’t be the replacement. It could blow out to literal revolution in a massive country armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons, disgruntled military, endemic corruption and unprecedented social upheaval.
The collapse of the USSR would be a walk-in-the-park by comparison.
I’ve mentioned here before that Putin’s KGB record listed willingness to take risks as his greatest weakness.
He’s down to about half a dozen close advisers. Even Sergei Lavrov is reportedly out of the loop & just does what he’s told to do.
Trade first then the others follow.
Aussies kicking a bit of Paki arse in Pakistan.
And I’d venture to suggest he’s not too happy with Shoigu & Gerasimov atm.
Thank you Eyrie. I did wonder why the rush to gas.
Strolling around Double Pay yesterday I spied a minor celebrity.
Alleged kidnap victim and Australia’s greatest living leggie … Stuart Charles Gwyneth MacGill.
It feels wrong to say that on so many levels.
Dear oh dear, it only took the possibility of war for Fox to remove its populist mask. Aside from Tucker, it’s terrible fare.
Look how many people & organisations used Trump & COVID to rehabilitate themselves in polite society.
The ones that didn’t use those opportunities are going to use Ukraine.
When I say polite society, I mean not having the surveillance state targeting you.
Well Cats, having been reminded now of the dictum that one should never engage with a troll in good faith, if you know anyone in Queensland (or interstate and is happy to move for work), who is interested in a change of scenery, change of pace and a good and stable job with good prospects, check these people and their traineeship program out.
https://www.bowenrail.com.au/work-with-us/
Welfare cheque-taking ‘Resisters’ blaming the rest of the world for the consequences of their own actions, coasting on imaginatively hyped glories of their yesteryears and spending 24 hours a day, 7 days a week abusing and projecting upon the people whose taxes pay for their endless posting of masturbatory loss-of-power fantasies need not apply…
I’m well aware that Georgia have been looking to join NATO since the early 2000’s. Found this old article (2008) which demonstrates (again) the US’s utter contempt for Russian sensitivities:
KIEV (Reuters) – U.S. President George W. Bush vowed on Tuesday to press for Ukraine and Georgia to be allowed to start the process of joining NATO despite resistance from Russia and scepticism from the alliance’s European members.
Bush, in Kiev on his way to his farewell NATO summit in Romania, said Moscow had no right to veto bids by the two ex-Soviet states. There was no link between their ambitions and a planned U.S. missile defence system in Europe, he added. Washington has long lobbied for Ukraine and Georgia to be granted Membership Action Plans (MAP) at the Bucharest summit.
Russia denounces the bids on grounds that NATO is intruding on its sphere of influence. And France said it would oppose granting MAP to the two ex-Soviet states. But Bush underscored his resolve to back the applications.
And here we are….
If Georgia still wants to proceed, then good luck ‘cos you’ll need it.
There are literally no good outcomes from this Ukraine misadventure.
Unless you are a military contractor servicing the Washington War Machine.
Georgia is conventionally regarded as a transcontinental country.