Hello one and all.
As a change I thought I would leave brexit and that wretched virus that I can't remember the name of, and look at a much more worrying situation in eastern Europe.
It seems strange that no one, to my knowledge, has pointed to the similarities to the Sudetenland situation in '38. And we know how that ended don't we children, to the one now facing us. One look at the map will tell you the real reason why he wants to annex the Ukraine, but we seem more interested in the "proper" use of pronouns than standing up to a bully who could well send the world back to the stone-age quicker than the most ardent of green activists could ever wish for. Hitler, after drafting the Munich agreement despite the Brits and Frogs believing it was a Czech agreed one, then used it as an excuse to unleash one of the worst disasters to hit this planet since the Chicxulub meteorite.
Considering that most of the European politicians are of a similar mindset to our own feckless individuals, I would image that comrade Putin is quite buoyant of success, before the West takes any action.
History does repeat itself, and usually when we don't learn from it.

‘A far away country about which we know nothing’ …. agree, it’s quite concerning. If our recent history books are to be believed, the World political landscape is eerily familiar to that of the late 1930s.

Putin wants a confrontation.

...ah yes... but you see, those history books are being rewritten as we speak to expunge anything that might make Gen Z uncomfortable... slavery references, colonialism, wars.....

Yup, let's all pretend the world is a fluffy pink paradise, filled with unicorns, candyfloss trees and where nobody ever says anything that can offend the sensitivity of the people on planet woke.

Good luck with that philosophy when the tanks are on the lawn. I am guessing the Putin regime, (consisting of one Vladimir Putin), has seen how "vulnerable" the west has become through adopting this namby pamby approach to any serious matters that confront us, and now sees it an ideal time to give nato a poke in the eye. Apparently his chief communications bod, a fellow called Maksut Shadaev, is pretty adept at manipulating the propaganda game to their advantage. With germany dependant on russian gas, our own prime minister concerning himself over a few fairy cakes while the chap in charge of the US of A, is still asleep, it could well be tears at bedtime children.
Meanwhile in real news, some pop singer who I have never heard of, cancels a concert because some of her entourage has the snuffles.

Time to push that big red button. 😁

To those of you old enough, do you remember that classic Spitting Image clip which lampooned Reagan saying "Now what did you say the red button was for Casper (Weinberger)?"
Meanwhile "sleepy joe" and his best buddy "blow", are going to pray to the sky fairy for help.
Ye gods and tiny swimming things.

Russia will do whatever Russia wants, lots of hot air expended, lots of posturing but in the end? Nobody has the will nor the capacity to stand up to them. I'm willing to bet they won't stop at Ukraine either.

According to Stop the War and a considerable slice of the labour party it's Britain's fault. Who'd a guessed? 🤔

Time and time again the "nuclear deterrent" has once again proven to be anything but. Putin knows that the "west" will not confront him directly as one SS20, (are they still around?), dropped on Paris or London and we would run around like headless clucks. So he will either secure the area east of the dnieper river and turn north to the Baltic, or, and who knows what is going through his head, carry on to the Polish/Slovakia border, and if we don't stand up to him then you can say goodbye to your freedoms for ever because he will continue to the Atlantic.
On a positive, it is a nice day to think about getting the garden sorted.

And we still believe that they are a bunch of lettuce chewing lefties who are harmless.
More ways of fighting a war than with weapons.

Anyone REALLY know what this is actually all about? If we knew the truth it would be rather embarrassing. It's never a secret with Putin, who is playing a blinder. More than can be said for one of the most corrupt democracies in the World.

Here's a tip, lay off the medication.

As they say "Truth is the first casualty of war". We, as mere observers, quite simply do not see the complete picture. But we do see images of children being blown to bits, huge convoys of civilians heading for the polish border, and the leader of the "free world" speaking in gobbledygook. So we make an objective appraisal based on subjective information.
Perhaps it is time for the main stream media to adopt the role of reporting, by actually sending a bloke with a portable typewriter to the battlefield, and not relying on being spoon fed information from the global propaganda machine.

Actually it was that unused nuclear deterrent that stretched the Russian Bear and the Warsaw Pact to the breaking point.
NATO, with their professional troops and agreement to deploy cruise missles in 5 countries won the day over the bear who couldn't compete and it"s allies who simply became too disgruntled to put up with then bear anymore.
It is that simple.
It was NATO not the loony smelly left that won the day. Do you think a peace camp ouside the Kremlin would last 5 minutes.
Sadly, just like after WWI, the losers are again upset and NATO year in and year out have been keeping less combat trrops in a position to be deployed quickly. The only good thing post Cold War is the former Warsaw pact countries joing NATO.
The nuclear deterrent did work, but we didnt learn from past history.

It's perhaps telling that Ukraine once held a third of the Soviet Union's atomic weapons and agreed to denuclearise after a treaty was signed that in effect guaranteed Ukrainian safety and independence. A treaty that was signed with, yes, Russia as co signatory. One wonders if Putin would be so blase about slaughtering civilians had Ukraine held on to a few tactical nukes? 🤔

Both Gorbachev and Yelstin knew the Russia they lived in was not in a position to do what Putin is trying to do.
He is the new Russian dictator, which is why he will try to remain in power until 2030 something.
We need a Beria type denoucement and a quick trial.

Let's face it, Ukraine is terminally screwed, and all we've done is paint ourselves into an economic corner. Putin is probably curled up on the floor of his office peeing himself with laughter.

Don't think they are. The Russian people don't want this war. The Russian military is having big problems executing this "special operation ". It looks like those on the ground don't want to be there.

Now Putin is saying those who arm Ukraine are looking for trouble.

The end will come from within.

What's the difference between a ruble and a dollar?

A dollar.

Seriously though, it took 50 years for the economic disaster of the old soviet union to eventually force political change, and god only knows how many suffered within the "iron curtain" before the obvious became apparent, meanwhile the west grew unfettered. The only way putin will be stopped is by a piece of lead inserted between the ears, and although I certainly would not advocate such a response, I'm afraid it may be forced upon us, (the west).
But of course johnson and his inept lackies are more interested in their public image, than doing something positive.
What, I do not know as it is beyond my pay grade, but sanctioning some london football club is laughable.

Putin doesn't care because he is not long for this world. If he takes a few billion with him I doubt he will worry.

Tickles me that the government can rent four star hotels for the boaters, but ask private residents to house Ukrainian refugees.

The fact that it is going to attract few uptakers, says it all. If your house is being bombed what one needs is a place of immediate safety, not a house in a "foreign" land with satellite tv and fast food outlet round the corner.
Of course then we have the "thorny" question as to what we, (the UK), consider to be refugees? One HM's imbeciles have yet to clarify, or even consider.
Question: What's the difference between an Afghan and a Ukrainian?
Answer: If you have to ask then you are in the wrong job.