General News

[Lionator]

8 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

They certainly do seem eager to trade.

 

When it comes to energy infrastructure though, the methods don't bother me as much as the solution, for the rather simple reason that the penalty for not applying the solution is in all likelihood worse than any method to apply it could ever be.

The one thing that China have a huge advantage on is that they’re essentially the only reliable major power, especially now. Any country investing in their future sensibly will always take the economic security of a country like China if they have any sense. 

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Lionator said:

The one thing that China have a huge advantage on is that they’re essentially the only reliable major power, especially now. Any country investing in their future sensibly will always take the economic security of a country like China if they have any sense. 

I've said before about there must be some line in The Art of War concerning winning while having to do not much at all; that's exactly what the Chinese are doing now.

[Salisbury Fox]

39 minutes ago, Lionator said:

What I want to happen and what is happening are two different things.

 

Also nobody knows what a tolerable outcome actually will be. There’s a lot of chest thumping and scare mongering at the moment. Nobody truly knows if it’s justified. All this talk of Putin’s grand plans are guesswork, Russia academics like Mark Galeotti think that Putin doesn’t really have grand plans, rather he’s just an opportunist. 

I must be misinterpreting your posts then and so apologies. I am of the view that any tacit acceptance of what’s going on is dangerous, even if it is grounded in a reality of Trump’s making. My opinion is that this sort of acceptance can lead to the view that it’s inevitable that the US has a right to claim Greenland.
 

Of course you are right that no one knows what a tolerable outcome will be, but it seems pretty obvious to me that rewarding acts of aggression will lead to a more dangerous world. It’s short term thinking at play. Whilst many doubt that Russia has either the ambition or capability to undertake further imperialistic actions, they will remain a destabilising threat to Europe.

[Lionator]

8 minutes ago, Salisbury Fox said:

I must be misinterpreting your posts then and so apologies. I am of the view that any tacit acceptance of what’s going on is dangerous, even if it is grounded in a reality of Trump’s making. My opinion is that this sort of acceptance can lead to the view that it’s inevitable that the US has a right to claim Greenland.
 

Of course you are right that no one knows what a tolerable outcome will be, but it seems pretty obvious to me that rewarding acts of aggression will lead to a more dangerous world. It’s short term thinking at play. Whilst many doubt that Russia has either the ambition or capability to undertake further imperialistic actions, they will remain a destabilising threat to Europe.

We don’t have to accept it but the ultimate truth is that we’re powerless to do anything about. If Trump wants Greenland and Canada, and can’t get them diplomatically, then he can order a military annexation and we’re powerless to do anything about it. Like if Trump truly withdraws all support from Ukraine, we can beat our chests and shout from the rooftops, Britain, France and the rest of Europe will be powerless to stop Russia from achieving their (recalibrated) war aims. That’s why it’s sh*t and that’s why everybody is acting so emotionally at the moment. 

[Salisbury Fox]

6 minutes ago, Lionator said:

We don’t have to accept it but the ultimate truth is that we’re powerless to do anything about. If Trump wants Greenland and Canada, and can’t get them diplomatically, then he can order a military annexation and we’re powerless to do anything about it. Like if Trump truly withdraws all support from Ukraine, we can beat our chests and shout from the rooftops, Britain, France and the rest of Europe will be powerless to stop Russia from achieving their (recalibrated) war aims. That’s why it’s sh*t and that’s why everybody is acting so emotionally at the moment. 

I would suggest that it’s a matter of opinion of whether we are truly powerless, hence the urgency to increase defence spending and the use of counter tariffs. Europe just needs to be a more confident player on the world stage. This will ultimately be to America’s detriment too.

[leicsmac]

10 minutes ago, Lionator said:

We don’t have to accept it but the ultimate truth is that we’re powerless to do anything about. If Trump wants Greenland and Canada, and can’t get them diplomatically, then he can order a military annexation and we’re powerless to do anything about it. Like if Trump truly withdraws all support from Ukraine, we can beat our chests and shout from the rooftops, Britain, France and the rest of Europe will be powerless to stop Russia from achieving their (recalibrated) war aims. That’s why it’s sh*t and that’s why everybody is acting so emotionally at the moment. 

Well, both Britain and France could theoretically do something about either of those situations - it would just mean that everyone loses.

 

But away from that, if the world really is immutably that way and there's nothing to be done we may as well fold it all up and run the series finale of Terran Shore right now because at some point in the near future that's going to happen anyway.

 

If some folks want to believe there's nothing but darkness ahead and use it as a justification for failing to act now, then that's between them and their own conscience. But speaking personally, I'm not about to tell people trying to make the future a better place that things are fruitless. Do what we can until we cannot.

[bovril]

13 minutes ago, Salisbury Fox said:

I would suggest that it’s a matter of opinion of whether we are truly powerless, hence the urgency to increase defence spending and the use of counter tariffs. Europe just needs to be a more confident player on the world stage. This will ultimately be to America’s detriment too.

It seems a lot of people have bought in to the idea of smol bean Europe powerless in the face of Russia, a country that has a smaller GDP than Italy.

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, Lionator said:

The one thing that China have a huge advantage on is that they’re essentially the only reliable major power, especially now. Any country investing in their future sensibly will always take the economic security of a country like China if they have any sense. 

Put your eggs in china’s basket and then what happens if they try and take Taiwan and you want to oppose that.  Or even  grimmer news re the Uighurs is revealed ?? 
 

If only the Europeans could actually get their sh1t together !  (Whatever that actually looks like !) 

[leicsmac]

9 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Put your eggs in china’s basket and then what happens if they try and take Taiwan and you want to oppose that.  Or even  grimmer news re the Uighurs is revealed ?? 
 

If only the Europeans could actually get their sh1t together !  (Whatever that actually looks like !) 

Hopefully that doesn't become an issue.

 

But then if it does, it will have to be hoped that the smart diplomatic minds come up with a third option and the choice isn't starkly between letting it roll with all the consequences that entails, or choosing to stop them and their tech progress with all the consequences that entails.

 

Because that will be an incredibly ugly choice.

Edited 8 March by leicsmac

[Bilo]

I think it's even simpler than some are saying here. 

 

In terms of intentions, we don't know what China’s are. They seem primarily focused on soft power, economic growth and trade, but to what end? 

 

However, we know that Russia's intentions are not good. Even without China’s enormous advantages in terms of stability, technology, workforce, economic diversification and innovation, China is the better bet for the global south and much of Asia, particularly Central Asia. 

[Muzzy_no7]

18 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

Oh aye 

Well, let’s see if this indeed does cripple any challenge they are building.

 

I think you are reading WAY too much into it and there’s some wishful thinking going on. @Lionator

[Bilo]

1 hour ago, bovril said:

It seems a lot of people have bought in to the idea of smol bean Europe powerless in the face of Russia, a country that has a smaller GDP than Italy.

The EU has traditionally been about peace, mutual prosperity and freedom of trade. If it starts to use the successes it has gained as a result of those, together with the fact that Europe and the UK is technologically advanced, has a well-educated population and enormous level of engineering and military prowess, it could be a very, very serious military power in its own right. 

 

Poland already looks like too big a challenge for a poorly led, corrupt and badly trained Russian military, and that's only the sixth largest economy in the EU. A military alliance of the bulk of the EU27 (assume Hungary sits it out) and the UK could be extraordinarily strong if the will is there. And

 

Putin wouldn't be able to raise a murmur of complaint nor have useful idiots in the West rail against such moves, as much of Europe is far outside what even thr most hard-line Russian imperialists consider their rightful sphere of influence. 

 

A decade or so of ramped up military investment and training would leave Russia absolutely snookered, unable to even consider so much as a boot on Estonian, Lithuanian or Latvian soil for fear of European fightback. Don't forget that his entire European military strategy comes from fear of NATO. 

[leicsmac]

Just want to say that I hugely appreciate the standard of discourse there's been on here in the last few pages. Excellent stuff.

[Dunge]

8 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Just want to say that I hugely appreciate the standard of discourse there's been on here in the last few pages. Excellent stuff.

Bum

[Bilo]

14 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Just want to say that I hugely appreciate the standard of discourse there's been on here in the last few pages. Excellent stuff.

 

[CosbehFox]

29 minutes ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Well, let’s see if this indeed does cripple any challenge they are building.

 

I think you are reading WAY too much into it and there’s some wishful thinking going on. @Lionator

Que? The party is literally split on a legal battle now 

[Lionator]

1 hour ago, Bilo said:

The EU has traditionally been about peace, mutual prosperity and freedom of trade. If it starts to use the successes it has gained as a result of those, together with the fact that Europe and the UK is technologically advanced, has a well-educated population and enormous level of engineering and military prowess, it could be a very, very serious military power in its own right. 

 

Poland already looks like too big a challenge for a poorly led, corrupt and badly trained Russian military, and that's only the sixth largest economy in the EU. A military alliance of the bulk of the EU27 (assume Hungary sits it out) and the UK could be extraordinarily strong if the will is there. And

 

Putin wouldn't be able to raise a murmur of complaint nor have useful idiots in the West rail against such moves, as much of Europe is far outside what even thr most hard-line Russian imperialists consider their rightful sphere of influence. 

 

A decade or so of ramped up military investment and training would leave Russia absolutely snookered, unable to even consider so much as a boot on Estonian, Lithuanian or Latvian soil for fear of European fightback. Don't forget that his entire European military strategy comes from fear of NATO. 

I just don’t see why Russia would ever consider attacking Poland anyway. What would be the purpose? You could even say the same for the Baltics. Those countries don’t have anywhere near the same geographical relevance, provided Russia has access to the Baltic Sea. 

[Bilo]

10 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I just don’t see why Russia would ever consider attacking Poland anyway. What would be the purpose? You could even say the same for the Baltics. Those countries don’t have anywhere near the same geographical relevance, provided Russia has access to the Baltic Sea. 

A lack of ports. Russia's geography is pretty terrible as it has very few ports of strategic importance, particularly in Europe. It now has them in the Black Sea, thanks to its colonialism in Ukraine, but only has Kaliningrad in the Baltic.

 

Frame the Baltics as illegitimate, sew some disinformation about them and Poland interfering with Kaliningrad and they've concocted a narrative that would justify them gaining more Baltic ports and granting St Petersburg a greater buffer zone from NATO neighbours.

 

EDIT: Intelligence agencies are on alert according to Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/03/07/what-baltic-intelligence-agencies-say-about-the-risks-of-peace-talks-with-russia_6738924_4.html

Edited 8 March by Bilo
Article found

[SpacedX]

On 17/02/2025 at 08:21, Lionator said:

Russia is staging 150,000 troops in Belarus ready to attack Poland next year. We need to support Ukraine to stop them. Especially as the Mango Mussolini doesn’t think Russia wants to start a war with NATO. Idiot.

 

17 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I just don’t see why Russia would ever consider attacking Poland anyway. What would be the purpose? 

 

[Bilo]

8 minutes ago, SpacedX said:

 

 

FWIW, the threats to Poland are just noise. 

 

They have the third largest military in NATO after the US and Turkey and have tripled funding in the last decade.

 

Given the problems Ukraine has given Russia's military, and the fact that their best troops have been decimated there to leave them with a poorly trained conscript army, attempting an invasion of Poland would be so disastrous as to jeopardise Putin’s position. Not to mention the fact that even Trump would consider that a red line. It would make the Soviet war in Afghanistan look shrewd, never mind Ukraine. 

[Lionator]

13 minutes ago, SpacedX said:

 

 

Busted.

 

At that point that’s what Zelenskyy was saying. I don’t believe him now. Things have obviously changed.

[Izzy]

Trump Turnberry vandalised by pro-Palestine group

 

A pro-Palestine group has vandalised parts of Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.

Palestine Action posted photographs on social media showing red paint daubed across one of the buildings at the Ayrshire course.

The words "Gaza is not for sale" are sprayed across one green and another green appears to have been dug up.

 

[Zear0]

5 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Trump Turnberry vandalised by pro-Palestine group

 

A pro-Palestine group has vandalised parts of Donald Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.

Palestine Action posted photographs on social media showing red paint daubed across one of the buildings at the Ayrshire course.

The words "Gaza is not for sale" are sprayed across one green and another green appears to have been dug up.

 

"Green dug up". Done that with the 58 a few times. 

[Bilo]

 

 

 

[Lionator]

Cracking off in Syria again