War with China/Russia

[Old Nick]

What’s interesting is that Russia and China were both building their physical gold reserves a few years ago, and I’m sure there was a load repatriated from UK and USA into Moscow and Beijing

Having their currencies shored up with physical assets would be very handy when you can’t use the Dollar any longer - last August Russia had $106 Trillion in physical gold reserves with $0.3 Trillion debt compared to USA gold reserve $377 Trillion but $28.4 Trillion of debt

The question has to be What have the Russians been planning for????

 

[DD67]

 

[Sarky B’stard]

I remain in the cynical corner. I could be spectacularly wrong but there is more posturing than substance. The journalists pumping this are the same tw*ts that gave you Covid terrors.

I actually think this is quite balanced. It's quite a short read. You might ask what have we come to when it's Spiked publishing this sort of stuff? The Times meanwhile is running a Viking transgender story. Figgy must be lapping that up on his subscription!

What Putin really wants

Western leaders exaggerate his power and misread his motives.

www.spiked-online.com

 

[MICK 56]

That boy cracks me up

 

[DD67]

That boy cracks me up

He's certainly a talented lad Mick.
Especially if he writes his own material.
If so, he's no dumb ass. Yet he can still convincingly pull off playing a character like Keef

 

[chas]

I remain in the cynical corner. I could be spectacularly wrong but there is more posturing than substance. The journalists pumping this are the same tw*ts that gave you Covid terrors.

I actually think this is quite balanced. It's quite a short read. You might ask what have we come to when it's Spiked publishing this sort of stuff? The Times meanwhile is running a Viking transgender story. Figgy must be lapping that up on his subscription!

What Putin really wants

Western leaders exaggerate his power and misread his motives.

www.spiked-online.com

Good article.

 

[chas]

This article was unhysterical...

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and other Ukrainian officials have warned that a key goal of the Russian buildup is to foment internal tensions, put pressure on the economy, and convince Ukraine of its precarious situation as Moscow seeks to reverse its drift to the west.

The Russian business daily Kommersant said on Monday that the last three months of “diplomatic and security pressure” had brought some rewards: increased pressure on Ukraine from the west over the Minsk accords, a recognition of Russia’s willingness to fight any future Nato expansion, and a queue of top western politicians to meet and speak with Putin.

But I'm afraid for @Sarky B’stard s blood pressure as it was here..

Putin continues to rattle sabre but with rare nod towards de-escalation

Analysis: it is still unclear how far Russian president is willing to go to achieve his Ukraine goals

www.theguardian.com

Horseshoe politics maybe.

 

[Sarky B’stard]

The key thing is loads of people asserting they know what Putin's objectives are when they patently don't! The HUMINT is shit. Without it a whole heap of other supposed 'intelligence' is questionable. You can't see motives and your deductions may be wrong.

 

[chas]

I suppose the West has to be seen to be taking the threat seriously else Putin may be forced to push harder till we do.
It's also notable that Johnson, Macron and Biden are likely grateful of anything that diverts from their domestic performance.

 

[Sarky B’stard]

It's more pantomime than real politik!

 

[MICK 56]

Looks like Putin ,is putting his toys back in the box, and taking them home then.Thank fuck for that. I wonder what behind the scenes deal, made him do that ?

 

[Sarky B’stard]

If they were ever out of the box. All that footage of tanks on training areas etc., is library stuff. I am almost more inclined to believe it was manufactured to make Biden look resolute after Kabul.

How does the Ukraine join NATO with an ongoing insurrection of ethnic Russians supported by Moscow on its Eastern border? Why would NATO agree to physically defend it? Actual conflict is lose, lose all round. I just see posturing by leaders on all sides keen to deflect from Covid and WEF concerns and playing tough for domestic consumption.

 

[MICK 56]

If they were ever out of the box. All that footage of tanks on training areas etc., is library stuff. I am almost more inclined to believe it was manufactured to make Biden look resolute after Kabul.

How does the Ukraine join NATO with an ongoing insurrection of ethnic Russians supported by Moscow on its Eastern border? Why would NATO agree to physically defend it? Actual conflict is lose, lose all round. I just see posturing by leaders on all sides keen to deflect from Covid and WEF concerns and playing tough for domestic consumption.

Well that's what politics is all about. We never get the truth, so we speculate. And all the while we are doing that, they will manipulate us, to believe whatever it is,they want us to.

 

[Sarky B’stard]

The biggest 'they' these days is the MSM doing the unseen bidding of their corporate owners. Reporters & journalists they generally are not.

 

[MartytheMartian]

Well according to the Russians they are only 'withdrawing some units who have finished their exercises' while many more units 'still have more training exercises to work through'. So only a few of their toys are, so they claim, leaving the area. I'm keeping my tin hat close to hand for the moment. If nothing happens next Tuesday I'll breathe a sigh of relief and happily admit that my premonition of the Apocalypse was simply a mental aberration.

 

[Sarky B’stard]

A feint eh? Reculer pour mieux sauter...... as the CESM might say.

When I was in BAOR HQ 3rd Shock Army was 20 miles from the Inner German Border. And we had a battalion in Dover to threaten the French.

 

[DD67]

The biggest 'they' these days is the MSM doing the unseen bidding of their corporate owners.

Talking of corporate owners/sponsors. What do you think to the idea of making MP's wear badges showing who their sponsors are? In the same way that racing drivers do

 

[Sarky B’stard]

Talking of corporate owners/sponsors. What do you think to the idea of making MP's wear badges showing who their sponsors are? In the same way that racing drivers do

Long overdue. StanJo is a CCP cheerleader!

 

[Doc Strange]

Talking of corporate owners/sponsors. What do you think to the idea of making MP's wear badges showing who their sponsors are? In the same way that racing drivers do

Start one of those House of Commons petitions for that - you'll get an overwhelming response!

DS

 

[MICK 56]

Talking of corporate owners/sponsors. What do you think to the idea of making MP's wear badges showing who their sponsors are? In the same way that racing drivers do

You would have a job to see some of their jackets, for badges.