I don't think this particular YouTuber is very good. His analysis of North Korea was frankly laughable. As for the report in the Russian media, they're clearly just taking their lead from the webDip forums.

Did the Russian media provide an opinion on Irish Road Bowls, out of interest?

The trouble with the idea of Russians surrendering is that Ukraine, in a moment of self defeating stupidity for the sake of a short term morale boost, has a reputation for taking POWs and throwing them in prison for war crimes. The most famous and widely reported case is that chap who shot a civilia...

I've had my free guess but someone else might like to have a go at Sir John Anthony Quayle. He meets all the criteria but I don't think he'd pass the 50% dart test tbh. I don't recall seeing a reference to darts in the latest interpretation of the rules. A Wikipedia article is now the suggested ben...

It matters not who finds the Bruce, merely that he has been summoned

An interesting listen. Oh, here's a thought for you. What do you think the chances are of a Russian - North Korean alliance? Last year it would have been unthinkable as doing so would make Russia a pariah, but as it's a pariah anyway this will no longer be a deterrent. Russia has a lot of spare cash...

Zelensky has ordered the complete civilian evacuation of the Donetsk region.

The more the EU attacks Hungary the more other member populations will worry about it, regardless of whether or not the attacks are justified. The EU shoots itself in the foot with depressing regularity, but the Hungary situation is for once a blow which for which the EU is mostly blameless. The tim...

Oh, and here's an interesting development that's not widely reported.

Following their Moscow meeting, Hungary has increased Russian gas imports by 700 MMcmg and decided to reroute all of their Russian gas imports from Nord Stream 1 to Turkstream. Make of that what you will.

European unity in action

It is pretty easy to square a circle when you realise that what people precieve and reality can be different. Russia can think they are a peer to NATO and thus be a threat, while blaming the fact of Ukraine's western assistance for any failures... Ok, you can make that argument about Russia (I'm no...

The dart rule is a great rule as it can be interpreted any way you like. There's no way you could ever break it, so anything goes, but it does hint at the spirit of how the game might be played. More rules should be like this. The game could be a little more varied in style, I guess. If I was doing...

The dart rule is a great rule as it can be interpreted any way you like. There's no way you could ever break it, so anything goes, but it does hint at the spirit of how the game might be played. More rules should be like this. The game could be a little more varied in style, I guess. If I was doing ...

And, just for the sake of clarity, are you still attempting to maintain that wonderful piece of doublethink in which Russia is on the one hand a supposedly an inept nation suffering massive losses and on track to losing a war with the European backwater that is Ukraine, and yet at the same time is a...

orathaic wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:08 am

Not wanting to be their next target makes it out fault? Interesting logic.

And you plucked this random nugget out of where, exactly?

I'm also not convinced that blaming Others will work in this case. A great number of people, whilst not viewing Russia in any sense as the good guys, will still perceive our involvement as a problem of our own making.

European unity in action...

https://www.ft.com/content/bc68bae2-dba ... 1258c094e6

https://www.politico.eu/article/poland- ... ing-rules/

The Beeb seems to think they have a decent chance

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62249051

As do various other political commentators who seem reliable in these areas. Hopefully they are wrong

So my question remains, what do you think WE will be offered? I don't think that Russia will demand anything less than the Donbas and a land bridge to Crimea. Combined with a demilitarisation of Ukraine and effective end to the majority of Western sanctions. They will probably try to crowbar in a s...

Far less pessimistic? Have you actually read it? "[Ukraine has] heavy losses of up to 200 deaths a day" "Russia’s military machine — grinding its way forward through intensive artillery bombardment — still has momentum" "Oleksiy Melnyk, a former Ukrainian Air Force officer now at the Razumkov Centre...

You're not an idiot, ora. It distresses me when you pretend to be one

There's only one logical choice to go for if you're worried about being too busy...

Is it Robert the Bruce?