Putin will throw everything at the steelworks to try and claim a victory by May 9th, those Ukrainians are made of stern stuff

Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.

The absolutely one-sided slant on the reporting is eye-opening. Real 'Ministry of Truth' s*** going on.

But the entire war has exposed some utterly bizarre double standards.

On the Left, you have them cheering on the Azov battalion, an openly Neo-Nazi organisation and those of us with a more...not quite sure I would called it a 'pro'....say an open minded slant on Russia and its motives in the odd position of being pleased when Muslim Chechen troops are successful against fellow Europeans. That really hit home with me the other night when I was watching some Russian footage of Chechen troops firing anti-tank weapons at Ukrainian positions, in a ruined European city, on European soil, and giving it all the 'Allah Akbah' spiel.

Something not quite sitting right with me. Like we are ALL being played on one level.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

I tend to think Putin gets a ludicrously bad press in the West and am always encouraging people, with little success, to take the time and seek out (if they are still available) some of the speeches he has given and the Q&A sessions with journalists (all prior to this war admittedly) and I find myself in full agreement not only with what he says but his also, to my jaded ears, refreshing candour.

But this war...all I would ask people is to take a long hard think about all these supposed sanctions we are putting on Russia and wonder why the Rouble is so strong against the Euro. Its staggering to compare what we are told about how much these sanctions are hurting Russia when compared to the actual reality of what is happening.

Russia can feed all of its population. Russia can provide heating for all of its population. Western Europe cannot.

Who is stronger? And why has this situation been allowed to come about?

Edited by Matov (06 May 2022 8.17am)

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

Agree with you W12 absolutely, but please don't let that lead you down a rabbit hole mate, thinking that we've been misled into war with a superpower and therefore all trust of media is lost, everything is a lie and there is a hidden truth out there etc.

Do also remember that the worst possible scenario is nukes flying too, which I think scares the bejesus out of anybody but that would include those in power, many of whom reside in the same city as our beloved club and many of us.

I do think media should always and constantly be subjected to scrutiny, I think anyone who believes absolutely everything they read or see to the letter is at the very, very best naive. However it is equally ridiculous to go to the other extreme.

Does anybody want a full scale 'WW3' with Russia, I would really struggle to believe so but whilst not every bit of reporting is going to be trustworthy or accurate, the bare bones fact of one nation invading another, purely for it's own gain and not any manufactured yet still weak excuse with people dying, starving and being displaced en masse, is still a fact.

I think the majority of support and thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, or anybody suffering, not the powers that be and 'backing' any side in a war. I can only speak for myself there but again would hope that is echoed more widely.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

Unfortunately I think I am experiencing the same concerns as you Dan, and for good reason

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

There always is in wars. There is a time for analysis and reflection, during which the whole picture can be analysed.

Right now, there is one basic truth that is paramount. Putin invaded his neighbour with the intention of acquiring all, or some of it. He wasn't invited.

All other matters, including how the west behaved prior to the invasion, are secondary and can be put aside until the war is over. The sole focus is on how best to end it safely and not in a way which either increases the likelihood of escalation or simply postpones it, whilst giving Putin the opportunity to refresh his war machine.

Raising the kind of questions you do whilst in the middle of a crisis is a dangerous distraction. It's as silly as the goalkeeper and the defence having a meeting in the centre circle to discuss why they conceded that last goal, whilst the opposition still have possession of the ball.

We need to focus on now, and not on yesterday.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.