desensitized43

Got to say, with all the 1st hand accounts from Sky and BBC reporters of loud bangs and explosions in their vicinity, I think they're being quite irresponsible with their people. They're in the middle of a war zone right now and it's hard to argue they aren't in danger.

For different reasons though. Farage because he's about as right wing as you can be and quite admires what Putin is doing trying to rebuild the Russian Empire and given the chance would like to see us doing the same. Corbyn because he's an old anti-war hippy that thinks that we can all get along by singing Kumbaya round the camp fire with a joint and good intentions. That if we decided we wanted to give up our weapons that other countries would see the light. Both are equally as dangerous.

Whilst I think we can all agree that we'd rather see our resources spent on something more worthwhile and constructive than weapons, I don't think Putin would have done this if Ukraine had held onto all those Soviet nukes rather than give them away for a piece of paper that said "we pinky swear we won't attack you". I don't like it. I really wish the world was a better place, but it isn't. When you've got someone who's using words like "empire" and invading his neighbours - and let's not forget this isn't the first time - sometimes only the threat of war and the size of your stick (could have said something else) will deter him.

I think the consequence of this will be that countries that over the last few years have reduced their armed forces and let their equipment fall into a state of disrepair have now got to spend more money on their own defence. At the risk of sounding very much like a former president!

Have you seen Oldbury? It looks like it’s already taken the full force of nuclear war

Tbf even in Crimea...we decided to shoot ourselves in the face with less of a mandate.

The biggest thing we could do in terms of sanctions would be to cut their access to the Swift banking network effectively cutting them off from international markets. Unfortunately London and the UK economy being what it is I think we'll be the obstacle to that.

You do think this is all looking a bit 1939 here. Mentally unstable despot claiming lands of his neighbours because there happen to be people there who speak the same language or because he has a historic right to them. I don’t think anyone would argue the world was wrong to go to war in 1939 to stop Hitler. How much land are we willing to let him take before we have to take action? His language today about some of the other former soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are very concerning. It doesn’t sound like he plans to stop at Ukraine.

They surely won't be planning to annex Ukraine. Just setup a friendly puppet state.

Oh I know I'm not one of these ultra left wing Corbyn-y fellows that's hating on the US. It's just mildly amusing that when the US was faced with the prospect of heavy weapons in Cuba all of a sudden it was the end of the world. Hypocrisy. Russia are clearly a dictatorship and a massive kleptocracy. Regarding the Hitler comparison, I can definitely see that's the case but also in a much worse Munich-y sense where all the major powers are basically having talks behind the Ukrainians back and deciding how far they'll allow Russia to go before "Incursion" becomes "Invasion", essentially carving up the country.

They're a permenant member of the security council and one of the few nuclear armed states. Until they started poisoning people and invading their neighbours they were members of the G8 (now G7). Not sure how much more "in with the big boys" he wants to be tbh. What he wants is to maintain a buffer state between Russia and NATO countries. It's purely a strategic military aim, nothing more. On one hand it's inarguable that the Russians are in the wrong by (potentially) invading a sovereign neighbour and destroying that countries right to self determination. On the other hand, is it worse than what the US did in the last century to Cuba or to Vietnam to try and prevent those countries aligning to the USSR?

I hope this years winner is better than Nomadland. I found that film to be incredibly boring. I can normally appreciate slow l buildup as long as it eventually goes somewhere. Nothing happened at all, literally nothing.

When the embassy staff leave you know it’s about to kick off. The Russians “reduced” their embassy staff in the last day or so. That’s what’s triggered everyone else to gtfo.

I would have been 11 when he left Villa so it's not something I recall

Not sure what the benefit to sky or anybody is in them publishing the word. We all know what it is. What’s the problem?

Not sure if this belongs here or in the Spurs thread but since Spurs released a statement today asking fans to move on from their use of a derogatory word for people of a Jewish heritage it got me thinking if I’d ever heard antisemitism at the football. Ive heard racism and homophobia at the football but never antisemitism. Fwiw when I hear the spurs fans chanting that it does make me wince a bit. I mean, not all spurs fans are Jewish so there’s got to be a large portion of those singing it for whom it’s more about their perceived identity as a club rather than “reclaiming the word”. That’s just my opinion. Frankly in my life I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word outside of a footballing/spurs context.

When's that going to start happening, then? He's been a great servant to the club and he's still got a place here but these mistakes in his game aren't new and they've been persistent for quite some time now. He was even coached by one of Englands best ever centre backs and it's still there. He has all the physical attributes, desire and ability to be one of the best around but the problem is in his head. His concentration levels aren't great at all, he's sometimes barking orders at others while seemingly neglecting his own game and he's prone to rushes of blood to head that just overwhelm all his sense. We desperately need to get him some competition, and I don't mean Chambers because I think we all know that's cover which is something totally different.

Even Terry isn't bothered about it anymore! Both players have since retired so really what is the point?

Or at the very least put a peadophile on every corner.

Every club has them. We have our fair share. Yesterday reminded me a lot of that first season when Blues got promoted and it was the first time in recently memory that there'd been a derby and what you got was a load of people who lost their heads. What concerns me is the ease with which this sort of thing can happen. Like with the Grealish incident, that idiot could have been carrying a knife or anything. It's only a matter of time before we see the worst happen. No one wants to see fences or barriers return to grounds but I fear that's where we're heading if the minority with a dick as a small as their brain can't control themselves.

Johnson did nothing officially wrong by the rules of the system though. As disgusting as that is. I think Labour need to address it but also as part of the wider argument for change in our politics and our political system. Johnson, his current Tory party and what he was allowed to do yesterday are a symptom but they aren’t the cause. The cause is a diseased voting system where we’ve never had a government which the majority voted for. Archaic rules on what can and can’t be said, conduct in public office including rules on lobbying and donations which are open to abuse and an Unelected 2nd chamber where peers serve for life. It’s beyond a joke. It’s not representative of the country and it’s not fit for the modern world. He needs to stand up and address the untruth that was uttered by that man under his parliamentary privilege to do so but then also address the system that’s allowing him to get away with it. The thing about it is, the incumbent cannot ever make a pitch for change. It doesn’t work that way. So he’s actually in a great position to come out and say that at the next election a vote for him will mean a complete revamp of the system, potentially PR or a version of it, a constitutional convention with the devolved nations about an elected second chamber and a proper written constitution and a thorough review of the parliamentary rules, all of them. He needs to pitch to fix the system.

Yeah the local elections in May will be the crunch point. If they tank massively he'll be gone within days.

You forget that it really doesn’t have anything to do with numbers, facts or data and has everything to do with feelings and intuition.

Spending a few years in a gulag might teach this word removed some humility.

No they haven’t. There’s a long way to go yet and the business they’ve done has been underwhelming at best. Trippier is the only one you’d say is proper quality. Saying that “oh well they’ve already done enough so let’s just flog them someone” is a poor cop out.