Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

It looks like his advisors have run a few scenarios past him and they have concluded that he can get away with taking Crimea.

He thought that the signing of the agreement a couple of days before the President of Ukraine ran away would postpone anything serious. The agreement included elections, which I think Putin assumed could be fixed in favour of the President.

The President turned out to be weaker than Putin had hoped for. The result is that Putin has lost his puppet tyrant and his control of Ukraine.

I did not agree with the American way of doing things out there.....though they got rid of one of the most evil dictatorships the world has ever seen..

true, Soddem was a bastard, but what have they replaced him with?

And as for afghanland, what a mess.

Haze,

I was eavesdropping on a Cobra!

Something like namedropping!

Keep your ears opennnnn and you will guess what I was referring to and expecting.

=========

RF.

How many do you want to be "butchered", before you can say "THEY" lost?

But it was right for "THEM" to stand up for themselves.

Of course if you were a younger man you would volunteer to be in the front line.

Remember how many were "murdered" a day in Iraq and how many "murdered" in one day when the Belgrano was sunk.

Look at the logistics of having a "scrap" over the Crimea.

Look at the geography.

Look at the Naval Bases.

Look at supply routes.

Unless you want to unleash missiles.

Have a look at the alternative in Syria.

UMMMMM

I think Kieve is playing the only game open to it. Mind I wouldn't mind too much somebody putting a lethal bullet, or two into Putin.

Putin's political career should be ended.....I hope a war does not start but what are you supposed to do ?...shades of 1939...

Crude is up......if there is a flashpoint : add a few dollars to today's price...

There are many players in the Crimea game rf.

Why should it escalate to world war, when the main players in the "west" side hold no cards...

What exactly can any of them do?

Well...economic pressure and sanctions can do a lot of damage....the world soccer body will not take it lightly that the Ukraine is being invaded....the world cup in 2018 is very much in jeopardy...I presume that Fifa will probably have to find another organiser if things remain the way they are...Russian gas.....well it takes two to stop that...if they want to close the valves there is nothing we can do.....there is always Bahrain and Kuwait....after that the military options might come....but a good move might be that the legitimate government of Ukraine invites the UN in early...very early...

Something more cheerful : anybody watch the oscars ?...I see DiCaprio did not win but Gravity did well...

There is NO military option rf, none!

Ok, they can say stuff your gas, except they wont cos Germany's economy would go down the plughole five minutes later. what would that do for the worlds economy?


So, that leaves the football, well, that is serious, I'm sure Putin is shitting himself at the prospect of a boycott.

germany's economy is nowhere near as healthy as we are all conned to be believe .... all smoke and mirrors and has been for years

I don't know much about the fatherlands economy c, but it is the biggest in €uropa.

So, if it catches a cold, the rest of the €U will catch something rather nastier.

And I doubt if you could get UN troops in early.....probably would not work as China might veto it....

The World cup option is a possiblity....heaven knows what is going to happen now....what an insecure world we live in...I can't see what the Germans can do...it is up to the EU and Uncle Sam....China could but won't....

it may be the biggest, but i think uk's economy is now a damn sight healthier, whatever the likes of fossy and sticky may like to pretend

The Uk does seem to be on the mend...long way to go....I know that France for all their great infrastructure is standing still...and bogged down with red tape...

OMI....my mine in south america is on the up......tiny market cap...

france is a total disaster .... serves them right for voting in an idiotic socialist gov't .... shame this country is unlikely to take note, for we too will probably end up with the disastrous mob we then deserve

I have some French friends out there and there is nobody that agrees with President Hollande's economics......there are really pissed off about everything...

serves them right
unfortunately, it is very possible that we'll end with a similar scenario, and all bar fossy and his (non-voting?) cronies will wring their hands and wonder how it all came about