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.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26487092

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564637/Ed-Balls-challenges-George-Osborne-run-marathon-discovering-5-2-diet.html

Ahoj and Haystack...NOBODY should agree with an invasion....the Russian leadership have pointed a gun at the Ukraine.....It is UNACCEPTABLE THAT ANY COUNTRY SHOULD BEHAVE LIKE THEY HAVE !....why didn't the Crimea vote to join the Russian Federation before this ?.....the West is a pain in the neck as well, l the way I see things....Politicians just want everybody to go back to watching TV....X factor, Eastenders, brushing everything under the carpet...me.... I want to ship what's needed to resistance out there...(if there is any)...HOW CAN THEY STAGE OLYMPIC GAMES IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES ?....it is a disgrace that they have not been cancelled....

It could be that this Malaysian aircraft has been the victim of a bombing...terrorist attack....terrible....never complain about airline security !...the more there is, the better for all of us !...

The Crimea was part of Russie prior to 1954, so the population are ethnic Russian speakers. They would never have voted to go with Ukraine. Until the current problems they were an autonomous, self governing state, but part of Ukraine.

B.......ks.....English is spoken throughout the world...does that mean it should all be part of the UK.......? The Ukraine does not have the military might to fight an oppressor like their neighbour....in fact, all this is : is Putin flexing military muscle...perhaps because he himself is under pressure from generals.....menace to the world these people....

I fear that the Ukraine does not have the stomach for a fight.....that is the reality and the UN for all its huffing and puffing would prefer to forget this episode...sad...very sad...

Ship to Ukraine and Germany oil. gas, raw materials and find a market for their exports. That will take time and time and time again.


Russia's energy exports are huge. The country sends more than 7 million barrels of oil a day to the world markets -- a number roughly equal to what the United States imports. While a disruption of that size may be temporarily covered by production increases from other countries and by tapping reserves, the impact on oil prices would likely be crippling for the global economy.

Russia's energy exports are huge. The country sends more than 7 million barrels of oil a day to the world markets -- a number roughly equal to what the United States imports. While a disruption of that size may be temporarily covered by production increases from other countries and by tapping reserves, the impact on oil prices would likely be crippling for the global economy.

For the Russians, the trade in oil -- and to a lesser extent natural gas -- earns the country 70% of its $515 billion in annual export revenue and accounts for 52% of the federal budget, according to the U.S. Energy information Administration.
Because of this, it's thought that any sanctions that might be imposed on the country for its adventures in Ukraine would be limited in scope and exclude oil or gas.
"Disruption to energy trade would be in neither side's interest," analysts at Capital Markets wrote in a note Monday. "We suspect that any Western sanctions will only target individuals, and political and cultural links, rather than trade."

As such, the surge in oil prices Monday is being viewed as temporary.


Related: How the markets should read the Ukraine crisis
Natural gas is a slightly different story. Europe currently gets about 25% of its natural gas from Russia. That gas is used to produce electricity, heat homes, and in the making of fertilizer and cement.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


The only thing the West can do is to gradually work its way to independence of Russia, increase slowly any economic sanctions it can tighten up integration of Europe and the migration of money through it and London to cease allowing itself to be the money laundering capital of the world.

IE integration of tax, financial, defence policies and foreign policies with EU, American, Canada and Australia etc. (some of the common wealth countries.)

Battles are won by economics not guns and bullets.

The hope one may have is Putin could be removed or die. Takes time, but Stalin had a tight grip at one time.

The greatest weapon against Putin is ongoing public information against his regime through the internet etc..

East of the Dnieper is playing up now, they want to join the Russians. Not sure about numbers, but this isn't over yet.

There'll be a "checkpoint charlie" out there as in East-West Berlin before you know it !....

By the way...that cartoon says it all....37862

the population are ethnic Russian speakers
almost certainly because they were moved there by stalin in 1932/33 when he conned the red cross into believing he was not starving the ukrainians to death through an imposed famine

===============

fossy - cut and pasted from where - assuredly not your brain

The UN cannot do a thing as Russia and China have veto's on the Security Council and China is supporting Russia over the Crimea.

If you really want to understand what is going on in the Ukraine then watch this video made at the Frontline Club on Wednesday. I have been a member for a few years and was in the audience.

The Battle for the Future of Ukraine

http://www.frontlineclub.com/first-wednesday-13/

There were Russians and Ukrainians asking questions from the audience.

The speakers were

Anne Applebaum is a columnist for the Washington Post and Slate. She is author of Gulag: A History and Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56. She also directs the Transitions Forum at the Legatum Institute in London.

Timothy Garton Ash is a historian, political writer and commentator. He is professor of European Studies at University of Oxford and has written extensively about the recent history and politics of Europe.

Olexiy Solohubenko is news and deployments editor at BBC Global News. From 1996 to 2003, he was head of the Ukrainian Service which, as the first recruit from Ukraine, he helped to set up when he joined BBC World Service in 1992.

Richard Sakwa is professor of Russian and European Politics and head of the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent. He is author of Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky-Yukos Affair, The Crisis of Russian Democracy and Putin: Russia’s Choice amongst others.

Hays,

You have friends in "high" places and move in a rarefied atmosphere and as yet seem to have absorbed very little from the contact.

Lofty dreams, or dreams of loftiness.

Just watched Sunday Politics show on BBC 1,

Andrew Neil just interviewed IDSmith.

Total ,liar totaly in denial.

What a fu-k up this man is.

Alders Id appreciate your view as I know you as a political enemy but at the same time I appreciate your views and respect you as an individual.


nb, please remember this Im a self made millionaire but I always respect my humble working class start in life.

Very akin to cynic and Hays whom were dealt a silver spoon.

IDS did an excellent job of putting forward the benefits changes. It was clear that the data that Andrew Neil had was out of date and plain wrong.

IDS "The Truth is!"


When somebody uses that phrase I switch my recorder on or reread what I am reading!



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The present torrid party seems to be coming as "the truth is party" and the kipper party as the party of "yesterday's men and women, who never were"!

Goldie

Thank's for what you said about me. My humble working class start in life was living in two room's in Gunniness Trust buildings , Hammersmith. No bathroom , no running water just a cold water tap on the landing shared between another 3 familys, and a communial bathouse that tennants good use once a week.

Go on then Hays explain the following......

1, massive increase in food banks

2.Pay Day loans.......massive increase.

3.Shoppers using Neto and Liddle

4. Public sector workers...... no pay increase for 4 years

5.Tory tax breaks for the top 1%

6. Massive increase in Charity Shops

7.Business bankruptys at highest level ever.

8. More young people on traning courses in history.

AND WE GO ON AND ON.


\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\PATHETIC GOVERNMENT.