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's based on the fact that ukraine is an independent entity to which crimea was attached by kruschev in 1954

the perception - probably correct - is that russia wanted ukraine as a puppet, and hence the previous president (or whatever he was), so took a very dim view when he was booted out, supposedly by popular pressure

russia would then seem to have forced through a referendum in crimea, though in honesty, i think the result was indeed what the local population wanted

you now move to ukraine proper, where the eastern part of the country is populated largely by russian speakers - i won't go into the history of why this is so - and again would quite possibly like to rejoin russia ...... russia will no doubt try to "facilitate" this

on the western side, where most of the native ukrainians seem to reside, not surprisingly, take a very dim view of their country being raped yet again as has happened regularly, certainly since the time of Catherine the Great

along those sort of lines anyway

Max

Fauxpage and Wavey-Dave are waiting at table so somebody has to do it.
-----

Shortie.

And Poland and Georgia and Romania and Slovakian and a nibble at Hungary.

Ummmmmmmm

So in a nut shell if the Ukrainians hadn't allowed the Russians to occupy and live on their land then this would never have happened.

that was not how it came about ...... would you like a history lesson? ...... it's actually quite interesting, but if you just go back to 1930/32 or thereabouts, you'll be able to read how stalin committed genocide by enforced famine, and how he then gulled the rest of the world that that was not so

We're along way past those days Cynic. In todays world nations should be free to say who they wish allign with. Maybe it'll stop all the internal conflict and cival wars if this was the case.

get real old son!
life is never that simple and never will be

Maybe, it is "never trust your neighbour", or at least prepare for him turning your water off.

Also, a stronger unification of foreign, economic and defence policies of the EU as a effective negotiating block.

It never will be no, because conflict and arms is very profitable..

water, oil, gas all fall into the same category for heavy political blackmail

as an aside
the prob with EU as i see it, is that it has allowed itself to grow like Topsy
thus, whereas a group of economically strong nations, quite probably with similar aims, can have some unity of purpose, the disparate selection of 23 or thereaboutsthat we now have, has created a complete ragbag

Manuel,

For your attention.

I was attempting to use a simile!

------

If you recollect back a few years to the rapid expansion of EU (or its equivalent) from a small group of countries to the present group of 28 was at the behest of the UK and at times the USA.

The greatest driver was the UK and under direction of Maggie (and right wing tories etc.) who wanted a free trade zone rather than a united “political” body and much of the negotiation was seen as a drive for the “demise” of the union as such. (Various reasons for those positions.)

The UK was in favour of the acceptance of some of the “poorer” countries which was seen by some, as Machiavellian attempts, to frustrate the “political” integration and adhesion which had happened and change it to their own conception of a Free Trade Group. That is causing it to break down or collapse under the various complexities of differences in economic development.

The integration of the poorer states was rushed and the pace of increasing membership could possibly have been slower. But much of it was against a background and aftermath of the breakdown of the USSR.

If the EU was more mature, it might have been a more effective “force” against Russian Imperialism. I guess ,that if the West plays their hand carefully, then Russia may be satisfied with the Crimean meal, but the EU and America, have to have a jointly accepted common policy and show preparation to block further expansionism of Russia.

It is guess work what the short term economic problems of Russian growling will be.

The above is an attempt to be concise, as I am considering your thought span.

DYOH

an interesting comment - for once :-)

of course, what one does (and countries too) at a given moment in time, often has unforeseeable results, as arguably now with EU

i confess that i am uncomfortable with the ukraine situation, but perhaps not for the obvious reason
my concern is that i have no idea who was pulling the strings of this so-called popular uprising
i do not believe for one minute that it was just internally generated - but then i'm a cynical old fart at the best of times

February mortgage lending leaps 43%

Year-on-year increase underlines turnaround in housing market, according to Council of Mortgage Lenders


Hilary Osborne

theguardian.com, Thursday 20 March 2014 11.55 GMT


Gross mortgage lending increased by 43% in the year to February, according to the latest data from banks and buildings societies, underlining the turnaround in the housing market over the past 12 months.


Despite a seasonal dip, which saw lending drop 6% on January's figure, the Council of Mortgage Lenders said its members had recorded their strongest February performance since 2008.


A total of £15.2bn was advanced over the month, down from £16.1bn in January, but up on the £10.6bn of the previous February.
























It is now a year since the chancellor announced the Help to Buy scheme in his 2013 budget, underpinning a pick-up in housing market activity which began with the launch of the government's Funding for Lending scheme.


Help to Buy, the first part of which was extended on Sunday to offer loans on newbuild homes until 2020, has given buyers increased access to 95% mortgages, and helped first-time buyers to enter the market.


"Government initiatives have clearly acted to boost market sentiment and activity," the CML's chief economist, Bob Pannell said.


"This is especially true among first-time buyers, who have accounted for the lion's share of the two Help to Buy lending streams."



More: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/mar/20/february-mortgage-lending-up

Fred I wonder if your Little Rag Doll (to play with) like this little ditty re- blunder boy Shapps. Does he still have a job?????, just back from fishing.

#torybingo
Posted on March 20, 2014

I’d like to see a selfie of that
Walking troika prat
With a whippet and a tankard
And an old flat cap

I’d like to see him at the old
Joanna playing bawdy tunes
And singing for his supper in
In a working man’s saloon

I’d like to see him do his very
Finest Colin Crompton at the
Wheeltappers and Shunters
And for Boyle or Lee to mock
Him

I’d like to see him in the bookies,
Down to his best guess in a worn
Out pair of slippers and a C&A
String vest

I’d like to see him at the Bingo
Marking down his desperation
Working hard to find his House
Competing for his aspiration

Most of all I’d like to see him, in
The interests of the nation, do one
- Yes, just do one – Shapps

Quick! Run and save that boorish,
Grubby, pompous Tory ass before
The proles stop laughing at you and
Come calling out your numbers and
Start baying for your brass.

Well bu-ger me (no I didnt literaly mean it cynic)just back from fishing and expected a whopping loss on my folio and its just the other way.

Pleasantly suprised.

Must thank Panto aka Master RSI (aka 50 others) for IMG yesterday.........FLYB,RR.,KBG,PHTM,TPT and a few others.

Doing very nicely thankyou.

Nothing like the outdoors to give one a healthy appetite Im starving.

Roast beef dinner for me.

Well bu-ger me (no I didnt literaly mean it cynic)just back from fishing and expected a whopping loss on my folio and its just the other way.

Pleasantly suprised.

Must thank Panto aka Master RSI (aka 50 others) for IMG yesterday.........FLYB,RR.,KBG,PHTM,TPT and a few others.

Doing very nicely thankyou.

Nothing like the outdoors to give one a healthy appetite m starving.

Roast beef dinner for me.

Posted on March 20, 2014

I’d like to see a selfie of that
Walking Trotsky prat
With a whippet and a tankard
And an old flat cap

I’d like to see him at the old
Joanna Lumley playing bawdy tunes
And singing for his supper in
In a working man’s saloon

I’d like to see him do his very
Finest Colin Crompton at the
Wheeltappers and Shunters
And for Susan Boyle to mock
Him

I’d like to see him in the bookies,
Down to his best guess in a worn
Out pair of slippers and a S&M
leather vest , I’d like to see Fred at the Bingo,

then Working hard to find his House after a few pint's

Why is the DWP being so coy about the Work Programme?

It’s amazing how the Department for Work and Pensions will bend over backwards to make it seem one of its madcap schemes has been successful.

It’s also amazing how little evidence DWP press officers will provide to support the claim.

Today we’re being told that more than a quarter of a million people have escaped unemployment via the Work Programme. The fiddle? This is an aggregate figure, including all placements – not people – since the scheme was launched in June 2011.

To register as someone who has achieved a lasting job through the programme, one must stay in work for six months or more (three months in “hardest to help” cases). A figure covering 33 months could include the same person five times over.

Never mind. How many people – who are currently in work as a result of time on this scheme – have, in fact, been employed for six months or more (three months for the “hardest to help”), as this is the only relevant period of time that can be applied?

No comment.

The press release has nothing to say about this.

It seems 44,000 people were “helped” into work during the last three months, but that’s neither here nor there. The DWP does not measure its success that way, and neither should we.

But the figure by which we should be judging this work is conspicuous by its absence.

In a similar vein, we learned yesterday (March 19) that unemployment fell by 63,000 in the last three months. But the number of employees also fell by 60,000, while registered self-employment has risen by 211,000 in the same period.

Remember the scam in which DWP employees at job centres dupe people into pretending they are self-employed when they really aren’t, in order to claim tax credits rather than unemployment benefits?

If you are one of these ‘self-employed’ people, were you told that HM Revenue and Customs might investigate your circumstances and demand repayment of all tax credits paid to you, if investigators decide that you’re not doing the work?

No?

I’d have a little think about what might happen, if I were you.

Strange we were all debating this aspect of employment a couple of days back......

Remember the scam in which DWP employees at job centres dupe people into pretending they are self-employed when they really aren’t, in order to claim tax credits rather than unemployment benefits?

If you are one of these ‘self-employed’ people, were you told that HM Revenue and Customs might investigate your circumstances and demand repayment of all tax credits paid to you, if investigators decide that you’re not doing the work?

No?

I’d have a little think about what might happen, if I were you.

he he he NAUGHTY alders..............I’d like to see Fred and Stan at the Bingo,

then Working hard to find his House after a few pint's........LOL.