Current Affairs

[Mervyn and Trish]

My observation is the Covid scepticism is strongest amongst right wing types whose news source is GB News.

My perception is different for a couple of reasons. Firstly GB news didn't launch until mid 2021, long after Covid scepticism was born. Secondly our local newspaper launched a Facebook group with Covid information way back in the early days of the pandemic. It has been plagued with derogatory comments from the beginning from keyboard warriors who almost invariably combine their Covid dismissal with attacks on the government in general and Boris in particular. And of course the poster boy of Covid scepticism is Piers Corbyn, about as far left as you can get.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I don’t know how a mad man with nukes can be stopped. If Putin is successful in Ukraine, what else will he do. Estonia and the Balkan states ? Finland?

I think if he is stopped it is most likely to be from within, rather than anything we or our allies do. It seems clear that although currently violently suppressed there is a lot of opposition to him within Russia and even within the Kremlin. Longer term a coup would not surprise me, Let's hope in the meantime the Russian have a similar system to the US that requires more than one finger on the nuclear button.

[Stephen]

As for sanctions, I’m sure he’s already counter thought anything the West throw at him. Anyway, I thought sanctions only worked on poorer countries, which rules out Russia.

[Kendhni]

I think the west gave him plenty of time to extract money and assets. Then when the pitiful sanctions came earlier in the week they had plenty of time to adjust their plans accordingly. The full weight of sanctions should have been delivered on day 1 of his invasion.

It was sad to hear the story of 13 brave Ukrainians tasked with defending an island and the Russian ship telling them to surrender .. their response was to tell the commies to 'go F*** yourselves. The cowardly commies then missiled the island.

[Kendhni]

My observation is the Covid scepticism is strongest amongst right wing types whose news source is GB News.

There was a survey done on this https://rpubs.com/benwansell/729135. To be honest I don't think it was overly definitive, but the implied outcome was that those that believe they are free-thinkers, are anti-system and generally believe conspiracy theories, were more likely to be against the vaccination.

All we can do is stick with our allies, like the US and the EU.

[barney]

Russia is not Communist.
Every fool knows that (except one)

[Onelife]

"'To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences,’ greater than any you have faced in history"

Puktin

Just received a text from our daughter who works for a government department advising staff not open anything that looks suspicious due to the heightened risk of cyber-attacks. This isn’t unexpected under the circumstances but it makes me wonder if this is what Puking means when threating “greater than any you have faced in history”?

[Mervyn and Trish]

Curiously a friend of mine, though not one whose views I share, is blaming Brexit for the invasion of Ukraine. A bit of a stretch I think.

And I see that Russia hasn't been banned from Swift, the global banking system, because the EU wouldn't agree to it, despite pressure from the UK and the US, due to resistance from some unnamed countries.

"'To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences,’ greater than any you have faced in history"

Puktin

Just received a text from our daughter who works for a government department advising staff not open anything that looks suspicious due to the heightened risk of cyber-attacks. This isn’t unexpected under the circumstances but it makes me wonder if this is what Puking means when threating “greater than any you have faced in history”?

My worry is he means worse than that.

[Onelife]

It did cross my mind Sir Merv but this is the reason we and other are sitting on the fence. I think you are right in that the only way to get rid of this dictator is with a bullet through his head following a coup.

[Manoverboard]

Lest we forget the EU orchestrated, through Uefa, a response to the Russian by moving the Champions League Footy Final from St Petes to Paris ... oh yes

[Kendhni]

"'To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences,’ greater than any you have faced in history"

Puktin

Just received a text from our daughter who works for a government department advising staff not open anything that looks suspicious due to the heightened risk of cyber-attacks. This isn’t unexpected under the circumstances but it makes me wonder if this is what Puking means when threating “greater than any you have faced in history”?

Yesterday morning our company forced everyone to update their passwords with a whole new much more detailed requirement.
For anyone else nervous about their own passwords then remember the most important 3 elements of password creation are length, length and length. I now recommend a minimum length of 16 character mixed case.

All the requirements for numerics, special symbols etc. is just 'nice-to-haves' but can actually introduce a risk into password management (as can passwords generated through password managers). Throw in a the odd number or special character if you want, but it adds little to your security.

Mind you, if quantum computing is realised then security and encryption will also need a total rethink.

[Kendhni]

Curiously a friend of mine, though not one whose views I share, is blaming Brexit for the invasion of Ukraine. A bit of a stretch I think.

Seriously, was there a smell of cannabis around him?
It wasn't a chap called Peston by any chance?
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics ... s-sefcovic

[Mervyn and Trish]

No. A staunch Green voter. Need I say more?

[Mervyn and Trish]

It did cross my mind Sir Merv but this is the reason we and other are sitting on the fence. I think you are right in that the only way to get rid of this dictator is with a bullet through his head following a coup.

Send Bond

[david63]

I think the west gave him plenty of time to extract money and assets. Then when the pitiful sanctions came earlier in the week they had plenty of time to adjust their plans accordingly. The full weight of sanctions should have been delivered on day 1 of his invasion.

In the first instance Russia has been moving assets for years in preparation of sanctions being imposed so it makes little difference when they were imposed. Secondly sanctions are not a short term action and will take several months to have any affect. And then there is the argument that if sanctions were imposed too soon that Putin would have no disincentive (not that there was much anyway) to abandon any invasion.

[Manoverboard]

Apart from that we don't want to upset him too much in case he cuts off our gas supplies ....

[barney]

Apart from that we don't want to upset him too much in case he cuts off our gas supplies ....

We don’t use much Russian gas .
What affects our price if lack of gas on the market which pushes up everyone’s price.
Personally, I’d like to see total sanctions.
Nothing in
Nothing out
Buy nothing
Sell nothing
Literally cut them off at the knees financially.
The only people who can remove Putin are internal.
I’d also cut all sporting ties and ban them from all international competition .
Ban all flights from and to Russia.
No holidays for Russian people outside Russia.
Seize all state assets and assets of known Putin supporters in the U.K. and encourage European countries to do similar.

[Mervyn and Trish]

It's okay I ditched my gas cooker. I now cook on electricity entirely from renewable, allegedly. And I've requested only UK gas for my boiler.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I saw an argument that said it would be pointless fracking for gas as we'd only export it anyway. That seems to lack imagination. I'd go ahead with fracking but make it a condition of approval that the companies only sold it to the UK market and at a fixed and affordable price agreed with the government before they started work. We have 50 plus years supply down there. Why are we importing anyway?

[Stephen]

Apart from that we don't want to upset him too much in case he cuts off our gas supplies ....

Better stock up on logs Moby before they hike the prices up.

[Kendhni]

It did cross my mind Sir Merv but this is the reason we and other are sitting on the fence. I think you are right in that the only way to get rid of this dictator is with a bullet through his head following a coup.

Send Bond

He's dead

[Kendhni]

I think the west gave him plenty of time to extract money and assets. Then when the pitiful sanctions came earlier in the week they had plenty of time to adjust their plans accordingly. The full weight of sanctions should have been delivered on day 1 of his invasion.

In the first instance Russia has been moving assets for years in preparation of sanctions being imposed so it makes little difference when they were imposed. Secondly sanctions are not a short term action and will take several months to have any affect.

Agree totally ... sneaky buggers those commies.

And then there is the argument that if sanctions were imposed too soon that Putin would have no disincentive (not that there was much anyway) to abandon any invasion.

Unfortunately with what happened, we sent out the message that the west had no stomach for any kind of conflict ... pretty much saying 'do what you want, but be prepared for us to use stronger adjectives'.

[towny44]

I saw an argument that said it would be pointless fracking for gas as we'd only export it anyway. That seems to lack imagination. I'd go ahead with fracking but make it a condition of approval that the companies only sold it to the UK market and at a fixed and affordable price agreed with the government before they started work. We have 50 plus years supply down there. Why are we importing anyway?

Merv, it's you I'm backing, so lets get fracking.

[Ray B]

There's enough gas under the sea that was not that profitable, after the price of gas shot up on the wholesale market, maybe a chance to get some wells uncapped. Maggie did waste our 'cheap' gas from the sea, something we never had through our meters.

[towny44]

There's enough gas under the sea that was not that profitable, after the price of gas shot up on the wholesale market, maybe a chance to get some wells uncapped. Maggie did waste our 'cheap' gas from the sea, something we never had through our meters.

I doubt that Maggie decided where or how to sell our natural gas, but equally I doubt that any imports we made cost us more than our own gas would have.