Duke of Marmalade
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Russian Foreign Policy
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Sophrosyne
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“Aggressively silent majority”
Stanislav Kucher, a long-time former Russian TV host, explains the mindset of the Russian people after an independent pollster finds Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating to be over 80%.
He says that while some fear Putin’s wrath the majority support him.
Stanislav Kucher, a long-time former Russian TV host, explains the mindset of the Russian people after an independent pollster finds Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating to be over 80%.
He says that while some fear Putin’s wrath the majority support him.
The first casualty of every war is The Truth. The conflict in Ukraine is no exception.
But, two stories (from RTE television news) of real reality:-
(i) Yesterday schoolchildren from Ukraine while visiting Dublin Zoo became visibly and audibly frightened by over flying planes to/from Dublin Airport.
(ii) Tonight's News showed a surrogate mother from Ukraine spending time in the Co Wicklow home of the family for which she was surrogate. She brought her own children from Ukraine to live with the Co Wicklow family. (This segment alone made me very proud to be Irish).
It isn't often my emotions get the better of me (a hardened leper), but on both occasions I could not let go of the real truth.
But, two stories (from RTE television news) of real reality:-
(i) Yesterday schoolchildren from Ukraine while visiting Dublin Zoo became visibly and audibly frightened by over flying planes to/from Dublin Airport.
(ii) Tonight's News showed a surrogate mother from Ukraine spending time in the Co Wicklow home of the family for which she was surrogate. She brought her own children from Ukraine to live with the Co Wicklow family. (This segment alone made me very proud to be Irish).
It isn't often my emotions get the better of me (a hardened leper), but on both occasions I could not let go of the real truth.
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There is no free press in Russia. The USA has a free press and about 30% of the electorate think that Trump really won the last election. Ireland has a free press and 40% of the people think that the Shinners will solve the housing crisis and taxing the rich will fix everything. I wouldn't be too hard on the Russians.
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They can't be the only ones to not experience impacts from this, given what is happening in Ukraine.
They need to see empty shelves. They need to ask questions about why they were thrown out of the world cup. Why their currency is losing value. Why they can't travel etc etc
Especially because they don't have a free press who won't ask those questions of the government directly.
Look at America and Trump and the working poor who vote for the Party that serves the super rich.
Look at Brexit and the poor who voted out of the EU.
Look at Ireland where the people who are priced out of the housing market support the Party which wants to abolish Property Tax.
All that in countries with a free press. People are smart but the mob is stupid.
People there remember the empty shelves and queuing for food in the 1980s. Putin was supposed to have banished all that.
Things like that eat away at the regime.
That's very true but he can blame the West. There's nothing like a wold at the door to unite people. There's nothing like fear to motivate people to surrender their rights. Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." It wasn't said in this context but nevertheless it is very apt in this context. Interestingly it was a pro-taxation, pro-government point but that's a different discussion.
Duke of Marmalade
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At risk of going down a rabbit hole, how does paying for gas in roubles help Putin? He already insists that Gazprom exchanges 80% of its foreign revenue into roubles. If Russia has monopolistic control of gas to EU/Germany why not just put up the price.
Nice one, @Purple. Is that one of your own, or is it Shakespeare?Purple said:
It means EU countries have to buy Roubles to pay for the gas which props up the currency.
I've very few original thoughts so I probably lifted it from somewhere. I also have an exceptionally bad memory so I can't remember from where.
Sophrosyne
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But that’s not quite the same thing as denying a war on their doorstep.
"Ukrainian woman on pain and heartache of Russian family who 'don’t believe war is happening'
‘My mother says I am betraying Russia’: Putin’s invasion divides the generations"
My point is that people believe all sorts of rubbish even when the facts are freely available. Believing rubbish when all you have is rubbish is, therefore, not that surprising.
Duke of Marmalade
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Might deserve a new thread, rabbit hole country here.
1 euro = 100 roubles
Today Germany pays Gazprom 100 euro for a bushel of gas; Gazprom pays the Russian Central Bank 100 euro for 10k roubles
Under new rules Germany pays Russian CB 100 euro for 10k roubles and then pays Gazprom 10k roubles for a bushel of gas
What's the diff?
It means that the Rouble becomes the reserve currency for Russian gas so its value is tied to the value of gas, not the Russian economy.
Duke of Marmalade
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Maybe, I read something of the sort in my Googles but I am finding my economics very rusty, anyway 'nuff said.
Maybe that's the Brucy Bonus that Valds is hoping for, to knock the mighty Greenback off it pedestal as the reserve currecy for oil & gas payments??
The Iraqis tried to sell oil in Euro, shortly before the Americans mistakenly thought that had WMD's and Venezuela talked about it shortly before there happened to be a Coup attempt.
Not too familiar with Greenwald's story I think.
Miranda ruling conflates journalism with terrorism
Opinion: The UK government has yet to offer evidence that stories published on back of Snowden material endangered life
or according to Wikipedia
In January 2020, Greenwald was charged by Brazilian prosecutors with cybercrimes, in a move that Trevor Timm in The Guardian described as retaliation for his reporting
Or the The Washington Post
Sophrosyne
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Doesn’t excuse an unprovoked invasion of a neighbouring country, regardless of what Greenwald thinks.
Civilians killed Bucha, some with heir hands bound behind their backs
Dead bodies, including Russian soldiers, left strewn on streets
Land mines left for those trying to escape
It's always the same with Russia...no respect for human life. I hope the sanctions are increased & remain long after this war has finished.
Dead bodies, including Russian soldiers, left strewn on streets
Land mines left for those trying to escape
It's always the same with Russia...no respect for human life. I hope the sanctions are increased & remain long after this war has finished.