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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2018 19:33:13 GMT
Well the official result isn't in yet, but exit polls strongly indicate that Vladimir Putin has achieved an arm crushing victory, being once again swept to power with overwhelming support from the Russian electorate. I know there are those who wrongly think that in Russia it's no more of a proper election that we witness here when the TUST leadership position has to contested, and the members are presented with one candidate, but that's really not the case, and Vlad had to face opponents on the ballot card. Whether the farcical behaviour of our Government; still continuing even now with Boris becoming a bigger embarrassment by the day, helped Putin by making the Russian people count their blessings that they're not lumbered with the shower we see before us in the form of Remainer May's Government, it's impossible to tell. Whatever the reasons behind yet another stunning victory, it's been a tough few weeks for Putin, and he's already indicated his wish to recuperate, preferably with a couple of weeks holiday in a quiet part of North Yorkshire. After a well earned rest, if Putin could get an invite to when Trump and Kim get together soon for a hamburger, we could all sleep more easily in our beds.  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2018 20:49:36 GMT
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Mar 18, 2018 21:37:18 GMT
Government; still continuing even now with Boris becoming a bigger embarrassment by the day Agreed. Three days running Brexit’s poster boy has led with having a pop at Russia. The man is an arse. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 9:29:50 GMT
Well the official result isn't in yet, but exit polls strongly indicate that Vladimir Putin has achieved an arm crushing victory, being once again swept to power with overwhelming support from the Russian electorate. I know there are those who wrongly think that in Russia it's no more of a proper election that we witness here when the TUST leadership position has to contested, and the members are presented with one candidate, but that's really not the case, and Vlad had to face opponents on the ballot card. Whether the farcical behaviour of our Government; still continuing even now with Boris becoming a bigger embarrassment by the day, helped Putin by making the Russian people count their blessings that they're not lumbered with the shower we see before us in the form of Remainer May's Government, it's impossible to tell. Whatever the reasons behind yet another stunning victory, it's been a tough few weeks for Putin, and he's already indicated his wish to recuperate, preferably with a couple of weeks holiday in a quiet part of North Yorkshire. After a well earned rest, if Putin could get an invite to when Trump and Kim get together soon for a hamburger, we could all sleep more easily in our beds. For years I was brainwashed into believing that Russia was the enemy, or more correctly, the Soviet Union was, during the Cold War. Since that ended and upon return to civilian life, which has removed me from the brainwashing environment and into one where I can think for myself, I have a completely different view of Russia. It started when I was working with the UN in Cyprus, where I worked with 2 Russians, and then in Angola, where they provided all the air support, I found that they were all great guys. My respect was further increased in 2003, when working with the UN at Kosovo airport. We were living in heated portacabins, whilst the Russians were living in tents. In a place where winter temps regularly go down to -15 or worse, it just confirmed my belief that Russians are the hardest nation on earth. How we thought we could beat the Russian people in the Cold War is a moot point indeed. Putin may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is 2 things: a robust leader, and secondly a patriot that only wants what's best for Russia. Does that make him bad? Not in my book. Somebody in his mould wouldn't go amiss in our government. Oh wait, we've got Boris.... Yes, i went to fight a war in Africa on those same ridiculous brainwashed ideas about communism! I remember being given a rather long and in-depth lecture by some major whilst in the British Army. He put all our armaments (the days when we actually had the odd tank or two) capabilities against all their armaments capabilities, and came up with the fact that it was going to be pretty damn close. It has recently been reported by some high ranking general that we wouldn't last the afternoon in an engagement with the Ruskies! The Major then went on to say, that if we did look like loosing, we had one final thing to throw at the pesky Ruskies...Hard Tack Biscuits! As anyone who has ever had the miss-fortune to encounter Hard Tack Biscuits, those buggers will stop anything! |
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 20, 2018 9:58:55 GMT
Putin may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is 2 things: a robust leader, and secondly a patriot that only wants what's best for Russia. Does that make him bad? Not in my book. Somebody in his mould wouldn't go amiss in our government. Oh wait, we've got Boris.... I find it very sad that democracy has gone backwards in Russia in the last 20 years in this country of great people. I think Churchill has been quoted as saying "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." Unfortunately there is very little accountability in the Russian system and you only have to look at the Syrian situation where they have consistency muddied the waters in covering up evidence of very real war crimes going on such as school and hospitals being deliberately targeted together with various chemical / nerve agent attacks, napalm and phosphorus on the civilian population. A type of Robust leadership you can do without! It's a very complex situation and hard to know what exactly to believe but this ARTICLE gives a flavour of how messed up things have got in that poor country.... |
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Post by plainmoorpete on Mar 20, 2018 10:29:05 GMT
I think you have to face up to the fact that liberal democracy isn't always the best form of government, depending on where it is trying to operate. Russia went from being a one party state to the current system overnight. The situation wasn't helped by having a total incompetent in the shape of Boris Yeltsin at the helm. The result was that Russia was totally humiliated by the west, and if I was a Russian I would back Putin for having made Russia a player again.
As a Tory mp said a few years ago about liberal democracy, the liberalism has to come first from the top down before the democracy can be enacted. To illustrate his point he pointed out that Britain abolished slavery a century before it got on to being a truly representative democracy through the emancipation of women.
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 20, 2018 16:15:04 GMT
I agree that liberal democracy takes time, often measured in generations to progress, hence my opening comment about it having gone backwards in Russia and like the Versailles Treaty, Western powers did not help matters after the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, I am a firm believer in the advancement of democracy where ever and this should always be encouraged.....
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2018 19:49:37 GMT
I agree that liberal democracy takes time, often measured in generations to progress, hence my opening comment about it having gone backwards in Russia and like the Versailles Treaty, Western powers did not help matters after the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, I am a firm believer in the advancement of democracy where ever and this should always be encouraged..... I'm looking forward to when this country becomes a Democracy! You know, when the people have a vote for something, and whatever the outcome of that vote, the people abide by it in a Democratic way! Unlike our present system, where you have a vote, and a myriad number of arse-holes complain about it and try and get it changed, thinking they know better! Arse-holes! |
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Mar 21, 2018 22:51:46 GMT
Government; still continuing even now with Boris becoming a bigger embarrassment by the day Agreed. Three days running Brexit’s poster boy has led with having a pop at Russia. The man is an arse. The same day the US President congratulates Putin on his election victory, the British Foreign Secretary makes a public comparison between Putin and Adolf Hitler. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5527549/Johnson-renews-attack-Putin-evidence-MPs.htmlA conservative estimate of 20 million people from the former Soviet Union died in World War Two. Modern day Russia estimates that figure to be considerably higher. |
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Post by plainmoorpete on Mar 22, 2018 6:48:43 GMT
Good point rob. Over the years I have noticed the media down play the role of the USSR during WW2. The simple fact is the western allies could not have win in Europe without the astonishing sacrifice of the peoples of the soviet union.
To compare Putin to hitler is juvenile nonsense, any idiot just has to look at the yesterday tv channel to realise what utter rot that is.
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Post by rjdgull on Mar 23, 2018 10:10:22 GMT
Agreed. Three days running Brexit’s poster boy has led with having a pop at Russia. The man is an arse. The same day the US President congratulates Putin on his election victory, the British Foreign Secretary makes a public comparison between Putin and Adolf Hitler. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5527549/Johnson-renews-attack-Putin-evidence-MPs.htmlA conservative estimate of 20 million people from the former Soviet Union died in World War Two. Modern day Russia estimates that figure to be considerably higher. I've seen revised figures of 27 million which is about 20% of their pre war population as the Russian people suffered greatly in their Great Patriotic War again the cruel racist Nazi invader. Not that Stalin was much better than Hitler and he wasn't entirely sure initially that the Russian people would fight hard for Mother Russia and was relived when they did although a lot of people in the former Soviet areas did collaborate. Of course, after the weakness of the Western democracies in facing up to Hitler around the time of the Munich agreement, he did ally himself with the Nazi and took over half of Poland, the trigger for our entry in the War and it wasn't a benevolent 9 months of occupation with documented atrocities having occurred as all dictatorships need to rule by fear and oppression. I don't think it was a helpful comparison by BJ to make and diplomat he is not but the comparison was to agreement with a question about Hitler using the games for his benefit in 1936. Unfortunately I can see some similarities from this time period - beating up and imprisonment of political opponents, tight control over the state media and manipulation abroad, corruption in the running of the regime and also could the annexation of the Crimea be equated with the Anschluss of Austria or the military reoccupation of the Rhineland? As for the Eastern Ukraine, could that be equated with the Sudetenland? No doubt Putin is popular in Russia at this time as he advances his geopolitical causes but so was Hitler then. I am not entirely sure the procurement process for hosting the World Cup was entirely above board but like all countries, they will use this occasion as a showcase to make political gain..... |
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