Fck Greek civilisation

Yeah, Rosso, there are cruder takes on the Left (including current UK MPs). I'm sure you've observed that my tolerance is limited when it comes to certain blind spots associated with having an overwhelming focus on Western imperialism and capitalism. In the example of Ukraine, I don't accept that Western 'strategic interest' in the country has any meaningful equivalence to Russian direct interference through everything from crude economic bullying to poisonings to paramilitary incursions stretching back well before the invasions of Donbas and Crimea a decade ago.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 7 minutes ago
Yeah, Rosso, there are cruder takes on the Left (including current UK MPs). I'm sure you've observed that my tolerance is limited when it comes to certain blind spots associated with having an overwhelming focus on Western imperialism and capitalism. In the example of Ukraine, I don't accept that Western 'strategic interest' in the country has any meaningful equivalence to Russian direct interference through everything from crude economic bullying to poisonings to paramilitary incursions stretching back well before the invasions of Donbas and Crimea a decade ago.
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You’re absolutely right about blind spots. (I’d simply call them double standards.)

I suppose we can all sometimes quite understandably be drawn to considering/ interrogating/ challenging those systems and behaviours we find ourselves living and working in and with, or that we might be able to influence, a little more than others external to our immediate experiences.

But yeah, we should all try to be aware of them, or at least elevate them cognitively to Rumsfeld’s ‘known-unknowns’ status, in the interests of self-balancing and consistency.

Specifically, in terms of Russian influence/interference in Ukraine and any Western equivalence, I wouldn’t argue with you at all. Not one bit.

In terms of wider US/NATO meddling across both former Soviet states and elsewhere around the globe to the disbenefit of Russian interests, however, like it or not, the bear has been repeatedly poked (deservedly in some cases, completely unnecessarily in others IMO) for a long time, and I think Ukraine (acknowledging Putin’s history with and vision for it, and its undoubted huge strategic importance) in a way was always likely to be the eventual flash point.

Was it all avoidable? We can only speculate on that, obviously. Could more have been done geopolitically, diplomatically to try to protect the integrity of the Ukrainian state and prevent the tragedy of the 500,000 casualties we’ve seen since 2022? Absolutely in my mind. I think we have to believe that, don’t we?

comment by rosso says the time has come to unlock the unlimited Pote-ntial of the Fernçalvenoo triumvirate (U17054)
posted 4 hours, 17 minutes ago
comment by Robberto Garnacho (U22716)
posted 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
comment by Two Balls, One Saka (U19684)
posted 7 minutes ago
Unfortunately I've long suspected that this or similar will become the norm within our lifetimes. It's likely there'll be 100 of millions of people on the move eventually, looking for safety and they'll end up being met with violence, including by the UK.
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Yep. Due to climate change many regions of sub Saharan Africa will be unliveable and hundreds of millions of people will be on the move to more habitable places on the planet. But much of Europe and the UK may well be under far right control in the decades to come and large swathes of the populace will be brainwashed into thinking the people coming to Europe are ‘cockroaches’ and part of an invading army. We’re already seeing things like ‘military aged men’ being used to make them out to be a threat to white civilisation.

Where does it end? Fences and walls put up in Europe like we see in Hungary? Boats being shot in the Med by naval ships? Concentration camps in places like Greece and Italy?

Not so far fetched when you see how in history certain populations have been dehumanised and treated by those who fear them.
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Robbsie

You were posting the other day about what Oz should be doing with its mineral resources. (I can’t remember which article it was on now - apologies for this RR!)

Here, I think, is a very good answer to the question in wider context (from Australia’s best politician):

The New Cold War & What's After Capitalism | Yanis Varoufakis National Press Club Address

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S3_I18eEABU
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👍 yeah he’s very good and coincidentally it was he who was the one who gave me the idea of how we should move forward in regards to selling our raw minerals to china to produce eco friendly electric cars to sell to the west en masse. We have our own version of BBCs question time on ABC which he is often a guest and it’s quite an interesting watch.

https://news.sky.com/story/people-smuggler-who-made-163800k-last-year-at-peace-with-dying-on-the-job-13154375

comment by Sat Nav (U18243)
posted 12 minutes ago
https://news.sky.com/story/people-smuggler-who-made-163800k-last-year-at-peace-with-dying-on-the-job-13154375
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Grim

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by Sat Nav (U18243)
posted 12 minutes ago
https://news.sky.com/story/people-smuggler-who-made-163800k-last-year-at-peace-with-dying-on-the-job-13154375
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Grim
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It’s astounding how much this is happening globally. The numbers are truly staggering. Children, sx workers (both!)

Do you know what might completely undermine the trafficking and help “smash the criminal gangs”?

Safe and legal routes.

comment by rosso says the time has come to unlock the unlimited Pote-ntial of the Fernçalvenoo triumvirate (U17054)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you know what might completely undermine the trafficking and help “smash the criminal gangs”?

Safe and legal routes.
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Whilst safe and safe routes are the only real alternative, then you have to decide who takes them in.

A lot of refugees who try and cross the channel specifically, do so after applying for asylum in more than one European country before attempting the crossing.

This is what people who say "well why come to the UK when they pass through other countries on the way" don't realise. A journey from the Middle East to Central Europe is no jolly.

Making it possible to safely apply for asylum would not be a silver bullet. There will always be people who try to make dangerous journeys because they have been denied asylum or are misinformed about procedures. But a lack of formal application channels catastrophically exacerbates the problem, and it's an act of gross cynicism that has caused deaths on the part of the UK Government that it has shut down those channels while choosing to make such a political issue of stopping the boats.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 50 minutes ago
Making it possible to safely apply for asylum would not be a silver bullet. There will always be people who try to make dangerous journeys because they have been denied asylum or are misinformed about procedures. But a lack of formal application channels catastrophically exacerbates the problem, and it's an act of gross cynicism that has caused deaths on the part of the UK Government that it has shut down those channels while choosing to make such a political issue of stopping the boats.
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