Hobsons Choice

Oh the irony, given how things unfolded for the nazis when they invaded Russia. It’s true. Nobody learns anything from history.

Unlike insurance companies to do the right thing.

I think the Russian conscript army will find it harder to shoot unarmed civilians when they are right in their faces. Hope it haunts them.

Ukranians are as hard as f**king nails. Getting bombed mercilessly and still trolling the Russians.

I think what the response to covid has shown is that there is almost nothing that we can't rapidly address if we actually want to.

Understood, and I see your point, but the window in which we can prevent most of the world becoming uninhabitable is closing fast. IPPC just released a report to that effect. The words 'record breaking floods/wildfires/storms' are becoming commonplace now, and we've not seen 1 tenth of what is already locked in the pipeline. What's the point in us fighting each other over land that is going to be unliveable.

Extremely good points. Shows how he's miscalculated though. Rather than guarantee his country's economic future, he's pretty much doomed it. That said, and this is a question for everyone here- if Russia start to negotiate, and pledge to withdraw right now IF we remove sanctions, would you take that offer? Not that he could because he would be seen to have lost the war by his own people, but just as a hypothetical. I don't want people to die in Ukraine, but Putin must not be allowed to do this, or anything like it again. Plus, how much are the Russian people, who are not responsible for this war likely to suffer under sanctions. Tough call.

We shouldn't have needed another excuse to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, as Climate Change is an existential threat, but we certainly have one now.

I think China have been surprised and horrified by the west's response to this. They were initially making noises that they would back Putin up. They really had no idea this would unify the west like it has. Now they are professionally fence sitting while they figure out how the hell to respond. Their response will shape the world for the next 30 years.

Why? Trading with Russia after the sanctions kick in is going to be like trading with San Marino. Their economy will be dog dirt. China can boost trade with 200 odd countries, including the biggest economies in the world if they help stop it. Alternatively they could alienate themselves from those 200 countries if they support Russia. We'll just buy all our cheap tat from Viet Nam.

Harder? There is zero. ZERO chance that Ukraine will suffer a pro russian government after this. Zero.

It's hard to believe just how out of step Putin is with the Ukrainian people, who share much of the same culture. Ukraine will never surrender. Millions of people are going to die.

I said right from the start that the key to this is China. They can enable Russia financially in the face of sanctions, and they can smother it by not buying their produce. If China can stop the war and play this right they can come out of this economically and geopolitically massively boosted. They look like the big boys on the world stage, which increases their prestige (face), they can be seen to be stable and exhibiting good judgment in the west, which will boost foreign investment, plus they have a Russia desperate for money willing to throw oil and gas at them.

We need to avoid a hot war before we start worrying about a cold one.

Bananas were kind of ruined for me when I saw a documentary where they showed how they replicate the banana smell/flavour artificially. They said that the main aroma profile was cut grass. Now whenever I have a banana, especially ‘not quite ripe’ bananas, all I can smell is cut grass. It’s right there. I like the smell of cut grass, but don’t want to eat it.

Gently smoking rubble?

Didn't Belarus say only recently that they were not partaking in these activities? Why is he a) fully apprised of all of the objectives, and b) briefing his security council on these objectives. They are all liars, and murderers and they are going to get theirs.

It is, massive. Dont see how they could stop it though. Turkey are in Nato. If they sink warships and they fire back it’s WWIII

But they still don't occupy any of the cities in that region, let alone the whole of the Donbass. Most of Ukraine's best forces are all in the east. No way that Zelensky (sp.) is going to agree to that in ceasefire negotiations.

Kind of looks like a kebab if you squint as well

He’d learn how to pull his socks up and go again.

Haha, yeah, I’m a legacy fan.

Plastic fans and kids are perfectly happy cos they will support whatever team is winning, but their interest in football will be dropped when they get bored. Proper fans that are invested in the future of teams that aren’t pay to win can and will only take so much of this. I’ve been supporting Villa for 28 years, and I’ve had almost as many ‘I’m done with football now’ moments as I can take without walking away for good. The League can’t exist without teams of all sizes and statuses throughout the pyramid, and fans of those clubs just won’t stick around if the whole thing is obviously rigged. F**k this shit.

Thing is, though, it is massively damaging the reputation and therefore the future of the Premier league. Someone somewhere is getting a massive brown envelope by wealthy individuals. It’s the only explanation that makes any sense. If it was just against Villa I would assume it is my own bias, but watching the other games on MOTD as a neutral it’s so flipping obvious that it’s shady as f**k.

If VAR is legitimate, I just don’t see how these kinds of decisions can keep being given to the top teams. I just watched Man U v Leeds from last week, and if that ref wasn’t corrupt, i’m a dutchman. McTominay could have been sent off about 4 times.