OT perspective/ Ukraine/Russia

[ramAnag]

Meanwhile in a genuinely compassionate country. The Dutch have announced they are ready and willing to take 50,000 Ukrainian refugees this month. If necessary plans will be drawn up to accept more down the line.

We also had a radio and TV "donatathon" yesterday. At the end of the transmission the total stood at €106M. That will grow over the next few days as more donations come in. The government donated £25M in aid last week and added a further £15M yesterday. That £40M is over and above the money collected from the "donatathon".

Conversely, McDonald's and Coca Cola have said they will not be terminating their operations in Russia. Will there be a boycott in the West?

Hats off to the Dutch who, despite having a much smaller and more densely populated country than the UK, are doing the right thing.
Hat’s off to MA too for using the ‘c word’...compassionate. There are one or two on here, and, more worryingly, rather more in positions of power in the UK, who seem to confuse it with callous.

I would boycott McDonalds and Coca Cola, MA...but I doubt my (continued) abstinence would make any difference.

[swaledale]

Please don’t tell me what to do, AF. There had been a misunderstanding as far as Stenson was concerned which I sought to avoid being taken further. I deliberately made no comment about your ‘anecdotes’ which, personally, I have no reason to doubt.

You, GP and Tricky deliberately provoke Swale time and time again imo. Your ongoing attacks on him are tedious and childish imo as are GP’s and Tricky’s on me.

It’s water off the proverbial duck’s back to me...but, if you want an example of ‘pathetic’, try GP deliberately falsifying a quote of your words to me or misrepresenting Swale...it’s just part of the reason why my responses to ‘Dastardly and Muttley’ will be very much more limited in the future.

P.S. I didn’t make any ‘political points’, GP. My perspective is that Putin is a madman, Biden is too old to handle a situation like this, and Johnson is an inveterate liar. Nothing political about any of that...it’s just my perspective/opinion...what is there to disagree with?

rA what makes you think Biden is too old? Don't believe all you read in the media, as I'm assuming you haven't met the guy personally? In any case, whilst him and Johnson might rubber stamp decisions, there are after all a whole team of people who actually do the assessments and come up with the decisions, which is the difference between them and Putin who it seems makes all the decisions with no alternative views being offered.

Of course the further issue with Johnson is that he has surrounded himself with spineless people who all think the same way nobody in government will challenge him, which is leads to group think and the appalling handling of issues.

The visa situation just being one example of how they can't even manage to even appear to be doing the right thing!

The simple fact is Brexit and the racist immigration attitude still holds true, or they would have sorted a fast track system out, which would enable people to be admitted quickly and then processed here. It appears they are getting their act together but only due to external pressure, they are still playing to those ignorant people who somehow believe we cannot accommodate refugees!

Fortunately they don't form the majority of people in this country!

[MadAmster]

I would boycott McDonalds and Coca Cola, MA...but I doubt my (continued) abstinence would make any difference.

I think my continued boycott of them won't make an iota of difference to their profits either.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Nor my boycott, since I have only eaten slightly under half a macdonalds burger in my entire lifetime. Coke, probably none for 15 years abd I didnt much like it before then - but I do use (or should I say no longer use) Costa Coffee which is a Coke brand

[MadAmster]

Looks like the three of us are ahead of our time, boycotting McCoke way before anybody else. Where we lead, the rest follow

[Geoff Parkstone]

Now thats what I call unity

[Geoff Parkstone]

Swale "rA what makes you think Biden is too old? Don't believe all you read in the media, as I'm assuming you haven't met the guy personally? In any case, whilst him and Johnson might rubber stamp decisions, there are after all a whole team of people who actually do the assessments and come up with the decisions, which is the difference between them and Putin who it seems makes all the decisions with no alternative views being offered."

Long time since I've thought this, but spot on Swale. The figurehead at the top does none of the heavy lifting' but rather there is a huge swathe of advisors and civil servants who underpin any decision making and who (in theory at least) are not politically biased - which is why I have always objected to the demonisation of leaders over the various threads here seeking to blame Johnson for everything from Brexit to Covid and now to the response to the Ukraine conflict.

The respective leaders may have character flaws and difficulties handling the truth, but in the case of Johnson and Biden, the brains trust that sit behind them are hopefully more switched on. Putin on the other hand seems to be the decision maker, although, in fairness I dont know for sure what collective support there is for his extraordinary actions in the last 8 years concerning Ukraine

[MadAmster]

Yep, whichever party gains power, it's still the same "civil servants" as the previous week. They might tweak things a little depending on whether it's the blue or the red Toraidhe in power...........

[Geoff Parkstone]

Sir Humphrey simply has to buy a red tie not a blue one! I dont imagine he would ever need a yellow one, not a green one

[ramAnag]

rA what makes you think Biden is too old? Don't believe all you read in the media, as I'm assuming you haven't met the guy personally? In any case, whilst him and Johnson might rubber stamp decisions, there are after all a whole team of people who actually do the assessments and come up with the decisions, which is the difference between them and Putin who it seems makes all the decisions with no alternative views being offered.

Of course the further issue with Johnson is that he has surrounded himself with spineless people who all think the same way nobody in government will challenge him, which is leads to group think and the appalling handling of issues.

The visa situation just being one example of how they can't even manage to even appear to be doing the right thing!

The simple fact is Brexit and the racist immigration attitude still holds true, or they would have sorted a fast track system out, which would enable people to be admitted quickly and then processed here. It appears they are getting their act together but only due to external pressure, they are still playing to those ignorant people who somehow believe we cannot accommodate refugees!

Fortunately they don't form the majority of people in this country!

Tbf, Swale, I’m far from one who believes all they read in the media and I remain mightily grateful to Biden for ridding us of Trump.
I also however have very close family in the U.S. - people who also despised Trump and the Right - and they make me aware of Biden’s shortcomings as a leader.

Biden isn’t - and never will be - a great leader. He is just a blessed relief after the dangerous imbecile he replaced, although I do accept your point about the other assessors and decision makers.

As regards the rest of your post I can only agree with virtually all of it, and not - as our semi resident crackpot suggested a couple of days ago - because, apparently, I’m scared of you.