RayC

No one has poked Russia in the eye. Indeed, any poking has been done by Russia with their constant attempts to disrupt elections, etc in Western democracies. For the simple reason that with the break-up of the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Georgia became sovereign nations. This independence should have allowed them to make decisions without interference from Moscow. Sadly, as we all know, that has not been the case.

Upon becoming independent, sovereign countries one of the first acts by most of the former Warsaw Pact countries was to apply for membership of NATO (and the EU). They did this of their volition. They were not forced into doing so by the West. What has happened in Ukraine and Georgia is down to Russia being unable to accept that her former satellite states see their future being secured - both economically and militarily - from Brussels rather than Moscow. When you boil it all down, it is as simple as that.

On that basis, Europe shouldn't have had anything to worry about in the past decade, as Russia was not being threatened with invasion and she was free to pursue her own (domestic) economic policies. Unfortunately, events since 2014 have proven otherwise.

Russia's power - such as it is - lies in the fact that it possesses a nuclear arsenal. That has been the case for 60+ years. However, France and the UK are also nuclear powers - albeit with smaller arsenals than Russia - both of whom currently have enough weaponry to wipe out Moscow and St. Petersburg. Therefore, unless Putin is mad - and I agree with you, I don't think that he is - the threat of MAD does little more than maintain an equilibrium in Europe; it doesn't offer much of an advantage for Russia in a negotiation/ conflict.

And therein lies the problem. Russia's economy has been in relative decline this century. Ukraine's desire to turn away from Moscow and throw in its' economic lot with the West - in the guise of the EU - was the final straw for Putin, hence the invasion. The Europeans are not the only ones with delusions of grandeur. Russia is a fading power with limited influence on the world stage, a fact that Putin apparently seems unable to accept. Perhaps Russia has no desire for war with The West, but her actions show that she is prepared to risk it.

But Russia wouldn't do that of course as they are led by the peaceful democrat, Mr. Putin, who is careful not to impinge on the sovereignty, or show any aggression towards other nations.

Then I assume that you won't have any difficulty in listing some examples of EU legislation relating to products which are more onerous for importers than for domestic EU producers. For example, what extra burden is placed upon overseas car manufacturers or farmers compared with their EU counterparts?

No doubt there is more than one European supporter of Trump but a very tiny - and decreasing - number of Europeans would want Trump to be any near the government of their nations.

I'll add to your list of grievances. You forgot to mention that the DCI in 'Adolescent' is .. horror ... black and his sidekick is a woman (probably a lesbian)! What's a white, hetrosexual male to do when the odds are so stacked against him? I'll leave you to wallow in your self-pity.

I thought your sole concern was to avoid turning more Ukrainian women and children into widows and orphans? In that case, surely you should offer unconditional support to this proposal?

And retaliatory action by Germany and the EU results in a contraction in the economic activity. Just as there are no winners with Brexit, there are no winners with tariffs.

... But by the way, I'm not anti-European😂 The alternative scenario is that Trump's antics brings Europe closer together. This appears to be the case.

Unlike the flat earth brigade (ERG), who stuck their heads in the sand and erroneously insisted that 'they need us more than we need them', during the Brexit negotiations, Starmer realises that he doesn't have much of a hand and that he needs to be careful how he plays it.

They keep coming https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-brexit-trade-system-180m-investment-keir-starmer/

An opinion piece in The Daily Express which isn't fulsome in its' praise of Trump and which, horror, suggests that Brits are - I can barely bring myself to write the word - "EUROPEAN!!!! World's gone mad.

This appears to be a genuine UN site: https://crisisrelief.un.org/myanmar-earthquake

All this article does is report that the EU is issuing guidance in the light of changing circumstances. What's so strange about that? I've accepted the Brexit result, Jonny; I did so the day after the referendum. But I won't stop pointing out the facts about the damage done by Brexit to those such as yourself who refuse to acknowledge the evidence. Bookies don't share your confidence about a Reform victory at the next GE, Jonny, and they are usually right. So you should prepare yourself for another 9 years of Labour rule.

Same old, same old. COVID affected the whole world not just the UK economy. You also forgot to blame the war in Ukraine - which btw has affected mainland Europe much more than the UK - and, of course, without the financial crisis of 2008, Brexit would have been a roaring success! To date - and there's little indication that things are about to change - Brexit has been a disaster for the UK economy. The more moderate Brexiters are increasingly realising this, however 'hard' Brexiters such as yourself refuse to accept what the evidence shows. The hard Brexiter line is to refuse to accept any accountability or responsibility for their part in this mess (a vote for 'Leave') but, instead to double-down and suggest that Brexit isn't the problem, but the way it has been implemented is. When asked to elaborate, the silence is deafening as you have little idea of what a successful Brexit would look like and, even less idea about how it might be achieved.

UPDATE (and background): Similar experience to you, Mutt. My branch is in Minburi but we now live in Pra Nakorn, so I use the Khao San Road branch. Anyway, turned up at the branch and was told that I had signed the relevant documentation in 2018, so no action required. Great .... however, because we are going back to the UK next week for the European summer, and it would be extremely difficult to rectify anything from there, I asked for written confirmation. Of course, no one was willing to put their name to anything, so I was told that they would double-check with Head Office and get back to me. Lo and behold, I get a call the next day saying that I do, in fact, need to complete a document! TBF my situation is unusual. I don't use the branch where my account is held and the Khao San branch can only see a limited amount of data (why this is the case is another matter?). As you said previously, I get the impression that this initiative has been rolled out by KTB Head Office without much warning or training being given to the local branch staff. Morale of the story: If you are a KTB customer, go to your branch asap. The process may take longer than a day to compete: I was told that the deadline for completion of the forms is 9 April. I have no idea what the consequences might be if this deadline is missed but best not to have to find out for yourself. (PS: In case anyone is wondering why I don't transfer my account to the Khao San Road branch, the short answer is I can't for reasons I don't fully understand. Nor can I simply close my Minburi account and open a new one at the Khao San branch as I don't have a work permit (I'm here on a DTV which, apparently, doesn't allow you to open a new account🤷).

Right. The 8 years under Tory rule since the Brexit vote and the 4 since we officially left were all spent on the 'sunny uplands' enjoying the benefits.

Funny way of expressing your love. Your previous post appeared to be taking delight in the negative effects of these US tariffs on the German economy. In the words of Mr. McEnroe: "You cannot be serious!?". The current climate where Trump is throwing tariffs around like confetti at a wedding, where the US is apparently becoming more protectionist by the day, and where they have seemingly lost interest in Europe as a whole (including the UK): And you consider the climate is ripe for a UK-US trade deal to be struck? Your mob, including the American-born Johnson, had the best part of 8 years to sort out a deal with the US and came up with Sweet Fanny Adams.* In the unlikely event that this Labour government do manage to strike a deal with the US, it will be a real feather in their cap. * Yes, I know that a trade deal with the US couldn't be signed until we officially left the EU, but behind-the-scenes negotiations could have taken place ... or maybe not, given that successive Tory administrations were too busy messing up the negotiations with the EU. Not my boy and a stupid statement for a politician to have made public. However, where's the evidence that it has done any specific damage?

I seem to recall someone saying that they weren't anti-European🤔 Not exactly great news for what's left of the UK car industry either but, no doubt, you'll blame Labour when output declines.

Wrong destination for the feather, mate. I address all your challenges directly. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for you.

Mate, Repeating the same thing using slightly different words doesn't lend a statement any more veracity. I can understand that my replies might upset you, and damage your self-esteem, given that they destroy the credibility of your premises and arguments but, as the saying goes, the truth hurts (sometimes). My advice is to view my replies as educational. In that way, you may avoid making the same mistakes in future. All the best.

I fear that you may be suffering from memory loss. Check my replies to you earlier in this thread.