Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 10:49:29 PM

It's official. The liberals are now the majority government with two by election victories in the Ontario writings.


There is a chance the Liberals win all three by-elections.  The one in Quebec is too close to call and will again come down to the wire, and probably a recount.

[The future is already on the front line – and Ukraine is building it. These are our ground robotic systems. For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms – ground systems and drones. The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side.]

#2

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 07:52:04 PM

Zelensky at a ceremony giving awards on Ukrainian Defense Industry Workers' Day. And the second one of these seems extraordinary (I think the naval point interesting too):

Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський
@ZelenskyyUa
The capabilities of Ukraine's defense industry mean millions of FPV drones per year, our deep strikes, our interceptors, and millions of shells. Ukraine has its own long-range missile weapons. Not just in development, but a real force already at work. Flamingo and Ruta, Peklo and Neptune, Palianytsia and Vilkha – we can already be proud of all of this, but we will not stop here for sure. These are only our first steps – the industry will grow, and the enemy will feel it.

Everyone sees the historic long-range reach of our drones – striking 1,750 kilometers from our border. There will be more. And this is not about records – it is about justice that will find evil anywhere in the world. And our Sichen, Liutyi, Morok, Bars, Obriy, and FP are proof of that.

From the congratulatory address to the workers of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex (1/3).
The future is already on the front line – and Ukraine is building it. These are our ground robotic systems. For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms – ground systems and drones. The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side.

Ratel, TerMIT, Ardal, Rys, Zmiy, Protector, Volia, and our other ground robotic systems have already carried out more than 22,000 missions on the front in just three months. In other words, lives were saved more than 22,000 times when a robot went into the most dangerous areas instead of a warrior. This is about high technology protecting the highest value – human life.

From the congratulatory address to the workers of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex (2/3).
We also have experience in guaranteeing maritime security – objectively, the most current in the world. No one else has carried out missions like Ukrainians have in the Black Sea. When people talk about security in the Strait of Hormuz, it is often a theoretical discussion. Those who speak about it have not conducted such operations themselves. Ukrainians have. We have fought an enemy fleet, air strikes, and naval mines – we have been through all of it. And if partners offer us cooperation on equal footing, Ukraine can help.

Our naval drones, Sea Baby, Magura, and Sargan, are well-known, and this is Ukraine's export offering too. As is our artillery, which we produce at the largest scale in Europe. As are our shells, which are now growing in numbers. As is our armor, which becomes more effective every year. All of this is delivered by our defense industry – our defense industry professionals, Ukrainian arms makers.

I thank everyone involved in this. In production halls, design bureaus, laboratories, test ranges, in production and repair – every day working for Ukraine. A strong Ukraine because it can defend itself. Modern, because it is changing the rules of the game. A Ukraine that matters because it can help others, and a Ukraine that is, in many respects, indispensable. All thanks to our experience, expertise, and technology.

From the congratulatory address to the workers of Ukraine's defense-industrial complex (3/3).

#3

Off the Record / Re: US Exit from NATO?

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 07:40:09 PM

Well, that is true.  Most Congressional speeches these days are Senators/Congressman talking to themselves and a camera in the middle of the night to an empty room all for the purpose of putting their dribble into the Congressional Record for some unknown reason.

But to be fair...I've seen that often in the UK House of Commons as well...

Yeah I don't think that's necessarily the role of Congress either - I think the bigger problem is they're just not doing their job. I've said before but I think the fact that the US has a constitutional branch of government MIA is a big cause of many problems. I'm not sure Congress has ever been the place of great speeches or debates - I don't think that's its role historically - but it has in the past been a seat of great power and its abidcated that. I listen to a podcast on movies from the 90s where they start every episode with looking at the front page of the NYT on the day of release - and even then, in the 90s, it is astonishing how much more Representatives and (especially) Senators mattered.

Nowadays lots of MPs are actually just reading for their social media channels so if you actually watch parliament it's not good. Lots of non-sequiturs and actually questions or arguments getting repeated to be clipped up for social media, lots of MPs now reading their contributions (an alarming number of which I suspect are now AI generated - which I think should result in an immediate by-election) - and also they've moved to more family friendly hours which means the Commons no longer really controls its own timetable (also Speakers are more likely to grant urgent questions etc filling the time they have) to just let a debate run as long as it needs which leads to the Speaker imposing time limits. So you get the slightly absurd situation of an important issue, like the withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Speaker limiting everyone to two minutes, then one minute, then thirty seconds.

There are times when it "rises to the occasion" but it's normally one or two speakers sort of compelling attention - and often because the occasion sort of demands someone rise to it.

It could get worse actually. I've seen 2024 intake MPs complain that they have to sit in the chamber to be called in a debate which gets in the way of them doing important emails/constituency work and they would like to move to getting appointed speaking slots (like the US Congress). There's also proposals to move to fully remote voting. None of which sounds good to me - I think it's kind of missing the point of the purpose of a legislature.

#4

Off the Record / Re: Iran War

Last post by DGuller - Today at 07:38:33 PM

This was impossible to foresee.

It's like Iran closing the strait.  How could one predict that?  You'd have to know what Iran did in the past to guess that and no one can predict the past.

In order to foresee problems with China, you have to be some incredible genius that knows fiendishly complicated things. Like that China exists and it may have some interest in shipping.

To be fair, fighting the last war is a very common mistake in war planning.  For all his faults, Trump didn't overlearn from the past wars.

#5

Off the Record / Re: Iran War

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 07:28:22 PM

Hasn't that been the purview of Russia, China, and their fellow travellers?

Yeah - also Latin American and Asian thinkers and politicians. A fair few Europeans (especially French) too. I have a bit of an old school third worldist view - I even specifically went to Bandung to visit the conference museum when I was on holiday in Indonesia (because I'm a nerd ) - so I'm not unsympathetic to a multipolar world.

But I also think what you think about it kind of doesn't matter - it is just reality. The single biggest fact driving this, and I think the central fact in our world is China. The "West" represented two thirds of global GDP in 1990, it's now about or just under a third - it's not our world anymore, which I think is a cause of a lot of our morbid symptoms. But I don't for one second mourn the demise of the 1990s, I think it was, to nick a bit of Auden, a low, dishonest decade.

Whether we are, as a world, capable of building something new and more enduring - and a more just, democratic distribution of global power - is uncertain but we're going to have to try because that's the world that's coming.  I think that is the challenge and I think Western countries need to be in a position to advance their own interests but also engage with the rest of the world as equals, who also have their own interests which we need to take account of and work with as equals.

#6

Off the Record / Re: US Exit from NATO?

Last post by Grey Fox - Today at 07:24:10 PM

While wrong, I think it's expected.

#7

Off the Record / Re: Iran War

Last post by Valmy - Today at 07:20:07 PM

I don't think it is that people are earning for a multipolar world as much as it is the United States voluntarily abandoning the advantageous position it had internationally, and now everyone else is doing their best to adapt to the new reality.

over the years I've heard lots of people pining for multipolarity tbh. They couldn't wait for US hegemony to be over. Well, here it is and it'll be a wild ride

Well if they are Euros, I just want to point out they have structured themselves as something similar to the Holy Roman Empire or Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and we have seen how those stood up to a cutthroat world of ruthless power politics in the past.

#8

Off the Record / Re: US Exit from NATO?

Last post by Valmy - Today at 07:18:32 PM

Yeah the idea that there is going to be intense debates over important legal, constitutional, and policy issues in the halls of Congress is just dead wrong.

#9

Off the Record / Re: Hungarian Politics

Last post by HVC - Today at 06:52:40 PM

Looks like your new health minister was a club kid

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXEj0Bcgocb

#10

Off the Record / Re: Iran War

Last post by Jacob - Today at 06:51:03 PM

over the years I've heard lots of people pining for multipolarity tbh. They couldn't wait for US hegemony to be over. Well, here it is and it'll be a wild ride

Hasn't that been the purview of Russia, China, and their fellow travellers?