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Richie said:
Please explain Thomas. Not a criticism, merely a query.
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I was referring to this ( from the thread What/Who am I, 24 Jan):
Richie said:
Yes do tell as I try to avoid politics. You know whoever you vote for that they wont follow thru on even half their promises. MOST POLITICIANS ARE PATHOLOGICAL LIARS.
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I'm sure you are aware that your statement includes a fair amount of disenchantment with politics. What I'm not sure about is whether you are also aware of the implications.

Most politicians are pathological liars is not a critical statement for it is way too general and, thus, helps those who are discontent with our current liberal democracy and aim to replace it. It is no wonder that politician-bashing is one of the key elements of right-wing populism in Europe and the US. (Is it in AUS, too?) Again, no one would object to a constructive criticism of the work of a specific politician, group of politicians, or policy. The problem is sweeping condemnations of the political class as becomes apparent in your statement. This is what constitutes the political and ideological strategy of populism. Populism is divisive, it tries to establish camps, it creates irreconcilable differences between "us" and "them", "We, the people" versus "them", the corrupt elites like politicians, government, governing bodies, experts, the rich, the governing class, etc.pp. This is part and parcel of Trumpism and what his followers say and write the world over. Think of the Seniors...Forum in which they are gathering.

This is a rough outline of just one major element of populist speak, of their mindset, and framing and I was surprised to see your statement, mate. Do you really believe in that?
 
Richie said:
I think the only solution to avoid quitters is to reintroduce conscription. Two years national service for say 18-25 yrs single men (women?).
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I'd second that since that's the only solution. It'll have to include women this time.
I didn't have a choice, If I didn't want to go to jail, I had to serve in the armed forces. I was drafted aged 19 for 1.5 years to be trained as reconnaissance scout in a tank regiment using an armoured vehicle. Later, as a reservist, I was trained as a long-range recon scout operating behind enemy lines.
 
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looker-on said:
I was referring to this ( from the thread What/Who am I, 24 Jan):


I'm sure you are aware that your statement includes a fair amount of disenchantment with politics. What I'm not sure about is whether you are also aware of the implications.

Most politicians are pathological liars is not a critical statement for it is way too general and, thus, helps those who are discontent with our current liberal democracy and aim to replace it. It is no wonder that politician-bashing is one of the key elements of right-wing populism in Europe and the US. (Is it in AUS, too?) Again, no one would object to a constructive criticism of the work of a specific politician, group of politicians, or policy. The problem is sweeping condemnations of the political class as becomes apparent in your statement. This is what constitutes the political and ideological strategy of populism. Populism is divisive, it tries to establish camps, it creates irreconcilable differences between "us" and "them", "We, the people" versus "them", the corrupt elites like politicians, government, governing bodies, experts, the rich, the governing class, etc.pp. This is part and parcel of Trumpism and what his followers say and write the world over. Think of the Seniors...Forum in which they are gathering.

This is a rough outline of just one major element of populist speak, of their mindset, and framing and I was surprised to see your statement, mate. Do you really believe in that?
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I am not a right wing populist and abhor left wing populism. I guess I have always been somewhere in the political centre. I have tho often been a non conformist, never one of the sheep plus have always said what was on my mind which has often gotten me in some bother. That is my nature.
Most politicians are pathological liars, they use lies as a tool to fool the electorate to vote for them, then back down when they are safely ensconced in government.
 
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I don't like extreme political ideologies either, especially the globally growing far right ones. They're a worry.
Australia is tough on these groups recently making it illegal to wave a Nazi flag. Tee shirts too I think. We're punitive on them like we try to be with our criminal Bikies in WA.

Thomas, add your thoughts Craig, we don't have a big number of populists in our Oz. Most are far-far right like Hanson, Kelly, Christiansen, Roberts, Cullerton, ... most antivaxxers and climate change deniers..,
and a smattering of independants with more a personal agenda like our Tassie tough lady Jackie Lambie who bats very well for military folk (her own background) and topical social issues. I like her, and some other independents too. I feel they add valuably to our Democratic process. Even the Loons too in some ways. "What not to embrace!":eek:

I swing a bit left politically and Craig a bit right and that's fine. What's ironic is that I'm a Monarchist and Craig is definitively not which is contrary with the norms of our political leanings. That's funny, and fine. We're individuals with our own minds.🙂
 
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Grier said:
What's ironic is that I'm a Monarchist and Craig is definitively not
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Why is that ironic Terry. You are a monarchist, probably because your birth home Northern Ireland is part of the UK, I am a Republican because I figured wrongly that I was born in a free independent nation. Not one that clings to its colonial past like a limpet to a rock. Such as our archaic constitution which places a foreign monarch as our head of state. I find this bewildering for a nation that became independent almost 125 years ago. I cringe at all our national and state emblems that still carry the flag of a foreign nation, many institutions, including military that bare the prefix royal, also when I see HMAS emblazoned on the sides of Australian made ships, etc etc.
 
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He's done his time and should be returned to Australia imho.
I like us having a close alliance with the US, but well know of their many scurillous acts they hate having brought into public focus.
I agree he did put some clandestine operatives in danger but feel the Yanks have overplayed that aspect. Regardless, he's done more than enough time in his self imposed exile, and has failing health.
Bring Julian Assange home I say.

Assange_large.jpg
 
looker-on said:
Putin is a wake-up call.
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..and China the way it is aiming to envelope the entire Pacific. I have to say I dread the Commies more than Mad Vlad. Two years and he is not even remotely close to taking Ukraine. China simply by its huge population, which translates to a massive military machine could over run all of Europe in two years then take the South Pacific, including Australia. This scenario is without nukes of course and if the US military machine was so thinly spread due to involvement in other theatres of war.
 
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Richie said:
..and China the way it is aiming to envelope the entire Pacific. I have to say I dread the Commies more than Mad Vlad. Two years and he is not even remotely close to taking Ukraine. China simply by its huge population, which translates to a massive military machine could over run all of Europe in two years then take the South Pacific, including Australia. This scenario is without nukes of course and if the US military machine was so thinly spread due to involvement in other theatres of war.
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They are both evil since they are enemies of the free world. Don't underestimate Putin. He has been advancing in Ukraine and may be closer to taking it than you think. Have you followed recent news? China has no military ambitions in Europe, has it, but is a severe threat to the South Pacific. Fortunately, it hasn't waged a war in recent times except the one against Vietnam which it stopped. Any attack on Taiwan will be the touchstone. Hope it won't happen.
 
looker-on said:
Don't underestimate Putin. He has been advancing in Ukraine and may be closer to taking it than you think. Have you followed recent news?
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Finger to the pulse, that is me mate. Two years and Mad Vlad troops have taken virtually no new territory other than a few Donbast towns. This new town that Russian troops now occupy, I believe their first in a year since Mariopol, was practically handed to them by the Ukranians. Velensky needs to conserve his dwindling supplies until additional ones arrive. He does keep saying that Crimea is still his main objective. Will it happen , even with F-16 jets, is unlikely if Republicans in the US Congress continue to delay $billions of promised military aid to Ukraine. G7 nations may have come to the rescue tho by pledging additional military hardware, incl long range missiles to reach Crimea and well into Russia, which should greatly help their cause. F-16s and LRBMs, plus the will and spirit of the Ukranian people. I say dont under estimate Zelenskys Ukraine.
 
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Richie said:
I say dont under estimate Zelenskys Ukraine.
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I don't but Ukraine has been on the retreat for some time. Selenski for the first time admitted publicly that the offensive failed mainly due to the extended defence including massive minefields, and the endless resources of the Russians. Experts agree that if it goes on this way, Putin will win this war. No game changers to be seen on the horizon even if F16 and SRBMs were delivered.
 
General Grant's central strategy in the US civil war was very simple - kill as many rebel soldiers as possible (within the rules of war) and a political settlement must follow. Shoigu's is almost certainly now the same, after the initial strategy of winning by intimidation failed. Nobody's going to say so, of course. About a year ago Ukraine's couteroffensive finally ran up against solid defences (the Russians are adept at falling back to the next river, and don't panic over lost ground). At that stage of the war, some Ukrainian leaders were even talking about winning the same way Grant did - they must have believed the casualty ratios that were then being touted. At this stage, it's probably right to say that two brave and determined armies at the same level of skill are fighting a long war, and the more numerous army is winning. I think that the Russians can keep advancing as long as they have the advantage in manpower, transport, artillery and drones. They do have these advantages now and they are unlikely to lose them. Russia lost the ability to defend major river crossings a long time before this war even started, so there's a limit to where they can go.

looker-on said:
extended defence including massive minefields
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I have an mpeg far too big to share here and far too grim, which was taken by Wagner drone over a minefield. Five Ukrainian soldiers lose limbs on camera in the time that drone hovers (20 or 30 minutes, max? - clip pre edited). The thing is, the mines are intelligent. You could hit them with a shovel and they wont explode, but put your weight on your foot near them as if you were walking normally and they will.
There's a continuous shot of a soldier trying to get onto the ramp of a parked APC. He sees there's a mine in front of him, and probably more than one in the area because he is determined to go up the left side of the ramp. So he empties a clip from an assault rifle into the mud in front of him, barely 2m away, and nothing happens. He then lays the empty rifle on the mud and walks on it. The mine goes off but the port and trigger bits take the blast and it looks like he gets away with a sprained or broken ankle ( he climbs onto the vehicle and it drives away).
Another man, a medic, crawls over a small fresh crater to get to a patient. You can tell the crater's a day or so old, no litter of any kind. Probably an 82mm mortar fired by Ukraine. He puts one knee on a mine and loses both legs. The mine was slammed into the ground by a good sized explosion and still worked. Four more incidents, all in the space of a few dozen hectares and presumably less than an hour.

I was just going to post this photo and it turned into a manifesto...
 

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It's the eleventh hour. As a confirmation of what I wrote above, Europe is now buying shells and ammunition in bulk from all over the world since they realise that there's no time to lose. Why so late? The answer is not exactly comforting.
Ukraine's defence and the assistance by the free world during the past two years has enabled Ukraine to buy itself time and may have deterred China from attacking Taiwan.
 
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looker-on said:
and the endless resources of the Russians.
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Yes such as recruiting murderers and offering them their freedom. Also using impressment or forced conscription via intimidation and physical coercion. Despite sanctions and several being damaged, their factories continue to churn out as many weapons as they are losing. Hate to admit it but it does look like the brave Ukranians are facing defeat, perhaps not this year or the next, unless NATO steps in to stop the war mongering tyrant.
 
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