- “Daily Covid cases surge 60% in biggest rise since Freedom Day” – Government dashboard data showed there were 61,900 new positive tests over the last 24 hours, up 58.7% on last week’s figure of 39,000, reports the Mail.
- “Where’s the outrage over Trudeau’s trip to Britain?” – As Justin Trudeau waltzed through the U.K., visiting Boris Johnson and the Queen, did anyone spare a thought for Canadians struggling under Trudeau’s authoritarian Covid power moves, asks Jane Stannus in the Spectator.
- “UK freedom protesters chant “F*ck Trudeau” outside Downing Street” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was dogged by protesters outside of 10 Downing Street on Monday, heckled for his continuing support of COVID-19 restrictions and his use of the Emergencies Act to quash peaceful demonstrations in Ottawa, reports True North.
- “Towards SARS-CoV-2 serotypes?” – The magnitude of immune evasion of Omicron raises the question whether it should be considered as a distinct SARS-CoV-2 serotype, according to a study in Nature Reviews Microbiology.
- “Take Off the Masks!” – Even with mandates finally waived, healthy Manhattanites show a seemingly inexhaustible appetite for fear and risk aversion, writes Heather Mac Donald in City Journal.
- “The story of how ivermectin was ‘cancelled’” – Kathy Gyngell in TCW Defending Freedom relays the depressing story of how Dr. Andrew Hill let down colleague Dr. Tess Lawrie and others when his review failed to recommend ivermectin for use in treating COVID-19.
- “Is the media still stifling the lab-leak theory?” – Science writers have become useful idiots, writes Paul D. Thacker in UnHerd.
- “New Pfizer data kills the case for universal child Covid vaccines” – A recent study of the efficacy of Covid vaccines for children in New York state provides a striking reminder of how rarely children and adolescents are hospitalised when they get Covid, writes Professor Jay Bhattacharya in UnHerd.
- “Africa’s food crisis pre-dates the war in Ukraine” – Revisionists are already trying to erase the impact of Covid policy on the continent, writes Toby Green in UnHerd.
- “‘Slippages’ in democracy? Justin Trudeau knows a lot about that” – What would invoking the Emergencies Act over a truckers’ protest be considered, asks Rex Murphy in the National Post.
- “Climate Obsessed Biden Administration Seeks Oil Deal with Venezuela and Iran” – No word yet whether Hunter Biden will join the boards of any Iranian or Venezuelan oil companies, writes Eric Worrall on Watts Up With That?
- “Why block energy wells just when we need them?” – While Putin’s rape of Ukraine creates energy insecurity, to deny ourselves indigenous production of shale gas is crazy green dogmatism, writes Charles Moore in the Telegraph.
- “Can the West afford an energy embargo?” – Any such action will severely damage Western economies, though America is much less exposed than Europe, says the Telegraph in this leading article.
- “Living standards ‘return to the 70s’ as household incomes will drop 4%” – Inflation could rise above 8% as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports the Telegraph.
- “War in Ukraine makes European recession almost inevitable” – Russia’s invasion has put rocket boosters under surging energy, fuel and food prices, meaning inflation will remain higher for far longer, writes Jeremy Warner in the Telegraph.
- “John Kerry: Putin’s Useful Climate Idiot” – Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine marks the end of the West’s Era of Illusions. It was an era in which Western elites obsessed about solving climate change because the climate crisis was far more dangerous than issues of war and peace and the stability of the international system, writes Rupert Darwall on Real Clear Energy.
- “What a second golden age for North Sea oil could do for Britain” – While Norway got rich off its oil reserves, Britain went cold on its own ‘golden goose’. Could the Russian energy crisis now turn the tide, asks Harry de Quetteville in the Telegraph.
- “Ignore the sniping – our war effort for Ukraine is something we should all be proud of” – Volodymyr Zelensky’s tribute to Boris Johnson will sting those who only care about sneering at the Government’s handling of this crisis, writes Allison Pearson in the Telegraph.
- “Ep 41. Inside Ukraine: Tanya Shelepko, Alex Borovenskiy, Bogdan and Pro English Theatre” – In a departure from the usual show the Real Normal Podcast is back with their friend Tanya Shelepko, and they find out what life is like in Kyiv in a bunker hiding from the Russian shelling.
- “Getting a sense of the Russian soul” – Looking into Russian genetics and history with Razib Khan on his Substack page.
- “Mentioning NATO does not make you a ‘Putin apologist’” – If you venture to suggest that NATO expansion has anything to do with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, you will be promptly informed that you’re a “Putin apologist” or that you’re peddling “pro-Putin talking points” (or some variation on this theme), writes Dr. Noah Carl on his Substack page.
- “The moral mess of banning Russian oil” – The U.S. ban on Russian oil will probably result in a closer embrace of countries and regimes that many Americans rightly loathe, writes Joel Mathis in the Week.
- “This energy crisis has deeper roots than Ukraine” – We are paying a heavy price for decades of policy failures, writes James Woudhuysen in Spiked.
- “Bully Bercow ‘should have portraits labelled like a slave trader’” – The former Commons Speaker is already facing a life ban from Parliament after an excoriating report today outlined his appalling treatment of staff, while one Tory MP suggests ‘explanatory plaques’ could be added to his portraits, reports the Mail.
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As a result of the hysterical response, obviously.
As per the now established pattern.
Looks like spaghetti hoops and Angel Delight back on the menu then.
Not forgetting Smash.
Smash with Goblin tinned hamburgers. One of my favourites!
Aberdeen Steak Houses, Mateus Rose, Blue Nun, Bath Chaps from Sainsbury and smoking everywhere.
And better films at the cinema, with great actors, a story, excellent dialogue etc…..like The Godfather (1 & 2).
Not action films full of pretty actors, relying on special effects and loud noises.
I watched an action movie the other night starring Liam Neeson.
One of the ‘highlights’ was the inevitably car chase.
Usual fare, modern American, V8, sports Coupe, smoking tyres, power sliding and pulling doughnuts in an attempt to keep up with…….A bin lorry driven by the baddie through congested urbane streets.
Pathetic doesn’t begin to describe it.
Marvellous!
We went on a nostalgia trip the other day and had Angel Delight for the first time in about 40 years! Wished we hadn’t. It was worse than I remember. In fact it was rank.
I don’t know if I’d fancy having any now. I am nostalgic for the 1970s though; I was happy then.
“As a result of the hysterical response, obviously.”
No. There are numerous reasons why inflation will get a grip.
Fuel prices at the pumps are climbing almost daily. Everyone will be affected, which means hauliers so the prices of all food and goods will increase.
Supply lines are choking particularly in Russia. Ukraine produces a huge amount of the world’s wheat and if their farmers cannot sow their seed in the next few weeks there could be famine in Europe next year.
Russia supplies much of our fertilisers and is a major supplier of potash. Russia supplies huge quantities of oil and gas which Europe cannot replace.
The problems go on and on.
The bottom line is that we face cold homes, probably food and petrol rationing and maybe even famine. Civil unrest seems inevitable in my opinion.
This is a reset and under Agenda 2030 billions have to die.
I think that what Mark meant is that many of the interruptions to supply lines, food shortages, the even more vertiginous price rises, etc will actually be the result of the “righteous” US -UK-EU govt actions/reactions to Russia”s special operation in the Ukraine; the trade sanctions, financial restrictions, etc, *not* an inevitable or immediate/direct result of those operations, even if obviously some parts of the Ukraine will indeed struggle to produce the usual quantity of cereals.
But yes, I agree that it does look as if the end result will be many thousands of millions ( or even billions ) desperately impoverished ( and some dying ) and the surviving majority (?) only too happy to accept a global digital ID-linked currency that will “save” them/wipe out debt.
And on top of the economic ruin from the Made in Government CoVid calamity.
“Inflation could rise above 8%”
RPI in January was 7.8%, the highest since March 1991. (When I was working for a Big 4 firm and got RPI + pay rises)
My phone bills are going up by more than that, my fuel bills by 53% on April Fools Day. A pint of milk just went up by 9%.
They blame it on Russia yet inflation was already going haywire before Ukraine was invaded only two weeks ago.
We are not stupid enough to fall for that crap.
Exactly!
Exactly. A couple of the news headlines in the Roundup which mention the Ukraine follow the same template/format, just like with the Covid story, blaming the virus/Putin for what are actually the consequences of US-UK-EU govt reactions.
And it does look as if this new phase of “crisis management” is going to drastically impoverish vast numbers of people … effectively preparing/priming them to gladly accept a new/digital ID-linked currency system that wipes out existing debt.
Quite so – neither the virus nor Putin caused the inflation. The cockamamie levels of utterly unwarranted ‘pandemic’ government expenditure has already seeded major rises in inflation (currently at 30-40 year highs in the US, UK and the EU) which will erode real wages and reduce living standards, and which our economic managers will attempt to control by lifting interest rates and increasing taxes, all of which are the precursors to a recession which will be be further deepened by the servicing of a stonking great ‘pandemic’ government debt through the giant financial Ponzi scheme of yet more government borrowing and money-printing (‘quantitative easing’). ‘Modern Monetary Theory’ I believe it is called i.e. damn the deficit, damn the debt, full-speed ahead with the printing presses. And Muggins worker will wind up paying for it all because we can’t squirrel away whatever wealth we have in assets, unlike our richer betters.
Economically, the ‘pandemic’ isn’t over – the worst is yet to come, exacerbated by the West’s daft and irresponsible foreign policy vis-a-vis Ukraine/Russia which triggered Putin to act. Complete economic illiterates, our ruling class but at least they get to look strong and decisive.
How curious it is to see all manner of governments declaring that the are, in effect, deeply flustered in the face of what was initially acknowledged as a “mild or very mild” illness for the vast majority of the population; and then exclaiming that they are shocked and appalled by the bleeding obvious fact that different nations have different strategic interests.
So flapping about hysterically while assuring us that they are doing their best, and furiously berating (or silencing ) those who disagree, is becoming par for the course.
it would be pathetic, if it were not so dangerous.
Yes – although inflation was almost inevitably going to reach in excess of 10% anyway. Now it will just do so a bit more quickly.
And I suspect worse than the 70s – the big difference now being the vast gap between average house prices and average earnings in many parts of the country.
A crash in house prices must surely come. It’s not been allowed for so long because it’s too big to fail, as far as our economy and ruling elites are concerned, but there comes a point where no matter how determined they are to maintain prices, the wherewithal to borrow to pay them just isn’t there, surely.
The ridiculous rise in house prices is just what is required to impoverish people.
As the mortgage rate climbs thousands of people will be unable to afford the repayments and the lenders will foreclose. Borrowers will lose their properties and the big financial institutions will snap up those properties for a pittance.
The borrowers will be forced to rent and will still have to service their outstanding mortgage debt.
All part of the reset.
My memories of the 70s include: inflation 22%; mortgage rate 16%; income tax 35% up to 83% in 5% increments; average wage settlements 14%; daily strikes in the nationalised industries; power cuts; three day week; increasing unemployment; flight of white and blue collar workers, professionals and the rich to other Countries; general air of gloom, misery and despondency.
How I long for those days.
That was in the days of a Labour Party with strict Socialist policies and a ‘Conservative’ Party which continued the same policies when it got into Office, so while that Parties swapped back and forth from 1945 to 1979, the policies didn’t… until the Blessed Margaret Hilda came along.
A reminder of the values “we” are standing up for in (well, at what “we” hope is a safe distance from) the Ukraine:
Exclusive interview with Dawid Pawlowski following his release from jail
“Dawid did everything else that the courts stated he was supposed to, including securing community service hours, but was being denied based on his vaccination status.
….
Since that time the Pawlowski brothers have endured, in these last two years alone, five arrests and three incarcerations each. You likely know that Pastor Artur is still in jail presently, as a result of numerous charges, but of particular note is the latest historical charge under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, which he received for daring to preach to the truckers at the Coutts blockade. He also has a litany of pending, often duplicative charges, many of which have also been filed against Dawid.
….
While a good portion of the contempt of court sanctions levied against Dawid were stayed pending an appeal, he did have to pay some penalties and do community service. The Pawlowskis feed and care for the homeless all week, but the judge said that this doesn’t count. Dawid worked to secure community service opportunities, but unfortunately most of the usual groups who accommodate court mandated works were denying people the opportunity based on vaccination status.
Dawid did everything else that the courts stated he was supposed to, per the upheld sanctions, and he was willing and trying to secure community service hours, but was being denied based on his vaccination status. Did his probation officer respond understandingly or try to help him? No, it was to be yet another dramatic roadside arrest for the Pawlowski family.”
“People like Art Pawlowski and Tamara lich, why are they being held in jail when criminals are let out on bail all the time.“
https://twitter.com/RebelNewsOnline/status/1501333138471264256
Those damned Russkies! This kind of thing would never happen in The West!
Mrs Sturgeon is demonstrating that she is ahead of the curve in setting priorities for government. Pardoning all those women executed for witchcraft between 1563 and 1736.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-60667533
Her response to Covid came from the same time as those executions
Ye Gods, does this woman never stop with her woke agenda.
Scotland banished witch persecution largely through education. Education was one of the benefits of a wealthier society. Wealth was largely generated by industry powered by fossil fuels, the very means of development the west is denying developing nations by punishing them with climate change legislation.
Allow developing nations to prosper by the same means the west did, instead of pulling up the drawbridge, and they will deal with the problems of persecution the same way Scotland did, and without the condescending virtue signalling.
News from Reignite Democracy Australia that QANTAS flight crew are challenging vax mandates.
The word ‘cardiac’ appears frequently in the list. I wouldn’t want to be the poor bugger who got an infection when the jab went into the tendon, either.
https://www.reignitedemocracyaustralia.com.au/qantas-aircrew-adverse-reaction/
Good thing I don’t fly these days – some of the in-flight adverse reactions listed should be enough to scare anyone into staying grounded.
Will the High Court be free enough from Vaxx mania to see reason in the pending court case? The judiciary has failed at every challenge throughout the Covid baloney (with just one judge seeing sense on the Novak Djokovic affair before he was trumped by his peers) so I don’t get my hopes up. But God speed to the Qantas litigants who are taking the Flying Kangaroo on.
You’re ‘avin’ a larf, encha?
It’s only going to “sting” someone gullible enough to fall for the emotional manipulation in the first place. If you’ve the maturity to resist that, then you’re no more likely to pay attention to more of it than those who saw through the similar covid manipulation were “stung” by the witterings of those who ranted at them for being uncaring granny killers etc.
Righteously angry, perhaps. “Stung”? Not a chance!
Stupid woman.
So the cases go up again… What’s their plan again? Go back and start again?
Or is that the plan… More injections… Another new wave…
I’m concerned this isn’t over…
Concerned? We all should be because they’re just warming up.
Yup
Their plan is to milk whatever they can out of the remaining 22 days during which the government committed to making tests available at the taxpayer’s expense to anyone willing to take one and then see where this gets them.
As I already wrote in an older comment: Covid tests should be classified as class A drugs as they’re obviously both highly addictive and very damaging to society.
Mass formation
I can’t wait for them to say keep your masks on otherwise Putin wins.
I can’t wait for them to claim masks protect against radiation from nuclear fall out and we should wear them preventatively to show to Putin that it would be pointless to fire nukes because we all have our masks on.
Don’t give them ideas!
It was reported a few days ago that Khan claimed that London was ‘prepared’ for a nuclear attack. Perhaps muzzles were what he had in mind? Because obviously face nappies would be highly effective against bombs which shred everything for miles around.
You’re running a story on the Russian ‘soul’ by looking at their genetics and history? Why not just get into the phrenology while you’re in the process of separating them from the rest of us.
Ironic that the author is a guy named Khan. He might want to look at his own genetics and history before he starts going after the demons du jour.
Saudi, Emirati Leaders Decline Calls With Biden During Ukraine Crisis
[Paywall]
“The White House unsuccessfully tried to arrange calls between President Biden and the de facto leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as the U.S. was working to build international support for countering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and contain a surge in oil prices, said Middle East and U.S. officials.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the U.A.E.’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined U.S. requests to speak to Mr. Biden in recent weeks, the officials said, as Saudi and Emirati officials have become more vocal in recent weeks in their criticisms of American policy in the Gulf.”
So the price of sustaining the US’s tantrum against Russia over the latter’s US-style response to US policy will be more slaughtered Yemenis? No doubt the great and the good of the US sphere will be perfectly happy with that. After all, we’ve already established that an illegal war waged by Russia is “unprecedented”, a “game changer”, “Actual Badness”, unlike all the illegal and/or immoral wars waged with US approval.
Although it might just be that the arab autocrats don’t want to waste time listening to a senile old fool dribbling at the other end of the phone….
Fortunately, the US has its military eyes firmly on the ball.
Though obviously not the right one:
Destroyer can’t deploy because CO won’t get COVID vaccine, Navy says
The laws of unintended consequences strikes again……..
The saga of fighter jets to the Ukraine
As far as I can make out, it went something like this:
28th Feb: EU apparatchik announces plan for former WP NATO states to donate their old MiGs and Sukhois to the Ukraine to make up for the ones destroyed by Russian forces (one was shot down over Kiev from 150 miles away by an S400 based in Belarus!) Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia reported to be up for it.
But by Tuesday 1st, the countries concerned, who had obviously thought about the likely consequences for them (unlike EU apparatchiks, who never have to worry about actual consequences of their supposedly clever plans) were denying it.
EU Plans to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine Fall Apart
But virtue signalling Yank politicians, even further away than Brussels, loved the idea. After increasingly desperate appeals from Zelensky, by this weekend they were pressuring the Biden regime to facilitate the idea, and on Sunday the US regime announced they were “working with Poland as we speak to see if we can backfill anything that they provide to the Ukrainians“.
After thinking about it, helped in their concentration no doubt by a rather pointed strike by Russian cruise missiles at the Ukrainian airport at Vinnitsyia in western Ukraine on Sunday, the Poles said: “erm, ok, tell you what. We’ll send our jets to you in Germany and you can pass them on to the Ukrainians.”
“The Polish Foreign Ministry said that Poland is “ready to immediately transfer all their MIG-29 planes free of charge to the base in Ramstein and place them at the disposal” of the US government.”
https://news.antiwar.com/2022/03/08/poland-says-its-ready-to-give-fighter-jets-to-us-to-supply-ukraine/
After thinking about that for a few hours, the US decided it wasn’t such a good idea after all:
“The Pentagon on Tuesday evening pushed back against an announcement by Poland proposing a multinational fighter jet swap that could bolster Ukraine’s air force……Kirby’s response came hours after the Polish government kicked off a furious scramble Tuesday when it suggested “immediately” sending all of its Fulcrums to Ramstein Air Base. The news came as a surprise to U.S. officials despite negotiations on the issue that have been ongoing for several days.”
All in all, a pretty good summary of the incoherent and ultimately ineffectual virtue signalling/buck passing response of the US sphere to this war.
EU Plans to Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine Fall Apart
US secretary of state confirms plans to supply Ukraine with fighter jets from Poland
Ukraine officials confirm 8 Russian missiles struck city of Vinnytsia far from front line, airport destroyed
U.S. Lawmakers Pressure Biden to Help With Transfer of European Aircraft to Ukraine
Poland Says It’s Ready to Give Fighter Jets to US to Supply Ukraine
Pentagon says Poland’s fighter jet transfer offer not ‘tenable’
As an addendum, Scott Ritter:
Scott Ritter
@RealScottRitter
Replying to @VeraVanHorne
Ukraine has established a “safe haven” airfield in Romania, probably in concert with CIA assistance. Ukrainian SU-27’s have taken refuge here, and sortie out, entering Ukraine through radar gaps over the Carpathian Mountains. The Polish Mig-29’s will likely deploy to Romania.
https://mobile.twitter.com/RealScottRitter/status/1501349968912732161
Note that Ritter’s suggestion here is that the Su-27s are actually operating from Romania.
Seems unlikely there are any operable bases in the Ukraine anyway for the Mig-29s to operate from, so transferring them into the country would be pointless.
If there are actually Ukrainian jets operating in the Ukraine from a Rumanian base, that’s an act of war against Russia by Rumania, and a significant escalation, and it’s possible the Russians might choose to respond by taking that base out (by cruise missile strike from the Black Sea most likely).
That will put us on the brink of WW3.
For that reason, I personally doubt Ritter’s story is correct, but it can’t be wholly ruled out, if the opinions of some that there are US deep state types actually intending war are to be considered.
“Putin’s rape of Ukraine” (Charles Moore).
If this is rape, what verb do we use for what we did to Iraq and Libya?
The hypocrisy truly stinks!
I rather like this analysis of the Ukraine situation, by Eugyppius:
https://www.eugyppius.com/p/ukraine-and-the-global-american-empire
And this one too, from Gold Goats ‘n Guns, is very interesting:
https://tomluongo.me/2022/03/06/thanks-putins-war-ukraine-race-great-reset/
And this from The Saker site ( “A bird’s eye view of the vineyard”, which is I believe a reference to the awesome first chapter of Isaiah in which he rages about the state of the world, the corruption, etc ), a fairly comprehensive update on developments in the Ukraine up to two days ago with interesting commentary:
https://thesaker.is/major-military-and-political-developments-and-major-risks-next/
There’s usually at least one update per day.
An extremely interesting analysis of the ongoing accelerating process of dedollarisation that is occurring, by Michael Hudson:
http://thesaker.is/america-shoots-its-own-dollar-empire-in-economic-attack-on-russia/
And the latest piece by Pepe Escobar:
https://thesaker.is/russian-judo-tears-the-west-apart/
Which ends by saying:
…. “The key issue for the whole Global South to digest is that the “West” is not committing suicide. What we have here, essentially, is the Empire of Lies wilfully destroying German industry and the European economy: so easy when you have Brussels ventriloquist dummies to help you do the dirty work.
To destroy the European economy means not allowing extra market space for China, blocking the inevitable extra trade which will be a direct consequence of closer exchanges between the EU and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s biggest trade deal.
The end result will be the US eating European savings for lunch while China expands its middle class to over 500 million people. Russia will do just fine, as Glazyev outlines: sovereign – and self-sufficient.
Michael Hudson has concisely sketched the lineaments of imperial self-implosion. Yet way more dramatic, as a strategic disaster, is how the deaf, dumb and blind parade towards deep recession mixed with near-hyperinflation will rip what’s left of the West’s social cohesion apart.” ….
?!?!
And finally, for now
the latest from the RealSlog:
https://therealslog.com/2022/03/08/tit-for-tanktions/
Which begins with a rousing:
“You’d think, would you not, that if you were going to hunker down for a long-term game of stereophonic sanctions, you’d work out beforehand who stood the best chance of living with the hit, had the deeper pockets, and the best supply of raw material self-sufficiency to go the distance. But as the Ukraine situation morphs into an odd mélange of atrocities, sanctions and negotiations, the Anglophone and EU powers don’t seem to have thought such ramifications through.
Judging by the Western market reactions thus far, the sanctions aimed at Russia seem to be causing panic and tanking on myriad levels; whereas Vlad the Unspeakable is quietly turning off the odd energy tap here and there….while threatening bigger things to come. Once again, however, one gets the sense of observing wooden-topped puppets with one set of aims, and more powerful dystopian string pullers with another agenda entirely.”
And ends with:
“In the meantime, by this time next year the world economy will be flatlining, National Treasuries will be empty, inflation will be at 30% and all State pensions or benefits will have disappeared for good. Putin will be further vilified and isolated, and the time will be ripe for Stage Five: the digitalisation of cash. Because surely we can all see, cash will be so worthless by that point, we should have a Great Reset? No? …
… .[ maybe ] the minority of Nazissistic maniacs will come to grief some time during the ‘inflation will be at 30% and all State pensions or benefits will have disappeared for good’ part of the prelude to Stage Five outlined above. But a great deal depends on the degree to which the triple-vaxxed will have the life-force energy left to turn nasty.”
Western national treasuries have been empty and digging a hole for decades
We’re all finally going to fall into that hole because there is nowhere left to stand.
Precisely!
This piece by Michael Hudson makes that shatteringly crystal clear:
http://thesaker.is/america-shoots-its-own-dollar-empire-in-economic-attack-on-russia/
“Nobody thought that the postwar 1945-2020 world order would give way this fast. A truly new international economic order is emerging, although it is not yet clear just what form it will take. But the confrontations resulting from “prodding the Bear” with the U.S./NATO aggression against Russia has passed critical-mass level. It no longer is just about Ukraine. That is merely the trigger, a catalyst for driving much of the world away from the US/NATO orbit.
The next showdown may come within Europe itself as nationalist politicians seek to lead a break-away from the over-reaching U.S. power-grab over its European and other allies to keep them dependent on U.S.-based trade and investment. The price of their continuing obedience is to impose cost-inflation on their industry while subordinating their democratic electoral politics to America’s NATO proconsuls.”
Interesting. Bully Bercow, who I think hasn’t a blackface party trick, rightly gets richly-deserved condemnation, yet the Tyrannical Trudeau, another species of bully on a scale which makes Bercow a mere small time amateur, gets the Royal treatment. The UK has sunk very low.
The difference is, Bercow bullied sensitive parliamentarians so something had to be done.
The public? Not so much……..
Britain’s shame:
“UK Prime Minister
@10DowningStreet
United Kingdom government organization
Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily Putin must fail in his invasion of Ukraine.
The world is united in condemning the invasion and taking action.
#PutinMustFail”
https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1501496336197341188
Leaving aside all the issues over hypocrisy, posturing etc, it’s so shameful that there are essentially zero consequences for formally asserting such an obvious outright lie. Not only is “the world” nowhere near “united in condemning” the US-style Russian response to US policy in the Ukraine, but the governments of nearly half the world’s population have outright refused to cooperate with the self-harming and counterproductive sanctions.
And oh look, there’s the world’s 6th most populous country adding its voice to those of the 1st, 2nd and 5th in refusing to join in the chorus of sanctimonious hypocrisy on Russia/Ukraine:
Brazil Won’t Take Sides Over Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine – Foreign Minister
#UKregimelies
“Ignore the sniping – our war effort for Ukraine is something we should all be proud of” – Volodymyr Zelensky’s tribute to Boris Johnson will sting those who only care about sneering at the Government’s handling of this crisis, writes Allison Pearson
My only care is it is none of our business and the great cost to me of Johnson poking his nose in with NO benefit to me.
As others have noted above, a lot of the suffering to come was already baked in by the consequences of the panic response to covid, and by general economic mismanagement, but nevertheless the consequences of the hysterical US sphere reaction to Russia’s US-style response in the Ukraine to longstanding aggressive US policies are likely to be dramatic in themselves, especially coming on top.
Cost to the UK Economy of the [reaction to the] Russian Invasion of Ukraine – a scenario analysis
Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd
“This is not meant to be even a worst case set of assumptions. At time of writing most spot commodity markets are actually above the prices assumed and the threat of an oil embargo by Russia, with the potential to raise the price of oil possibly to $300, is not addressed in this report.
…
Based on our scenario analysis which assumes a high transmission of sanctions to global commodity prices and UK inflation, we estimate that GDP growth this year will be halved – down from a previously forecast 4.2% in 2022 to 1.9%. And growth in 2023 is reduced from 2.0% to 0.0%. The reduction in real GDP in 2022 is £51.4 billion; that in 2023 is £42.5 billion. Cumulatively this is a reduction in GDP of more than £90 billion.
The main channels for these impacts are the rising cost of living, a reduction in consumption and reduced exports because of sanctions on Russia.
The effect of higher commodity prices reduces the level of disposable income by 1.9% in 2022 and by 2.1% in 2023. As a result we estimate that disposable incomes will fall in 2022 by 4.8% with a further fall of 1.4% in 2023. The fall in 2022 is the largest since records started in 19551 . The forecast fall in living standards this year is an estimated £71 billion – which amounts to £2,553 per household. The part of it due to invasion of Ukraine is about half – £35 billion (£1,259 per household) – but there is a further reduction from this source in 2023 of £29 billion (£1,043 per household). The combined effects of sanctions and slower world trade growth reduce export growth in 2022 by 2.1% and by 0.5% in 2023. Export growth was previously predicted to be 3.0% this year and 0.4% next so these combined impacts more or less wipe out the predicted export growth. Inflation by Q4 2022 is likely to be 4.1 percentage points higher than we previously forecast.”
[Emphasis added]
Brits again to suffer the consequences of allowing their leaders to do and to support stupid and evil things in their names for decades, and for electing scumbags into office
So it’s true. The US has bio labs in Eastern Ukraine! The US are worried about the biological materials falling into the hands of the Russians. So presumably biological weapons! This should be front page news in a normal world!
GB News has the story: Dr Hans Mahncke discusses alleged US biolabs in Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DdnqSSR3kk
Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has “Biological Research Facilities,” Worried Russia May Seize Them
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/victoria-nuland-ukraine-has-biological?s=r
MOSCOW, March 9. /TASS/. Research conducted in US laboratories in Ukraine corroborates US illegal and criminal activity in that Eastern European country, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Sputnik radio station on Wednesday commenting on the corresponding statement by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.
“Yesterday, Victoria Nuland, in response to a question by American legislators, confirmed the existence of not just the laboratories in question but, as they actually call it, research. And she uttered a remarkable phrase – that is, the very body of evidence that was needed, which we now have – that they [the US] were doing everything so that these materials wouldn’t end up in Russia’s hands. We don’t have to guess what kind of materials those are, there is nothing to guess here anymore. These are the materials that prove the US’ illegal and criminal activity on Ukrainian soil,” the diplomat said.
Earlier, Nuland said that Ukraine has facilities where biological research was being conducted and Washington was working to not let them fall into the hands of Russian forces.
Russia offered the US cooperation in the sphere of biological experiments yet their laboratories on post-Soviet territory are classified and were created to develop additional challenges and threats to Russia, the diplomat added.
“We were ready to send specialists, and delegations that consisted of the representatives of various agencies. All of this was shrouded in mystery, all of this was classified. Naturally, this did not imply any cooperation on their part, <…> because all of this was directed not towards developing responses to new challenges and threats but towards creating new challenges and threats directly against our country and against our population,” she specified.
“If it is not stopped now, in the future it will all spin out of control and <…> will be brought to heel exclusively by those extremist forces that essentially, it seems to me, cannot even be brought to heel by themselves anymore, not to mention by anybody else,” the spokeswoman added.
Earlier, Igor Kirillov, who heads the Russian army’s radiation, chemical and biological protection force, reported that a network of over 30 biological labs was formed on Ukrainian soil on the orders of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the US Department of Defense. According to him, on February 24, they were all instructed by the Ukrainian Health Ministry to completely destroy biological agents located in the laboratories.
http://www.danielgreenfield.org/2022/03/the-left-goes-full-orwell.html?m=1
Worth putting ATL too.