The Political Thread

[The Legendary Shark]

RT's reporting it as a missile strike on a factory.
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[Old Tankie]

Yep, it's just been confirmed.  Major nuclear strike launched from the Mars area, apparently aimed at a group called "The Gullibles".  Now, where did I put my old Army-issued NBC suit?

[Dandontdare]

RT's reporting it as a missile strike on a factory.
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Ukraine is one area where I wouldn't trust RT one iota - they're still peddling the line that all those identically uniformed Russians with tanks and missile launchers are 'civilian volunteers'

[The Legendary Shark]

I only remember that the former Ukranian ruler didn't want any IMF loans and didn't start a civil war whilst this new lot accept all the loans they're offered and have soldiers killing their own people.
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The only thing of any importance is that people are dying and neither side is telling the whole truth. As usual.

[Hawkmumbler]

I second Adam Hills suggestion that Islamic State be renamed Combined UNited Territories of Syria.

[The Legendary Shark]

I would rather call them humans who disagree with other humans.

[Hawkmumbler]

If that was all they where then I'd agree. But murderers are below that.

[Famous Mortimer]

The only thing of any importance is that people are dying and neither side is telling the whole truth. As usual.

Yes yes yes

I'm a bit of a leftie, and meet people from all sorts of wacky groups at meetings and on demos and so on - the people who say, still, that we should be cheering on Putin because he's at least not friendly with America is more than I expected (more than none, in other words).

[Theblazeuk]

I only remember that the former Ukranian ruler didn't want any IMF loans and didn't start a civil war whilst this new lot accept all the loans they're offered and have soldiers killing their own people.
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The only thing of any importance is that people are dying and neither side is telling the whole truth. As usual.

And they have soldiers from Russia killing their own people, and some of their own people killing their own people.

[The Legendary Shark]

Well, somebody's killing somebody. I don't suppose it really matters who or why - whether someone's shot by a Russian, Ukrainian or Western Mercenary they're just as dead.
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I know, I know; that's not very useful.

[JayzusB.Christ]

- the people who say, still, that we should be cheering on Putin because he's at least not friendly with America

Now that's just ridiculous.  A warmongering megalomaniac is a warmongering megalomaniac,  even if he doesn't come from the countries you're supposed to hate more. 
The older I get,  the less time I have for 'devil's advocate' political discussions,  where provoking extreme reactions takes precedence over discussing one's genuine opinion in an honest an open-minded way.
I remember listening to a young Lithuanian clown rabbiting on about how communism (which he could scarcely remember) was better for his country,  while sitting in Copenhagen airport (where he would not be sitting if the USSR hadn't collapsed).

[maryanddavid]

I worked with a Lithuanian man for years, a man in his late fifties, he had seen a bit, a very interesting man. His view was that both Communism and Democracy were crap.
Under communism, everyone worked, pensioners got there pensions, no one was hungry. He had no personal freedom, if you got any sort of minor promotion there was a gaggle of people that were jealous and more than willing to hang you to get the position. There was a real atmosphere of 'fear' (his word) there was someone always out to get what you had.
Democracy for him was the biggest disappointment, he got personal freedom of expression and travel, but the trade off was mass unemployment, privatisation of state assets to former communist party/police meaning a very few people got very rich and pensions and public services were cut to the bone, resulting in huge immigration for the country. So he was not a fan of either.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Fair point,  and I think he's right - I find myself leaning more and more towards a system of enlightened anarchy, impractical as it is in the world we know.  I just think the young guy I knew was talking out his proverbial for effect,  not having had the experience of communism and benefiting quite well from capitalism,  not least using his freedom to study in a foreign country and travel the world in general.

[ZenArcade]

Why not give communism a go; it's never truly been tried before. Z

[Professor Bear]

Neither has democracy if we're honest.