After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Boris Johnson vowed that Western sanctions would “hobble the Russian economy”.
In March, Liz Truss as Foreign Secretary announced 65 sanctions and fiercely declared: “Putin should be under no illusions. We are united with our allies and will keep tightening the screw on the Russian economy to help ensure he fails in Ukraine. There will be no let-up.”
But six months on, while we are paying the price for the invasion with a crippling cost-of-living crisis, locals in Moscow are upbeat.
Liz Truss. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
The irony of her last name will be lost on some I’m sure.
In point of fact, she is one “T” short of Trust!
Yes, she’s one T short of Trust, but there is another supporting definition.
Boo! Booo!
Well … at least she’s suitably homely for a Brit politician. She checks that box.
And let’s not forget, Dour!
This won’t end well, being on the wrong side of the Ukraine war/action/ invasion/lesson.
Correctomundo
She won’t be waving her handbag about like the real Mrs. T did.
It says a lot about the reality of the situation that they can even get bananas in Moscow. That the price of them is down, that’s just hilarious given all the huffing and puffing from various heads of state.
Ecuador, Columbia, and Guatemala export bananas to Russia…while they export their excess people to the US.
Lots of countries do business with Russia. Point is, you can still get a ship full of bananas into a Russian port. Not much effect for all the sound and fury on TV, right?
Oh Noes! Ukraine is no longer the Current Thing! – /sarc
Ukraine is about to get the Czechoslovakia 1938-1939 Treatment (as opposed to the Czechoslovakia 1968 Treatment). Western Europe does not want to freeze to death in the dark this Winter for Ukraine. Poland and Eastern Europe will support Ukraine because they know the evil of Russia firsthand. But Eastern Europe is a bunch of poor, small nations without much power; just like Ukraine.
The key will be what US President F. Joe Biden’s Brain Trust decides. If it decides? Can it decide?
Well, Americans won’t freeze in the dark over this. How long will the Eurotwits continue to take orders from POTUS Grampers, when it’s the Euroweenies paying the highest price for American DeMarxist warmongering belligerence, to protect their own corruption?
At some point European politicians are going to have to decide between helping their citizens or continuing on with their current ideology.
1) A choice between green, intermittent energy or reliable, affordable conventional baseload power. Plus a choice between restrictive, green agriculture policy or reliable, affordable conventional agriculture.
2) A choice between continuing a war that they are clearly losing because of policies like those in point 1 or choosing to make a tactical retreat for “the greater good’ until they can fix their economic and trade policies.
Both the war and green Net Zero policies are going to have to be sacrificed due to social unrest and the unfolding humanitarian crisis. The sooner politicians realize they need to change course to ease their citizens suffering, the better. It’s blindly obvious that politicians have forgotten that their primary allegiance belongs to their citizens, not to international organizations and big corporations.
3 option: to provide even more weapons to Ukraine such as MBTs, self propelled artillery systems, fighter aircraft, and helicopters, etc
My understanding is that Ukraine is running out of soldiers, especially ones trained in high tech equipment and aviation. If politicians continue along the current path it looks like the Ukraine war will be quagmire instead of a victory. I doubt the UK and Europe politicians will have the public support to increase financial and military aid to the Ukraine while their own citizens suffer from intense food and energy poverty. Snazzy slogans and nudging won’t fix cold homes and hunger. Politicians have spent all of their political capital.
It’s a Wicked Problem:
“Design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber coined the wicked problem phrase, in 1973, to emphasize the complexities and challenges of tackling planning and social policy issues. A wicked problem is a societal or cultural issue that is difficult or impossible to solve due to the following reasons: incomplete or inconsistent knowledge, the large number of people and views involved, the significant economic burden, and the interconnected nature of these issues with other issues. Some problems that fit the definition of wicked problems are death, famine, floods, political instability, and disease.”
Just saw a Fox News report today that cited how Ukraine was WINNING!! … that they’d taken back two towns … and are pushing the Russians back on their heels. What a JOKE of Western pro-War propaganda.
As I understand it, the Russians have been waging a war of attrition, while not risking their own. They are grinding down the Uke military remosrelessly.
6 months ago Mighty Russian Army was 15 miles from Kyiv center. Held Kyiv’s airport. Had a armor column 40 miles long. US State Dept was offering shelter and the Pentagon talking a decade of guerrilla war.
Now for first time I’m 600 years the Ukraine begins a offensive on Russia.
Russia should of wiped out Ukraine potential to even hold on by now.
Huh.
Ukraine is learning net centric warfare. HIMARS has pushed back S300/400 into Russia. HIMARS has pushed back Russian aviation and helicopters.
Ukrainians are using drones to get the closer Russian air defense system to turn on their radars, and waiting Ukraine jets fire US anti radar missiles down their throats.
Russians can’t touch them.
Front line Russians have very little air support.
Ukraine drones can see 30-50klm into Russian lines. Especially at night.
Drone to artillery time for Ukrainians is down to a few minutes.
Russians have to guard 1,200 klm. Ukrainians can mass anywhere.
This is the same problems the Japanese had in WW2. They had to guard from New Guinea to Alaska. Allies could mass anywhere.
Ukrainians are 6 months in and they are attacking against dug in defensive Russians.
Winter is coming and Russians troops will be even more poorly equipped.
Those cost money. Who knew that basically, Russia is busy demilitarising not just Ukraine, but the entire West! If Russia can use 10% of its mitary resources to drain NATO munitions amd equipment down to the levels if Somalia, well that requires a serious self-reflection and reconsideration of how NATO countries elect their leaders. I mean, really, Trudeau, Truss, Macron, Biden … vs Putin? WT-everlovin’-F??? Who are the complete f-tards in yhe West who thought voting these buffoons was a better choise than populist leaders who were devoted to, oh I don’t know, keeping the lights on, keeping the price of gas low, and allowing people to keep more of their money???
Yeah ….
The military industrial complex that coerced this war is on it.
Making billions and billions, as Sagan would say.
Sure Joe, doubling down on Failed policies and actions always works out well, doesn’t it?
It’s well past time to admit, the west’s ill conceived propaganda and actions, once again, have turned out to be spectacular failures.
Liberals and DeMarxist governments, let’s not forget who is responsible for these failures.
Peaceniks at home (until recently), warmongers overseas. Pierre would be slapping Justin around the Harrington “Cottage” woodshed over this.
Dan
I’m not recommending they do option 3. But it is one that could happen. Push people into a corner (especially in a war, or a lead up to a war) and you’re never sure what will happen.
And it’s too soon to say if the policies have failed. For example: Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan was initially “sucessful’ but turned out how?
And the US in Afghanistan? Initially successful but how did it turn out?
And the US in Iraq? Initially successful but how did it turn out?
And I agree that there is lots of propaganda coming out from both sides, and both sides have agendas such that I think it will take years for the truth to come out. Do I trust the media reporting on Ukraine? Not a bit.
The Ukes aren’t mujahdeen. They’re not driven by Islam and tribalism.
Cool. We’re good. Thanks for elaborating.
And yes, it would be apropos for the idiots in DC to even triple down on their failed policies. Didn’t stop their embarrassing, and weak surrender in Afstan.
Thucydides
Agree they are not mujahdeen, but the Ukrainians remember decades of Soviet rule; mass killings by Stalin etc.
The West’s best bet is to declare victory and sue for peace. I expect the Ukes would be quite relieved too. Maybe we can then trace all the money and weapons that have disappeared. Of course the moronic neocons and dementocrats in the USSA will not abide by this, at least as long as there remains a Ukrainian.
USSA will not abide by this, at least as long as
there remains a Ukrainianthey can continue to launder and steal money.“It’s blindly obvious that politicians have forgotten that their primary allegiance belongs to their citizens…”
I would say it is more that these Euro/Lefty politicians -hate- their citizens, always have, and that the citizens are finally waking up to it.
Say what you want about the Nazis, at least they pretended to love Germany and the German people.
Politicians have gotten far too comfortable with lectures, threats, surveillance, coercion and force to control citizens. They act like overlords not public servants.
I no longer recognize Canada. It’s certainly not the country I grew up in and felt loyalty to.
Agreed. This country is nothing like it was in the 60’s and 70s. In those days a kid could take the bus to the YMCA for sports, go the the CNE alone, or ride his bike all over town all day long.
Now? When was the last time you saw a kid alone on a bus? Teenagers travel in groups.
Loyalty to their international class, not to their nation.
When do the Peace Talks (read: terms of surrender) begin? When does Bidinh’s bungled withdrawal begin? When is Zelensky … disappeared?
When you can’t get bananas in London Washington DC and Berlin. That’s when.
The Banana Republic of Trudopia won have any either!
Zelensky will disappear to the villa on the Italian coast that he recently bought.
As opposed to his $35 Million Florida villa? Damn, that Nazi sure has things tough!
When Trump gets re-elected.
The Clinton, Obama, Biden, and Bush crime families have far too much to lose if the Ukraine gas pipeline grift is exposed. Biden is desperate to keep that grift going and the truth behind the medical labs concealed.
Perfect illustration of just how little the “people-in-charge” understand how the world’s economy works.
No, it is a perfect illustration of how little people reading and writing the news understand how the world’s economy works.
Boris Johnson and the West’s scuttling of the Istanbul Peace Deal is really looking more and more stupid and short sighted.
For the record. I am Pro-Ukraine, because I remember what happened to my Finnish brethren in 1938-1940 at the hands of Russia and Stalin. Ukraine 2022 is not much different in my eyes.
But I am also a realist. Western Europe is acting in the same dilettantish, elitist, overbred, self-righteous manner they did when dealing with Nazi Germany from 1933-1940. Remember that Britain’s “Leadership” did not pick Churchill for PM until just before France, Belgium and Holland fell to the Nazi Blitzkrieg in June 1940. We are still in the Neville Chamberlain leadership phase.
Europe and the West are still in the ineffective, politically correct, half measures, appeasement phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The US under Tapioca Brains Biden is not any better. Justin Trudeau? Canada? He abandoned Ottawa and ran away when a few hundred truckers with bouncy houses showed up to peacefully assemble.
This is a war that never should have happened, and competent Western Leadership could have prevented.
The cost of food comparison is easily explained: One essentially fascist nation has surrendered the remnants of reason, liberty, and capitalism to the death cult theocracy of Greenpeace and the other essentially fascist nation has not.
I still can’t get the idea out of my head that this war is being pushed by the WEF and their cronies. They want Europe and north America on their knees so they can step in and “SAVE” us, under their conditions of course.
We know that a lot of WEF alumni have infiltrated US & Canada Government, new UK PM Truss is WEF also, as is a number of the UK cabinet. along with multiple European governments. The WEF Holland gov, is still fighting it’s farmers, and who knows what else the WEF are manipulating behind the scenes. We’ve just had “Plandemic”, we now have war, and economic hurricanes are on the way…. Wasn’t there four horsemen? Oh, yeah, pestilence, they do want us to eat bugs, and famine, That should arrive this fall or winter. I guess the bug eating takes care of the famine part somewhat. I’m also of a mind to declare there is a fifth horseman, the Politician! I realize I’m playing loose with the original definitions, but geez we are entering a world of pain and hurt, and all of it done deliberately!
For your history lesson today, review the following terms:
Potemkin Village
Maskirovka
Useful Idiot
Go on, travel to glorious Pootinistan in the new Lada (bring your own radio):
https://www.motor1.com/news/593367/2022-lada-granta-no-airbags-abs/
You can get one with the Gruz 200 certificate.
Back in the 80s Polish communists started a short lived yet famous publicity stunt and were crowdfunding sleeping bags for the homeless in New York. A couple of days later a famous ad slipped pass censors in the mainstream daily paper, it read: “Will trade an flat in Warsaw for a sleeping bag in New York.”
Lol look at SDA praising price controls and socialism.
Good luck with that.
For those that can’t understand cause and effect, Alan, bad policy and poorly thought out “sanctions” have a boomerang effect.
The shortages and inflation are caused by self-inflicted wounds, resulting in too many dollars chasing items of rarity. Inflation 101.
You still don’t realize it, your ideology gets in the way of reality, along with your friend Colonoscopy. All the west had to do, was honour the 1990 treaty, keeping Ukraine a neutral country. But no, POTUS Grampers and his cronies and handlers are so much smarter.
Welcome to today. The Ukraine action is a spectacular failure, only the final defeat and capitulation remains, including bye bye Volodomeer the Nazi phallic piano player actor.
What 1990 treaty?
Maybe you should review the Budapest agreement:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum_on_Security_Assurances
I see you’re back out from under your bridge, now that the ivermectin story is safely down on page 2 of the blog.
Personally I’m mocking the Brits and the Germans for the fact that Russians can still get bananas at the store. Sanctions for the win! They really showed ol’ Pooty-poot, eh?
Yeah ….
The military industrial complex that coerced this war is on it.
Making billions and billions, as Sagan would say.
Inflation preceded the war. That’s the fact that everyone keeps telling Joe Biden but he’s too dumb to understand. Remember the thing about doubling or tripling the money supply along with falling production. I wonder if that maybe caused the inflation? It looks like Russia is suffering from deflation. The only thing worse than inflation is deflation. The Russian economy might be grinding to a halt.
Biden does not understand or comprehend anything beyond his favourite ice cream flavour.
His handlers are badly misinformed ideologues, just like our own crony, incompetent LIEberals. They have the opposite Midas touch, everything they do blows up in their face, while we, the general population pay the price for their incompetence.
Russia is not suffering from deflation, the ruble has been gaining value. The knock off effect is that foreign goods are cheaper to purchase due to the more favorable exchange rate.
Pegging a currency introduces its own set of problems. The biggest one being if you hold Rubles, it’s hard to find a buyer at the official rate.
The mental contortions of the Rabid Russia haters is truly mind boggling, and indeed indicative of the same sort of mental imbalance that the left suffers from.
So full of hatred that they are blinded to reality, and are fine with seeing their fellow countrymen starve and freeze so long as it results in the death of a Russian, in much the same way that the left is happy to see us all suffer in the name of Climate Change.
Truly disgusting people.
Follow the link and read the comments. I didn’t know whether to laugh or ROFL. Most say this will spur investment in renewables. It certainly has spurred investment in space heaters and wood burning stoves.
It was investment in renewables that created the energy problem.
Back in April the USSA/NATO/UK said NYET to a peace deal after having made the assessment that the Russian forces are weak vs. the NATO armed and trained Ukrainian forces and any day now will fold. Any day now.
The question is how close are the Russians to folding. The way to find out is to send another 20,000 young Ukrainians into the meat grinder. Those in Europe cheering them on are also making sacrifices by turning down the thermostats and taking fewer showers.
Oooh, that smarts.
While it provides a lot of fodder for comments sections there is one point folks seem to forget. The troops or soldiers either nation might be running low on ( depending on who you ask) are actually people’s sons and daughters, mothers, fathers etc. If this stupid war can be ended with diplomacy, it should be. Chances are another six months of bloodshed will buy us the same negotiated settlement anyway.
The Soviets have a long history of setting food prices.
“Cheap” food is not much of a help when there is none to buy outside the black market.
Also, you have to be very foolish to think in terms of sanctions, while Britain – and most other Western economies – are suffering the penalty for Covid and Climate panic.
The hyperfocus on Ukraine-policy is looking very similar to the other panics.