That's why you should plan for the worst.??But you are correct Europe's hope of a benign Russia was misguided,as events have proven.It is foolish to rely on hope in politics.
The EU made it misguided by snubbing Putin's year 2000 approach about joining the EU, in part due to America's opposition to it. Of course a communist country could not have joined the EU since that is incompatible with the EU's target, but a communist country could have had one of the associated EEC style memberships.That's why you should plan for the worst.??But you are correct Europe's hope of a benign Russia was misguided,as events have proven.
Fear and expedience is why.And just out of blue, why has nothing ever been done about Turkey seizing a third of Cyprus? Has lots of parallels with Russia/Ukraine but no sanctions at all. In fact quite the reverse, arms embargo only recently lifted on southern Cyprus?? (They had to procure arms ftom Russia??, which is why embargo has been lifted, so they can relinquish Russian tanks etc to Ukraine and now buy Western arms??)
I, ll bet those Bayrakter drones have tested that friendship..The EU made it misguided by snubbing Putin's year 2000 approach about joining the EU, in part due to America's opposition to it. Of course a communist country could not have joined the EU since that is incompatible with the EU's target, but a communist country could have had one of the associated EEC style memberships.
That, plus the USA's policy of needlessly expanding NATO to Russia's border are why we have our present situation instead of friendship, so it's wrong to blame Russia for what the west caused.
Fear and expedience is why.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a personal friend of Putin, so despite Turkey being a NATO member they rejected the USA's anti missile system and bought Russia's one instead. Turkey also has all the secrets of the USA's latest B35 war planes and has long had the second largest standing army in NATO after America's.
So sitting in the middle in both camps they are in a very powerful position to help or hurt either. So over Cyprus the west has no option other than to please Turkey.
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Don't take any notice of that Greek propaganda, it's rubbish. As a tiny country they have a persecution complex over Turkey, always imagining they are under threat from Turkey.It's a crazy situation and reflects badly on EU when 2 of its members could quite easily go to war. (Greece and Turkey with Cyprus trying to keep peace between them)
A belated thank you for that information.Try The Conservative Woman website, or The Expose or Health Impact News.
Ah. Redacted!
9pm mon-thur
It is really not much different than what Blair and Brown did back in the day... . Their huge concern is to keep Sinn Fein from taking over Government. The remarkable thing is the fact that it has taken so long. The major distinction between FF and FG is what side their grandparents were on during the Civil War which erupted in 1922 and lasted a year. The differences between the two parties was never ideological ..both are broadly speaking Centralist . Once FG would have had more solicitors and bigger farmers .. sort of Conservative Lite ,and more socially liberal ..in the manner of the UK Anglicans and FF would have been the employees and farm labourer..but is much more likely now to be the local estate agent. We really don't have an equivalent to what used to be a UK Labour Party. ..Ireland's leaders have taken a leaf out of Russia's books, imitating what Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev did when they swapped the roles of President and Prime Minister to retain power by circumventing the rules.
In a first for the Republic of Ireland's political system following a previous agreement to swap places, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar will become Taoiseach of Ireland on Saturday, while Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin will become Tanaiste (deputy leader).
Hopefully the similarity ends there and the Republic will not go on to invade Northern Ireland in a "Special Operation".
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Indeed, but of course it means time is on their side. There does seem a certain inevitability about Sinn Fein's likely future success, both South and North.SF have plenty of very attractive policies on housing ..and this is appealing to the under 30 s , ..and their parents ..my generation who want to see our kids housed. However SF have selective amnesia ,regarding their behaviour in "the armed struggle"... That is something my generation cannot forget..or forgive.
In a way it is democratic if simply working on the principle of[URL unfurl="true"]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkVlUHQXEAESI_6?format=jpg&name=900x900[/URL]Tweet
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And the reaction from Melon?
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This all sounds terribly familiar
It's rare for me to side with a Tory government, but on this occasion I do.Who puts lives at risk? Steve barclay or the unions? What do you think?
I don't disagree with anything you say Flecc. But I do however believe the 4% offer is pathetic. The biggest problem as I see it is it was recommended by the independent pay review board (So far so good) but at the time the inflation rate was a fraction of what it is now.It's rare for me to side with a Tory government, but on this occasion I do.
What the health worker unions are up to at the moment is too often blatant blackmail, taking advantage of the chance to maximise disruption at the most vulnerable time.
The nurses for example are on a minimum of £34,000. plus more for all the extra qualifications they obtain. That is good money already, even in current rising costs, and their claim for a 19% rise is totally unreasonable.
Pointless too, since granting it will just trigger a "me too" spiral of similar claims from all others, putting everyone back into the same position as it causes the equivalent price rises.
As a nation we've repeatedly chosen a government who have impoverished the country to the point where almost all of us are going to be less affluent well into the future.
We now have to live with what we created.
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