egg

Good point. I was listening to "not 19 forever" by the courteeners yesterday and it'd sound shit if they made the lyric "you're not 19 years of age forever". I'm very proud that I figured out what the song was about without the added clarification.

Ink

I can't speak for others, but I couldn't give a monkeys about the politics of Venezuela, or your opinion about it. It's sunny outside mate, go out and enjoy it.

Lost

Money

The alternative view is that it's a crazy country where people get more upset when someone who beats coppers up, including females, gets a bit back (ok, a bit too much) than someone beating coppers up, including females.

The focus here is Ukraine, not the sea, you know that. I don't think Ukraine are better placed than Russia to replace dying men. You've had strong opinions throughout. How can this end on the ground, in Ukraine? Do the west support a war of attrition ad infinitum? How can Ukraine win? Please explain.

There's a reality to address and hoping ain't realistic. Trump is a reality. He'll hang Ukraine out to dry. That leaves the rest of NATO to either fight or fold. It won't get that far imo, but like it or not, something has to give to make this end. Hitler only went after a world war. That won't be allowed to develop here.

So the only way this ends on the battlefield is a nuke or dirty bomb. Right you are. I'm still waiting for a sensible suggestion of how this ends in the battlefield. Not one person who feels that's the way it'll go can come up with one. It'll be resolved around the table. Pre the US election is my guess - neither the West nor Ukraine will risk Trump exposing us to a wider war.

That's a very simple answer SoG. They're not trained in every specific situation, and there's always something that happens in the field that tests them. Sure, we'd all hope that we'd have handled it better, but on any assessment, that was an awful situation and I don't believe that anyone could honestly say that they know how would have handled that. For what it's worth, even in the context of the situation, he'll lose his job for the kick, and the stamp will see the pension gone.

The context to this was known from the outset, yet we were led to assume that the copper just randomly booted and stamped on the fella, with the insinuation being it was racially motivated. Completely inappropriate and unhelpful. The "victim" was a wrong un and we should have known that from the off.

How does anyone know how they'll react in an extreme situation like that until they're in it?

There's a lot of hope on there, and although I take the point re Afghanistan, this is altogether different and more important to Putin. I think there's more chance of the west walking away form Ukraine (especially if we get Trump) than Putin walking away from it. I hope I'm wrong.

His estimate refers to a registered office which seeks to suggest that he's trading via a limited company but that appears not to be the case. Regardless, he's gone bust at a creditors instigation - avoid like the plague mate.

What training gears you for being attacked left right and centre, and seeing your lady colleague getting a beating? Sure, he shouldn't have booted the bloke, but I can now understand why he did.

You previously felt they'd run out of resources. They haven't. Let's just assume you're wrong and they won't run out of resources (I have no idea if they will, but my suspicion is that they won't - India etc will carry on buying their oil), how does it end militarily? Russia won't concede, so do the west carry on (and up) the support to help a Ukrainian victory, or something else? I'm genuinely interested to understand how people feel that this can realistically end on the battlefield.

Jesus. Context and all that.

The latter is a smaller Cyprus solution as I mentioned above. If that's not a negotiated settlement, what is it? If you agree with me and SoG, wtf is your point?

There's always an end. Everyone wants a Ukraine victory, and Putin's downfall, I'm not sure anyone sees that as likely on the battlefield, and if the west won't risk a Russia victory, and nobody wants WW3. There ain't any option but settlement but I'm all ears to other alternatives that I'm missing.

What about his main point...how does this end if not by negotiation? All the nonsense up there basically points to a war of attrition or WW3.

What happened in other conflicts is irrelevant. This will end in a negotiated settlement. If we get Trump, he fucks over Ukraine. That leaves Europe to tackle Russia alone, or back down. That ain't happening, but Ukraine ain't winning this, and the West won't sponsor this forever. . I've yet to hear anyone say how they see Ukraine winning this, or that they feel Russia will (or be allowed to). It'll compromise in a smaller Cyprus way. Only other comment is that curmudgeon is underused.

Stein

Agreed re the latter, although it's clear that many don't see that. Re the former, a mod resorting to personal nonsense on a forum that already has far too much of that isn't helpful imo.

Milwaukee

You write as if it's just Russians being led to believe a particular version of reality. Sure, they're lied to, but don't kid yourself that we're told the truth. Poor form seeing a mod resorting to insults btw.