UPDATE We got an expedited date to “reclaim” (appeal) against the suspension of the case, on 25 September. We shall also be reclaiming against the decision not to send the case straight to the Inner House.
All parties seemed to agree there may just be time, if our appeal is successful, to finish the Scottish judicial review before the Supreme Court meets on 4 November to hear the English case.
While the UK government did not oppose the timetable for the appeal, they will be opposing the appeal itself. One argument they used again is that the closed (secret) process for “intelligence” evidence may need too much time for the hearing to go ahead.
In the course of this argument the UK government’s lawyers revealed that there is a five-day process after the Court of Session reaches its verdict, for the security services to vet the judgement before it is published. All the lawyers just took this as completely normal.
It is not normal. In a case about human rights and excessive power of the state, the security services get to vet what the judges can say? It is astonishing. What kind of society have we become?
Today was a win in that we have the quick appeal and still the possibility of a judicial review. Another way of looking at it is that it is yet more Lawfare and leads to yet another expensive hearing, still without having the actual review. But we will fight hard now because this is the crunch and I will very much be looking for people to come and support at court on the 25th.
UPDATE ENDS
I have never been so coldly angry as I am at Lord Young’s further suspension of the Scottish judicial review of Palestine Action, now until after the Supreme Court decision in the English case.
The grounds given – the public cost of the judicial review and the management of judicial resources – are ludicrous. The costs in Scotland alone of police time in arresting and charging hundreds of people as terrorists for supporting Palestine Action, the costs of the courts that will try them all, and the potential public cost of keeping scores of people in jail as terrorists, will run into many millions. This massively outweighs the costs of a three-day judicial review to decide the legality of all this.
Lord Young granted the judicial review on the explicit grounds that residents of Scotland whose human rights were being infringed in Scotland were entitled to seek a remedy from a Scottish court in Scotland’s separate jurisdiction. He ruled this was irrespective of the existence of proceedings down in London, in another jurisdiction. These were already well underway. Lord Young ruled this…
I am satisfied that it is appropriate to grant permission for this judicial review to proceed in Scotland notwithstanding the existence of English proceedings which are at a more advanced stage. As a matter of principle, a petitioner who has standing and whose petition sets out arguments of sufficient merit to satisfy s27B(2)(b) of the 1988 Act should not be refused permission because of the existence of parallel proceedings in another UK jurisdiction. The petitioner claims that his legal rights have been illegally circumscribed by the 2025 Order. He is entitled to look to the courts of his place of residence for a determination of that complaint…
Any decision in England could not found a plea of res judicata in Scotland. A Scottish court would not be required by precedent to follow any decision of the High Court in England. There had been a number of recent examples of important constitutional challenges proceeding in parallel in Scotland and England.
Since the granted permission for the judicial review in January, I have been five times in court trying to make the review actually happen. It has been postponed again and again in a deliberate delaying tactic. It has been postponed so that secret “intelligence” evidence might be heard in secret court sessions that I am permitted no information from. It has been postponed by a series of suspensions granted to the UK government by Lord Young pending developments in England.
Our petition for the judicial review was submitted last October. The review was granted in January. Dates were set for March. Since then it has been simply delayed and delayed and delayed.
At one stage the review was postponed by Lord Young for three weeks so that the Advocate General could appear in person to argue for a suspension – after he had initially refused two motions for suspension. The Advocate General made no new arguments, cited no new precedents, but in a sickening deference to executive authority Lord Young granted the suspension. In which Hell we have been stuck ever since.
We have spent over £200,000, raised from over 2,000 individuals, on multiple court appearances to try to get things moving. That is even without counting two costs awards looming over our heads from procedural motions to get things moving, which Lord Young ruled against and in the UK Government’s favour.
This is not just Lawfare by the government – an effort at constant delay, delay, delay and a deliberate tipping of the review into a procedural morass where no progress is ever made. It is Lawfare in which the judiciary is complicit with the executive. If Lord Young had no intention of allowing a Scottish judicial review before the English case is decided by the Supreme Court, he ought never to have granted permission in the first place. Instead they have exhausted our resources, financial, intellectual and emotional, by enmiring us in a process it is now clear there was never any intention of bringing to a conclusion.
Everybody already knew the English proceedings were at the Court of Appeal and going, either way, to end up at the Supreme Court, at the time Lord Young granted permission to proceed in January. Had he stated then that he was granting permission to proceed, but only after the Supreme Court had decided the English case, we might have given up and not spent £200,000 and nine months of my life. It has been a form of judicial entrapment in which Lord Young has been, at the kindest possible reading, extremely accommodating to the UK government and utterly indifferent to the ordinary Scots seeking to challenge them.
Tomorrow we appear before the Inner House of the Court of Session to discuss – only – whether an appeal against Lord Young’s suspension of the review can be heard on an urgent basis, or whether the appeal will take place in normal time – which would probably mean after the Supreme Court hearing anyway.
Here is Lord Young’s latest decision in full:
COS-P1017-25 Pet: Craig Murray for Judicial Review
Halliday Campbell WS Office of the Advocate General
25 August 2026 Lord Young
The Lord Ordinary, having resumed consideration of the opposed motion of the petitioner to recall the sist granted on 28 May 2026 and to invite the Lord Ordinary to report the whole cause to the Inner House; refuses same for the reasons set out in the note appended hereto; thereafter, sists the cause pending the outcome of the Supreme Court decision in Ammori v SSHD; and grants leave to reclaim the interlocutor of 25 August 2026.
Andrew Young
Note
- By any interlocutor of today’s date, I have re-sisted the cause on the respondent’s motion and have refused the petitioner’s motion to report the whole cause to the Inner House in terms of rule 34.1(1). As with a similar motion heard on 14 July 2026, I shall grant leave to reclaim against this decision.
- A summary of the procedural position is set out in the Note appended to the interlocutor issued on 14 July 2026. On that date, I refused the petitioner’s motion to recall a previous sist granted on 28 May 2026. That sist subsequently ended once the determination of the onward appeal in R (Ammori) v Secretary of State for the Home Department was determined by the Supreme Court. Miss Ammori was granted permission to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court and the substantive hearing before the Supreme Court has been fixed for 4th & 5th November 2026.
- I was addressed by senior counsel for the petitioner and respondent on 20th August 2026 in relation to further procedure in this cause. At the request of the special advocates previously appointed, I allowed a period for written submissions to be made by the special advocates.
The special advocates subsequently informed the court that they did not wish to make any submissions on further procedure.
- The petitioner opposed the respondent’s motion to renew the sist pending final determination of the Supreme Court’s decision in Ammori. It was submitted that these proceedings had been the subject of repeated delay instigated by the respondent which was contrary to the objective of speedy determination of judicial review proceedings. It was no excuse that these proceedings were delayed by the closed material procedures and need for special advocates. It was incumbent on the respondent and special advocates to act with alacrity to enable the speedy determination objective to be satisfied. There was no rule of court expressly allowing the sist of judicial review proceedings. The court should refuse the sist as incompetent.
- The petitioner renewed his motion, previously made in July, that this court should report the whole cause to the Inner House with a view to the Inner House hearing argument on the merits of the petition and answers. In this way, a Scottish appellate decision could be issued and would be before the Supreme Court when hearing the Ammori appeal. There was a distinct Scottish dimension since individuals in Scotland were being prevented from expressing support for Palestine Action. Differences could be seen in the approaches adopted by the police and prosecution authorities in Scotland compared to England. A main plank of the argument in favour of proscription had been sentencing remarks made in Sheriff Court proceedings. In the absence of an express “leap-frog” provision in Scotland, rule of court 34 should be utilised to enable Scottish input into the Ammori proceedings before the Supreme Court.
- The respondent sought a further sist until the issue of the Supreme Court’s decision in Ammori. The reasons for the sist had been articulated on previous occasions and remained valid. It was likely that many of the issues raised by the petitioner would be finally resolved by the Supreme Court. If the appeal was successful before the Supreme Court, that would bring these proceedings to an end as the respondent accepts that the decision would be given effect in Scotland. If the appeal to the Supreme Court was unsuccessful, it was still likely that several of the major issues would have been resolved leaving any residual issues to be dealt with in these proceedings. The efficient use of court time and the avoidance of unnecessary costs justified the further sist. The sist was competent under the inherent case management powers of the court.
- The motion seeking to have the case reported to the Inner House was opposed as being inappropriate. There was no precedent for a whole cause to be reported in order that the first substantive determination was by an appellate court. The petitioner was assuming that the Inner House would have the capacity to hear argument and issue a decision in advance of the Supreme Court hearing. Such indications as the respondent’s agents had from court administration was that court availability might be an issue. The petitioner was also assuming that the Supreme Court hearing, which had been fixed for two days on the assumption that it was only dealing with an appeal from the Court of Appeal, could accommodate input from a Scottish perspective.
- It was not the primary position of either party that the present proceedings should proceed at this stage to a substantive hearing before me.
The petitioner’s request to have the whole cause reported to the Inner House was recognised by senior counsel to be innovative. I accept that the lack of a precedent should not exclude the benefits of such an approach being evaluated. Judicial review proceedings which do not generally involve significant disputed factual matters could, in theory, be more amenable to a leap-frog approach than other types of proceedings. However, the unique nature of this motion does cause me to hesitate. Unless and until there is guidance from the Inner House as to the situations in which the Inner House would be willing to hear causes in the absence of a decision of the Outer House, it is difficult for a Lord Ordinary to assume the role of gate-keeper for the Inner House. As the respondent pointed out, there are many practical issues which the Inner House are best placed to consider. I have decided that the appropriate course is to refuse the petitioner’s motion to report under rule 34.1 but to grant leave to reclaim so that the matter can be placed before the Inner House for its re-consideration, if the petitioner so wishes.
- I shall grant the respondent’s motion to re-sist until the Supreme Court issues its judgment in Ammori. This remains, in my view, the most expeditious way to resolve several of the critical issues. Any issues which remain to be resolved after that decision has been issued, can be focussed for determination in the present petition. I consider this course will minimise legal expense and the burden on the courts’ resources.
Ultimately, this will secure the speediest final determination of the issues which the petitioner raises.
- I shall make no order in relation to the adjustments recently intimated by the petitioner. I anticipate that a further period of mutual adjustment may be required but that will depend on the terms of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Andrew Young
25 August 2026
So Lord Young’s plan is that the Supreme Court should consider the judgements of English courts only, and then decide for the whole United Kingdom, leaving any Scotland only issues to be considered by a subsequent Scottish judicial review.
His idea that a Scottish judicial review held after the Supreme Court judgement will be “speedier” than a review held before the Supreme Court judgement is an interesting defiance of the normal concept of time.
He has given up on his earlier justification of “comity” with the English courts now that he can claim he is acknowledging the superiority of the Supreme Court – but with no Scottish input. His argument boils down to this and this only. It will be cheaper not to have a Scottish judicial review. He has no other point.
In which case, why grant one in the first place?
The £200,000 we have spent on this case has been entirely eaten up by Lord Young and the UK government on procedural rubbish. The court has so far heard nothing of the Genocide in Gaza or of the arrest of respectable pensioners in Scotland just for opposing that Genocide.
The court appears determined to keep it that way. They are simply avoiding a confrontation with the British state. A Scottish court is not going to find the ban legal and proportionate. That woud set up a political and constitutional conflict which the Scottish judiciary do not want. So they find ways to avoid the question.
The Scottish government is also deliberately avoiding conflict with the UK over Palestine Action. The decision to charge the alleged Palestine Action activists as having a “terrorism connection” in spray painting Trump’s golf course in Scotland is sickening. The conflation of some spray paint with terrorism is simply ludicrous. The British state has distorted the word “terrorism” beyond all rational meaning.
But it has to be noted that this is not a UK government decision. It is a Scottish decision by the prosecution – the Crown Office, which is under the Lord Advocate. The Lord Advocate is not only appointed by the Scottish Government, he is a minister in John Swinney’s SNP cabinet. They have decided to press the terrorist connection.
It should be remembered that the SNP did not vote against the proscription of Palestine Action in parliament. They have not used their control of Police Scotland to instruct the police to deprioritise arresting old ladies for holding placards, when there is no shortage of more obvious crimes in Scotland, like burglaries which go uninvestigated.
One key point in our case is that the UK government consulted nobody – not one person – in Scotland before the proscription of Palestine Action. They did not consult the Scottish Government, Police Scotland or the Scottish Counter Terrorism Strategy Board (Contest). They consulted the Israeli Embassy, weapons manufacturers, Jewish groups and even a Lebanese Christian group – but no Palestinians. And not Scotland.
The papers in our judicial review have all been copied as it goes along to the Lord Advocate’s office, at his request. The Scottish government could have intervened to support us. The Scottish government is not arguing that it should have been consulted over the proscription, as it has responsibility for police, courts, prisons, and human rights in Scotland. It is not arguing that Scotland is a separate legal jurisdiction and there is a right to a separate Scottish judicial review.
It was open to the Scottish government to intervene to argue those things. They have declined to do so. It is plain to me Swinney supports the proscription of Palestine Action and has no interest in the independence of the Scottish legal system..
It was recently revealed that the Scottish Government has continued through Scottish Enterprise to funnel funds to the Israeli weapons industry in Scotland. We know that in past ministerial positions Swinney gave government money to Israeli settler company Eden Springs to compensate them for boycott losses, and ordered the removal of teaching materials on Palestine from Scottish schools. That is without mentioning the continued cover-up of the content of Angus Robertson’s Scottish government talks with the Israeli Deputy Ambassador.
Like all those trying to take any action against the Genocide in Palestine, I have run up against the all-encompassing resistance of an amorphous but suffocating Establishment. I had naively hoped to demonstrate that the corrupt nexus is less complete in Scotland. I have instead proven the opposite.
The institutions of western democracy are revealed as a sham. Justice is a lie. A court which will not defend the citizen against an authoritarian state, but defines its role as merely the will of that state, is not an instrument of justice. It is a mere instrument of state power.
I am not putting out a call for people to come to court tomorrow Tuesday, because it is only looking at the timetable and may only last five minutes, and we have no firm start time. However I shall be there from around noon and am not discouraging company if anyone wants to join me.
The fight goes on because the alternative is surrender to rampant authoritarianism. I shall let you know how we get on in court this time. I am not going to request more donations to the legal fund until this procedural hurdle is cleared.
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Trump to send ICE agent to polling stations come the Mid-Terms – to intimidate voters.
https://consortiumnews.com/2026/09/14/confronting-ice-at-the-polls/
Back to the good old days – can’t have the wrong people voting or the people voting wrong.
Watched A Video of Palestinian Woman..Walking with young Girl held ny Hand…Evil Irael Shot her in Head..Child ran away… Excues UK USA Ect
link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn5dlq35v2xo
He has No intention.. A
Stop kidding Us
…Proves he’s Fake
2031 HAHAHHA
I see the gigantic, bloated Capitalist Zionist Cockatrice ( Isaiah 14:29: “Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.” ) has been at large again.
This time it’s venom has been directed at the artist Macklemore, who had been the support act on anodyne wimp Ed Sheeran’s U.S tour until fanatical Israel Firster Oligarch – Robert Kraft – declared him unclean, unkosher, a contemporary Amorite guilty of uttering the ultimate, most heinous blasphemy…..’ Free Palestine ‘ from a stage in front of a large audience. And lo the sinner was cast into the pit of the rejected.
That Sheeran, already an extremely successful/wealthy recording fartist, so easily buckled under the threat from Kraft – and some other Ziogarchs – to ban Macklemore from performing at his ( Kraft ) stadiums tells us, well, nothing we didn’t already know, ie that money doesn’t just talk, it shouts, screams, swears – none more hysterically than Zionist money: and that the overwhelming majority of current pop stars, actors, sportsmen/women are too career/wealth-minded to utter a word of condemnation, or even mild criticism, of anything the sadistic apartheid State of Israel does: assuming those celebrities are even remotely interested in what’s going on in other parts of the world, outside the luxurious, golden cages they inhabit. We’ve come a long, long way from ‘ Masters Of War ‘, eh?
‘ You fasten all the triggers for the others to fire
Then you set back and watch while the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion while the young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies and is buried in the mud ‘
Kanye West tried, and look what happened to him as a result; subjected to the Commercial/MSM equivalent of electro-shock treatment. He seems to have survived that treatment, but as a Black Randle McMurphy-like character. Moral…..don’t diss the Zionist Oligarchy
If this is the visible kind of power they have; just think the degree of invisible ( to the public ) power they wield.
On current trajectory it will become impossible to utter a word of criticism of the Zionist Entity. Or, at least, to do so will incur ever more extreme punishment. Doncha just love our great Western Liberal Demockracy?
Ed Sheeran nobly pronounces he ‘won’t take sides’ on the Gaza Genocide.* Yet he campaigns and fundraises for Ukraine.
* even though he’s worn the zionist ‘blue square’ badge on stage and has cancelled Macklemore for saying Palestinian life is valuable.
Yes, Z. ‘ not taking sides ‘ = taking only Israel’s side. Oh, and, of course, that other Holy Land – Tellytubbyland East.
Supporting Ukraine isn’t considered being political by figures like Ed Sheeran, Bono, JK Rowling and co, or by organisations like the Premier League, because it’s naturalized by the US/EU Axis of Genocide. Same reason why so many celebrities join in smearing opposition to the Gaza Genocide as antisemitism. They take their lead from the ruling class on all matters because they know it’s no cost and all reward. Sheeran has seen how and why Bono is lauded as one of the world’s great champions of human rights.
Quite so, compadre. Bono – tedious Eirehead and annoying prick – has also spoken at that bastion of not-at-all-elite enlightened altruism – Davos. Say no more, Klaus
The only musicians that seem to be trying to express some kind of resistance to/criticism of the horrors being inflicted on the world by the *Western* Political/Financial Class are bands like Massive Attack and Radiohead ( though the latter have somewhat compromised their political integrity by playing in Israel ) and the redoubtable Roger Waters; and more recently the aforementioned Kneecap & Macklemore
But to be fair to these celebrities is anyone at all allowed to support Russia? It’s an extraordinary in a supposed democracy, and without a declaration of war, that the elite and media have locked down any alternative views, and people are required to support Ukraine.
I have a lot of respect for Bono, actually. Like all of us, he can be naive and hypocritical at times, but he has over his career genuinely helped the poor and staked out some bold political positions. I am not sure you can say that about many younger musicians.
Tom, for the last 3 years the West has combined to slaughter some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet. The whole world has seen it, including Bono. The best that can be said for his response is that he wasn’t an actual participant like Sir Keir and Sir Tony.
Zoot.
The coward Ed Sheerin removed Macklemore from his tour because very wealthy Zio-Monsters supporters, told him that if he didn’t remove him, he would play in anymore large stadiums in the US.
Apparently Macklemore – said that speaking up for Palestinians to a 90,000 crowd was the highlight of his career.
Plus.
” Sheeran’s manager Casey Wasserman is a Zionist whose name appears in the Epstein files; he was linked to Ghislaine Maxwell.”
And.
Sheeran is a scumbag.
“Three of Ed Sheeran’s opening acts, FINNEAS, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga, have all withdrawn from his US tour in solidarity with Macklemore after the rapper was removed from the tour following his pro-Palestine comments.”
yeah..How Sharreen got that high is beyond me
Given what happened to Kneecap, it seems unlikely he didn’t know what would happen. And as we all know, the zionists are vicious mega-sadistic malignant malevolent psychopaths. Anyway, here are the details (and get the names of the stadiums!), posted yesterday:
Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Onstage ‘Free Palestine’ Statements
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/macklemore-dropped-ed-sheeran-tour-pro-palestine-statements-1235625967/ (RollingStone)
Indeed, Allan; though maybe Macklemore thought that by making it clear in his speech that his criticism was not directed at Jews en masse – ‘ our Jewish brothers and sisters …..’ – he would have avoided the baleful gaze of the Ziogarchs?
Then again, we have the Anti-Zionism IS Anti-Semitism bollocks to contend with now
The irony is that, eg in the case of Kneecap, such prohibition/persecution of * artistic expression * often has the reverse effect than that intended – what’s become known as the Streisand Effect. Though it remains to be seen what longer term damage acts like Kneecap will suffer; whatever benefit in terms of a higher profile resulting in bigger ticket/album sales they’ve gained in the short term
Thanks for the additional information re Macklemore/Sheeran
Caitlin Johnstone posted an article about it a couple of hours or so ago…. as you would expect! And it’s interesting what Macklemore says in a statement (she includes), and is of course true, as is Caitlin’s main point:
Macklemore’s Tour Cancellation Shows Why Celebrities Don’t Criticize Israel
https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/macklemores-tour-cancellation-shows-why-celebrities-don-t-criticize-israel-d1f166a615c7
Yes, I read Caitlin’s article earlier. As ever, she doesn’t miss
Robert, I don’t know if you posted the lines from Masters of War just to make a general point, or whether you were alluding to Ed Sheeran’s cover of it. I’m not really familiar with his music at all, but I happened to spot this on youtube several years ago when I was searching for another cover of it. I think it was just the video, and it wasn’t released as a single or on an album I don’t think…. but then again I haven’t got a clue. And sad to say, Bob has never at any point publicly condemned Israel, as far as I’m aware:
Ed Sheeran – Masters of War (Acoustic Cover)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NWsA4PCEMc (posted August 2013)
Yikes! no, Allan, I was unaware of Sheeran’s cover of that Dylan song – oh the irony! I just choose that one as it was the first of Dylan’s ‘ protest era ‘ songs that came to mind. Don’t think I’ll bother listening to Sheeran’s version; I’ve always considered him a bland, lightweight, uninteresting/unengaging confection
No, Dylan has never publicly criticised Israel; though he appears to have lessened his actual support for it. I always got the impression his support for that country was more a reflection of his middle-age religious conversion than an aspect of his Jewish familial background
meant to add……Dylan, like many other artists, eg Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, has always mined the literary aspect of the Bible for inspiration. And indeed, as a work/compendium of literature it is a veritable treasure trove. Genre…Fantasy and Religious Fiction as well as undoubted Poetry of sublime quality, eg The Song of Songs
Just a shame millions have taken it literally and as source of factual history; as well as vested interests mangling most of it’s riches for ulterior motives
Robert, I’m not sure where this post will end up in the sequence (as the last four don’t have a Reply option), but it’s in response to your 10.01 post):
Yes, only a genius like Dylan could follow up an unfollowable album like Blonde On Blonde with John Wesley Harding! But I must confess I stopped buying his albums after he got into his religious period, and Saved in particular. Years later I checked out quite a few of them, but none of them ever grabbed me like his earlier albums. I was just looking through his wikipedia discography entry and, as such, was quite surprised to find that many of his earlier albums didn’t sell all that well (and neither did his first few singles, like Blowing in the Wind and The Times They Are-A-Changing, which I was surprised to learn, and it was only as of Like a Rolling Stone – and a bit later on Lay Lady Lay and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – that he had more commercial success. And post Nashville Skyline re his albums). But pre Nashville Skyline his albums charted higher in the UK than anywhere else, including the US. I have Dylan binges from time to time, but the one album I find myself listening to the most is Street Legal.
Anyway, regards what you said, it brought to mind Heart Food by Judee Sill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6VQCi1-LFs
And Letter To Laredo by Joe Ely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwk5R8E4Ass&list=PLoonHR3sCTS8ZMon2YKAAGSQz2CC4kS8U&index=1
PS And Play Me Backwards by Joan Baez is pretty damn good too, if you’ve never heard it.
Allan
That Judee Sill album is an absolutely beautiful work; of my most loved, although, despite buying and loving her previous, debut album, Heartfood by-passed me when it came out and I only discovered it much later. And, yes, she used a lot of Biblical/Christian imagery in the lyrics.
I was not initially a big Dylan fan, though my older brothers had his early albums, so I was aware of him from an early age. The first song of his that really got through to was Lay Lady Lay, but it was not until I was in my mid-teens that I became a big fan; buying all his previous albums. Similarly, I checked-out of Bobville around the time of Slow Train Coming, though I do like the music on that album, the whole * born again * thing put me off, and I only picked-up on him again with his – superb – Time Out Of Mind. Seen him live in Glasgow about 20 years ago but one of the Enormodrome venues – SSEC – and I was quite far back, it was hard to get any sense of actual involvement in the concert and could have been Dylan from the Magic Roundabout on stage, rather than The Zim. Still kinda enjoyed it nonetheless
Well thanks to you Robert I’ve just spent 73 minutes of my time out of mind, and getting into another Dylan album for the first time in 47 years (since Slow Train Coming). Turns out it’s one of his later albums that I DIDN’T get round to listening to, although I have heard Not Dark Yet a few times over the years, and just a year or two ago I happened to play Highlands when I spotted it in the recommends on YT, although I don’t think I was aware until now that they were both tracks from the TOoM album. After listening to the first track I went back to the wikipedia page (which I still had up) and was checking out this, and checking out that, with half my mind on the music so to speak, but when it got to one particular track I just had to laugh, because it wasn’t gonna let me focus on anything else apart from IT, and I had to check out which track it was. You probably guessed it…. it was Cold Irons Bound, which is feckin’ brilliant. As was the following track too, albeit completely different.
When I was about half way through the last track I felt like I’d be listening to the album for getting on for a couple of hours, so I clicked on the link to the album on the wikipedia page I had up, and discovered it’s just ten seconds short of 73 minutes in length. But I also happened to spot this bit on there:
The album has an atmospheric sound, the work of producer (and past Dylan collaborator) Daniel Lanois, whose innovative work with carefully placed microphones and strategic mixing was detailed by Dylan in his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One. Although Dylan has spoken positively of Lanois’ production style, he expressed dissatisfaction with the sound of Time Out of Mind. Dylan has self-produced his subsequent albums.
Well it sounds pretty damn good to me! Anyway, this could be the start of me discovering a whole ‘new’ bunch of Bob Dylan gems, so muchas gracias for that!
PS I was listening to Any Day Now by Joan Baez earlier which I haven’t heard for donkeys, and I’d forgotten how good her version of Sad Eyed Lady is… so I’ve gone from the Lowlands to the Highlands in the space of just one day! Some going, eh?!!
Allan. I’m happy to have rekindled your buried-but-never-lost Zimophilia and, yes, Cold Irons Bound is one the standout tracks of that album, as is Not Dark Yet, which, though I understand it to be a commentary on his own mortality, written after he’d had heart surgery, it could easily be about the current geopolitical, war-crazed present, as it is indeed ‘ not dark yet’ but it sure is ‘ getting there ‘. That timelessness of BD’s work is a mark of his exceptional quality as a writer/composer; but what an awful indictment of our own times and chronic inability to REALLY learn from our past and seemingly irresistible compulsion to resort to violence if we can’t get our way; that state itself a reflection of our inability/unwillingness to see things from others’ POV.
Topically, what must it look like to Russia, after all the bad faith around the Minsk so-called Agreement, the cynical, never-intended-to-be-honoured ‘ not one inch Eastwards ‘ * pledge *, the turning of Ukraine into the largest, best-equipped military, if not in Europe, certainly in the region, other than Russia. The deliberate fomenting of virulent Russophobia/ encouragement of – real – Blood & Soil Nationalism, and the presence of numerous CIA bases & U.S ‘ Labs ‘ – and, of course the omnipresence of MI5 doing it’s usual nasty thing. Then there was the years-long violence inflicted on the Russian-speaking areas, as well as the banning of their language and even religion. Now we have the Euro Dogs of War talking constantly about massive increases in military/weapon spending and openly stating their intent to – literally – go to war with Russia. What must all that look like from the Russian side? Imagine the roles were reversed and it was the Russia doing all those insanely dangerous things, actually contemplating the use of nuclear weapons and declaring it’s intention to spend the next few years – and vast amounts of money – in preparation to attack, say, the UK. What would that feel like?
Not dark yet……..but it’s getting there. For sure
ps from the Highlands to the Lowlands; quite a journey, eh 🙂
More accurately…….’ Lowlands ‘ to ‘ Highlands ‘ musically chronologically
AI Genocide
Gaza’s Now. In the future
A World Board of Peace ?
Why did the king of England come to Scotland for this – I’m pretty sure there’s plenty of place in England that he could have colluded, sorry I meant discussed AI with those people.
“King Charles is moving into constitutionally perilous terrain by inserting himself in the drafting of “principles” for AI with a handful of American AI oligarchs and a Westminster lobbyist.”
‘King of England’, I never voted for him ! 🙂
Stevie Boy
Its hereditary in England so it will continue – I’m sure I read – I might be wrong though, that before the Normans conquered England, that a king in what is now England – was elected on merit and not just because his father was king – if so, it does sound a better way of electing a king – though in this day and age there’s really no place for a monarchy period.
RoS, I think this is what you meant !
Arthur: I am your king!
Dennis’ Mother: Well I didn’t vote for you.
Arthur: You don’t vote for kings!
Dennis’ Mother: How’d you become king, then?
Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, [Angel chorus begins singing in background] her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. [Angel chorus ends] That is why I am your king!
Dennis: Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
Arthur: Be quiet!
Stevie.
Ha, ha nice one – it sounds like Monty Python’s sketch.
Didn’t know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective.
Proper Charlie 3 probably thinks AI stands for American Interests. Imagine Thicko trying to ‘ draft ‘ anything on his own, the guy never mastered the simple act of applying toothpaste to toothbrush unaided; never mind knowing what ‘principles ‘ are
RoS
He cheated his way into Oxbridge, with A-level grades that wouldn’t ordinarily meet the typical UCAS entry requirements. A move the royal family & establishment didn’t even dare attempt with Prince William, fearful of a public backlash.
You get the impression that King Charles considers himself a great intellectual, pontificating on so many subjects. His weekly audience with the Prime Minister allows him to lobby for his pet projects and air his concerns on a range of topics. In reality, I believe ‘no political role’ should strictly mean just that! The govt made his written correspondence with ministers private(exempting them from FoI), after a series of embarrassing leaks – remember the black spider memos?
Imagine being the PM, at that mandatory weekly session, in the one-on-one situation sat across from him; Charles demands assurances a piece of legislation won’t apply to him and his estate. Purely coercive situation; what is a PM suppose to do? Get angry? Storm out? What if we elect a PM who wishes to abolish the monarchy? Awkward.
Spot on Goose – with the emphasis on pontificating.
Who could forget King Charles, then Prince Charles – dancing with a sword all dressed up in Arab attire in, I think Saudi Arabia, as the ruling class laughed up their sleeves at him, Charlie Boy was sent there – to use his antics to help seal weapons deals, and he had to act the clown in the process.
All the Saudi Prince’s filmed him making a complete fool of himself, they weren’t laughing with him they were laughing at him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAa0PmrFvXg
– “dancing with a sword all dressed up in Arab attire in, I think Saudi Arabia…”
Some British royal is sent on this mission every few years; it has been a regular feature on BBC News for as long as I can remember, over half a century, and yes, it’s always Saudi Arabia. It’s for sealing arms deals, primarily BAE Systems these days. The dance they always do is the Sword Dance, stepping around the quadrant formed by crossed swords on the ground, it’s a traditional celebration of sharing of weapons. I suspect it’s the Saudi royal family that insist on it being shown on BBC News, because the BBC seem to play it down and avoid mentioning its meaning.
Clark.
Ah yes, who could forget the Al-Yamamah Arms deal.
https://corruption-tracker.org/case/al-yamamah-arms-deals
RoS
Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has faced long-standing allegations that he received multi-million-pound secret commissions from the multi-billion-pound Al-Yamamah arms deal.
We laugh today, at Trump’s White House; son-in-law, Jared Kushner et al, their alleged profiteering antics. But is the UK any better? Thatcher’s nepotism set an example. And every PM since, has worshipped at her altar. Both Blair and Brown sought a photo-op, with her visiting No.10, upon them taking office. How insecure were Blair and Brown to need her endorsement? And this, given the harm to Labour-voting communities she did?
It’s only because she has been deceased so long now and thus her political influence has waned, that Burnham has the courage to condemn her legacy. Were she still around. I have little doubt, Burnham too, would’ve posed for a picture alongside her, as Blair did.
Is that all they got for 43 BILLION plus?!?!?! Make as little as you can for as much as you can – and they are all obsolete now.
https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=iQJZD9USbM8
“Jerry Building, 1994” – Unholy Relics of Nazi Germany. Jonathan Meades explores the architecture of Nazi Germany, from its holiday camps to its concentration camps.
Close the gap between . and com [ or click this link to Invidious ] and you will be able to watch one of Jonathan Meades’s best films, with an entertaining swipe at Charlie Big Ears towards the end. ;O) Serves the fatuous nincompoop right.
Meeting with oligarchs to talk about the latest big technological development is the British monarch’s equivalent of letting Facebook or Instagram users know his “thoughts” about Jordan’s boob job he has read about in the Sun. He did the same when he heard about nanotechnology and “grey goo”. (Dunno if he’s read about cellular automata yet.) I might think a bit differently if he was meeting with Chinese AI dudes at the same time as the US ones, but neither bunch would want a fool like him in the room if they did hold a summit.
More interesting is the way “AI” is being spun in the MSM.
With a few honourable exceptions such as Bernie Sanders (whose thoughts on this I mentioned in these columns a while back), much of it at the moment is coming from “former” or even openly “current” senior honchos at AI firms. It’s similar to with Facebook, Google, gambling companies, etc. in that regard. Let it be recalled that Ray Kurzweil is at Google.
Okay so in the MSM, re. AI:
1. Recently there has been another whack of “they’re going to start conspiring against ‘us’, and ‘we’ won’t see them coming, and then it will be too late, so ‘we’ve’ got to be ready for them”. (See the call for a “kill switch”, which is about as juvenile a suggestion as a constitutional committee of medics to decide on El Presidente’s mental health.) This stuff is written as if computer programs had willpower and minds. Well they don’t have willpower or minds, because they are patterns of inanimate objects only. But to some target audiences the whole “spooky” thing is being played on.
2. There’s a lot of talk of within 1 year this, by 2030 that, and within 10 years the other.
3. War…and also globalism. Not massive themes at the moment, but they’re there and they may intensify.
In everyday life, a lot has changed with AI already, and one of the biggest things is how Google’s websearch engine now by default spits out One True Answer. A major change for a large part of the population.
Personally I saw the trouble coming when most of the office workers in the world were subjected to squiggly-underlining if they made a typo or typed a word the Microsoft program didn’t know about.
“Singularity” is a BS notion, and comes from Kurzweil. At least, it’s BS in the way it’s usually couched.
It’s not BS in the sense that the plan really is for the message to be put out that “Hello, things are now different from how they’ve ever been before, hugely different, this is a big bang nobody really saw the shape of even six months ago, and you can’t change this – welcome to the new world, those of you who are in the 2 billion who aren’t being killed off as surplus to requirements.”
One of the early points could be that the internet as a thing that people “use” will turn into something very different, very fast – and there won’t be much public questioning of the change at all. It will be sold as inevitable, i.e. in terms of who on earth thinks they’ve got any power to change things any more?
As Frank Zappa said – when the illusion of freedom stops being useful, the rulers will just remove it.
Meeting with oligarchs to talk about the latest big technological development is the British monarch’s equivalent of letting Facebook or Instagram users know his “thoughts” about Jordan’s boob job he has read about in the Sun. He did the same when he heard about nanotechnology and “grey goo”. (Dunno if he’s read about cellular automata yet.) I might think a bit differently if he was meeting with Chinese AI dudes at the same time as the US ones, but neither bunch would want a fool like him in the room if they did hold a summit.
More interesting is the way “AI” is being spun in the MSM.
With a few honourable exceptions such as Bernie Sanders (whose thoughts on this I mentioned in these columns a while back), much of it at the moment is coming from “former” or even openly “current” senior honchos at AI firms. It’s similar to with Facebook, Google, gambling companies, etc. in that regard. Let it be recalled that Ray Kurzweil is at Google.
Okay so in the MSM, re. AI:
1. Recently there has been another whack of “they’re going to start conspiring against ‘us’, and ‘we’ won’t see them coming, and then it will be too late, so ‘we’ve’ got to be ready for them”. (See the call for a “kill switch”, which is about as juvenile a suggestion as a constitutional committee of medics to decide on El Presidente’s mental health.) This stuff is written as if computer programs had willpower and minds. Well they don’t have willpower or minds, because they are patterns of inanimate objects only. But to some target audiences the whole “spooky” thing is being played on.
2. There’s a lot of talk of within 1 year this, by 2030 that, and within 10 years the other.
3. War…and also globalism. Not massive themes at the moment, but they’re there and they may intensify.
In everyday life, a lot has changed with AI already, and one of the biggest things is how Google’s websearch engine now by default spits out One True Answer. A major change for a large part of the population. (I would have stopped using Google’s websearch altogether in response, but I found out about udm14.org . Although DuckDuckGo is preferred and has never said that something has been “detected” and can I therefore prove I’m human.)
Personally I saw the trouble coming when most of the office workers in the world were subjected to squiggly-underlining if they made a typo or typed a word the Microsoft program didn’t know about.
“Singularity” is a BS notion, and comes from Kurzweil. At least, it’s BS in the way it’s usually couched.
It’s not BS in the sense that the plan really is for the message to be put out that “Hello, things are now different from how they’ve ever been before, hugely different, this is a big bang nobody really saw the shape of even six months ago, and you can’t change this – welcome to the new world, those of you who are in the 2 billion who aren’t being killed off as surplus to requirements.”
One of the early points could be that the internet as a thing that people “use” will turn into something very different, very fast, and indeed very soon – and there won’t be much public questioning of the change at all. It will be sold as inevitable, i.e. in terms of who on earth thinks they’ve got any power to change things any more?
As Frank Zappa said – when the illusion of freedom stops being useful, the rulers will just remove it.
“More interesting is the way “AI” is being spun in the MSM.”
Anyone who knows anything about Large Language Models, to give “AI” it’s proper name, knows that nearly everything about AI in the MSM is complete bollocks designed to sell an extremely expensive invention there are, as yet, very few uses for that don’t involve giving it away.
“Personally I saw the trouble coming when most of the office workers in the world were subjected to squiggly-underlining if they made a typo or typed a word the Microsoft program didn’t know about.”
A long, long time ago, when I still used MS at work, I used to see how many words or uses of words I could come up with that the spell or grammar checker didn’t recognise, like words ending in “..our” or using “effect” as a verb.
Is Iran expecting a ground assault from the US and maybe some of it minions?
” All Iranians have Received a SMS Message to Register for Mobilization
The Iranian Armed Forces are beginning to train 1,000 new Battalions (about one Million People)
The training will not take long, as Iran has Mandatory Military Service for all Men”
Follow the money – always.
“In 2010, the Yuzivska gas field was discovered in the Donbas, containing enough fuel to power the entire European continent for 60 years. Barack Obama pressed then Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, to let US corporations develop it, but this was denied. The CIA then effected a coup of the Ukrainian government and established a proxy state in 2014.
NATO swooped in and began building fortress cities along the borders near Russian ethnic enclaves in the Donbas region of Ukraine, spending $30 billion in the process. After six years of heavy artillery bombardment on civilian targets, Kiev then sent 90,000 troops to its eastern frontier in late 2021, prompting Putin to file (under United Nations HRC Article 51) for a Special Military Operation to protect Russian nationals—perfectly compliant with international law.
The US wanted control of the Donbas simply to cut Russia out of the lucrative European natural gas market. All that it accomplished, however, was the demographic extinction of the Ukrainian ethnic group and a bill of $400 Billion to American and EU tax payers.”
‘In 2010, the Yuzivska gas field was discovered in the Donbas, containing enough fuel to power the entire European continent for 60 years.’
Wow, I’ve never heard about THAT before… and it certainly explains away a whole lotta things! What was your source RoS out of interest? I assume the MSM didn’t give it much coverage; not since 2015 anyway!
It’s also where most of the mineral deposit (rare earths) potential is located. Hence Kyiv’s shouts from the west, of “it’s our land!” – do those in Kyiv care about what the Donbas population want? Probably, not really.
If Ukraine won the war and took back that territory, they’d probably seek to ban all those Ukrainians who were transported across the border to Russia for safety, from ever returning. The basis would be census records being lost and the risk those returning could be indoctrinated, and thus be a threat to national security.
Surely you mean ‘Kiev’ ?
Allan.
I found on X on a site called Vertigo_Politix
Craig’s on his way to Russia. Brave, given the war drums beating in the west.
Drone shot down in Lithuania ‘probably from Russia’ as EU warns of ‘pattern of aggression’ – Europe live – the guardian headline screams.
Every little thing, like this obviously faulty or misdirected drone, is pounced upon as proof of some campaign being waged against the West. If full-scale war ever comes, these minor incidents will seem completely insignificant.
Many of the alleged ‘hybrid’ incidents: typically idiots recruited online, are traced back to a mysterious ‘Russian’ contact in Ukraine. Clueless politicians ask: What possible motivation could Ukraine have for framing Russia and dragging the west into this?. Er… are they that thick? Plenty of reasons come to mind. They have form too. They staged the ultra-violent assassination of Putin-critic journo, Arkady Babchenko, and were it not for sloppy OPSEC, they’d have got away with it. Leaving European leaders, who’d immediately condemned Putin & Russia, like Boris Johnson, with egg on their faces.
I’m not claiming the Russians are angels, they obviously aren’t. But given the fact the most well-resourced intelligence agencies in the world, were or still are, plotting against them, seeking to paint them in the worst possible light, a degree of skepticism, when it come to claims against them, isn’t optional, it’s compulsory.
This inability for the public and politicians to know whether they are being misled, as part of intel agency one-upmanship, or “spy games” as Trump labelled the Salisbury poisonings. A situation whereby, Intel agencies, tasked with degrading adversaries, operate with no oversight and a high degree of operational autonomy, is why intel agencies need reining in.
For a world war in an age of nuclear weapons, should be unthinkable. Yet some, linked to British intelligence, as the Grayzone’s Kit Klarenberg reporting on leaked private emails showed, view a nuclear war with Russia, as a price worth paying. Who would agree with that? And who voted for that?
Goose.
It was Marshall Zhukov in 1945 – who said:
“We have liberated Europe from fascism, but they will never forgive us for it.”
And he was proven correct – the EU is headed by some of the most vile individuals you could find such as Kaja Kallas and Ursula von der Leyen – and several European nations still celebrate their links to fascism via and nazism.
The EU bigwigs want to break Russia – as does England, which has had (excuse my French) a hard on for Russia for centuries, in what is known as the Great Game – EU bigwigs would love nothing more that to have another Operation Barbarossa where they are triumphant – and the continued breakdown of international law (if it was ever respected in the first place) and the USA’s might is right approach, has emboldened the EU bigwigs to throw everything but the kitchen sink in supporting Ukraine – and its the civilians in Europe the Atlantic Archipelago aka UK – Russia and Ukraine that are paying the price for their horrible misadventure – which isn’t over yet.
A smidgeon more serious than that, Goose. Kit revealed that Starmer’s Defence Secretary John Healey had selected MI6’s wildest chickenhawks Chris Donnelly and Paul Mason as his advisors. Emails show they were constantly pushing him to escalate the proxy war to provoke Moscow.
‘Leaks show Paul Mason secretly advised UK Chancellor John Healey to escalate Ukraine war’
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/07/24/leaks-starmer-healey-advised-russia-war/
Did Andrew Burnham know Healey was that reckless and extreme of a war hawk when he promoted him to Chancellor, where he can decide what use to put the nation’s finances to? Seems likely. He certainly knew that Healey had been up to his neck in the Gaza Genocide and was a clear candidate under international law to be tried as a war criminal and abettor of genocide at the Hague. (As does the rest of the British media-political class).
zoot
Paul Mason has Lithuanian-Jewish ancestry through his mother’s side of the family. Specifically, one of his maternal grandparents was a Lithuanian-Jewish violinist who emigrated to the UK.
He sees the dark hand of Russia everywhere sharing the Baltics paranoia. Given his ancestry , he’s the last person to listen to if you want an objective assessment. Fair to say, he’s obsessed with Russia, and the historic ‘evils’ of communism.
That doesn’t just apply to Mason.
Anyone whose ancestors were persecuted, or fled persecution, or family members were murdered, can’t bring objectivity. Just as many Jewish MPs feel torn and find it impossible to support any sanctions on Israel, as Miliband alluded to in his statement on the West Bank.
They should recuse themselves, as should Mason. And ministers shouldn’t be advised by someone who may still have extended family in Lithuania? The Baltics are very much the frontline for possible invasion, if war comes. Is Mason’s advice to ministers, guided by fear for Lithuania, or the UK or both?
Craig’s on his way to Russia. But voters in Holborn and St Pancras need someone who isn’t Labour or Green to vote for!
I’d vote for Gorgeous George if he stood and I had a vote (and voted for the Workers’ Party in the Scottish general election), but his chances of retaining his liberty after landing at a British airport might not be so great.
@Goose – “Paul Mason has Lithuanian-Jewish ancestry through his mother’s side of the family. Specifically, one of his maternal grandparents was a Lithuanian-Jewish violinist who emigrated to the UK. He sees the dark hand of Russia everywhere sharing the Baltics paranoia. Given his ancestry, he’s the last person to listen to if you want an objective assessment. Fair to say, he’s obsessed with Russia, and the historic ‘evils’ of communism.”
No person should be blamed for their ancestry.
Paul Mason’s book “Post-Capitalism” is utter bilge, like a miscellany of bits of journalism put in a pot and stirred together. It might be too easy to call him an idiot, because he may have trousered a big advance for it. As Corinne Souza said, book publishing has been used by SIS to pay thank you money.
But it’s true that many Jews have an abiding hatred for Russia much more so than any dislike they may hold for Germany, Poland, Hungary, or other gentile national brands.
Dunno but maybe this extends to uncircumcised Ukraine too?
Goose
Sure. But what does it say about Healey that he selected nuts like Mason and Donnelly to be his advisors??
Or about Burnham, who wanted a rabid war hawk to preside over the nation’s finances?
On his first day in office Burnham called Rutte to assure him that the Healey appointment was ‘a signal of intent.’
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-nato-secretary-general-mark-rutte-20-july-2026
Brian Red
True, you don’t choose your ancestry.
I’m merely questioning whether there could be any lingering bias or prejudice which affects how someone perceives a certain country or threat? If you’ve grown up in a household where family members absolutely despise a certain nation; seeing them as the root of all evil, those feelings are likely to be transferred, are they not?
And the idea the state doesn’t hold ancestry against citizens is nonsense:
During World War II, the British government arrested and detained around 30,000 German and Austrian citizens living in the UK, labeling them “enemy aliens”.
During World War II, the U.S. government forcibly relocated and incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, two-thirds of whom were American citizens.
On top of the NATO drone shootdown over Lithuania, drone launcher unclear, there has been a Danish-Russian incident in the Baltic Sea too…
Sheesh, Paul Mason is far worse than I thought. Pushing for a NATO-Russia war is no minor matter.
A friend of mine who has an interest in Alexander Bogdanov has some respect for Mason – or at least did a few years ago – because Mason shares it. Get a clue, mate. It’s so sad when people like my friend get naiver when they get older 🙁
Jens Stoltenberg is a Rudolf Steinerite loon. I wonder who he thinks he’s a reincarnation of.
This looks wrong. I don’t think there’s ever been a gas field anywhere with that much gas. And a quick look says it’s shale gas, which typically can be extracted only at relatively slow rates. This needs checking.
It’s not technically wrong. It didn’t say the field could supply Europe for 60 years, only that there was enough gas to do so.
NATO swooped in and began building fortress cities along the borders near Russian ethnic enclaves in the Donbas region of Ukraine, spending $30 billion in the process. After six years of heavy artillery bombardment on civilian targets, Kiev then sent 90,000 troops to its eastern frontier in late 2021, prompting Putin to file (under United Nations HRC Article 51) for a Special Military Operation to protect Russian nationals—perfectly compliant with international law.
What fantasy website did you get that from?
I’ll give you another scenario; Putin invaded the Donbas to get his hands on the gas field.
The Yuzivska gas field is estimated to be capable of supplying about 10 billion cubic metres per year which is about a third of Ukraine’s pre-war consumption. In 2024 Europe used 313 billion cubic metres of gas.
“NATO swooped in and began building fortress cities along the borders near Russian ethnic enclaves in the Donbas region of Ukraine”
Pears Morgaine
Looks like there could be something to it.
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/ukraine/border-early.htm
“Discovered in 2010, the Yuzivska field is estimated have around 70.8 trillion cubic feet of gas reserve.”
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/newsshell-plans-to-exit-10bn-yuzivka-gas-exploration-project-in-ukraine-120615-4599677/
“Putin invaded the Donbas to get his hands on the gas field.”
Oh yes, because Russia is so short of gas.
“The Yuzivska gas field is estimated to be capable of supplying about 10 billion cubic metres per year which is about a third of Ukraine’s pre-war consumption. In 2024 Europe used 313 billion cubic metres of gas.”
The figure given was total volume, not annual production. Would you like me to explain the difference?
So about six years’ worth at Europe’s consumption rate? I thought sixty years’ worth looked unfeasibly large.
The original claim was that the gas field contained enough fuel to power the entire European continent for 60 years.
The implication is clear it’s just that from either perspective, total reserves or annual supply, the statement is bollox.
Pears: But this was true. This was the reason Russian armies reached Kiev and Kherson with ease: almost all Ukrainian brigades were concentrated in Donbass.
Quoting (by memory) AJP Taylor, “Such an important event as World War One simply could not have happened without some very important reasons and, naturally, everyone started looking for these reasons.”
So, the reason was in the colonial rivalries; oh no, it happened because, of the building up of the German navy; oh no, the reason was in the rivalry between Krupp and British Steel or maybe between IG Farben and Nobel Dynamite ; oh no, the reason was the Bagdad Railroad; and so on.
Looks like the same “reasons rush” has begun here?
Allow me to expand on Pears Morgaine’s scenario that Putin invaded Donbass to grab the Yuzivska shale gas field with a few AI takeaways.
The Yuzivska field was identified in 2010, it lies across Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts, covering 7,886 km² 2 trillion m³ (≈70.8 trillion cubic feet). It has never reached commercial production, just two Shell test sites and its development stalled because of the 2014 war, and Shell’s withdrawal as the commercial license holder.
Russia has no shale gas industry despite possessing large shale formations (Bazhenov, Domanik, Khadum), but has not developed them commercially – so why would it be interested in Yuzivska?
Hydraulic fracturing is used in Russian Federation, but only in conventional oil and gas fields, not in shale.
No Russian company has ever shown serious commercial interest in the Yuzivska shale gas field
Based on all available evidence, every documented exploration or investment attempt has come from Western or Ukrainian entities, and the field has remained undeveloped due to conflict, economics, and Shell’s withdrawal.
But never let the facts get in the way of a mischief making scenario about Putin’s dishonest and deceitful malign intentions.
Crispa
September 15, 2026 at 18:05
“Putin’s dishonest and deceitful malign intentions.”
I couldn’t have put it better. /sarc
Another angle.
Hitler may have launched Unternehmen Barbarossa motivated purely by race hatred.
Or the urgent need for free stuff to keep the Nazi autarkic economy going.
But either way he was an evil genocidal bastard who cared nothing for humanity. He even tried to destroy what was left of Germany before the final defeat.
Reminds me of another evil “genius” threatening nuclear war if he doesn’t get what he wants.
“Beauty (or ugliness or evil”) is in the eye of the beholder”.
Your obsession with Putin as the fount of all evil is almost, but not entirely, completely as boring as that of others with the wearers of the small hats as occupying a similar position. I would have thought that most contributors of these blog comments would long have realised how tedious single issue fanatics become at the second repetition of their idee fixe, let alone the umpteenth and would have learnt to keep their bees in their bonnet hive where they belong and not let them out constantly to annoy everyone around.
Who’s boring and annoying you by constantly claiming Jews are the fount of all evil? Why have you not challenged these antisemites?
No-one who comments on this blog, AFAICR, but they are all over the blogosphere outside. It mostly seems to be Yanks, who also delight in the killer rebuttal, the ad-hom. There aren’t really any other single-issue fanatics on here, at least not of the type who shoehorn their obsession into comments about something completely different.
Bayard
September 16, 2026 at 09:16
Of course Putin isn’t the fount of all evil. Trump and Netanyahu are also evil fuckers, Netanyahu morally worse as he hasn’t lost his marbles yet.
I tend to focus on Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine because a revanchist Russia is a threat to its neighbours and if unchecked to all of Europe.
Netanyahu is a scourge to his Arab victims but not an immediate threat to Europe though he may yet trigger a wider war.
And Trump has caused enormous economic damage to the US and its neighbours but minor military damage compared to the other two shits.
I will observe that Putin’s war on Ukraine isn’t discussed as much here as previously – maybe because the Russkiy offensive has stalled.
You’ve omitted all the other co-accomplices in the Gaza Genocide – Joe Biden, Sir Keir, Healey, Scholz, Merz, Macron, VdL, Trudeau et al. Wonder why.
zoot
September 16, 2026 at 15:19
I see “Biden, Keir, Healey, Scholz, Merz, Macron, VdL, Trudeau…” as acquiescent to Netanyahu’s Gaza genocide rather than active genocidal scum.
Maybe blackmailed or bought….
I also see that Gaza/Palestine is just one of many conflicts around the world.
Sudan, DRC, Myanmar, DPRK (subjugation of an entire population by a ruling family), …. All terrible and not all instigated by the Zapad.
Gaza/Palestine is horrible but not uniquely so imo.
Question: why do Putin and Xi have so little to say on the subject?
Could it be that, cold-hearted shits that they are, they don’t care as it doesn’t affect them?
Putin explicitly stated in June 2024 that Israel’s military actions in Gaza are ‘akin to genocide’ and represent the ‘total destruction of the civilian population’.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-805204
Just a few weeks into the Genocide in Nov 2023 he’d said, ‘When you look at the suffering and bloodied children, your fists clench and tears come to your eyes.’
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/putin-says-only-people-with-heart-of-stone-can-stay-quiet-on-gaza-catastrophe/3042670
Please supply similar statements from any of the warm-hearted western liberal leaders who supplied the f-35s, bombs, surveillance, training etc for the IDF throughout the Genocide.
zoot
September 16, 2026 at 17:30
Touché.
But (?) 2 sparrows don’t make a summer.
Have Russia or China repeatedly convened emergency sessions of the UNSC?
Just as Israel is circumspect about condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine so also Russia avoids calling for sanctions against Israel.
Realpolitik…..
“Of course Putin isn’t the fount of all evil. Trump and Netanyahu are also evil fuckers, Netanyahu morally worse as he hasn’t lost his marbles yet.”
I do know that, but I wouldn’t if I only read your comments.
“I tend to focus on Putin’s war of choice in Ukraine because a revanchist Russia is a threat to its neighbours and if unchecked to all of Europe.”
Something for which you have so far failed to produce any evidence whatsoever for either revanchism or threat. Did Britain’s war of choice on Iraq mean that a revanchist Britain was a threat to its neighbours and if unchecked to all of the West Asia? The overwhelming impression I and others get from your rantings is that Putin represents a very large bee in a rather too small bonnet.
” I will observe that Putin’s war on Ukraine isn’t discussed as much here as previously – maybe because the Russkiy offensive has stalled.”
I can see why you are saddened by lack of opportunities for you to exercise your hobby-horse, but the lack of discussion is mainly because the war in Ukraine is not affecting the world in the way that the war in the Gulf is. Very little new happens in Ukraine these days: the Russians keep grinding inexorably forward, Zelensky keeps flying around begging for money and missiles, European leaders keep making bellicose remarks and throwing money away. Most people don’t care what is happening there, unlike the Trump’s unprovoked war of choice in West Asia, which is changing from day to day and hitting everyone in the West where it hurts, right in the wallet.
@ Excellent and admirably concise summing-up of the situation re Ukraine-related commentary hereabouts, and the situation re that country and it’s delusional financier – Euro Disneyland, B-Man
I’ve reverted to avoiding Jakey’s comments on the subject like one avoids a dollop of dogshit on the street; but I glean from your reference that he’s a little downcast that he’s not able to regale us with his monomaniacally repetitive ‘ Putin ate my hamster ‘ playground insults with the frequency he’d prefer.
Alas, poor Jakey, we know him ( too ) well. I’m still a bit disappointed the lad hasn’t taken the * logical * next step one might expect from such a devoted Zelly Zealot and applied for the post as the Pocket Churchill’s Footstool or Cocaine Linesman. Ah well, maybe when the Proxy War ends and Zelly gets his tale ghostwritten, stalwart fan Jakey will be ‘ mentioned in dispatches ‘. One microscopic footnote in the literary history of How The West Was Lost
“I’m still a bit disappointed the lad hasn’t taken the * logical * next step one might expect from such a devoted Zelly Zealot and applied for the post as the Pocket Churchill’s Footstool or Cocaine Linesman.”
I very much get the impression that this ardent supporter of war is very happy in his neutral country and is unlikely to leave it for anywhere which might be adversely affected by the NATO-Russia war he so earnestly desires.
The previous Lord Haw, Haw of Nato Stoltenberg gets his reward for his utter obedience – these vile creatures move around in closed circles like politicians, who have moved on from politics, such as George Robertson, a treacherous warmongering b*stard if ever their was one, they find their way into like minded institutions/think tanks or firms.
On the OSCE – it too is a Western controlled body – OSCE staff were caught spying for Ukraine early on in the Russia – Ukraine conflict, Russia sent some of them packing others went to prison.
“Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will become the co-chair of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) together with the former head of the OSCE, Helga Maria Schmid, the organizers have said.
The conference, which has been held annually in Germany’s third-largest city since 1963, is considered one of the leading Western platforms for security policy and geopolitical debate. It was at the MSC that Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his famous 2007 speech, criticizing the unipolar world order and NATO’s eastward expansion. Representatives from Moscow were last invited to the gathering in 2022.”
It’s called “patronage” and has been going on for as long as the human race has had rulers. Historically, in the UK, people were given titles and sinecures, with silly job titles that are now treated with derision, like “The Groom of the Stool”, but the practice still goes on, just the names of the sinecures have changed.
[Checks.] The appointment of the Groom of the Stool was a disgusting English tradition that for some reason James VI of Scotland continued when he went down south to become James I of England. Perhaps he forgot how to wipe his bum when he crossed the border.
The tradition was officially ended around the time that Cambridge university stopped jailing (in its own prison) women it found associating with students (who were all male) after nightfall.
Any monarchists reading this may like to spot a possible fallacy in the “But Chesterton’s Fence!” argument.
Corporal storeman in the Raff and Admiral for two….;O)
re: OSCE
TASS today:
“Russia to raise issue of Bucha falsification on OSCE platform — permanent representative
“The report will definitely be presented in Hofburg,” Dmitry Polyansky said”
https://tass.com/politics/2189211
“(…)
Russia will again raise the issue of Bucha at the OSCE in light of new materials exposing Ukrainian falsifications of the March 2022 events, Russia’s permanent representative to the OSCE Dmitry Polyansky told TASS.
The report with evidence was presented by its author, Maxim Grigoriyev, chairman of the International Public Tribunal on the Crimes of Ukrainian Neo·Nazis, at a press conference at TASS with the participation of Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
“The report will definitely be presented in Hofburg. We regularly raise the issue of Bucha here (at the OSCE site – TASS),” the diplomat said.
(…)”
p.s. French former OSCE observer in Ukraine between 2015-2022, Benoît Paré, in his second book addresses the events surrounding “Bucha”, which he describes as probable false flag. I haven´t had time for his book yet. But he made his point on two podcast appearances recently.
Clinton was the US president back then – and Javier Solana was Nato’s Secretary General – we know Clinton is still going and he should’ve been locked up years ago for a number of things – and Solana is still kicking so he should locked up as well – but the West is so corrupt that monsters like Bush Jr and Blair – are still roaming around free as a bird.
“The former leader of the NATO-backed Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) has been found responsible for war crimes committed by the militant group during its NATO-backed campaign to break away from Serbia in the 1990s.
Hasam Thaci, who served as the first president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, has been found guilty of the murder of 96 political opponents and suspected Serbian collaborators, the verdict said. He was also convicted for the unlawful detention and torture of hundreds of people.
The 58-year-old Thaci and three other former KLA leaders tried in The Hague are widely regarded as heroes in Kosovo. Thaci’s defense argued that senior figures in the KLA could not control rank-and-file separatist fighters and thus could not be held responsible for crimes committed under their leadership. Lawyers described the group as lacking a strict military hierarchy during the 1998-99 conflict.”
Neither the little Neo-Nazi dictator or the EU’s bigwigs wants peace, that’s why she was banned.
“The EU banned a former aide to Vladimir Zelensky from entering the European Parliament on Wednesday, when she was due to speak at an event promoting diplomacy instead of escalation in the Ukraine conflict.
Yulia Mendel, who was Zelensky’s top communications liaison from 2019 to 2021 and who has since become a consistent critic of her former boss, had been invited to speak on the same day Ursula von der Leyen delivered her State of the Union speech.
According to Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Mendel was invited to give a speech in an EU Parliament session, “Ukraine: Daring for Peace. Diplomacy Instead of Escalation.” She had hoped to “shed light” on the conflict’s central political issues and discuss its possible end.
“On the day of my speech, I was barred from entering the European Parliament. I directly attribute this to Zelensky’s sanctions,” Mendel wrote on X on Wednesday.”
Republicofscotland
September 16, 2026 at 14:46
Sounds like Mendel has jumped the shark (from her Wiki page):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iuliia_Mendel
“On 31 January 2026,[71] Mendel accused former presidential office head Andriy Yermak of practising black magic involving cemeteries and water used to wash corpses.[72]”
People do crack up under strain. Putin isn’t looking at all well.
“On 31 January 2026,[71] Mendel accused former presidential office head Andriy Yermak of practising black magic involving cemeteries and water used to wash corpses.[72]”
You’re suddenly an expert on Yermak’s mental health on top of all your other accomplishments, now?
“Putin isn’t looking at all well.”
Buzzz, buzzz!
Not only in Lithuania – a huge CIA Black Site Torture Chamber, was outed in Romanian recently, but you won’t read about that in the West’s MSM.
“Throughout the summer, a major scandal has been brewing in Lithuania. In late July, the country suffered a landmark defeat in the European Court of Human Rights in a case brought by Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national held in secret detention and brutally tortured for four years in CIA black sites around the world – including Lithuania. While Western governments and news outlets have ignored the judgement, the ECHR’s conclusions produced bitter political division locally, with the opposition calling for a new investigation into the CIA’s use and abuse of the country during the US-led ‘War on Terror’.”
Is it any wonder political parties – that don’t normally do well, and not just in Germany – are now making good gains.
“The German Defense Ministry has a secretive military unit dedicated solely to facilitating cooperation between Berlin and Kiev, including meeting Ukraine’s weapons demands, the Financial Times has reported.
Dubbed Sonderstab Ukraine (Special Staff Ukraine), the unit processes arms procurement contracts signed by Kiev under Berlin’s military support program, which amounts to €11.5 billion ($13.27 billion) this year alone.
Described by one of the FT’s sources as an “incredibly un-German” unit, Special Staff Ukraine prides itself on signing off on Kiev’s demands in less than two weeks while bypassing the standard procurement rules that apply to Germany’s own armed forces, the Bundeswehr. The arrangement is possible because Ukraine, rather than Berlin, signs the contracts, according to the FT.
“Kiev provided the shopping list. Berlin paid the bill,” the outlet said, describing the unit’s operations. The FT said it enjoys strong political backing from German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
The unit’s current commander, Brigadier General Joachim Kaschke, told the FT that it was entirely up to Kiev how to spend the German money. “We are not there to advise them – there is no ‘mentoring’,” he stated, adding that Berlin simply connects the relevant Ukrainian officials with German arms manufacturers.”
On the below I’ve read that the EU will be ready, arms wise to attack Russia around 2030 – so Europeans have four years to end this madness.
“The unit was formed and initially led by Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, who now heads Germany’s Land Forces. Known for his hardline stance on Russia, Freuding claimed in March that a full-fledged conflict between Moscow and NATO could occur as early as 2029 and said Ukrainian instructors would help the German military train for the allegedly looming confrontation.”
RoS
The EU has just banned former Zelensky spokeswoman Luliia Mendel from entering the European Parliament, where she was scheduled to speak at an event hosted by the AfD. They really think they have the right to silence views they don’t agree with.
Kyiv sanctioned Mendel for speaking out for peace and an end to the war in Ukraine. It is believed her life is now directly at risk.
And von der Leyen, in her U.S. inspired ‘State of the Union’ speech, offered Canada EU ‘associate member’ status. Nothing against Canada here. But how is it in von der Leyen’s gift to offer such things without reference to other member states? She really is a wannabe tinpot dictator. There are also some videos of MEPs scolding her Foreign Policy chief, Kallas, for her lack of diplomatic engagement and initiative, in terms of coming up with viable solutions for ending the Ukraine war. And over her lack of any opinion on the US’s unprovoked attack on Iran; which is causing Europeans and Americans economic harm. Kallas never even mentioned the US or Israel in her Russophobia-themed speech.
Goose.
As far I know there’s no such thing as ‘associate member’ status of the EU – von der Leyen even had the audacity to say that Canada will have the English king (Charles III) as its head of state – what does the EU and Canada have in common – both would leave their citizens without heating or food – to support the Neo-Nazi dictatorship running the failed state of Ukraine – we can only hope that some of the 27 EU member states wake-up and do something – before the likes of von der Leyen and Kallas bring real doom and destruction on Europe.
On your first subject I left a comment about her above @ 14.26pm.
Republicofscotland
September 16, 2026 at 17:18
Jebus H Crispy Ros,
what are you like?
Canada has KC3 as HoS and can kick the prick out whenever they want. So what’s your point?
As to your question, what do Canada and the EU have in common?
Answer: Respect for the rule of law and wary dislike of MAGAland and Muscovy.
JK Redux
I have to say I’m far from convinced that the EU/UK and Canada are experiencing a Damascene Conversion vis: still being besties with the US.
Despite the ideals of ‘Rule of Law ‘ etc etc they need the Security protection of the US.
The same US that is making world rules up as it goes along.
The problem for all the above is that the US wants them to pay for the war in Ukraine and risk their military personnel
not the US’s.
Of course Trump and many others would like the above mentioned to buy the weapons to fight with from them and their LNG from the US too.
There is however a catch ( there is always a catch ) as you can’t go dropping bombs on all and sundry around the world without facing the danger of running out of stocks.
They are running out of stocks of defensive missiles and offensive missiles.
They can not be manufactured in big numbers as the MIC weren’t planning on having a US president who talked about peace firing enormous amounts of missiles anything that moved and in pure revenge.
The Israeli’s are even doing that, relatively more so then the US.
I read that the US has just bunged 2.8 billion dollars worth of big and effective missiles/bombs as a gift to Israel.
With directions to bomb the crap out of Iran.
So, for Zelensky he should note just exactly where he and his country stands in the military pecking order.
Trump wants the EU/UK to send their missiles etc.
This precisely what is happening.
It does not look like a rebellion against the bullying US.
Not quite obeying orders but, trying to keep on the right side of a much more powerful nation.
Like Venezuela – just more nuanced because they have to pretend that they are still sovereign nations when in actuality they are still beholden to the US.
Despite the small tantrums.
“Jebus H Crispy Ros, what are you like? Canada has KC3 as HoS and can kick the prick out whenever they want. So what’s your point?”
The point, which you have magnificently failed to grasp is, as quoted:
“– von der Leyen even had the audacity to say that Canada will have the English king (Charles III) as its head of state –”
VdL is exceeding her remit vastly, even to the extent of laying out the minutiae of a deal she is not even empowered to make.
“As to your question, what do Canada and the EU have in common?
Answer: Respect for the rule of law”
JK redux.
And I thought Pears Morgaine had a sense of humour – you take the biscuit
The EU has interfered in just about every election in Europe – then there’s the severe sanctions on EU citizens for speaking the truth – then there’s the political prisoners held in prison in Europe some without charge – add in the assassinations and attempted assassinations such as with the Slovakian premier Robert Fico, and you get the real picture of the EU – well its leaders anyway – they are vile evil nasty creatures.
The EU is moving towards Nazification – even Greece has welcomed the Zio-Nazi’s with open arms.
https://www.politischeverfolgung.de/en/political-prisoners/arno-van-kessel-dutch-resistance-lawyer/
As for Canada, well Mark Carney may talk a good game but he’s still a darling of the establishment – Canada is now murdering folk via euthanasia – form children to old folk – and worse still a poll in Canada showed that almost half of Canadians thought poor people should have the option of Euthanasia – Canada like the EU – is also supplying weapons, money and aid to the Neo-Nazi dictatorship running the failed state of Ukraine – such as with Chrystia Freeland – and who could forget the WWII Nazi getting a standing ovation at the Canadian parliament after speaking.
Many many Ukrainian Nazi war criminals moved to Canada – and despite the Galicia Division’s links to war crimes, a cenotaph celebrating the unit was erected in Canada’s largest Ukrainian cemetery.
The above is off the top of my head – there’s far more machinations from the EU and Canada – that I would need to look up.
RoS. Re. Canada.
Let’s not forget the way that Canada treated the truckers during the covid protests. Debanking and criminalising just for questioning the (faux) narrative.
Also, remember that Carney was heavily involved in the 2008 market crash as well as screwing up the UK financial sector.
Canada and it’s peoples are great, if a bit conservative, it’s their leaders that are totally corrupt.
I think it’s obvious what self-appointed Absolute Monarch Of Europe – Queen Ursula The Demented – and Shite Errant * former * bankster Mork Cagney are trying to do vis-a-vis the latest Euro-Numpty wheeze of, effectively, stretching the definition/bounderies of Europe to include North Yank Wokeville – Canuckia.
Aye, I know, the idea is that Tranada will become an ‘ associate ‘ member of The Madhouse, but the intent is clear…..to bring to fruition a version of the Eurasia envisaged by Orwell in 1984; a bloc of blockheads united in their absolute refusal to do ANYTHING rational or in the real interests of the millions of people they are supposed to SERVE, and whom they, in reality, treat with the utmost contempt and consider to be mere irritants/inconveniencies at best, cannon fodder for the permanent war against the other rival ( and, of course, * uniquely evil * ) Blocs at worst
The most urgent question must be……what role will there be for that personification ( well, one such, personification ) of clueless upward-failing, the ‘ Judy ‘ to Merz’s ‘ Punch ‘, ie Gaga Kallas; having tirelessly – though inadvertently – served the causes of Comedy & Mirth these last few years, surely she’ll be rewarded with a senior position in Neue Eurasianada?
Dunno, maybe as Assistant Head Stamp Licker, N.E Ambassador to Narnia or Queen Ursula’s Chamber Pot Emptier – in other words, a position commensurate with her skills & talent. If Gaga is for some reason unavailable for that role ( eg maybe her batteries run out and they lose the recharger ), fresh from serving as mouth/arse-piece for Brit State ‘ Red Scare ‘ fearmongering propaganda – Nick Stoogeon – would be an adequate substitute
And if there is a opening for a Chief Embalmer in this new, proposed 1000 Minute Reich – could there be a better candidate than Johnny ‘ Mort ‘ Swinney?
In fact the entire SNP could act as Queen Ursula’s Pratorian ( sic ) Guard.
Stevie Boy @13.13pm.
Yes good points.
Mendel writes her 1st name in English as Iulia.
Goose.
Mark Carney has said that he welcomes the EU’s advances – whilst Trump has said he slap sanctions on the EU if, they continue to court Canada.
Germany will probably get its credit rating cut soon. It’s unstable.
“Germany will probably get its credit rating cut soon. It’s unstable.”
2008 exposed the credit rating agencies as either totally corrupt or totally incompetent. If they had been doing their job, the crash wouldn’t have happened, at least not in the way it did.
@Republicofscotland
Thanks for the FT.
I had kinda ignored it as I have become tired of these never ending pseudo revelations whenever the situation is so dire that PR needs a new push. But of course re: the Western PR it´s helpful to keep oneself updated. Because when it is convenient MSM like to forget very quickly what they have once reported. So critics like myself try to cultivate a longterm memory.
However it has to be reminded that the “Sonderstab Ukraine” as such was no secret group and established in February 2022.
For those who haven´t read yet:
FINANCIAL TIMES
“The secretive German ‘guerrilla unit’ buying up arms for Ukraine
Small defence ministry team in Berlin strikes weapons deals in as little as two weeks”
Sept. 15th
https://archive.is/Og400
p.s. On this idiotic 2029 date.
Mark Sleboda has pointed out in the past that internal NATO/US assessments would assume that AFU collapses by that time. If this remains correct we will see. I have somehow doubts at the moment that Ukraine will be able to hold another 3 years if strategic bombing by RU goes on like this or will even intensify. On the other hand so far it has been a well manageable war for RU General Staff keeping NATO and Western MIC busy and drain their forces and especially resources.
But that´s why NATO chose 2029 as the time of the ominous Russian attack which even the Russians don´t know about.
Needless to say that Russia would already be in the position to take on NATO if NATO chose to attack now. Putin confirmed nothing less a few months ago.
Or take Lavrov who again warned that if NATO/EU chose to go to war it would be a very short one.
Now incidentally EU military leadership knows this. German Bundeswehr Inspector Freudig hinted at nothing less in January when he stated that German troops of 10k would be wiped out in a week.
The real timeframe is much shorter – the single week would rather apply to US forces. But still: These details shed light onto the true nature of discussions behind closed doors. The chatter we are confronted with in the public is white noise and a mixture of half-truths and lies.
So unsurprisingly the year 2029 is more an ultimatium not regarding Russian capabilities but in fact NATO.
Since NATO is far from able to do anything meaningful on the conventional level.
Zhaluzny said so himself this summer.
And he didn´t speak about 3 years of necessary time to catch up with Russia but rather 30 years.
(Or 24 years to be exact. Why in particular he chose to express it so akwardly I don´t know: “NATO will need 12 years to reach 50% of Russian capabilities” was his phrase).
And this doesn´t factor in that the Russian MIC will be constantly developing ever faster during those 24 years. So we will end up in several areas with technological advantages by RU which will be beyond the reach of NATO by any standard.
Just these days German Bundeswehr published the numbers of their questionnaire to young German males re: their willingness to join the army.
87k men got one. They had to answer on a scale of 10-0 how much interest they had to serve in the army. 2/3 of 82k who wrote back, gave answer “zero” interest. By average it was 1.7 points out of 10.
So expect forced conscription to be introduced in Germany. If students will resist we´ll see. If woke and progressive views (which are not at all bad by design) have had an impact in the last 30 years indifference to military is one of them.
A decent short German piece on the FT report which so far has been mostly ignored by German MSM.
use google-trsl.
“The “Special Staff Ukraine,” also known as the “Guerrilla Department,” uses tricks and shortened decision-making processes to supply weapons to Ukraine.”
https://overton-magazin.de/top-story/sonderstab-ukraine-auch-guerilla-abteilung-genannt-liefert-mit-tricks-auf-verkuerztem-entscheidungsweg-waffen-an-die-ukraine/
Two-options available, I think – one get out well you still can, and the other – fight back, the J6rs had the right idea – but for all the wrong reasons.
“Democracy in the US has fallen to its lowest levels in 50 years as a wider global decline weakens the rule of law and raises the risk of conflict, according to a new study.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) said on Tuesday that nearly half of the 30 measures it uses to assess US democracy have deteriorated to levels not seen since its records began in 1975.
“The USA is experiencing a period of marked democratic decline,” the organization said, describing the country as the “most prominent example and accelerator” of a broader global trend.
US performance worsened significantly in seven measures between 2020 and 2025, including access to justice, economic equality, freedom of expression and the press, the effectiveness of Congress, and judicial independence. International IDEA said the deterioration has been most pronounced during President Donald Trump’s second term, although some of the trends began earlier.”
Distressing, depressing and disappointing. £10 today and £10 a month by standing order. Can you let me know when you need bodies for support? I can come to Edinburgh on the 25th. Mick
There’s dozens of sites on youtube covering the Macklemore episode and, as per usual, Lowkey digs deeper:
EXPOSED: The Epstein-Linked Billionaire Who FORCED Ed Sheeran To CANCEL Macklemore FOR ISRAEL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEbcU1iQtDE&t=319s (9.16 DDN, posted today)
And as usual the zionists resort to lying and disseminating falsehoods about him and smearing him:
Debunking The Claim That Macklemore Has A “History Of Antisemitism”
https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/debunking-the-claim-that-macklemore-has-a-history-of-antisemitism-c17a87c5c431 (Caitlin Johnstone. posted 10 hours ago)
And even Channel 4 News covered it in an episode of Fourcast (which I’ve not come across before):
Ed Sheeran’s Macklemore-Palestine PROBLEM – Can artists still be APOLITICAL?
Ed Sheeran has found himself embroiled in a huge row after the rapper Macklemore was dropped as a support act from his tour, after he made comments in support of Palestine.
The Suffolk singer has said he is “not complicit” and that the decision to drop Macklemore was not his. Since then, all other support acts have pulled out of the tour in support of the rapper.
On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy speaks with singer Paloma Faith who has publicly supported Macklemore, calling him ‘my hero’ on social media.
They discuss the pressure put on musicians by business interests, whether music can ever stay out of politics and if musicians can ever truly sit on the fence when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kMGcvs_Jdo&t=594s (24.29, posted today)
Just got round to watching this Lowkey DDN vid posted five days ago about the Westbank settler sanctions, which I read somewhere only amounts to £33m of imports a year, which is FA. I haven’t checked – but I’m sure I would have heard about it one way or another – but none of the other countries who said they were going to take action of some sort appear to have done so yet. Anyway, here’s the vid:
The Beginning of the End of Israel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnG-lVWNdAg (10.31)
OMW, it’s all happening! I’m posting a link to the DM coverage of the latest in the Macklemore saga because I was just checking out how widely – or not – it’s all being covered by the MSM and, as such, first checked the Sun, yes, then the Express, no, not at all, and then the Mail, which is covering it all extensively, so THAT’s what I’ve got to hand:
Macklemore pledges $1MILLION to Palestinian relief after being booted from Ed Sheeran tour… as Robert Kraft announces his own donation
Macklemore is making it clear that he won’t be curtailing his pro-Palestinian activism after being dropped as Ed Sheeran’s opener after making a ‘free Palestine’ statement.
On Wednesday, the 43-year-old rapper announced that he would be donating $1 million – which he earned from Sheeran’s tour – to Palestinian aid groups.
Macklemore (real name: Benjamin Haggerty) also called out New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whom he has accused of conspiring with other stadium owners to get him blackballed from Sheeran’s tour, and challenged the billionaire to match his $1 million donation.
https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-16137477/Macklemore-pledges-million-Palestinian-Ed-Sheeran-Robert-Kraft.html
The following article also came up when I did a search on the DMs website, re Georgie Boy spouting off again, albeit from nine days ago:
Boy George brands Paloma Faith ‘as political as a soggy tuna sandwich’ as he takes aim at former The Voice co-star and ‘spineless’ Ed Sheeran over Macklemore Free Palestine row
https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-16113385/Boy-George-brands-Paloma-Faith-political-soggy-tuna-sandwich-takes-aim-former-Voice-star-spineless-Ed-Sheeran-Macklemore-Free-Palestine-row.html
Yes, I know, it’s more gossip than news, but wtf.
Apologies, but I’ve now discovered that The Times (as well as the Express) has completely blanked the whole episode (but the Telegraph has covered it). And I haven’t checked the Jewish newspapers more widely, but the JC has also completely blanked the whole saga as well.
Anyway, I came across a comprehensive timeline of it all in The Independent, and an opinion piece in the Guardian, and an article about a former member of Pink Floyd making his thoughts known on the matter:
Ed Sheeran’s tour with Macklemore has imploded. Here’s what you need to know
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ed-sheeran-tour-macklemore-support-acts-palestine-b3051617.html (posted in the early hours this morning)
Ed Sheeran wants to stay out of politics. By quitting his tour, his support acts have exposed the hollowness of neutrality
https://www.theguardian.com/music/commentisfree/2026/sep/16/ed-sheeran-macklemore-loop-tour-support-acts-quit-robert-kraft (posted yesterday evening)
Rock legend slams Ed Sheeran as US tour crumbles over Macklemore-Palestine controversy
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/roger-waters-ed-sheeran-macklemore-tour-pink-floyd-b3051621.html (also posted in the middle of the night)
Roger Waters comes out very well in this stuff.
Apologies again, but I just spotted this vid in the recommends on youtube and, as such, initially thought it was someone interviewing Pink and Pink doubling down, and did so because of the title to the vid. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’ve never come across the site – and the woman – on youtube before, but it’s really worth checking out, as apart from anything else, she shows some very interesting clips on the one hand, and there are some very interesting comments (in the Comments section) on the other:
Pink. Why are we surprised?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOSAuauQ0NY (13mins)
Apologies again (for so many posts in a row, but that’s definitely me finished for now…. well, for a few hours anyway!)
I thought better of Ed, he seemed like a good guy but apparently I was wrong. Ed could have taken a stance for humanity with Mackelmore right there and stop the tour altogether after Kraft demanded Macklemore to be canceled – that would be some legacy for Ed, instead, Ed sided with the opressors and the profit even though he is already worth some $400 million.
In a post on Instagram the other day Ed starts with how sad he is about the “Israel / Palestine conflict“ Conflict?!
Ed also said that he do want to be political about it, that is funny coming from Ed that have taken a stance for Ukraine multiple times and even donated money to their cause. But taking a stance for the palestinian people is to be “political”?!
Apparently Ed’s management also some ties to an Casey Wasserman, a Epstein-releated individual:
https://www.primetimer.com/features/ed-sheerans-alleged-booking-agent-casey-wassermans-ties-with-the-epstein-files-surface-online-in-wake-of-macklemore-controversy
And yeah Pink – the self-proclaimed zionist jew., what an insufferable hypocrite, she pretend to fight for progressive causes domestically but when it comes to Israel she flip and become this right-wing genocidal apologist just like that.
And soon she will pretend to be the victim of the story, how much “antisemitism” she is facing. Just wait.
As for Ed and his tour, he could ask the ex-covict kidnapper/torturer Mr Boy George to perform instead of Macklemore or why not bring Netanyahu to make a speech.
His Irish support acts and band have all abandoned the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestine. He has also been removed from playlists of radio stations in Ireland.
But Ed has become a zionist hero. In Britain, Boy George, Tommy Robinson, Lisa Nandy and Lucy Connolly have all issued public statements in support of him.
Bottom line is that his music is shite !
Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski says NATO would quickly defeat Russia because it has overwhelming air power superiority.
He’s missing something big there. If he has mushrooms for breakfast, he may realise what it is.
That point is easy to make. But he’s unlikely to be quite that stupid. It is scary that a NATO country foreign minister is putting the idea out that NATO can defeat Russia (and quickly too) because of air superiority. If this rubbish starts being said, all in a big rush, by governments in Berlin, London, Paris and by EU figures, then that would look very much like the run-up to a NATO-Russia war. If NATO were to establish air superiority – as it might well do – the war would turn nuclear within a week.
“If NATO were to establish air superiority – as it might well do – the war would turn nuclear within a week.”
Given the availability ratio of the F-35 “Flying Piano”, that’s a big if. NATO’s armaments are built to make huge profits for their builders, Russia’s are built to win wars.
Sergei Lavrov has warned a war with Europe would be “very short”,
Bayard.
Very true – very true indeed – such as with the Littoral class ship – and the Abrams tanks – and of course the F-35 – these and other US military weapons are designed to keep the MIC scumbags in the money
On the above – I should’ve added and the continued kickbacks for politicians – for helping to award contracts to the MIC
“Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski says NATO would quickly defeat Russia because it has overwhelming air power superiority.”
Interesting Brian, we see with the US and Iran that the US has air superiority – and yet Iran is holding its own if not winning – I don’t think you can win a war with air superiority alone – but its still a dangerous statement to make – I would’ve though the Polish big wigs would have cooled their animosity towards Russia a wee bit – after Zelensky’s re-burying of Ukrainian war criminals in Ukraine with honours – the same Ukrainian war criminals that butchered thousands of Poles (women and children) – many were murdered wit axes and hammers – to save ammo.
I wonder how the Saudis’ overwhelming air superiority helps them against the Houthis?
Just to be followed by Donald Tusk who states Ukraine is losing 27k men every month.
😂
https://x.com/squatsons/status/2100770544169910555
But tbh: Poland at least has this much public contradiction within the ruling class.
In Germany that´s unthinkable. Here they´re all exercising goose-stepping.
The only one NOT goose-stepping is called Nazi party!
😂🤣🙃
everything turned on its head
Canada’s relations with the EU and the US at the moment might be principally about the war and NATO, not trade.
The Guardian reports that “Trump threatens to stop trading with EU over ‘laughable’ membership offer to Canada”. That would be almost 20% of US exports having to go somewhere else or stop, then. Hardly a joking matter.
It’s true that the US has a low export ratio, but you gotta wonder where the limit might be to US voters thinking “We’re still the greatest country in the world” when they lose their jobs and still keep receiving their medical bills – even in a time of falling literacy and intelligence. Is the US administration under the deranged octogenarian failed casino owner, puppet boy of the Zionists that he is, sailing by the seat of its pants right now?
The US/Terrorist Pirate state – trying to buy some time – I wonder if they informed the Saudi’s they were going to do this.
“According to a report from Reuters, US officials during the weekend met with an Ansarullah delegation in Oman.
The US promised the Houthis that they will not support Saudi forces or strike targets in the areas controlled by Ansarullah, in exchange the US asked the Houthis to keep the Bab al Mandab strait open for international shipping.”
“The US promised the Houthis that they will not support Saudi forces or strike targets in the areas controlled by Ansarullah, in exchange the US asked the Houthis to keep the Bab al Mandab strait open for international shipping.”
What did Ansarallah answer, “Sure, just not Saudi, you lot, Israel or the UK”?
This is not enough for the Houthis; they want air blocade to be lifted. Then, of course, they’ll get tons of weapons from Iran.
Western war mongering on the sly.
“Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande, and Petro Poroshenko all admitted Minsk Accords 1 & 2 were to ‘buy time’ for Ukraine to arm and train from NATO in separate 2022 interviews.
That Russia believed the Minsk Accords were good faith is evidenced by data. Russia was the only regional state to CUT MILITARY SPENDING between 2015 and 2022.”
Nah, Putin was only trying to lull the West into a false sense of security. Good thing they weren’t fooled, eh, otherwise Ukraine might be losing its war with Russia.
Russia was hit by a financial crisis in 2014, part caused by a 50% drop in the price of oil and partly by sanctions. There were two years of negative growth and recovery was slow.
You are misinformed again. Minsk-2 was signed in 2015, and since then Russia’s per capita GDP PPP was negative only in 2020 (due to Covid-19, like eveybody else’s) and in 2022, for obvious reasons.
There’s none so misinformed than those who don’t want to believe the truth.
Pears’ speciality is the Constitution of Ukraine, so I give him a slack on economics.
Is it any wonder then – that the voters are turning to the likes of the AfD.
“Good Morning from Germany, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s approval rating has hit a new all-time low. Just 10% of Germans are satisfied w/his performance, while 88% are dissatisfied. Even among CDU/CSU supporters, dissatisfaction now leads 57% to 42%. For comparison, Olaf Scholz’s worst reading was 23% approval and 76% disapproval.”
Merz, wearing a kippah, fighting back tears at the reopening of Munich’s Reichenbach synagogue was a low point.
Merz was born in 1955, ten years after WWII ended.
German Politicians who lived through the war, thus likely bore some degree of personal responsibility for the persecution, didn’t behave in such a demeaning way. Tearfully begging a third-generation for forgiveness, for crimes you yourself weren’t involved in, is absurd.
RoS
The AfD are classed as pro-Russia, as are National Rally in France , although that designation is applied to anyone not in favour of charging into a war with Russia, so it’s increasingly a meaningless designation. Senior NATO people all seem certain war with Russia is on the horizon. And not only that, they’re gung-ho about the prospect.
I don’t understand the lack of fear about Russia’s nuclear arsenal? Has it been compromised, or sabotaged in some way, by the CIA/MI6? Maybe a supply-chain attack on electronic components – components which have to tolerate extreme re-entry temperatures and pressures; something akin to the intercepted Hezbollah pagers? The sheer devil-may-care attitude about war, coming from Europe’s warmongering faction, would make me audit everything and recommence nuclear tests immediately, were I sat in the Kremlin. You don’t want to find out you’ve been sabotaged in a war.
I’d be asking : why aren’t they scared of our nuclear deterrent?
‘They’ aren’t scared because they know Russia is a rational, civilised country that would never contemplate nuking another country unless their very survival was threatened.
This is just typical bullying tactics against a big boy as applied by the western pack of talentless hyenas.
Stevie Boy
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, was never formally ratified by the Senate, though a global norm against explosive testing largely held. Russia appears to be waiting for the U.S. to resume, before conducting any new testing itself. But a test could make the more hawkish European leaders, like Finland’s Stubb, Poland’s Tusk and those ultra bellicose Baltic leaders, realise what is at stake with their sabre-rattling.
And Russia should be paranoid about sabotage. Nuclear weapons require special electrical components that Russia imports; extreme sub-millimeter and micro-inch precision to ensure symmetrical implosion and prompt criticality. And western intel agencies are very well-resourced. The overconfident swagger among senior NATO, and bellicosity about war with Russia, must have a foundation in something, some reassuring knowledge?
Talking about bans Goose – if only nations didn’t need to trade with the US, US sanctions, which are war by other means – wouldn’t mean as much.
“The US House of Representatives has passed a bill authorizing President Donald Trump to place tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy and impose tougher sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict.
The legislation was approved on Wednesday by a vote of 262-159. According to The Hill, 203 Republicans and 58 Democrats voted in favor; seven Republicans and 152 Democrats opposed it. The bill passed the US Senate last month.
The bill, which also grants Trump the authority to impose additional sanctions on Iran, is named in honor of hawkish Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who unexpectedly passed away last month. A major Trump ally and vocal supporter of Ukraine, Graham traveled to Kiev ten times after 2022 and co-wrote the original version of the legislation, calling for “bone-crushing” sanctions against Russia.
The version adopted by Congress allows Trump to impose additional tariffs of up to 100% on countries importing or reselling Russian oil and gas. The bill is aimed at “the top five countries facilitating Russian oil sanctions evasion,” with China and India expected to be among those targeted.
Many Democrats argued that the bill would grant Trump additional powers amid his ongoing trade war with much of the world. “What this legislation will do is give Donald Trump, perhaps, unfettered authority to unleash tariffs on the American people said” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries ”
—
[ Mod: Kindly cite your sources for news stories. ]
MOD
I got it here.
https://www.rt.com/news/645883-us-house-graham-russia-sanctions/
Others may not like the RT link so here as well.
https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/us-news/house-passes-lindsey-graham-sanctions-act-sends-anti-russia-bill-to-trumps-desk/
“I don’t understand the lack of fear about Russia’s nuclear arsenal? ”
Nobody has used nukes since WWII. The generation that lived through that war are dead or at an advanced age. The same forgetfulness of what war is really like, as opposed to the Hollywood version, applies to nukes, too. People tend not to factor in something they have no experience of. Both the British and the Germans were gung-ho for war in 1914 and both sides thought it would all be over by Christmas.
The Zio-Monsters don’t want their crimes exposed – who do you think has been staring all those fires around the world recently.
“Netanyahu JUST announced Israel will REVOKE citizenship from Israelis who expose IDF crimes abroad.
He cited the leaked video of IDF soldiers caught r*ping Palestinians with dogs and the latest documentary of IDF whistleblowers exposing crimes in Gaza.”
Today’s edition of Popbitch has this interesting piece on the Ed Sheeran controversy, headed Krafty Handjobs:
Ed Sheeran finds himself a performer alone. All his support acts have fled, siding with Macklemore after the latter was fired for using his own support slot to make pro-Palestinian comments.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the instigator of this, refusing permission for the gig to go ahead at his Foxborough stadium and reportedly rallying other stadium owners. And when it comes to this kind of principled behaviour, the elderly Kraft has form.
Back in 2019 he was photographed by cops at a massage parlour in Jupiter, Florida. The first time he frequented the Orchids of Asia Day Spa he got a handjob. The second time he got a blowjob. He was charged with solicitation, as part of a police investigation into human trafficking for prostitution.
But thanks to having the best lawyers money could buy he found a judge who ruled the cameras violated the law and tossed everything out. Bob walked. The poor human-trafficked women did not. They were arrested and charged with prostitution.
Epstein’s lawyer it was who got Kraft acquitted, at Epstein’s request.
“MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, did not give Burnham an emphatic ‘Don’t do it’ message, but it outlined that it could risk intelligence-sharing with Israel.
‘People in MI6 are pulling their hair out,’ says an influential Labour figure close to the security services. ‘They presented warnings about the consequences of doing this.’
That source even suggests that Sa’ar only took Miliband’s call after a request was passed on by MI6 via Mossad. Netanyahu routinely refuses to talk to British politicians.
A non-political source with deep roots in the intelligence community has this to say: ‘If you appear like a lightweight who will selectively virtue-signal, you’re not going to be taken seriously again.’
He says that Mossad already views MI6 as competent but overcautious: ‘The relationship was difficult because we did national security, the Israelis do national survival. I think the Israelis see us as pretty professional, but a bunch of pussies in terms of the methods that we would use.’
Tim Shipman writes.
The only reason we have a security threat from Islamic radicals, is because policy has been so skewed towards doing Israel’s bidding over the last 35 years, plus unquestioning subservience to U.S. demands. The Iraq wars I&II, Afghanistan, Libya; Syria and the terrorist designations of Hamas and Hezbollah – which many other countries haven’t followed. The policies towards Iran i.e., sanctions; they’re all the product of Israeli lobbying and unhealthy US influence over UK foreign policy. The UK wouldn’t have done any of those, acting alone – those wars and policies are not the natural consequence UK sovereign decisions.
Stated before, but worth restating.
Even the war in Ukraine has its origins in events in Syria, where Russia/Putin intervened to prop-up Assad. Very pro-Israel U.S. politicians, those most closely associated with pushing for Assad’s overthrow using imported Sunni Jihadists; as they believed it would undermine Iran’s influence in the region, like John McCain and Lindsey Graham, were also hugely supportive of the Maidan overthrow of a leader, Viktor Yanukovych, who was seen as overly friendly and thus under the influence of Russia. Presumably, that was the U.S. response, to being thwarted in Syria, with Putin coming to Assad’s aid a few months earlier(September 2013)? Maidan protests started late 2013- ending early 2014.
The U.S., whether the population understand or not, is the chief architect of many of the conflicts in the world today.
‘most’ not ‘many’. IMO
Sounds like further embellishment of last week’s charade. It’s in the interests of the entire British elite (and Israel) to ensure these bought Blairites are propped up and persist as the leftmost boundary of the uniparty. Business as usual must continue, at home and abroad.
Trump still refuses to acknowledge US guilt in both matter, in anycase nothing will come from the report – Trump will not see the inside of a prison cell, and the US will continue to commit war crimes – as will the Zio-Monsters.
“A UN fact-finding mission has found reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes by carrying out indiscriminate strikes on civilian targets in Iran, according to a new report.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran released its findings to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, focusing in part on two strikes it described as “emblematic” of the conflict and involving “significant violations” of international law.
The first was the February 28 double strike on an elementary school in Minab. The mission said credible information confirmed 157 deaths, including 123 children aged 13 and younger.
Investigators identified the weapon as a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), used only by the US during the conflict. Citing evidence including internal Pentagon investigations and Washington’s failure to explain the incident, the mission concluded that the school had been deliberately targeted, apparently on the basis of outdated intelligence.
The second incident involved a strike on a sports complex and surrounding residential area in Lamerd, Fars Province. The mission said the attack killed and injured 22 civilians and damaged nearby homes and a school.
Investigators said a US-made Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) detonated in the air, dispersing around 180,000 tungsten pellets over a wide area.
In both cases, the mission concluded that US conduct went beyond negligence and amounted to the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack resulting in civilian deaths, injuries or damage to civilian property. It said the US had failed to adequately verify targeting information despite the risk to civilians.”
RoS
King Charles is hosting an A.I. Summit, in Scotland, for some reason. Imagined conversation between Jensen Huang (CEO of Nvidia and King Charles) satirical.
King Charles : This A.I.is a powerful tool, yes?
Jensen Huang: A.I. has incredible potential , yes Sir.
King Charles: Powerful enough to erase things off the internet?
Jensen Huang: Of course… it could do that, may I inquire why you ask?
King Charles : Well,… it’s a bit embarrassing, but nearly forty-years ago, an amateur radio hobbyist using a high-powered scanner, managed to record me telling Camilla I wished I was a tampon; the story became known as tampongate. I’d like all references to this call, and the damn call itself erased from the internet, and that’s why I hosted this stupid summit.
In a rare act of authentic journalism : Sky News, has tonight published leaked No.10 documents, drawn up for Starmer’s ‘fightback’. Basically, Burnham who inherited them, has decided to run with them. The man fronting the show may have changed, but the show remains the same.
There’s an obsession with national security throughout the leaked documents, and a planned public information campaign called “War BooK” – which is presumably a revival of the “War Book” issued in the Cold War, those plans focused on preparing the UK for a nuclear attack. Yikes!
https://news.sky.com/story/leak-from-no-10-reveals-how-starmer-planned-to-stay-in-power-and-the-policies-borrowed-by-burnham-13589059?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter
Thank you!!!
The only thing missing would be the actual pdf.
“And all the incriminating video, photos, audio, and documents that would incontrovertibly prove we murdered my ex-wife and her lover in 1997 – bwahaha, I mean sob sob – the release of which would finish me AND my horse AND my delicious valet, green-gooing the nanotech out of the entire cosmos as Doctor Dee foresaw – I want it all destroyed using one of these AI machines, d’you hear?”
Charles Spencer’s book sounds good. I read his book about his boarding school years and it was great. His nephew’s autobiog is quite good too – especially the part where he imagined calling in an air attack against his father’s car. NO KINGS!
Could we see what is long overdue, a clear statement by people like Charles Spencer and Harry Wales that
1. the now monarch and his parents ordered the murder of Diana Spencer, carried out by British special forces, and
2. the mediaeval political form known as the monarchy is fit only for the dustbin?
A hook could be that they will never refer to “UK” but always say “Britain” and invite all anti-monarchists to do the same.
With the amount of people piling in on him, I cannot help but feel some sympathy with Mr Ed Sheeran. I am not familiar with his music but by most metrics he is extraordinarily successful. The image I have of him is as an Everyman Singer/Songwriter.
Mr Sheeran’s basic sympathies appear to be decent, like most everyday people. He has surrounded himself and maintained relationships with fellow artists/musicians who oppose genocide and who count him [Sheeran] as their friend.
Being “unpolitical” and hugely successful Mr Sheeran appears to have imagined that the POWER was similarly “unideological” or that if there were values at play, they were economic and transactional. Factoring in the American First Amendment and the premise that everyone was profiting from his sellout tour (no pun intended) Mr Sheeran would have anticipated that he would be insulated from any negative consequences that those on his tour (who publicly oppose genocide) could bring.
Sadly for Mr Sheeran he has been sorely disabused of this notion. He was confronted with the ideological character of the POWER (and FINANCE) and although I can’t know what his personal liabilities and commitments were on this tour, he complied under this pressure to cancel Macklemore, triggering the defection of all the other support acts and his backing band.
As a parable for Everyday people this situation is exemplary. The Everyman balladier is infringed and warned that that in order to prevent disruption, his tour will need to cease causing offence. By complying he has caused a chain of offence, damaging his reputation, isolating him, and jeopardising the tour and potentially depriving his fans of seeing him perform (no doubt all outcomes he would have wished to avoid).
Most people want stability and security. Threatening to remove or destroy the infrastructure that provides this, intimidates people and pressures them to acquiesce. In this instance the POWER sought privately to intimidate Mr Sheeran and by complying he has isolated himself (although he is insulated by his fortune). If Mr Sheeran had PUBLICLY announced the ultimatum that was given to him by Mr Kraft and asked the ticket paying audiences of his forthcoming shows for their opinion on how he should respond he would have felt less alone and unsupported when making his decision in response (and quite possibly he would have made a better decision ?).
Johnny0h45
Don’t know that much about him or his music, but he’s been put in an almost impossible position. Many of his fans demand he simply cancels his tour, but that may leave him open to legal action, over any contractual obligations he’s under?
While never ‘homeless,’ as in sleeping in the streets, he went without a permanent place to live for roughly two and a half years as a young musician in London between 2008 and 2010. So he probably does feel deeply sympathetic towards Gazans, whose homes have been systematically destroyed.
Goose
I don’t think Ed Sheeran is a bad lad at all.
He sings love songs (nothing wrong with that – make love not war etc) and he is caught up in a bind of pleasing a certain set of people and annoying another set of people.
You could say he is in it for the money – he’s loaded anyway, as they say so, I wouldn’t say that.
In the world of making statements I don’t put him in the same league of previous potential Peacenick Trump or any other wiseacre and populist.
Declaring yourself as X or Y is all the rage these days and I think we are expecting great things from relatively mediocre and non powerful ( as opposed to – there is something the actually powerful can do and actually do) people which is unfair.
We should all ‘ Punch Up ‘ towards the genuinely powerful and not waste our political emotions on those famous people, (who despite being influential amongst the masses) have no influence on power where it really resides.
The punch needs to be UP – not level or down and as long as the rich let the influencers influence then the diversions will continue.
And of course diversion means operating sleights of hand for the ones who are really in charge.
We all chat and wrankle – they get on with the real and dangerous stuff.
It isn’t new by the way.
Bollocks, he’s not a victim, the Palestinians are.
Squeeth
That should go without saying of course.
But, Ed Sheeran’s and many other only ‘ powers ‘ are not powers at all.
Keeping your mouth shut isn’t a power either.
The MSM – politicians and the so called stars are beholden and reliant upon the backing of much more rich and powerful people than themselves, despite their ‘ influence.’
That’s the con .
Most of them ( unless they are stupid ) know it and certainly know their place.
You only have to listen to them to confirm that.
“Don’t know that much about him or his music, but he’s been put in an almost impossible position. ”
Not really, he f*cked up. Instead of standing up to Kraft and saying “It’s both me and Macklemore or neither” and defying him to cancel the tour and take the heat and the lawsuits from the fans, he kowtowed and is faced with the loss of all his support acts, and, probably the tour, too. The first option would have made him a hero, the second makes him a creep. In neither option do the fans get what they wanted.
The only challenge in trying to portray Ed Sheeran, Andy Burnham et al as quietly decent friends of the Palestinians is their actions and words.
And they wont wake up
Why do we have to Keep begging
For Justice and Peace
Begging for justice and peace from your oppressors is pointless and a waste of time. The oppressors will only do what suits them, your needs are irrelevant to them. Peace and justice has to be fought for, earned, it’s not a gift.
Stevie Boy
Strangely enough you have to fight for your freedom.
When you do though, you are labelled a potential threat and a terrorist.
OK to fight in a war sanctioned by the various democratic governments.
That’s ‘ legal ‘
Interesting – Turkey is part of the defence pact as well, will Erdogan now marshal his troops to against fight Yemeni forces.
“Pakistan says time has come to implement Mecca defence pact
Pakistan says it will defend Saudi Arabia as renewed Houthi attacks raise pressure on the three-way defence agreement”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pakistan-says-time-has-come-implement-mecca-defence-pact
It looks like the Trumpster – is going around the world begging for countries to fight Iran – who else would’ve prompted the South Korean premier to come out with this.
“President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that South Korea will not deploy troops or military assets to the Strait of Hormuz in a way that would involve the country in the war, while acknowledging that the government is considering ways to strengthen efforts to protect Korean vessels and citizens in the region.
“We will not deploy troops or military assets in a way that involves or intervenes in the war,” Lee said at a press conference at the Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. “We have adhered to that principle so far, and it will remain unchanged going forward.”
Lee said South Korea, like other countries, has a responsibility to take minimum necessary measures to protect its commercial vessels, oil shipping routes and the lives and safety of its citizens.
The Cheonghae Unit, South Korea’s naval anti-piracy unit, has already been deployed to the region to prepare for and respond to threats to shipping routes and the safety of Korean nationals, including piracy, and the government is considering ways to strengthen these efforts”
https://asianews.network/south-korea-president-lee-says-seoul-will-not-be-involved-in-middle-east-war-rules-out-reelection/