Check Mate.

I wasn’t going to comment any further on the current situation in Georgia, not until the dust settled anyway, but someone drew my attention to an article posted on the Times Online.

Most of the article is reasonably good, but the reference to Putin playing chess and checkmating the West is…presumptuous. It doesn’t take into account that once a chess match is over another one can start.

The US has begun delivering Humanitarian aid to Georgia, Russia objects to this and has also questioned whether the supplies are humanitarian at all. But what is Russia going to do about it? With Americans now in Georgia, would Russia seek a confrontation? I would suspect the opposite would be true.

US Warships have also entered the Black sea to deliver aid. They will no doubt sail towards Georgian port of Poti, where the Russians, earlier today were reportedly destroying the Georgian military installations. Would the Russian navy seek to impede the US Navy? I would suspect that again the opposite would be true.

Also, Poland has just signed a preliminary deal with the US on plans to host part of its new missile defence shield. Naturally the Russian have opposed this. But what can they do about it?

There’s been a lot of talk over the last few days on what the US can do, with its army tied up in places like Iraq and Afghanistan they were never going to send troops to Georgia. But the US Navy isn’t heavily committed to these conflicts, nor is the US Airforce and these are the forces that are now coming to the aid of Georgia.

So did Russia win?

Georgia may have lost its entry into Nato, its presidents actions which is something akin to throwing yourself into the path of an oncoming truck and then expect your friends “Nato” to stop the truck before it runs you over, have just confirmed its instability, but this won’t stop the US from assisting with the Military and Civilian reconstruction efforts.

Russia may have achieved checkmate, but at the possible expense of losing the next game, one that has already begun to go against it.

Soldiers Patrolling European Cities…

You would think that I’m about to comment on Russian Soldiers, who are supposedly still on the Streets of Gori in Georgia, but no.

I talking about Italian troops on the streets of Milan, Naples and Rome. They are patrolling the cities as part of a government campaign to combat crime and boost security. The Italian Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa has stated:

”This is not a militarisation of cities but a clear response to the perceived demand for greater security.”

No soldiers were on patrol in central Rome after the city’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, said he did not want to frighten tourists.

Right-wing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi swept to power in April’s election on a tough law and order platform, promising new measures to curb illegal immigration and combat crime. But his government has also been accused of whipping up a xenophobic mood against the illegal immigrants it blames for much of the serious street crime in Italian cities. Ministers say they are simply responding to Italians’ fears.

So we can guess who’s going to be stopped by them then. In fact the picture here from the BBC website shows just what is happening.

You can imagine the conversation: “We stopped you because you don’t look like your from around these parts…”

This is all quite laughable when a Country like Italy has one of the biggest criminal organisations on the planet; the Mafia. You could also point a finger at Italian politics with all its alleged corruption.

Crime committed by Immigrants? Just an easy target I’d say.

Is the regeneration of cities going south?

The right-wing think tank called policy exchange has issued a document stating that cities in northern England such as Liverpool, Sunderland and Bradford are “beyond revival” and residents should move south.

To quote from the document:

“As demand for more highly qualified workers grows, the lower skill levels associated with regeneration towns will make it even harder for them to catch up – not least because their brightest and best educated leave for London after graduation. Nor is a change of government likely to continue supporting regeneration policy. Ministers in the current Labour Cabinet overwhelmingly represent inner city areas. A future Cabinet, perhaps more representative of suburbs and the wealthy South East, may not have the same commitment to high levels of regeneration funding, particularly if economic circumstances demand a squeeze on public spending.”

This I can agree with. However I cannot with the following:

“There is no realistic prospect that our regeneration towns and cities can converge with London and the South East. There is, however, a very real prospect of encouraging significant numbers of people to move from those towns to London and the South East. We know that the capital and its region are economic powerhouses that can grow and create new high-skilled, high-wage service sector hubs. At the same
time market mechanisms can be used to induce some firms to move out of the South East.

We propose a significant liberalisation of land use in London and the South East. There are over 2,500 hectares of industrial land in London alone, and 10,000 hectares in London and the South East together. If

only half of it were used for housing, it would create £25 billion in value and allow half a million people to move to an area that offers much better prospects than where they live now. Such a market led policy would prompt many industrial firms that are based in London to relocate to where land is cheaper. So some peoplewill leave regeneration cities; some jobs will move to regeneration cities. Both are desirable outcomes.”

So if that happens, those with the best prospects go to London, while those with less prospects and lower qualifications end up staying in the North to work in the “industrial firms” that have moved North.

What kind of Retards have put this forward?

They propose that three million homes should be built around Oxford, Cambridge and London to enable people to move south. I don’t know whether they’ve noticed, but we are a little overcrowded in the South of England already. But then after you look at the document you realise that the Policy Exchange have only focused one thing: economic issues, It disregards the social impact, that people with families do want to live and work in the cities they were born in. They are simply treating human beings as Economic units to be moved around.

To me this policy has been dressed up in softer language while delivering the same view as what Tory Norman Tebbit said after the Tories under Margaret Thatcher decimated Industry in the north of the country creating widespread unemployment; get on your bike.

The policy exchange has been said to be a “favourite” of Conservative leader David Cameron, He has subsequently distanced himself from them, but it just goes to show that the old died in the wool, wishing it was the 80’s again Tories are still around trying to fly their policies in under the British publics radar.

The policy has a very “South-east/London centric” view, that this part of the country is all important and the rest can just wither on the vine.

So here’s my policy:

There are a hell of a lot of the jobs in London can be done anywhere in the Country and that includes city trading jobs, If they are saying that the quality of life in the North is not good, then they really need to take a look out of the window at London and the South-east. With modern communications and airports all over what needs to change is the mentality which dictates that only London and the south-east can offer all the things that business and their employees require.

Russia ‘ends Georgia operation’

Is there a problem with the following statement from the BBC news website?

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an end to military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.

I think it should be read like this:

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has been ordered to end the military operations against Georgia, the Kremlin says.

What? me being cynical about who is really in Charge at the Kremlin? Perish the thought.

Incidently, I found this comment from the “Have Your say” section on the site:

The difference in views on the events in Ossetia has its own explanation. Russian now have the opportunity to receive information from different sources. In addition to Russian television channels we can watch television of GB, US, Germany … Many Russian speak foreign languages and can read information on the Internet. We can compare different information. People in the West do not have such an opportunity. They are victims of one-sided false propaganda.

I guess it really doesn’t occur to some people that people “in the west” also can speak many different languages, have access to many television channels from around the world and can access the Internet. Speaking of propaganda, all I’ve had thrown at me from the “Sphere of Russian influence” on the Fallout article I posted is links to Russian news sites.

If you really do have access to an abundance of information, why only quote the ones from your country of origin?

That will be the “only hear what we want to hear” scenario kicking in.

A to Z of right-wing online commenting…

A short alphabetical guide for anyone thinking of posting a comment on the Mail/BBC Have Your Say messageboards.

For the full list you need to get yourself over to the Liberal Conspiracy site!

I shall set out a few in this post that “Tickled my fancy.”

ALCOHOL – benign, harmless substance when consumed by anyone over 45 which is also toxic and dangerous drug when administered to YOUNG PEOPLE or FERAL YOUTH. Should be taxed when drunk by YOUNG PEOPLE but not by others, who are of course responsible and never do anything wrong.

BBC, THE – Pinko commie bastard scumbags who love liberals and want our children to be gay. Bonus points for saying “I BET YOU WON’T PUBLISH THIS, COMMUNIST BBC!” whenever you submit anything to the HYS messageboard.

BINGE BRITAIN – the sudden liking for alcohol which has happened since 1997. No-one underage ever drank anything before then, but now all of a sudden everyone is drinking, from the age of four upwards, then having a fight afterwards. Anticipated by Hogarth in his famous “Gin Lane under NuLab”.

BROKEN BRITAIN – propensity towards violence and lawlessness never seen in country until Tony Blair was elected. Don’t believe the CRIME STATISTICS!

BROWN, GORDON – please don’t use his correct name. Acceptable names are Jock McBottler, Gordie McHaggis, Tartan McBroon, Jimmy McIrnBru, etc. Must be blamed for everything in the world, eg man attacked by hedgehog in New Zealand.

DEATH PENALTY – should be brought back for all crimes that make white people feel scared at night, regardless of true nature of crime.

GUARDIAN READERS – wilfully ignorant yoghurt-weaving sandal-clad Islington-dwelling fools who want to strangle our babies and kill everyone, bringing a wave of MULTICULTURALISM and LIBERAL values to our ONCE-GREAT COUNTRY.

HELL IN A HANDCART – phrase that implies that immigration or liberalism will destroy the bedrock of our society and that doom can only happen in some unspecified time in the future.

IT NEVER DID ME ANY HARM – can be used for bullying, beating, torture, any kind of child abuse basically.

LITTLEJOHN, RICHARD – hilariously funny, better-than-Proust chronicler of HELL-IN-A-HANDCART PC-GONE-MAD NU LAB bonkers YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP Britain.

NATIONAL SERVICE – should be compulsory for everyone younger than me. Never did me any harm! Or the Krays.

NEW LABOUR – A bunch of Stalinist scum who are deliberately killing our children. Please use the correct term ‘NuLab’.

NORMAL PEOPLE – anyone with rabidly right-wing views, cf THE SILENT MAJORITY.

ONCE-GREAT COUNTRY – Britain. Used to imply that starving Indians to death and raping other countries was actually the thing we should be proudest of as a nation.

SOCIALISM – despicable ‘failed experiment’ (cf MULTICULTURALISM) which makes everyone miserable. The politics of NULAB, regardless of tax breaks for the rich, tax increases for the poor, etc.

UNIONS – appalling 1970s rapists of industry who brought the country to its knees and whose sole purpose in life is to wreck Great Britain. Bonus points for ‘Striking won’t do you any good, you’ve got gold plated pensions?! What about me, I don’t have a union, I just get on with my job and I love my 0.1 per cent pay rise?!’

YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP – catch-all Littlejohnian phrase for things which are, as it turns out, frequently actually made up.

YOUNG PEOPLE – See FERAL YOUTH. Are responsible for all crime everywhere ever. Listen to evil music that makes them mad and kill grannies. Should have been disciplined more properly with THE BIRCH and then they wouldn’t have turned out this way. But sadly THE PC BRIGADE is in charge of our education and let them off everything.

ZERO TOLERANCE – would solve everything. All children found on streets killed would mean no more yobs bothering our grannies. Being flayed alive for theft would stop all thefts instantly. But will this Government do anything? No they won’t!

Fallout…Continued.

Well it would appear that when I typed this on the previous thread:

“whether to keep to limited intervention, or widen the conflict”

That Russia has made its response, which appears to be the latter.

On another note, I had this fellow comment on the previous thread who believes that the mass media was propagating false information, or perhaps I should say Western media.

If you come back this way to look at this blog again my friend, my advice to you is that you will have to do a lot better than produce a number of links pointing towards those bastions of Unbiased news…the Russian media.

In the meantime here’s a link regarding the conflict from a “non-western” source: Japan Today.