International Relations, Politics, Economics - Russia/Ukraine at EIU. Displaced Worcestershire lad.
Joined May 2010
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I don't think this is Latvia's best foot being put forward.
Sometimes, its worth listening to views you might not agree with. Democracy across Europe should be strong enough to cope with a robust disagreement.
Some notes on my situation in Latvia:
What I am observing at the moment is a threat of very severe extrajudicial punishment for speaking my mind and providing original opinions and analysis.
The reason they opt for persona non grata status is the desire to deny me justice in the court system where the case - as senior politicians involved in attacking openly admit - won’t hold water. This is why I interpret the situation as an instance of political persecution.
The threat is accompanied with a character assassination campaign involving far right infowar and fake news outfits which deliberately distort my views on the conflict.
The goal of the attack is to destroy my life and to put a gag on me as a notable voice in public debate on the Russo-Ukranian war.
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Really? More intuitive than a thing shaped like a joystick?
But of pro-Boeing reaching going on here.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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The “almost certainly AI slop award” of the day goes to: moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/09/1…
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The decision to put the words "poor research" and "academic malpractice" in a sentence next to someone's name is highly questionable - even if to deny it. How would "Is Daron Acemoglu's reputation justified by his scholarship" have been a worse headline?
No economist accuses him of truly poor research, let alone academic malpractice. But is Daron Acemoglu’s reputation justified by his scholarship? economist.com/finance-and-ec…
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Okay. It could go many ways but for now, I’m going to call it:
Farage/Binface is one of the best things to happen in British politics in a long time.
Is it just me or is the level of Russia reporting in the UK getting much worse of late?
“Paranoid Putin increases personal security to 800 officers”, blares the Telegraph
Predictably dramatic headline for an article which manages to get the facts seriously wrong. In fact… 1/
telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2…
British Museum handling the Bayeaux tapestry members booking with their trademark brand of incompetence. People waiting for hours to be kicked off @britishmuseum
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Can I make a suggestion @britishmuseum? You need to stop this, go back to the drawing board and relaunch when it actually works. Totally unreasonable that you can’t work a basic queuing system. A lot of the people you are screwing have been members for years.
I assume there are still backchannel negotiations and I appreciate the idea to apply pressure - but this is a two way street and I am pretty sure Iran will be willing to bet the US blinks first.
Hope I’m wrong.
Trump says US will "blockade" Strait of Hormuz after talks failed over Iran's "nuclear ambitions" - follow live bbc.in/3OjJmgT
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You wonder when the Ukraine war ended so that Russia had any spare resources to threaten the EU.
Then you remember that Ukraine has held the entire weight of the Russian army for years.
Then, and maybe it’s just me being British, but you probably have a cup of tea.
What's the plan, Europe? NATO has nothing. All the eggs are in the Trump basket. So what do you do when its 2028, 200k Russian troops are moved to the border of Baltic states, and Trump/US isn't going to lift a finger. What do you do?
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Gosh the faux outrage is quite ridiculous.
Just spoke to @POTUS about our European allies’ unwillingness to provide assets to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning, which benefits Europe far more than America. I have never heard him so angry in my life. I share that anger given what’s at stake.
The arrogance of our allies to suggest that Iran with a nuclear weapon is of little concern and that military action to stop the ayatollah from acquiring a nuclear bomb is our problem not theirs is beyond offensive. The European approach to containing the ayatollah’s nuclear ambitions have proven to be a miserable failure.
The repercussions of providing little assistance to keep the Strait of Hormuz functioning are going to be wide and deep for Europe and America.
I consider myself very forward-leaning on supporting alliances, however at a time of real testing like this, it makes me second guess the value of these alliances. I am certain I am not the only senator who feels this way.
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“Putin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool”
And he’s done it. The future of the alliance is at stake. European leaders need to take a hard look at themselves. Years of neglect have left the continent vulnerable.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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“Before Wednesday… Russian drones had repeatedly ventured into Polish airspace from neighboring Belarus, circling cities before turning back.”
Except that’s not what the maps in the link show. It shows them circling Ukrainian cities @politico
politico.eu/article/why-puti…
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As you’d expect with the competence levels of the British government, no #emergencyalert received.
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The Sultana Party.
Raisin a new Britain.
Today, after 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party.
Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, with other Independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the country.
Join us. The time is now.
Sign up here to stay updated: actionnetwork.org/forms/join…
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