As the New York Times noted in a mail this morning:
A new study estimates that there have been nearly 1.4 million military casualties in Russia's three-year war with Ukraine, with almost a million Russian troops and roughly 400,000 on the Ukrainian side believed to have been killed or wounded.
Though the study, by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, cautioned that the figures were difficult to estimate, the staggering tally points to the grinding nature of the conflict. Russia's territorial gains have hovered around 165 feet a day in some places, slower than the bogged-down and costly Somme advance of British and French troops in World War I.
This is what Keir Starmer wants to prepare us for by buying vast amounts of new military equipment.
Meanwhile, in one coordinated attack, Ukraine knocked out $7 billion of Russian planes, apparently representing 34% of its strategic bombers, although I treat all such claims with some caution, albeit it is very apparent that something quite dramatic did happen during these raids.
To be blunt, all that complicated kit could not be defended from relatively simple drones, and on the ground war is not working, but vast numbers are being killed and wounded.
Is this really what Keir Starmer wants to prepare us for?
Does he really have a clue what he is talking about?
And does he appreciate that there is no appetite for this, at all, in the UK as a whole, because confidence in what we are is collapsing?
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[…] don't doubt the casualty rate. Another report I note this morning suggests that Russia has now had a million casualties in Ukraine. That's 0.7% of the […]
Does Kier Starmer think? It feels like he days what he thinks focus groups want him to stay or his minders tell him. I remain utterly horrified by his speech and his willingness to throw so much money at abhorrent nuclear weapons when apparently we can’t afford to address child poverty. 8 had the privilege of hearing Bruce Kent speak and he talked of how the money spent in nuclear weapons could make a major dent on worldwide not just UK child poverty. What a sad and immoral country we have become. I remain glad I voted Green and am not one of the many very disillusioned Labour voters.
Guerilla warfare has always been more cost-effective than the military industrial complex but it’s not as profitable. Neoliberalism strikes again!
From ChatGPT: “Ireland has a long-standing policy of military neutrality, meaning it does not join military alliances like NATO. While Ireland cooperates with NATO through the Partnership for Peace programme (since 1999) and contributes to some international peacekeeping missions, it has chosen not to become a full member of the alliance. This stance on neutrality is widely supported by the Irish public and is a significant part of the country’s foreign policy identity.”
I was in Ireland last week. It’s a great place, a lot of positive things are happening (the stark economic and social differences between NI and the Republic are not difficult to spot). Adopting a neutral position doesn’t seem to have done Ireland any harm … if anything the contrary has thrived. I know a policy that has served well for almost 100 years doesn’t mean it will do the same for 110 years. But I do find the Irish position interesting if not inviting.
Neutrality might be a subject for a future blog? I know your list is long.
I think it very simplistic to think this is what Ireland has thrived – as it has for some, but not all.
Neutrality is supported by a big majority of the people in Ireland, though the politicians are happy enought to fudge the position to assuage the USA. The last thing any sane country needs now – as opposed to more housing and hospital beds – is more donations to Lockheed-Martin etc based on manufactured threats engineered by bought and paid for ‘leaders’ vying for arms salesperson of the year award. War is a racket. So is warmongering. Very lucrative for a few rich old men and disastrous for everybody else.
You may find this organisation interesting. Lots of YouTube vids too.
https://neutralitystudies.com/
A few years ago I received as a present, 5 or 6 paperbacks containing WW1 & WW2 audio archives of the front line combatants, from the Imperial War Museum.
They are a powerful deeply moving record of the cost of war, and also free of the jingoism of much nostalgic reporting. They also reveal the story of our class system, particularly the WW1 archives.
https://worldwarone.wordpress.com/2009/05/17/imperial-war-museums-sound-archive/
In my church leader role I attended public war memorial services for about 25 years, and talked with veterans. I’ve never heard a single one glorify war the way politicians do.
This latest stupidity from McTeam is, like everything they do, about the 2029 election, promises of (future) jobs in Barrow-in-Furness, and hoovering up Red Wall voters.
But the reality is the meat grinder of E Ukraine, the Hiroshima-style obliteration of Gaza, the carnage of civil war in Sudan, the forgotten sectarian carnage in N Nigeria, and the bloodthirsty battle for control of natural resources in DRC (and others).
Starmer is leading us towards chaos and conflict, not peace and security. He is a hopeless, hollow, hypocritical sham. The tragedy is that this was pretty clear before he was elected Labour leader in 2020, and absolutely obvious by July 4th last year.
Both he, and the neoliberalism, and Zionism that control him, have to go, but it will be a long and, as you say, COMPLEX road ahead to replace him and the system that he serves.
In addition to all the impacts across society of the inequalities that you’ve described so eloquently, there’s irrefutable evidence of collapse, or at least severe decline in confidence in:
1. Parliament and Politicians – scandals, corruption, and detachment from ordinary life.
2. Civil Service – including amongst civil servants themselves
3. Police – misconduct scandals and institutional bias.
4. Judiciary – political attacks and public scepticism over judicial independence
5. NHS – High trust in staff, but plummeting confidence in the system due to underfunding and service delays.
6. Media – loss of trust
7. Monarchy – Generational decline in support, worsened by scandals and questions about relevance and wealth.
If you really had to prepare for war, you wouldn’t want to start from here.
I think you are being deeply unfair & inaccurate.
First, you missed out the garden sheds – a key component in the Ukraine attack & something the Russians are clearly unfamiliar with. Second, I have it on the good authority of the No 10 cat that the dear leader plans for every garden shed in the Uk to be equipped with killer drones. This will sort out any foriegn attackers whilst giving local hooligans and burglars something to reflect on The 12 subs are a cunning plan to fool both the Ruskies and our American erm.. cousins. Furthermore, I understand that Mr Fart-rage and his vast number of followers will fight any invaders on the beaches, in the fields and in the pubs (in the last case “fight” means boring them to death).
& in a show of unity I encourage all readers to send union jack underpants to our dear leader. This will fortify him in his endeavours.
🙂