Hello everyone, so double figures! Check me out! This week I’m back on world issues, after our amble down the madness that is religion last week. So, what I’m going to talk about this week is Ukraine in more detail, then what’s happening in Greece, with a side note on Britain’s own political leaning, so buckle up.

If any of you caught the return of Ross Kemp’s ‘Extreme World’ this week you will have seen what’s going on in Ukraine through the lens of his camera crew and that prompted me to think this week about Ukraine and the Russian problem. The basic issue here is that Russia have all the cards, like Britain and the USA did when we invaded Iraq (I know they not the same but run with me) our country’s are so powerful that realistically they can do what they like and damn the rest of the world. This shows the United Nations lack of back bone, or any real power. So Russia, even with the huge trade embargos and monetary squeezing, is fine – why? Because Russians hate the West as much as Americans hate them, so their fine with being taxed because they believe they are standing together against western bullying and can you blame them for thinking like that? (The average person that is) We can invade Iraq without UN consent, have troops in Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Chad and anywhere else we decide so what’s wrong with Russia returning part of its nation back to within its borders? I can see the logic, if not slightly warped, in this argument. The real issue is, as always our leadership. Putin, a vial little man, fully understands that he can flaunt the United Nations, as can the USA – and why? Well because Europe needs Russian oil and as long as it does sanctions and the like are not going to hurt that sleeping giant. Add in the aforementioned aggressive view towards the west by most Russians and it’s easy to see why there is limited open revolt against the dictator.
As you know, but to quickly recap, the simple reason Russia wants Ukraine is access to the open sea. The Baltic fleet, without the Crimea and with a western friendly Ukraine, can be quite easy observed and its’ movements reported on. The North Atlantic fleet of the Russian navy is almost completely useless, due to the N.A.T.O sonar system across under the arctic, so the Russian navy need somewhere they can launch their nuclear subs from without being detected and this means the Baltic had to be completely dominated by the Russian federation. This was the case with Afghanistan and most wars Russia has committed to since the late 60s. It is a giant chess game involving its’ Navy. Just look at the resources Russia deployed in Afghanistan to try and gain a navy port in the Indian ocean, it’s the same reason Russian didn’t want western interference in Syria. So what is this thinking? I mean, isn’t the cold war dead? Apparently not, even though the nuclear spectre of the 50s and 60s has abated and most people are now care free and happy to get on with their lives, the nuclear football still exists. The US still owns about 80% of the world’s nuclear strength and is still content to sit, hand on the button, bullying small states. Russia is the same – this limited locking of antlers between both countries over Ukraine is evident to that.
We know that the world powers are powerless to do anything without inciting the end of man as we know it, but what about Ukraine its self? if you watch the documentary mentioned earlier, Ross Kemp looked inside the mechanism of the far right that has taken giant strides in gathering political power in Ukraine via the ultras, now solders. This situation is an interesting one. The Neo Nazis emerging are viewed as heroes for standing against Russia. And clearly they have organised and achieved some battle success but let us not ignore that these same people believe in death to all Jews and the annihilation of Islam. As such they seem to have more in common with the Russian separatist and, dare I say it, the Russian government. So why are they fighting and for what for, well freedom essentially as Russia’s grip on the Ukraine has been a long documented and as a result most of Ukraine detest Russia more than anything in the world – more than even the Nazis so the right wing is a lesser threat to them than being absorbed into Russia. What does this all mean for the rest of us? Well this is hard to say at the moment, it doesn’t really matter from our point of view. Ukraine, on the political and economic stage is a minnow so there is limited chance of war escalating to encompass France, Germany, Italy and Britain. Officially we are simply baring our chest across the border in Estonia, making disapproving noises, but not taking any decisive action. No wonder Russia does what it wants, but for the Ukrainian people this is a life and death yet we give it little attention, not like Syria where the media have maintained some focus, but Ukraine is in an economic meltdown and you hear little on the daily news. Its military is woefully out matched, its government is crumbling, currency flat lining, this could be the death knell of this country, and will Russia roll over it? Possibly if it becomes easy enough but not any time soon – they don’t need to: they have artillery shelling Ukrainian positions, they maintain complete dominance of the air – they can easily leave the separatist forces to bleed Ukraine dry, keep her weak and isolated. This is clearly the tactic being used by Putin so all I can see in the future for Ukraine is decline, radicalisation of its young, terrorism, growing atrocities, becoming just like Chechnya, a place most of the world has forgotten and left to rot.
With the notion of Ultras and right wing fanatics that have risen up in Ukraine’s time of need, I turn my attention back to the United Kingdom with UKIP, BNP, EDL and all the ‘nationalistic’ parties of Plaid Cymru and Scottish nationals we seem to be tearing our nation apart politically. The recent referendum (which the NO vote won by the way) has opened up old wounds in the form of Scotland that I don’t think will ever heal properly. The fact that the media and politicians haven’t listened to the people who wanted to stay part of the United Kingdom, instead they are pandering to Scottish nationalistic intent, to the extent that the SNP are now using this as platform for controlling the very government they wanted to be divorced from – dual standards I say (hear the rhetoric now to justify the means!!!) UKIP support has doubled and that is a worrying statistic that does trouble me. I will go as far to say they are as bad as the Tea- party in America. Then there is the ‘golden dawn’ in Greece. Their policies are laughable. They are a blatant Neo-nazi organisation – another that has gained some momentum in recent years. Greece is a country that has imploded under the extreme financial demands Germany have placed on it (didn’t we fight two wars to stop Europe falling in to their hands?) and it looks likr they’re going to go it alone and pulling out of the single currency. You have to wonder, will this be the domino that brings the EU down? I don’t think so but it will be interesting to see, we could be facing some dark and dangerous times ahead.
Here in the UK we have our right wing demons. We do battle with the concept of free speech and the uncomfortable presence of BNP or EDL. Recent government legislation called for ‘British-ness’ to be taught in schools – this in itself could be dangerous as people don’t know what British-ness is – Britain was an empire of semi tolerance and intrigue but it is also about inventiveness and accepting change as progress. British-ness is about being: intelligent resourceful and adventurist – it isn’t about watching football, being down the pub and getting drunk – which is how we are often portrayed by the media – this is not British – yet the thugs and scum that join these parties act as if that is ‘British’ – we the silent need to spell out that being British isn’t about being born here and being ‘one of the lads’ it is a spirit of adventure – to embrace change – look at Britain post Empire – lessons learnt, moving on – something we seem to have lost.
So there you go, my thoughts for the week – Ukraine fairly screwed, Britain once great and now a shadow of her former self – with posh boys running the show, and even posher boys and general thugs vying it out to determine our future (with little intelligence amongst them) and Greece the first to fall – possibly followed by Ireland, Portugal, Spain and maybe even Italy – is it the first nail in Germany’s empire? It is food for thought. Anyway, as always have a good week and I hope you enjoy my ramblings. If you do then check out my YouTube channel for really innate chatter or for something completely different, why not download my short story The Horse Lord – maybe it will pull your mind away from the fact we are governed by idiots and madmen – thank goodness for fantasy! See you next week.