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DICK OUT
I thought he was still Prime Minister?
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysBB News
That particular morning when the war broke out I had popped out to buy a tin of sardines for my supper that night. I already had peas in and a cauliflower, so it was a rescue mission for my evening meal. The late report of the explosions may not be the start of war but the Russians grandstanding. Rumour has it that the big incursion may start when people stop bending themselves in Beijing.
We get timely information from several different sources. We are not immune to handing out the odd brown envelope – with possibly the offer of an unpaid job.
I have had a busy few days but YOU HEARD IT FIRST – but unfortunately late. We do not employ a war correspondent – just let’s say a little 🐦 told us.Back in the day they would not start without Kate Adie!
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysTwo people in a cafe house in Kensington sitting by a large window looking out at the rain.
Pretendy woman..
“I cannot understand your obsession with making a lot of money so late in your life.”
Man…
” I want a feeling of winning a feeling of success.
Pretendy woman
” You can have a successful life without making any money. All I want at this stage of my life is to enjoy things. Have some nice holidays, have a few days out discovering new things. Share time with friends, go to museums, theatres, films, some nice restaurants.
Remember at the end of the day we are both going to end up in the same hole.”Man…
“Says nothing but thinks about the hole.”
BB News – we continue our irregular report on the normals.
Holed up on an apartment in a leafy part of the citi where the bank was once broken sat two people. The evening was pulling in as a big storm raged outside, shaking the trees and giving them all a good going over. This could all be seen from their large expansive window on the world which happened to be positioned behind them and on their right sides – so out of view. The building trembled slightly, but they weren’t sat huddled together, but a couple feet apart and in separate armchairs, she in the winged which he had given up, he in the rocker, and the were both watching the evening News report about Eunice displayed nicely on the menace in the corner of the room. This is apparently what normals do.
Pretendy woman…
” Ooh, it looks just like a mini tsunami, don’t you think ?
A few seconds passed
Man..
“Er.. Yuss ”
As he spoke his right foot raised a few inches and then slowly normalised. ( We picked this up on the spy cam and we’ve come to our own conclusions.)
BB News wrote this nine whole days before the Russians invaded
“War is a worry
So so sorry
For Ukraine”None of our reporters are out there – they are concerned about chilblains in the plummeting temperatures and one suffers from a cracked heel.
Despite our being in absentia as a news service we can still report our thoughts.
Our thoughts…
There are three land masses Putin is concerned over. The U.S. Europe and little Britain – now all on its own.
He has picked on little Britain twice. First when Truss misspoke he racheted up his nuclear readiness and then as Oligarchs were hit he said with warning, he would remember UK.
Now the Germans send in 4000 anti-tank weapons and increase defense spending dramatically but hang on – he didnt even blink. He picks on the weakest (us) because he’s in deep **** and doesn’t want to annoy the strong ones.End of thoughts…
We have gone very light on this war because we do not wish to over worry our readers who have got to get the bacon in – each week every week.
Little Britain or United Kingdom certainly is bigger than its size seven physical boots that’s for sure.
We ruled over two thirds of the planet at one time and all that carries a bit of weight.
The world service stretches far and wide. We are known for our fighting prowess and general fair play…Into the valley of death rode
the 600” After you Sir ”
” No after you Sir ”
” No I absolutely insist Sir, it’s my pleasure Sir !
” Are you sure Sir ? ”
” Absolutely Sir, I will follow directly behind you Sir !
” Terribly kind – I’m off to catch up the 598 – see you at the gates of Hell ”
” It will be a pleasure Sir, just stirruping up !
BB blah blah
Da money in plain speakTwo thirds of the 630 billion dollar reserves Russia had with the World bank has been frozen. Mostly held in currency notes or physical gold. To utilize the other third it would need a friendly bank ( National Bank of China ?) to take the high reputational risk.
The swift payment system has been denied certain russian banks but not all and the reason for the selective targeting is to allow payments for the 20 billion dollar a month oil and gas payments to go unhindered. This money helps to fund his army and expansionism.
Russia’s companies default rating has been downgraded to “C” ( likely to default) by Fitch.Equity markets maybe partly opened next week, partly because the panic button response will be highly monitored. The ruble has fallen 32% in the three weeks since invasion. It is difficult to assess its true value as this is not a pure market.
There are capital controls in place as any run in the banks would escalate inflation well above the 20% it now stands at particularly damaging and raising prices on imported luxury and technology goods – putting them out of reach of ordinary Russians.
Reuters states..
‘Russia is due to repay $117 million for two coupons on external dollar-bonds on Wednesday next. While it has a 30 day grace period to make the payment, not doing so next week would see it edge closer towards its first major external default in around a century.’
We won’t hold our breath on that one!
No finance measures introduced so far have affected the hardened Kremlin supporters pissibly half if the population. 15% are enlightened to the truth but are afraid to take action apart from leaving Russia or muttering on street corners – 35% don’t want to know – not the sheep but the blind ( all my estimates )
People are stocking up on basic foodstuffs and there is rationing in some shops.Signs that putin is stalling and on the back foot…
1. He warned of today’s supply route military base bombing. He did not have to give warning but did this to soften the surprise and repel any strong reaction from Europe. This shows a weakness.
2. His concoctions about chemical stores in Ukraine are also a sign and a softener for his possible future use of chemicals. He needs the possibility in his arsenal in case his targeted bombing or troop engagements ( less likely en masse) fail to make their mark.
Editor’s comments…
If chemicals were used against Ukraine, I think Europe would be prepared to go dark and sacrifice gas and oil and ban all Russian banks from swift and these measures would impact his army supplies and possibly troops’ wages. It is our next big move !
Further comments from the editor..
Putin’s initial shock recognition of Donetsk and Luhank which contradicted his previous position of non recognition in accord with the U.N. came as a complete surprise to the western intelligence agencies. This tends to suggest Putin is acting as a lone wolf or czar and independently of any inner circle. He went on a trekking holiday with his defense minister Shoigu last September, suggesting possibly one confidente, but the latter looked bewildered and ill at ease at one of Putin’s public addresses. If he is acting alone those responsible for putting his potential nuclear threat into action will judge him on his own actions and their effectiveness. Mistakes have clearly been made.
1. He miscalculated the strength and effectiveness of his military equipment and troops
2. He miscalculated the resolve of the Ukranians and their president and their battle effectiveness.
3. He miscalculated the world reaction and the extreme severity of sanctions.
With a man making so many miscalculations would THE CHAIN OF COMMAND RESPONSIBLE
agree to a nuclear attack ? I think not – Putin has few friends just a selection of lapdogs who will carry out regular commands, but not self destruction on orders from a weakened and delusional force. He is very slowly digging his own grave. His recent requests to China compound his state of weakness, but it has to be stated – he is far from done for yet, especially while a state of fear and subservience resides in the Kremlin.A very full and insightful report into current ongoings Gamble. A bit
weightier than your normal BB News, which I am very fond of, but a fine
piece of noteworthy news nonetheless
Great to have your support on this little viewed and partisan news channel BigG.
I would agree with your concerns over China, but I really wonder if Putin is now in total control, and the freeing of the brave lady newscaster, with a slap on the wrist, doesn’t seem to have involved his unforgiving pointing finger.
He may gain some face-saving territory at the end of it all, but he has worried his other slavic neighbours to the extent they are openly discussing the NATO option.as a realistic defence of their borders.
Feel free anyone to write any news on here especially if it disturbs your neighbours, your granny, or the status quo.
Forget the minus temperature -3 just now. Kviv needs rain by the bucket loads to bog down the tanks.
Let the heavens open and bring their tanks grinding to a hault. It was the
weather that screwed the Germans on their forey into the old USSR, that and
running out of food. Perhaps it at least might help stop them in their tracks.Yes the slap on the wrist for the lady newscaster would never have happened
under normal circumstances. She’d be shipped off to somewhere remote possibly
never to be heard of again. Perhaps Putin wanted the world to see what a reasonable
man he is. Too late for that though, he’s never going to be seen as anything other
than a warlord outside of Russia, and by many inside it seems too. More power to
their elbow, I just hope their day of reckonging is not just on hold for the
present.The news this morning is a little more positive from Mr Zelensky:
I don’t think they want another martyr in jail and yes there is some evidence of clear sky…
This viewpoint landed in my inbox a few days back and thought it of interest…
Has Putin made the biggest mistake of his life by invading Ukraine?
“I am dismayed by the amount of ignorance of military planning and processes being displayed in the answers to this question. I am equally dismayed by the media’s inability to explain what is going on to the public.
The first thing a trained army officer does when confronted by a military problem is look at the map, so let’s look at this one, which shows the latest disposition of Russian ground forces:
The first thing that the military eye will see is what a formidable obstacle to military progress the Dnieper River is. Crossing it would take a massive amount of combat engineer support. This may be what that massive convoy stuck on the main road to Kiev is. However it cannot deploy off the road because the ground is too soft for tanks, let alone wheeled vehicles. So they cannot even get to the river.
There appears to be only two bridgeheads across the Dnieper, one in the North coming out of Belarus and one in the South coming out of the area of Crimea. Between them there is a massive expanse of Ukraine along the river that seems empty of Russian forces.
There is a noticeable absence of airborne forces establishing a bridgehead in the centre. This is because, as any airborne soldier will tell you, there is no point in deploying airborne troops beyond the reach of conventional troops. The Battle of Arnhem in WW2 proved that lesson. The text book river crossing was the Rhine crossing by 21st Army Group in March 1945. So, until they can get bridging equipment down to the River Dnieper, over which to bring the main army, there is no point in deploying paras. They will run out of ammunition and supplies and be destroyed.
The Ukrainians’ biggest advantage is that they are defending and therefore do not have to expose their troops to fire. Their other advantage is the weather, which is a serious problem for the Russians, who, in conventional warfare, are trained to deploy off the line of march into their attack formations. The Ukrainians need to keep praying for rain.
Judging by the sullen looks on the generals’ faces at the briefing on Russian nuclear readiness, they have just had a massive scolding for their failure, although they probably advised him of these problems. Putin launched his attack at least a month too early. This however gives Putin a face saving reason for calling it off, blaming bad advice from his generals in the process. “
An interesting read from someone presumably involved in military planning but given his notes on the problems of securing river crossings and materiel getting bogged-down off-road should the following…
Putin launched his attack at least a month too early
…be ‘at least a month too late‘?
Firstly, the Dnipro and other Ukrainian rivers generally drain European Russia; hence they are in flood during the Spring after snow/ice melt. Surely the time to secure them is during the winter when flow is slower and volume lower
Secondly, as the mean temperature in eastern and central Ukraine is about -3C for the three months December to February surely this is the time – on near-permanent frozen ground – that is most conducive to off-road movements
The Ukrainians certainly do have weather on their side from now on
I am however just a humble gardener who, nevertheless, does know what a joy it is to undertake winter maintenance on frozen ground and what a nasty mucky job it is to do the same on sludgy thawing ground
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