prussianblue

While some of it is stretching matters a bit, there are points where he has good grounds. For example, the Ukrainian government HAS marginalised the Russian language, despite it being the mother tongue of a sizeable chunk of the population.

Russophone population according to the 2001 census, so fair scope for it being out of date and obviously not reflecting the impact of the war. Despite that, Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk are definitely the standouts and give an indication of the stark differences, especially compared to the low single figures in the west.

I fully expected them to want to expand to the full territory of the two oblasts. You can't really recognise them as independent if you don't also recognise them in their entirety. The thing with Kyiv is that it isn't in a Russophone part of the country, so taking it would really only be for the purposes of regime change, not a nationalist land-grab.

Get a grip. Nobody is firing nukes over Ukraine. The west makes all this bluster, but nobody is going to risk the safety of the human race over control of the Donbas.

Putin has reported notified Macron and Scholz in advance that he'll be recognising the independence of the breakaway republics.

Looks like we're rapidly heading for the second point of my 5-stage guess for how things will develop, with the recognition of the breakaway republics as independent states. Also seems like their minds are already reaching for the fifth stage, formal annexation. There's just the mere formality of a war to get to that point!

Dangerous Liaisons is currently on iPlayer and it's brilliant. Great cast and the costumes and locations are excellent. As a fan of Cruel Intentions it's fun to see how much was copied from the earlier film despite the radical differences in period and setting.

Don't forget the other two Harry Palmer films, Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967), which were adaptations of his novels. There were also two TV movies in the mid-'90s, but Deighton had nothing to do with them.

Belarus is a funny one. Lukashenko has kept Russia at arms length in some respects, to preserve his independent rule, but the two states are already highly aligned and integrated, even moreso since Russia propped him up following the disputed election and protests. Socially and economically Belarus is a quasi-Soviet throwback, so I imagine the idea of actual unification might be welcomed by some. Maybe Lukashenko's successor will be less independently-minded. I think if Moldova was seriously threatened reunification with Romania would be rapid. Safety in the arms of the EU-member state they were annexed from 80 years ago. It would entail giving up Transnistria forever, but that's just formalising the status quo.

Russia is currently kicking up a fuss at the UN about the Ukrainians amping up attacks on the separatists, saying that they amount to genocide of the Russian population. Meanwhile there are moves in the duma to recognise the breakaway republics as independent states. With my amateur geopolitics hat on I'm guessing the running order will be: 1. Russia will denounce the actions of Ukrainian army and state against the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, and pledge to protect the lives and rights of the Russian population. 2. Russia will formally recognise the independence of the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics. 3. Rapid and heavy Russian military intervention to support the republics in asserting their independence. This may involve pushing the frontlines back to ensure that the entire territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts is freed from Ukrainian control. 4. After brief independence and following referenda with large majorities, the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics will ask to join the Russian Federation. 5. Formal Russian annexation of the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics. An unknown here would be whether they would care to incite any further breakaway republics in the majority Russian-speaking areas in southern Ukraine, which they could apply a rapid version of the above process to, or let them struggle on as frozen conflict zones (just like the Donbas) for a couple of years before a repeat of the current crisis. Another unknown would be whether they would also go for regime change in Kyiv, which runs the risk of hardly anyone recognising the new government and generating far stiffer resistance in the rest of Ukraine. I don't doubt they could seize the city rapidly, but installing a functioning long-term government is another matter. The current government would probably just flee to Lviv and rally the support of the western rump.

Ian Lavender turned 76 today.

Good thing David Carradine was never a cabinet minister.

Did she look like Rolf?

The jubilee is saved! Do we think Liz will have had to stump up some cash to enable Andrew to come to this settlement?

Just noticed on Wikipedia that today is the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Margaret. Early February clearly doesn't agree with the Windsor family.

There's also a tenuous James Bond link, as he's married to Lani Hall, who sang the fucking atrocious theme song for Never Say Never Again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwm1H0dxAKY

In contrast, my True Blue in-laws have both declared that they won't vote Conservative again until he's gone.

Celine Dionne is very ill, but thankfully Celine Dion is fine.

Completely agree. No reason at all that they should be bound by hypothetical sensitivities on behalf of someone who has been dead for a quarter of a century and who willingly divorced him.

Nadine Dorries, is that you?

Another letter submitted, from Aaron Bell. That makes 12 according to this handy tally: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/full-list-the-tories-calling-for-boris-to-go

One of them is a disgraced lech with substance abuse issues, the other is Robin Thicke.

As I mentioned it on the Monica Vitti thread, thought I might as well add here that Daniela Bianchi, Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love, turned 80 on January 31st.

Have seen her in L'Avventura and Modesty Blaise. Not that that has stopped me from constantly mixing her up with Daniela Bianchi from From Russia with Love (who incidentally turned 80 on Monday).

Well yes, I get that you'd use party supporters, but it suggests they might have been struggling for volunteers if they were including relative nobodies to somehow persuade the public of the merits of Gordon Brown. Why should anyone give a toss about who Gina Gold from The Bill votes for?