Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921238#Comment_118921238

Exactly, the organic farming thing is from the "all or nothing" handbook of failed states. I can't believe they didn't properly test it.

BorneTobyWilde

Sweden doesn't border Russia, so it's not likely to rattle them, Finland and Georgia will be huge though when it happens

road_high

We are beginning to look a bit lonely here.

fergus1001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921203#Comment_118921203

ah yes and yet people are buying houses here like its 2006 lol

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920299#Comment_118920299

Bots typically don't produce talking points. Shills, bad actors and propaganda outlets do, and this sewer pipe of **** is amplified by the bots - giving the illusion of support. As it's pushed out into the receptive community, a small proportion will be picked up and go viral. Because so much is pushed out, it appears dominant.

It's all a facade though. Twitter is small (relatively speaking) and the real humans that engage with it are even fewer.

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921270#Comment_118921270

Sweden may not directly border Russia but with them and Finland joining NATO, the alliance gets a chokehold on the Baltic, especially with regards on the straits between Denmark & Sweden. This will drastically restrict the movements of the Russian Baltic Fleet, which poses a direct strategic threat to Russia. Given the traditional enmity between Sweden and Russia as competitors for the regional hegemon in the Baltic area, I'd actually say that this move would hurt Russia more than simply just Finland joining NATO.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921360#Comment_118921360

Not so sure about that, asking prices have gone crazy and some prices too but the market is an absolute mess. There are places near me up a couple of years with delusional asking prices. On top of that we're facing massive inflation. Despite the moaning about negative equity from a lot of people who weren't going to move anyway and could well afford their repayments if someone can borrow now at 3% fixed while we head for double-digit inflation they'd be mad not to.

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921383#Comment_118921383

Part of especially Ukraine and Russia were under the Swedish crown hundreds of years ago weren’t they.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921346#Comment_118921346

I'm more surprised by Austria. Anyone know why they are not a NATO member?

Curious_Case

It's very annoying to hear the "woke media flakes" call Russian bombings indiscriminate

They're not indiscriminate, they're deliberately targeting civilians

How can so many knuckle draggers end up in one army ?

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921072#Comment_118921072

I'm just back from the housing refugees thread. I wouldn't characterise the general feeling there as being open door or remotely welcoming, quite the opposite, more a case of: sorry, Ireland is currently full, refugees please look elesewhere; have you considered Poland, they have lots of land. Unreal...

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921450#Comment_118921450

I'm half Austrian here and went to school there for a few years, so I can provide some insight on this. They actually have their neutrality enshrined in their constitution. It was one of the conditions the USSR made for withdrawing their troops from Austrian territory in 1955. It's exact definition is nebulous at best, and has shifted from a strict neutrality to being militarily non-aligned, but it is pretty established. I can't see Austria budging there.

Raoul Duke III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921480#Comment_118921480

Interesting. I guess in the historical context it was probably worth it to get their country back.

ronivek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920962#Comment_118920962

The problem is that they've provided zero evidence which suggests even a single mobile crematorium; let alone 14. No recorded intercepts, no satellite or other imagery; nada.

For example the OSCE report which was released today doesn't even mention mobile crematoria or cremation whatsoever; and that report specifically deals with the handling of both civilian and combatant corpses.

Which is not to say it isn't true; but these kinds of claims aren't particularly useful in terms of gaining political leverage without some kind of proof. I also recall the Pentagon was asked at some stage recently to comment on claims of mobile crematoria and they had no evidence that they were in Ukraine.

realdanbreen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921478#Comment_118921478

That'll be the aontu and national party voters. Not too many pay much attention to those clowns.

storker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921178#Comment_118921178

That is how to do a protest. Such a shame it's necessary.

opinionated3

Marine le pen saying she would like to see closer ties between NATO and Russia.

Pretty sure if she gets into power it's going to be every nation for itself. She clearly has no backbone either .

GM228

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921450#Comment_118921450

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921480#Comment_118921480

I don't think it's that nebulous, the constitutional neutrality is pretty clear in relation to not joining any military alliance:-

"Constitutional Law on the Neutrality of Austria (26 October 1955)

Article I

(1) For the purpose of the lasting maintenance of her independence externally, and for the purpose of the inviolability of her territory, Austria declares of her own free will her perpetual neutrality. Austria will maintain and defend this with all means at her disposal.

(2) For the securing of this purpose in all future times Austria will not join any military alliances and will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on her territory"

Dubh Geannain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921478#Comment_118921478

Wasn't even aware there was a thread. The Ukrainians that were already living here have done massive unofficial work of getting them housed. In no small part to themselves already being respected hard working members of their communities. A member of my own family has taken 4 in via this unofficial route. The kids are already attending the local schools.

I've no interest in visiting that thread. As with all online forums they can very much give a misrepresentative view of wider public opinion. No more than this thread or any other one.

Alun

On a lighter, more heart-warming, note ...

https://fb.watch/cmB5ETwuCs/

ronivek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921367#Comment_118921367

Which was my point: the impressionable types on Twitter/Facebook/wherever are exposed to these talking points via bots and they latch on to them. Then they float around and get amplified in their respective echo chambers.

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921444#Comment_118921444

I'm not sure about that, so I'll defer to expert authority on that. However, having the Baltic effectively turn into a NATO lake is going to sting regardless. Much of Russia's policy since way back in the 18th or 19th century has been focused around acquiring a "warm" water port, aka one that doesn't freeze over in the winter.

As it stands, only Murmansk and Vladivostok are both ice-free year-round and offer unfettered access to the world's oceans. Arkhangelsk and the White Sea ports freeze solid every winter, requiring massive icebreakers to keep the main shipping lanes open. Even then, ships usually have to be brought in by convoys. The situation is similar for the Baltic Ports around St. Petersburg. Kaliningrad is easier to reach, but doesn't have an overland connection to Russia anymore and ships to both ports have to either pass through the Danish Straits or the Kiel Canal, both of which can be closed in a heartbeat.

The Black Sea ports are obviously ice-free year-round, but traffic to and from these ports have to deal with a large Turkey-shaped issue, more precisely the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. This leaves Vladivostok and a handful of ports in the Russian far east, all of which are far away from Russia's industrial heartland and on the extreme end of a very long and tenuous supply line in the shape of the trans-Siberian railroad.

ronivek

Zelenskyy once again appealing for heavier weapons. Give it a retweet and a like there lads and lasses; who knows, maybe Scholz is an avid Tweeter:

https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1514242356949704709?s=20&t=lDSG6vlNt6K6Xi5lGurtcQ

Gatling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118920948#Comment_118920948

Seen the full pictures of the scenes last night and was hoping they wouldn't pop up .

Absolutely gut wrenching stuff ,

Russia needs to burn

Dohnjoe

https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1514241467765735428

ronivek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921573#Comment_118921573

I presume the nebulous part is in reference to "declares her ... perpetual neutrality"; and possibly the definition of a "military alliance".

In any case there's nothing stopping them from changing it according to Wikipedia; at worst they can do so with a referendum similar to Ireland can and otherwise it just requires a two thirds majority of their National Council.

thomil

That's exactly what it was referring to, @ronivek. When I was in school in Austria, the country had only fully joined the EU a few years earlier, and there were loads of discussions still ongoing around whether the EU constituted a military alliance for example. What's more, Austria has been hosting NATO nations for peace-keeping exercises or courses on helicopter operations on mountainous areas, and there's always a huge amount of discussion when for example US Army Black Hawks suddenly turn up in places like Aigen or Allentsteig.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921150#Comment_118921150

Here's another demonstration by Ukrainian women that doesn't seem well reported on:

"In the great cities of Europe and America Ukrainian mothers are commemorating their children who were killed by the occupants.

The largest actions of Ukrainian mothers took place in Krakow, Bratislava, Chisinau, Munich and Atlanta.

The main attribute of the marches are babies in creased stretchers to symbolize the children killed by the Russian invaders in Buchi, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Irpen and other cities of Ukraine"

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921552#Comment_118921552

She's nothing more than Putins fluffer.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118921478#Comment_118921478

The far right are overly represented on these discussion forums. Even Fr Peter McVerry - a specialist in caring for the homeless in Ireland - says he has no issue whatsoever in tens of thousands of Ukrainian people being housed here (and points out that many of them may have experienced far greater trauma and loss than any Irish homeless person).