Media bias shown up by Rwanda concept

 I looked at the Daily Mail on line this morning.  The banner headline first word read "Fury" what were we all supposed to be 'furious about' -the government plan to send illegal 'boat people  at Boris plan to send illegal immigrants claiming asylum to be processed in Rwanda.

Actually of course far from being furious a large number of people -probably a majority- were rejoicing that at last some sort of plan had finally come about to sort out the scandal of bogus asylum seekers. so why didn't the Daily Mail headline read "Rejoicing" rather than "Furious" - media bias of course -although in this case I was surprised at the Daily Mail printing a headline more in keeping with the Guardian. 

Mariupol -a medieval siege

The siege of Mariupol is developing into a medieval siege -with the Russian army reluctant to fight its way into the centre knowing it would suffer high casualties in vicious close contact Urban warfare.  So instead it is resorting to trying to shut down all entries and exits and starve the inhabitants and garrison into submission. That of course is the reason why the Russians are refusing to allow civilians to leave the city -the more people trapped in Mariupol the faster the food will run out -it is that simple. 

Mariupol is a key strategic city. As long as Ukraine holds it the Russian 'war aim' of linking the Crimea with Mother Russia by land can not be achieved. It would be a tremendous blow to Ukraine if it fell which leads me to wonder whether Ukraine will not make a major effort to break through the Russian siege lines sometime in the near future.    

 

Nazanin Zaghri -Ratliffe

 Every landowner learns one lesson -or certainly should learn one lesson -that you will never ever be thanked. Do someone a good turn by all means but don't expect thanks on this earth for it . 

Judging by Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe's petulant outburst this holds good for Foreign Secretaries too.  She complains that it has taken six years for her release on trumped up charges to be arranged and thinks it ought to have been done almost at once. She doesn't of course explain how her release could have been secured so speedily without paying out the blackmail money demanded. Nor does she seem to consider that if the Foreign Office coughed up every time a British citizen was imprisoned then no British Citizen would ever be safe visiting dodgy countries.  Nor does she think that she has any responsibility for her own stupidity in visiting her parents in a country hardly renowned for its respect for the Rule of Law.

Is Putin a War Criminal?

 President Biden says Putin is a War Criminal, well if he is so were Presidents Nixon and Johnstone and let's not leave out Presidents Roosevelt and Truman while we are at it. All four authorised bombing of civilian targets in either World War II or the Vietnam War, while Truman of course ordered the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki neither of which were remotely military targets.  

Of course civilian targets have been hit in the Ukraine and casualties incurred but it stretches belief that Putin ordered these attacks. Viewing footage of the war I am more and more puzzled.  A missile or a couple of shells land on an apartment block. Why? What possible strategic benefit has been gained by doing this? None. It almost seems as if some bored junior officer  in the Russian army said 'Oh Fuck it -I am bored -lets lob a couple of shells at the bastards'      

Is this a too far fetched explanation? I don't think so. The war -as we are viewing it -seems to be being conducted in a chaotic manner. I watch bemused as a single Russian tank wanders down a road only to be blown to smithereens. What on earth was it doing? Why was it there? 

So is Putin a war criminal? No not yet.  If he orders chemical or nuclear weapons then that is another matter but to call him a War Criminal is to stretch the meaning of that phrase too far.

Ukraine -Offensive versus Defensive

 Through out the history of war there are times when the 'offensive' weapons have the advantage and other times when 'defensive' weapons are superior.  You only have to think back to the First World War when the machine gun and barbed wire ruled the battlefield until the tank appeared which, together with improved communications, resulted in Hague's Hundred days of victory in 1918.  Is the tank now as obsolete as battleships where in the Second World War?  The UK/Swedish New Light Anti Tank Weapon (NLAW) would suggest it might just do for the tank what the torpedo did for the battleship. 

This is after all a weapon which any idiot can be taught to use in half an hour and only cost £30,000. Aimed in the general direction of a modern tank costing some £4.0 million it is curtains for the tank and the highly trained crew.  Frankly having seen what the NLAW and the US Javelin anti tank weapon does to a tank I am not surprised that the Russian attack has stalled. Russian tactics have, ever since 1943, revolved round the tank being the Queen of the Battlefield -just as in medieval times the heavily mounted and armoured knight was until they came up against the Long bow. 

So if tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APC) no longer give troops protection but instead are little more than mobile steel coffins how on earth are you going to move in and capture a city like Kiev?  The short answer would be use PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry) to clear the buildings - well yes but the casualties are likely to be heavy so I am putting my money on a prolonged siege of the cities. The Russian army sitting back encircling them and hoping to starve them into submission. 

Again I have my doubts about this tactic.  I don't think time is on Putin's side. He needs a quick victory.    

     

The refugees pouring out of the Ukraine are a very different kettle of fish from those who flooded into Europe from Syria and Iraq and more recently Afghanistan  - they are nearly all women and children!  so unlike those hoards of strapping young men who emanated from the Middle East and Afghan.  Yup Ukrainian men seem ready and willing to fight and not just run away -so three cheers for them. 

Now the government is coming under pressure to open the UK to the Ukrainian refugees but before we do I hope Pritti Patel, the Home Secretary, makes it clear that no male between the age of 17 and 70 will be allowed in. Their brothers, and in some cases, sisters. are fighting so we don't want cowards coming into this country pretending to be refugees. 

So what of the women and children? Well I suspect most of them will prefer to be close to the Ukraine hoping that the war will soon stop and they will be able to be united with their men folk again.

Coronavirus compared with Foot & Mouth

This time some nineteen years ago in 2001 we, in the south west of England, were in the grip of a deadly virus. We, anyway in much of rural Devon, where in 'lock down.'  The virus was of course Foot & Mouth and the plumes of smoke from piles of burning livestock could be seen everywhere.

Experts predicting 'gloom & doom' dominated the press and airwaves as they confidently predicted that the disease would take many months to be bought under control and may, quite likely, still be with us when next winter came around. Fortunately they were, of course, all wrong.

So I reckon that this Coronavirus will, as soon as the sun begins to shine, wither away just as Foot & Mouth did.  I also confidently predict that the death toll will be relatively insignificant by that I mean that whilst some, even many perhaps, may die of it many more won't die because of it.  So, for instance, as people travel less so fewer will die in travel accidents ( the second most common cause of death for teenagers).

Meanwhile for those who are brave opportunities abound. Got lots of spare cash? the stock market, or at least certain shares, looks a steal.  Fancy a cheap holiday?  Well- always providing the authorities have not lost their nerve and placed your chosen destination in 'Lock Down' there are amazing deals to be had. We had been planning to take advantage of the total absence of Chinese/Japanese/American  tourist to go to Florence and lap up  Renaissance culture in almost deserted galleries and stay in a five star hotel and eat at great restaurants at bargain basement prices but the Italian government has, un-sportingly, put the kibosh on that.  Still if this goes on it is probable that the said trash tourists will stay away from the UK as well this spring and summer so we might just treat ourselves to a few nights in London, Bath or perhaps York to which I have never been.