Russia is a "great nation" which is now actively seeking a new "destiny," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. The conflict between Moscow and Kiev has become part of this search, the French leader believes, adding that the West would only see a lasting peace if it contributed to this process through a dialogue with Russia.

"Russia as a power … is searching for a [new] self and [is] looking for a destiny," Macron told Spain’s daily El Pais in a lengthy interview. "Russia is a … great nation, territorially and historically," he pointed out, also calling Russians a "great people." Macron admitted that Russia’s revival in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union was a "very difficult" period.

IT IS ALWAYS STUPID TO MAKE PREDICTIONS. SO LET ME BE STUPID FOR A WHILE.

EXCEPT FOR A FULL-ON NATO/US INSPIRED WORLD WAR THREE, “UKRAINE” — THE NAZI GALICIAN SIDE — IS GOING TO LOOSE THE MILITARY INTERVENTION CONFLICT. WE KNOW THAT A WW3 WOULD HAVE NO WINNERS. THIS IS A GIVEN, UNLESS ONE IS MORE STUPID THAN UNCLE GUS.

IT WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT, I BELIEVE, TO SAY THAT THE BOFFINS AT THE PENTAGON ARE WORKING OVERTIME TO WORK OUT A FEW “WINNING” SCENARIOS. 

IN RELATION TO WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING ON THE GROUND, NOT THE PRESENT WESTERN PROPAGANDA, THE PENTAGON (THE HEADQUARTER OF NATO/EU/UK/ETC) WOULD HAVE TO FIND WAYS TO SPIN A VICTORY OF SORT WHILE COMING TO TERMS WITH REALITY.

The US is at war, and the dollar is at risk of imminent collapse. Australia’s lobbying of the United States as a good ally should focus on these issues above all else.

I am aware that many readers will say oh dear, you must not talk like that. But it’s sensible to discuss the distance to the ground before we jump off the cliff. And a lot has already gone over the cliff.

In the narrow spectrum of security, focused on war and peace, the largest problems we cannot afford to ignore right now are as follows:

War elements are increasingly out of control, In Europe and elsewhere. Clausewitz was right, war drives out policy and pursues its own ends.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "Russian defense industries annually produced as many missiles for air defense systems as other manufacturers in the world combined“, emphasizing: ”This builds confidence in Russia's victory in Ukraine."

Addressing workers at the Obukhov plant of the Almaz-Antey missile industry consortium in St. Petersburg, Putin noted that " Russia produces three times more air defense missiles per year than the United States ».

He also added that "Russian defense industries produce air defense missiles for various purposes in about a year, like all military industrial establishments in the world", noting that "Russian production is comparable to world production as a whole".

Jacinda Ardern who has led New Zealand with intelligence, kindness and humanity is leaving the stage. Her last day as Prime Minister will be February 7.

This will be very sad news for those who have admired her leadership, her ability to think on her feet, her intelligence, and above all her kindness, compassion and warmth.

There will be a measure of relief on the opposition benches in Parliament. They have found Ardern to be an extraordinarily effective opponent. They have found it difficult to coordinate a challenge.

Despite the dithering, the Opposition’s polling has improved. This year’s election, to be held on October 14 will be closely fought.

The Lunar New Year comes early in 2023, and the incoming Year of the Rabbit offers possibilities of significant changes in personal and national fortunes. Those responsible for formulating Australia’s China policy are advised to watch developments carefully and be flexible in their responses.

LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT A FEW AMERICAN PRESIDENTS:

CARTER WAS A NAIVE FARMER UNDER THE SPELL OF THE DEVIL: Zbigniew Brzezinski.

REAGAN WAS A CORRUPT MONEYBUM WHO MADE BAD JOKES ABOUT GORBACHEV AND HIS WIFE, BEHIND THEIR BACK. REAGAN'S HANDSHAKES WERE WORTH LESS THAN USED CHEWING GUM BLOBS ON THE PAVEMENT TO HELL

BUSH SENIOR USED TO RUN THE DECEITFUL CIA… SAY NO MORE.

CLINTON BILLY-THE-SEX-MANIAC WAS DUPLICITOUS WITH NATO EXPANSION AND CREATED THE BIGGEST FINANCIAL NIGHTMARE: DERIVATIVES FOR BANKS.

BUSH JUNIOR WAS AN IDIOT FAKING TO BE AN IDIOT. HE HAS BECOME A PAINTER OF BATH SCENES WHICH SHOWS THAT HITLER WAS A GREAT PAINTER BEFORE BECOMING A NASTIER(?) IDIOT THAN BUSH JUNIOR....

Thirty years ago, Germany was reunited, thanks to the common sense and generosity of Moscow. Thirty years later, the political sons of Helmuth Kohl, grandsons of those who invaded the USSR in 1941, are debating sending German tanks to fight Russia. And the fight will take place in Ukraine, one of the main theaters of the great massacre unleashed by Germany at the time.

by Rafael Poch de Feliu

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that he was not certain if Vladimir Putin actually holds  the office of president of Russia, or is even alive. The Kremlin dismissed the remark as an expression of Zelensky’s wishful thinking.

Russia and Putin are “a big problem” for Zelensky, so it’s natural that he “would prefer that neither Russia nor Putin existed,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman told journalists on Thursday.

He was reacting to a claim that Zelensky had made earlier in the day during his virtual appearance at the Ukrainian Breakfast, an event hosted on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has told British broadcaster Piers Morgan that inflation and coronavirus are “nothing” compared to Ukraine’s struggle, and Americans should support aid for Kiev “until we win.”

As the US grapples with a 40-year-high inflation rate and record gas prices, multiple polls name these economic concerns as more pressing among Americans than the conflict in Ukraine. Furthermore, nearly five times as many people in the US blame President Joe Biden’s policies for their misfortune as Russian President Vladimir Putin, regardless of the Biden administration’s efforts to brand the soaring cost of living as “Putin’s price hike.”

World leaders have begun meeting in Davos to discuss cooperation to address multiple crises, from Covid-19 and escalating inflation to slowing economic growth, debt distress and climate shocks.

In advance of the invasion of Iraq 20 years ago, the UK media parroted government lies and fabrications uncritically and became an enthusiastic part of the state’s propaganda machine. An inquiry into British reporting of the Iraq war is well past due.

Twenty years ago, Tony Blair provided the British public with false information about Saddam Hussein’s possession of weapons of mass destruction in order to make the case for the illegal invasion of Iraq.

PETER OBORNE

18 JANUARY 2023

'If you want to take on the federal government, you need some F-15s. You don't need an AR-15': Biden's message to his 'right-wing friends' as he again promises to ban assault weapons that have 'no social redeeming quality'

President Joe Biden said there is 'no redeeming value' to assault weapons

Argued AR-15s wouldn't be effective in overthrowing the federal government

Said that American citizens would need F-15 jets to be successful

Main Second Amendment protection was to make sure citizens could rise-up against the federal government and protect themselves against government

READ MORE:

Thank you, David Livingstone, for explaining that the proposal for the purchase of eight nuclear submarines has “taken on a life of its own” and is “divorced from disciplined considerations such as cost, effectiveness, and alternatives” (“Sub deal an exercise in futility and should be sunk”, January 18). As Livingstone clearly explains there is no rationale in the argument that the purchase would have a bearing on any action China may take and is “militarily meaningless. Now and into the future.” As he points out at a cost of at least $170 billion, probably much more, the same amount of wealth could be used domestically on health, education, infrastructure, national debt and more meaningful defence capabilities. 

On January 4, Putin announced a Christmas truce in the Ukrainian conflict. Orthodox Christmas takes place on January 7, according to the Julian calendar, in use since 45 BC, rather than the more commonly used and astronomically accurate Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582 by the Pope Gregory XIII. The gap between the two is now 13 days, but it is the nature of Orthodoxy not to change no matter what, let alone follow what the pope says.