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Stephen Duncan's avatar

The Russians lost around 3m people in WW1 and an astonishing 27m-40m people in WW2. During the latter they crushed the Germans at Stalingrad (when 91000 German army personnel surrendered), defeated them in the enormous (6000) tank battle at Kursk, survived through great hardship and death (1.5m civilians) in the 3 year siege of Leningrad and forced German surrender after the brutal hand to hand fighting in Berlin. That is to name just a few.

For context the UK plus colonies incurred 1m and 450000 deaths in WW1 and WW2, respectively. I think I know who won the wars, certainly the 1939-45 conflict.

The Russians also fought and defeated Napoleon too, which marked the beginning of the end for the Little Corporal early in the 19th century, before which Bonaparte had swept all before him in Europe.

We should be grateful. But instead we make a pariah out of the Russian Bear. And then we poke it ... and then wonder why it gets a bit pissed off.

Through having common enemies in various wars Scotland does, therefore, have history in common with the Russians. Culture too - we have the same patron saint and they consider Burns as the "people's poet" with St Petersburg hosting "Days of Scotland" cultural events annually.

But what is the stance of our First Minister? He spouts some meaningless mantras and simpleton slogans such as 'Scotland stand with Ukraine'. What he really means is that Scotland's government 'stands with Ukraine'. He hasn't consulted us, the people, but he has just taken his orders from his fellow neo-cons in London in attempting to propagandise us.

Maybe John should really go full-on and stand with Ukrainians in the frontline. He'd be doing as all a favour.

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Indycar Gordon Ross's avatar

Hi Leah. I agree that UK military spending is wasted on nuclear deterrence. The UK's "independent nuclear deterrent" is in fact an American system, with UK atomic warheads, the launchers & rockets provided by the USA, but fitted in UK submarines. Therefore it can't be launched without USA permission.

Especially as it has so far, only deterred the west, from actually protecting Ukraine or ending the war in Ukraine. It's acknowledged that both the Biden administration and Boris Johnson told Zelensky to reject a neutrality agreement from Putin in 2022, and that the USA would provide all weapons Ukraine needed to defend against any invasion.

The English government as usual, is trying to appease an American president, who THIS time, actually DOESN'T want a war to continue!

Starmer has no idea how to create "growth" in a stagnant, rapidly collapsing British economy. Even English electricity is having to be sequestered from Scottish over capacity in renewables!

As for conventional armament and armed forces, the UK seems to be thinking of ordering more air defence missiles or other conventional weapons to sell on to Ukraine, since Britain is not under threat (despite sabre rattling by Putin last year)

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