Author: Bryan Page 2 of 11

Stop the War

I have never used this blogsite to promote political action, but will make an exception for war.

I don’t support Stop the War’s false equivalence between the actions of Russia and those of the US and NATO, but it is one of few platforms with anything like a public audience for views critical of the latter’s involvement.

This demonstration is a rare opportunity to publicly dissent from what is being done in our name – and would be a good one to support I think.

From Russia – in exasperation

As we approach the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it continues to be really hard to find out what is going on ‘on the ground’. Not long ago we were hearing that the Russian military machine had stalled and that Ukrainian forces would be building on successes to put their opponents under increasing pressure. Some journalists were even talking of a Ukrainian victory.

Now we are hearing that Russia, on the back of a vast re mobilisation, is about to push again and President Zelensky is doing the international rounds asking / begging for more military hardware and seeking to bolster a Western support that he is concerned is flagging.

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Is the US running out of Luncheon Vouchers ?

I recently came across a Talking Post interview with John Pilger (1) about the war in Ukraine – which he views above all as ‘a war of propaganda. … almost nothing one reads in the western press about the invasion of Ukraine is to be trusted ….. scepticism is crucial now as nothing can be trusted.’

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Not all smiles

It may seem strange to be writing a review of a book published over 30 years ago – but its subject is Miles Davis, one of the musical giants of the last half of the 20th century and reading it is as challenging as his music was. Moreover, despite being ghosted, it seems that all Quincy Troupe did was write down (with little apparent editing) what Miles said. So, there is little likelihood that Miles would feel mis represented…… which is telling.

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We Love You So

Grandchildren – don’t you just love ’em?

US War Aims

Following the recent blogsite post ‘We are not trying to help Ukraine but rather to fight Russia’, which focussed on an analysis of the military situation in Ukraine provided by Col. Jacques Baud, the following questions were posed by my friend Andrew, a supportive onthebrynker:

‘I ask myself whether the west’s seeming provocation of Russia to the point of precipitating war was deliberate, reckless, or incompetent. It’s hard to think that such carnage and devastation is in anybody’s interests but perhaps it is.

And why are “we” (the west) wanting to fight Russia as opposed to helping Ukraine? I suppose I half know the answer to that given that western governments are in hock to big money and all that goes with it. But I still find myself wondering why!’

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We are not trying to help The Ukraine but rather to fight Russia

As a non-military theory type and someone who is naturally sceptical of media reports from one side in any war, I have struggled to understand what has actually been going on ‘on the ground’ in The Ukraine. Which is where Jacques Baud and his article ‘The Military Situation in The Ukraine’ comes in.

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Where is the peace plan?

If the priority is to stop the casualties and the destruction in Ukraine then a peace plan is necessary. What are the options and which of the various protagonists have agency in this? To what should us Liberal / Lefties in The West be adding our voices to?

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Russia is not solely responsible

Like all of us I suspect I felt sick in the stomach on Friday 25th February as news came through of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I felt sick because of what we all know about war: it kills and injures people – combatants and civilians, men, women and children; it tends to take on a life of its own beyond any initial aims; it destroys homes and infrastructure; it often displaces large numbers of people; it impoverishes and degrades lives; and it fuels hate and thoughts of revenge which can fester for years and years.

I met a very dear friend in town that morning – I had wanted to discuss Kier Starmer’s vilification of the Stop the War Coalition and the implications of this for continuing Labour Party membership. This now seemed like a bit of an irrelevance as we sat in silence not knowing what to say about the war.

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Tricky Dickying on the A57

It’s not an obvious combination I’ll grant you: Richard Milhouse Nixon and The Woodcraft Folk – but they both came through for me in my bid to cycle (at least part) of a classic trans Pennine road in traffic free conditions.

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