Latest news with #Blitzkrieg
The Advertiser
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Lost 1976 Motörhead album set for release
Motörhead's lost 1976 album The Manticore Tapes is finally set to be released. The record, set to drop on June 27, features the classic lineup of the late Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. It's named after Emerson, Lake and Palmer's famous Manticore Studio in Fulham, where the album was made. The unreleased songs will be available as an LP and CD, with alternate takes, instrumentals and early recordings of songs from their self-titled debut album and their 1979 album On Parole. Fans can get their hands on a deluxe edition boasting a second disc with the live set Blitzkrieg on Birmingham '77, as well as a previously unreleased 7-inch containing two live performances. The tapes were restored by Motörhead collaborator Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California and mastered by Andrew Alekel at Bolskine House in Los Angeles. The lost album is part of Motörhead's 50th anniversary celebrations. Late frontman Lemmy Kilmister is set to receive a statue in his hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent as part of the milestone celebrations and to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing on December 28, 2015, aged 70. Motörhead's lost 1976 album The Manticore Tapes is finally set to be released. The record, set to drop on June 27, features the classic lineup of the late Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. It's named after Emerson, Lake and Palmer's famous Manticore Studio in Fulham, where the album was made. The unreleased songs will be available as an LP and CD, with alternate takes, instrumentals and early recordings of songs from their self-titled debut album and their 1979 album On Parole. Fans can get their hands on a deluxe edition boasting a second disc with the live set Blitzkrieg on Birmingham '77, as well as a previously unreleased 7-inch containing two live performances. The tapes were restored by Motörhead collaborator Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California and mastered by Andrew Alekel at Bolskine House in Los Angeles. The lost album is part of Motörhead's 50th anniversary celebrations. Late frontman Lemmy Kilmister is set to receive a statue in his hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent as part of the milestone celebrations and to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing on December 28, 2015, aged 70. Motörhead's lost 1976 album The Manticore Tapes is finally set to be released. The record, set to drop on June 27, features the classic lineup of the late Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. It's named after Emerson, Lake and Palmer's famous Manticore Studio in Fulham, where the album was made. The unreleased songs will be available as an LP and CD, with alternate takes, instrumentals and early recordings of songs from their self-titled debut album and their 1979 album On Parole. Fans can get their hands on a deluxe edition boasting a second disc with the live set Blitzkrieg on Birmingham '77, as well as a previously unreleased 7-inch containing two live performances. The tapes were restored by Motörhead collaborator Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California and mastered by Andrew Alekel at Bolskine House in Los Angeles. The lost album is part of Motörhead's 50th anniversary celebrations. Late frontman Lemmy Kilmister is set to receive a statue in his hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent as part of the milestone celebrations and to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing on December 28, 2015, aged 70. Motörhead's lost 1976 album The Manticore Tapes is finally set to be released. The record, set to drop on June 27, features the classic lineup of the late Lemmy Kilmister, Fast Eddie Clarke, and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. It's named after Emerson, Lake and Palmer's famous Manticore Studio in Fulham, where the album was made. The unreleased songs will be available as an LP and CD, with alternate takes, instrumentals and early recordings of songs from their self-titled debut album and their 1979 album On Parole. Fans can get their hands on a deluxe edition boasting a second disc with the live set Blitzkrieg on Birmingham '77, as well as a previously unreleased 7-inch containing two live performances. The tapes were restored by Motörhead collaborator Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California and mastered by Andrew Alekel at Bolskine House in Los Angeles. The lost album is part of Motörhead's 50th anniversary celebrations. Late frontman Lemmy Kilmister is set to receive a statue in his hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent as part of the milestone celebrations and to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing on December 28, 2015, aged 70.
Mint
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Is Trump a tyrant or a savior? Maybe just a bumbler
If you confine yourself to the mass media, you won't find many dissenters from a binary view of President Trump's second first hundred days. His hyperactive start is either an overdue and necessarily bruising overhaul of America's corrupted institutional framework, a revolution against a failed establishment, or else the most menacing arrogation of executive power in the history of the republic, a series of giant steps toward complete authoritarian takeover. But I wonder if there isn't an emerging mass of people for whom the bigger question isn't whether their president is a savior or a tyrant, but whether this man and this team are really capable of pulling off a project so bold and ambitious—whatever the intent. The important question may not be whether they are encouragingly redemptive or bottomlessly malevolent but whether they are simply incapable. To be sure, the grand task they have set for themselves—remaking the American and global order of the past few decades—would have been a stretch for a team of brilliant strongmen with the political genius of Machiavelli and the ruthless efficiency of the Spanish Inquisition. Mr Trump's immediate principal goals were laudable and commanded widespread approval: close the porous border, downsize a bloated government, end the woke lunacy that has had most of our establishment in its thrall, restore American strength in the world. But identifying goals is the easy part. Achieving them is a different matter. This exercise requires successful fights with entrenched, powerful interests in a diverse and pluralist country—and world. In their multifront 100-day war, the Trump team has taken on, in no particular order, the courts, leading universities, most of the media, much of the legal profession, the bond markets, the currency markets, the equity markets, the world's second-largest economy and second most powerful geopolitical force, the global system of alliances, and the global economic system. The theory behind the blitzkrieg approach is that its boldness is its principal guarantee of success: that by flooding the zone you keep enemies off balance and disoriented by the sheer energy, demoralized by the sheer ambition. But you do have to execute. The evidence is accumulating that this war is less Blitzkrieg than Blunderland. The Department of Government Efficiency has, as many of us suspected it would, delivered a mouse to challenge the mountain of U.S. government spending. The effort to revive American manufacturing is harming American manufacturing. Changing the rules of the international economy has proved hard: We still await even one of those vaunted trade deals from supplicant foreigners. Ending the war in Ukraine hasn't happened—but we have managed to alienate just about every partner we have. We may at least be edging closer to a bold new Iranian strategy—but it seems to be a retread of Barack Obama's failed strategy. Not only is there no evidence that China has been cowed by any of this, but it also seems the People's Republic of Harvard now likes its chances against the federal government—helped by the report that a blundering administration accidentally pressed send. To give credit where due, immigration restrictionism has been a big success. Many of us may not like the price paid in legal chicanery and a dubiously necessary heavy hand, and the administration may yet have to choose between an outright constitutional crisis and looking weak if it backs down to the courts over its deportation efforts. But the law-enforcement efforts and the message sent to immigration scofflaws have begun to offset the damage done by years of open borders. But elsewhere the impression is of escalating failure alongside escalating overreach. In its first few weeks the most striking difference between the second and first Trump administrations was a unity of purpose, a lack of internal dissent and an accent on execution. But two stories caught my eye last week for a more familiar picture of indiscipline and disarray. First we learned from the Journal about the bizarre lengths to which the president's economic-policy advisers went to get Mr. Trump to pause his destructive initial global tariff plan, how they had to ensure that tariff fan Peter Navarro was out of physical range of the president to get Mr. Trump to issue a statement revising the plan. Then there was the news of intensified internal fights at the Pentagon as three aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were ousted, one of whom took to social media to say they had been victims of 'baseless attacks" from colleagues. I don't doubt the seriousness of intent with which the Trump administration is seeking to remake the political and cultural landscape. Nor do I disdain the fears of those who argue that the administration's expansive interpretation of its executive authorities represents a threat to the constitutional order. The problem I have is that even as they overstep their limits, they seem to blunder deeper into the mire. Their biggest risk may be that voters will start to ask: What's the use of a strong man who can't do anything right?
CNN
26-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
A nascent backlash against Musk sharpens risk for Trump and GOP
CNN — The resistance may be stirring. Elon Musk's chainsaw is not only slashing away at the bureaucracy but is generating the first warning signs that it could eventually cut deep into the political standing of President Donald Trump and his MAGA allies. Political risks are rising for Republicans as court defeats pile up for the administration and as confusion is fomented by conflicting instructions from the SpaceX chief-turned-government cost cutter and the rest of the administration. Trump often prospers in the chaos that he foments, and the erratic swathe that Musk is slicing through the civil service is a direct response to the fury many voters expressed in last year's election. And for some in Trump's base who embrace the president's anti-elite rhetoric, the act of subjecting federal workers to fear and pain may be a political end in itself. Among conservatives more generally, meanwhile, cutting government is perennially popular. So, Musk's onslaught may still be a winner – at least for now. But pushback from some of the most authentic Make America Great Again Cabinet secretaries to Musk's email to federal workers asking 'what did you do last week?' hints at another possibility – concern that confusion and morale-busting assaults on staff could make it harder to enact Trump's agenda. Two dozen and counting court challenges to the constitutionality of the administration's dramatic personnel and cost cutting purges could be similarly chilling to the president's goals. As could several cases testing whether Musk is acting legally in assuming more power than any private citizen in modern history. Some GOP members of Congress are meanwhile beginning to experience a backlash over Musk's frenzy — including in rowdy town hall meetings that have gone viral. While it's unclear whether these represent the first roots of a political uprising, or just canny progressive organizing, they're a reminder that the federal government is not limited to Washington but is also a huge red state employer. And while Musk's wild anti-government theater fits Trump's shock-and-awe application of raw power since his White House return, some lawmakers are wondering whether the sheer velocity of his effort could be politically counterproductive. 'Things are happening so fast and furiously,' Rep Nicole Malliotakis told CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday. 'We need to take a step back and make sure that we're doing things in a way that we are rooting out the waste, the fraud and the abuse and the mismanagement, making programs efficient but not resulting in unintended consequences,' the New York Republican said. Musk's action is laying bare one key question about Trump's second term Some recent polls have shown majority public disapproval of Musk's Blitzkrieg through the federal government and concern about his potential overreach. In a CNN/SSRS poll last week, 51% said Trump had gone too far in cutting federal programs and 53% thought it was bad that Musk is so prominent. If attitudes towards Musk harden, they could crystallize into broader opposition to what many critics see as an unprecedented and unconstitutional attempt to destroy the rule of law and the federal government. This would deepen the intrigue over the friendship between the world's richest man and its most powerful man. Their capacity to preserve their relationship under stress could also shed light on one of the key unknowns of the president's second term: If his plans for the most far-reaching shake-up of US governance and society in decades make him unpopular — will he press on or take it down a notch? So far, Trump has shown no sense of disengaging from Musk or that he's whipped up an incoming political storm. 'I thought it was great,' the president said Monday of his friend's demand for federal workers to reply to an email justifying their productivity last week. For now, the Tesla pioneer is the personification of his determination to ensure that this term, no one will rein in his power grabs. The White House will attempt to dispel any suggestions of concern within the administration over Musk's role when he shows up to the first Cabinet meeting of the president's second term on Wednesday. 'The president and Elon and his entire Cabinet are working as one unified team,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Another day of Musk-inspired disruption Tuesday brought another dizzying spate of developments in the high-speed effort to dismember the US government and in the drama surrounding Musk. — Twenty-one United States Digital Service technology staffers, including skilled engineers, designers and data scientists resigned. The staffers complained of hostile interviews from DOGE employees and said that in the current extreme circumstances they could no longer honor their oaths to serve the people and uphold the Constitution. Their gesture threatens to severely hamper government operations through the loss of experts who best understand its operating system. But Paul Barrett, deputy director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University's Stern School of Business, said that the symbolic value of the resignations of public servants who intimately understand the government's operating systems, would outstrip any operational risk their departures posed. 'The federal government is a big workforce, a couple of million. So, 20 people leaving is not going to change the situation in some dramatic way,' Barrett said. 'What's important here is that, like some of their brother and sister civil servants who have resigned or been willing to be fired rather than cooperating with the Musk-DOGE rampage, these people are saying, 'We will not cooperate. We will not obey. This is not legitimate.'' — In another development likely to exacerbate concerns about crushed legal and personnel protections, the Office of Management and Budget, along with the Office of Personnel Management, are expected to issue a memo that will direct agencies to prepare for large-scale firings, CNN's Alayna Treene reported. — Trump meanwhile sowed new confusion about Musk's directive to federal employees to detail their productivity after the tech mogul several times said a failure to respond would be tantamount to a resignation. 'Well, it's somewhat voluntary, but it's also, if you don't answer, I guess you get fired,' Trump said in the Oval Office. 'What it really is, what it is, is – do people exist?' he added, underscoring the baffling logic and execution of his government gutting plan. — A federal judge indefinitely blocked the administration from freezing federal loans and grants. That move, in the first days of the administration caused nationwide uproar as vital services were shuttered, showing for the first time how the loss of federal services could impact daily life and be a political liability. 'Defendants' actions were irrational, imprudent, and precipitated a nationwide crisis,' said US District Judge Loren AliKhan. — Another federal judge halted Trump's executive order that indefinitely suspended refugee admissions, while a second ordered the administration to pay foreign-aid related funds owed to government contractors and nonprofits by Wednesday following Musk's evisceration of USAID. — Hostility towards government runs deep in America's DNA. But the callous treatment of thousands of government employees who've been fired, including probationary workers, often with little notice or compensation, seemingly at the whim of Musk and his young followers, has been callous. Some of those workers spent Tuesday going door to door in the Senate demanding action. 'Our goal is to just start putting some faces and names to all the federal workers who have been impacted by the furloughs, layoffs, immediate firings by Musk and DOGE,' said Elizabeth Glidden, who was fired as a technical program officer in USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. 'It's been terrible. I've cried everyday,' Glidden said. 'I go through waves of crying, anger, frustration.' Early signs of political tension The human toll of the firings, as well as the concern among Americans over potentially lost government help is beginning to crest into political momentum, CNN's Annie Grayer reported. Several House Republicans pleaded with leadership Tuesday for guidance on handling a deluge of questions from constituents about recent cuts, multiple sources said. GOP lawmakers are on a tightrope between pro-Trump base voters and constituents being hurt by Musk's destruction. Malliotakis said Trump had appointed 'very smart people' as Cabinet secretaries and they should be empowered to make cuts. 'This idea that they were going to just fire people via Twitter, Elon Musk, that to me, seems rash,' she said. The New York lawmaker is far from the most endangered Republican in next year's midterm election, so her concern is notable. But so far, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is already hampered by a tiny majority, is holding the line. 'I think the vast majority of the American people understand and applaud and appreciate the DOGE effort, the goal to scale down the size and scope of government,' the Louisiana Republican said. GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune was more mindful of the humanity of the federal workers let go, while sharing the goal of trimming government, saying 'It needs to be done in a respectful way.' Respectful is the antithesis of Musk's approach – one reason why it's worth watching whether he develops into a political liability for Trump. Revolts often start from a small pile of political kindling – for instance, the Tea Party movement that reached critical mass in response to the early policies of President Barack Obama. Barrett believes that significant political pressure on even a small number of GOP members in Congress could slow the DOGE purge. He said: 'I think there's every chance in the world that a handful of members of Congress will summon the courage to confront Trump and suffer his wrath if they get enough constituents back home telling them 'Hey, we sent you to Washington and we've had enough of this. This is this is chaos, craziness.'' Should such a backlash develop, Musk's swinging of a chainsaw above his head at the Conservative Political Action Conference will be seen less as an exuberant emblem of disruption and more an act of hubris that presaged a political fall.
CNN
26-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: A nascent backlash against Musk sharpens risk for Trump and GOP
The resistance may be stirring. Elon Musk's chainsaw is not only slashing away at the bureaucracy but is generating the first warning signs that it could eventually cut deep into the political standing of President Donald Trump and his MAGA allies. Political risks are rising for Republicans as court defeats pile up for the administration and as confusion is fomented by conflicting instructions from the SpaceX chief-turned-government cost cutter and the rest of the administration. Trump often prospers in the chaos that he foments, and the erratic swathe that Musk is slicing through the civil service is a direct response to the fury many voters expressed in last year's election. And for some in Trump's base who embrace the president's anti-elite rhetoric, the act of subjecting federal workers to fear and pain may be a political end in itself. Among conservatives more generally, meanwhile, cutting government is perennially popular. So, Musk's onslaught may still be a winner – at least for now. But pushback from some of the most authentic Make America Great Again Cabinet secretaries to Musk's email to federal workers asking 'what did you do last week?' hints at another possibility – concern that confusion and morale-busting assaults on staff could make it harder to enact Trump's agenda. Two dozen and counting court challenges to the constitutionality of the administration's dramatic personnel and cost cutting purges could be similarly chilling to the president's goals. As could several cases testing whether Musk is acting legally in assuming more power than any private citizen in modern history. Some GOP members of Congress are meanwhile beginning to experience a backlash over Musk's frenzy — including in rowdy town hall meetings that have gone viral. While it's unclear whether these represent the first roots of a political uprising, or just canny progressive organizing, they're a reminder that the federal government is not limited to Washington but is also a huge red state employer. And while Musk's wild anti-government theater fits Trump's shock-and-awe application of raw power since his White House return, some lawmakers are wondering whether the sheer velocity of his effort could be politically counterproductive. 'Things are happening so fast and furiously,' Rep Nicole Malliotakis told CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday. 'We need to take a step back and make sure that we're doing things in a way that we are rooting out the waste, the fraud and the abuse and the mismanagement, making programs efficient but not resulting in unintended consequences,' the New York Republican said. Some recent polls have shown majority public disapproval of Musk's Blitzkrieg through the federal government and concern about his potential overreach. In a CNN/SSRS poll last week, 51% said Trump had gone too far in cutting federal programs and 53% thought it was bad that Musk is so prominent. If attitudes towards Musk harden, they could crystallize into broader opposition to what many critics see as an unprecedented and unconstitutional attempt to destroy the rule of law and the federal government. This would deepen the intrigue over the friendship between the world's richest man and its most powerful man. Their capacity to preserve their relationship under stress could also shed light on one of the key unknowns of the president's second term: If his plans for the most far-reaching shake-up of US governance and society in decades make him unpopular — will he press on or take it down a notch? So far, Trump has shown no sense of disengaging from Musk or that he's whipped up an incoming political storm. 'I thought it was great,' the president said Monday of his friend's demand for federal workers to reply to an email justifying their productivity last week. For now, the Tesla pioneer is the personification of his determination to ensure that this term, no one will rein in his power grabs. The White House will attempt to dispel any suggestions of concern within the administration over Musk's role when he shows up to the first Cabinet meeting of the president's second term on Wednesday. 'The president and Elon and his entire Cabinet are working as one unified team,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Tuesday brought another dizzying spate of developments in the high-speed effort to dismember the US government and in the drama surrounding Musk. — Twenty-one United States Digital Service technology staffers, including skilled engineers, designers and data scientists resigned. The staffers complained of hostile interviews from DOGE employees and said that in the current extreme circumstances they could no longer honor their oaths to serve the people and uphold the Constitution. Their gesture threatens to severely hamper government operations through the loss of experts who best understand its operating system. But Paul Barrett, deputy director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University's Stern School of Business, said that the symbolic value of the resignations of public servants who intimately understand the government's operating systems, would outstrip any operational risk their departures posed. 'The federal government is a big workforce, a couple of million. So, 20 people leaving is not going to change the situation in some dramatic way,' Barrett said. 'What's important here is that, like some of their brother and sister civil servants who have resigned or been willing to be fired rather than cooperating with the Musk-DOGE rampage, these people are saying, 'We will not cooperate. We will not obey. This is not legitimate.'' — In another development likely to exacerbate concerns about crushed legal and personnel protections, the Office of Management and Budget, along with the Office of Personnel Management, are expected to issue a memo that will direct agencies to prepare for large-scale firings, CNN's Alayna Treene reported. — Trump meanwhile sowed new confusion about Musk's directive to federal employees to detail their productivity after the tech mogul several times said a failure to respond would be tantamount to a resignation. 'Well, it's somewhat voluntary, but it's also, if you don't answer, I guess you get fired,' Trump said in the Oval Office. 'What it really is, what it is, is – do people exist?' he added, underscoring the baffling logic and execution of his government gutting plan. — A federal judge indefinitely blocked the administration from freezing federal loans and grants. That move, in the first days of the administration caused nationwide uproar as vital services were shuttered, showing for the first time how the loss of federal services could impact daily life and be a political liability. 'Defendants' actions were irrational, imprudent, and precipitated a nationwide crisis,' said US District Judge Loren AliKhan. — Another federal judge halted Trump's executive order that indefinitely suspended refugee admissions, while a second ordered the administration to pay foreign-aid related funds owed to government contractors and nonprofits by Wednesday following Musk's evisceration of USAID. — Hostility towards government runs deep in America's DNA. But the callous treatment of thousands of government employees who've been fired, including probationary workers, often with little notice or compensation, seemingly at the whim of Musk and his young followers, has been callous. Some of those workers spent Tuesday going door to door in the Senate demanding action. 'Our goal is to just start putting some faces and names to all the federal workers who have been impacted by the furloughs, layoffs, immediate firings by Musk and DOGE,' said Elizabeth Glidden, who was fired as a technical program officer in USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. 'It's been terrible. I've cried everyday,' Glidden said. 'I go through waves of crying, anger, frustration.' The human toll of the firings, as well as the concern among Americans over potentially lost government help is beginning to crest into political momentum, CNN's Annie Grayer reported. Several House Republicans pleaded with leadership Tuesday for guidance on handling a deluge of questions from constituents about recent cuts, multiple sources said. GOP lawmakers are on a tightrope between pro-Trump base voters and constituents being hurt by Musk's destruction. Malliotakis said Trump had appointed 'very smart people' as Cabinet secretaries and they should be empowered to make cuts. 'This idea that they were going to just fire people via Twitter, Elon Musk, that to me, seems rash,' she said. The New York lawmaker is far from the most endangered Republican in next year's midterm election, so her concern is notable. But so far, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is already hampered by a tiny majority, is holding the line. 'I think the vast majority of the American people understand and applaud and appreciate the DOGE effort, the goal to scale down the size and scope of government,' the Louisiana Republican said. GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune was more mindful of the humanity of the federal workers let go, while sharing the goal of trimming government, saying 'It needs to be done in a respectful way.' Respectful is the antithesis of Musk's approach – one reason why it's worth watching whether he develops into a political liability for Trump. Revolts often start from a small pile of political kindling – for instance, the Tea Party movement that reached critical mass in response to the early policies of President Barack Obama. Barrett believes that significant political pressure on even a small number of GOP members in Congress could slow the DOGE purge. He said: 'I think there's every chance in the world that a handful of members of Congress will summon the courage to confront Trump and suffer his wrath if they get enough constituents back home telling them 'Hey, we sent you to Washington and we've had enough of this. This is this is chaos, craziness.'' Should such a backlash develop, Musk's swinging of a chainsaw above his head at the Conservative Political Action Conference will be seen less as an exuberant emblem of disruption and more an act of hubris that presaged a political fall.
The Independent
25-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Keir Starmer's plan to send British troops to Ukraine divides opinion
Sir Keir Starmer's proposal to deploy British troops to Ukraine as part of a European 'reassurance force' has sparked strong reactions among Independent readers. The plan, developed with France, would see troops stationed in key locations — such as cities, ports, and nuclear sites — focusing on intelligence gathering and airspace monitoring rather than frontline combat. However, Kremlin officials have condemned the proposal, warning that any Nato presence in Ukraine would be seen as a direct threat. Many readers opposed Sir Keir's idea, arguing that Britain's military is already overstretched and underfunded. Some insisted that no deployment should take place without a major increase in defence spending, while others feared that even a limited presence could escalate tensions and risk a wider war. Some readers supported sending troops, believing Britain must stand against Russian aggression. A few even called for the UK to take a more aggressive stance rather than waiting for US intervention. Others suggested alternative solutions, including a UN-led peacekeeping force instead of a Nato deployment. Here's what you had to say: Tone-deaf betrayal How dare Starmer offer up our servicemen and women, without agreeing to rapidly and massively increase defence spending? A complete tone-deaf betrayal. With the right resources, our military can do what is required to defend the UK and Europe. So I vote 'no' without the proper funding. Sirstan Europe must take a bold stand This is not 1939. Starmer is not Churchill. It is not Britain alone that is at threat but the whole of Europe. As such, it is Europe that has to take a bold and strong stand, bravely and collectively. The current United States administration is completely and wholeheartedly prepared to throw Ukraine... and, by extension, the wolves, in order to break or at least weaken the Russia/China alliance. To what end.. .to the end that Trump can "make America Great again" by holding on to its military supremacy... no matter who it disposes of along the way. This is not a time for Braun and muscle on Britain's and Europe's behalf but a time for Blitzkrieg fast thinking and action. Ukraine and Europe are being sidelined by the world's two military superpowers. China will, at least to some extent, be sidelined too. Britain, Europe, and China, put your thinking caps on FAST... and consider where a dictator-style US/Russia-run world is going to leave you. ClintCox No to gallivanting abroad No – why do we feel the need to go gallivanting off to foreign places to fight with Johnny Foreigner? We do NOT have an empire anymore and I don't understand why our Prime Ministers continually want to come across as strong by sending British young men off to war. WednesdayOwl Increased defence spending is required Agree 100 per cent with those who say no deployment without an immediate and large increase in UK defence spending. How can the PM promise UK forces (and remember, if he promises, say, 5000 troops, he'll need 15000, due to the rotation of operations–training–R&R/Leave), where are these troops going to come from? All UK armed forces are understaffed and overstretched. The UK Government (and all European Nato countries) need to take action this day – to demonstrate to Russia and the US that we take our security seriously and are willing to pay for it! Pablo Expand defence spending to counter Putin No, absolutely not. We need to expand our DEFENCE spending because Putin is a threat. The UK and other Nato countries need to move away from American influence, as Trump sees traditional allies as their weakness. So be it. Putting UK troops on the ground in Ukraine will not achieve anything, except bring forward a larger Europe-wide conflict before we are fully prepared for one. Chuckiethebrave Are British troops even allowed in Ukraine? No, absolutely not. Though perhaps we should be considering if British troops would even be allowed in Ukraine. When things finally arrive at the negotiating table, the Russians will have a strong hand, and they will be making certain demands. The UK and the EU might not be in any position to deny these demands. 5of9 One false move could trigger WW3 Absolutely not. One false move by either party – through a misunderstood command, a rogue operative, or a technical glitch –could launch us into WW3. qbsaul UN should lead peace talks Any peacekeeping efforts should be solely under the umbrella of the United Nations. Further, it should be the UN that presides over peace talks and not Donald Trump. We all know that Trump hero worships Putin as a strong man, and that his involvement in the Ukraine peace process is only as a means to massage his ego and elevate himself to world statesmanship. Trump's only interest in Ukraine is what he can get out of the deal. He has his eye on 500 billion dollars' worth of rare earth minerals. He has no interest in Ukraine's sovereign rights, or the protection of its people. Trump is not fit to lead any peace talk, and Zelensky is right to reject his 'demands'. Putin knows that he has Trump wrapped around his finger, and he knows how to manipulate Trump's quirks. Trump is compromised from the start. For the benefit of the Ukrainian people, who remain sovereign, the UN should preside over peace negotiations, and it should be UN peacekeepers who patrol and uphold any demilitarized zone. In that respect, and only in that, should the UK send troops to Ukraine. KMMagnusson Send forces to Ukraine now I'm in favour of sending UK and other Nato and non-Nato forces to Ukraine now, to fight the Russians. The UK signed the Budapest Memorandum and should be leading the fighting with Ukraine against the Russian invader. Additionally, Russia used chemical weapons on UK soil in Salisbury. They deserve a good kicking for that war crime, and the perpetrators, including Putin, need bringing to justice with extreme prejudice. If you let one country get away with that, they will all be doing it to us, thinking we are a soft touch. No use waiting for the Americans – they're always late to the party. It's time to kick ass and take names! Davina No Nato troops in Ukraine The US, Russia, and Ukraine should agree on a deal that ensures no Nato troops will ever be stationed in Ukraine. In the Donbass and Crimea regions, a UN force should ensure that the region is neutral, with neither Russian nor Ukrainian forces in the area. The UK could be part of that force performing the UN mandate. The UN should support the civil administration of the regions until determination elections can be held in 10 years or so. Demilitarisation and clearance of ordnance in the Donbass region will take decades; this should be led by the UN. Mp First step toward major war Whether the deployment of British or Nato forces to Ukraine is the right choice or not is not for me to say; However, what I will say is that it's the first step towards a major war with Russia... Ne22 Overstated Russian threat The so-called threat from Russia is overstated and people are getting into a state of paranoia and hysteria. Calm down and carry on! There are lots of vested interests here. As for the deployment of British troops to Ukraine, no, no, no, to coin a phrase from Mrs Thatcher. We need calm heads now and not be influenced by the paranoid Eastern European leaders. People must learn to live with their neighbour, especially when he is a large and more powerful neighbour. Maxthehunter UN peacekeeping force, not Nato For me, if we are asked to form part of a larger UN (not Nato) peacekeeping force, then absolutely. Yes. This cannot be a Nato-led force, simply because Russia could never do a deal on those terms. However, if no deal can be done, then at some stage we and the rest of the European countries will have to decide when we step in. We cannot have a situation in which an angry Russia – especially not with enlarged territory and resources – lurks with malicious intent on our borders. Europe has to defend itself. Jolly Swagman Battlefield changes demand adaptation Until the negotiations between Trump and Putin are concluded and the fate of Ukraine decided, who knows what can or should be possible? The Russian invasion and subsequent war have shown how the battlefield has changed, and the UK, along with its European allies, needs to adapt. The changes in military capability, weapons, and tactics also mean Europe cannot rely on large-scale troop transportation from the US in the event of war. The US has its own problems; we have ours. DBlenkinsop The conversation isn't over. To join in, all you need to do is register your details, then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking 'log in' on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
