Ukraine: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Costs to rebuild Ukraine increase sharply (24.03.2023)

Opinion: Boris takes no accountability for the parte-after-parte…

“So I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the Rules and Guidance had been followed completely at No. 10. But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time. I did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the House on 1 December 2021, 8 December 2021, or on any other date. I would never have dreamed of doing so” (Boris Johnson, 20.03.2023).

I liar saying he would never lie. Would you believe the man? I don’t and with obvious reasons. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson isn’t a man who has the credibility or the ability to whine back time. No, the water is under bridge and there is no return of happier times.

As the Prime Minister, he was the prime example and the one who told others how to act. The PM should be on the forefront and be the one to follow. Alas, Johnson thought he could get away with his behaviour and parties in the middle of the pandemic. When others couldn’t visit their loved ones or send them off at their funerals. Heck, people could have birthdays or parties in general. There was nearly allowed to go outside or spend time with friends in the neighbourhoods. People was fined and was sanctioned for breaching the guidelines. Students was suspended and others was sacked. Therefore, the PM is acting aloof, when others has paid a price. It is infuriating to read the report and see how he doesn’t care and doesn’t take any sort of responsibility. What a spineless and reckless character he is… when he thinks this will settle the score and vindicate himself. When others has lost their future and livelihoods for far less than all the parties he did…

Just read it here:

“Various references in the Fourth Report give the impression that any lack of social distancing in No. 10 was in breach of the Guidance. If that is genuinely the Committee’s view, it is obviously wrong. Everyone at No. 10 was working together around the clock to fight Covid-19. No. 10 is an old, cramped London town house, with many bottlenecks, and many small rooms. It is not a modern working environment. In accordance with the Guidance, a balance had to be struck between the essential work we were doing and minimising the risk of transmission. Although we did our best to give each other as wide a berth as possible, there were times when people inevitably came close r to each other. We tried to keep our distance, but we knew that proximity was sometimes unavoidable, and we knew that this was acceptable under the Guidance” (Boris Johnson, 20.03.2023).

“For the 18 December 2020 event, I relied on assurances I had received from my advisers and, it is clear now, those assurances were wrong. As Prime Minister, I am reliant on advice from officials. There is nothing reckless or unreasonable about that. I was focused on difficult decisions concerning the pandemic (as well as other business that the Prime Minister needs to address), my diary is packed, No. 10 is a complex environment, and I was constantly in and out of the building. My knowledge of what was going on at any given time was imperfect and mostly second-hand. A Prime Minister cannot be expected personally to investigate matters such as these. I had to rely on, and was fully entitled to rely on, what I was told by my senior, trusted advisers” (Boris Johnson, 20.03.2023).

First off, he wouldn’t dream of misleading Parliament. The man who said he had an oven-ready Brexit. This man is willing to lie about everything and whatever he does. The former PM have even lied about affairs and other misconduct in his time as a high ranking official. So, it’s really endearing that he speaks of it this way in 2023.

Also, he is blaming the building and Downing Street No. 10 for breaching the rules. He says it’s the atmosphere and the building that was sort of a reason to breach the rules. While that is not the case. He shouldn’t have thrown the parties and been a socialite in the middle of the pandemic. When everything was illegal and was proper guidelines to social distance. It wasn’t just the two-meter rules, but several others, which had implications on ordinary life. So, the former PM should know better and cannot blame his former house or workplace.

Third, the former PM cannot blame his misgivings on advice from his advisors. He is acting like a man with no agency. Like the former PM couldn’t think or act without having a prior thumbs up from an adviser. That just sounds foolish and stupid. A man of age and has been an adult for a while.  The Former PM has a working mind and spirit, so he should be able to have agency. Unless his wife has to get control of the daily life and he needs a guardian. If so, maybe he shouldn’t vie to become MP again or stand for office. If he cannot take responsibility for his own actions like a man… seriously. This is just insulting everyone’s intelligence…

Enough nonsense and rubbish in one day. Peace.

Opinion: Medvedev better chill…

“Russian ex-president threatens missile strike against Hague court after Putin arrest warrant. “It’s quite possible to envision a scenario where a Russian ship… could strategically strike the Hague courthouse with a hypersonic Onyx missile,” Dmitry Medvedev said. Medvedev also used foul language to criticize the International Criminal Court, calling it “shitty.” The International Criminal Court (ICC), which is located in the Hague, issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on March 17” (The Kyiv Independent, 20.03.2023).

The former President and now close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Dmitry Medvedev have uttered a few words again on Telegram. Which has been intercepted by the press. These words has been written in retaliation of the criminal charges and the investigation made by the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant on Russian President Putin. That has hurt the pride of Medvedev, which has resorted in the recent outburst.

Medvedev isn’t a man of subtlety or restraint. No, his man of bravado and a braggadocios demeanour. That’s just who he is, except for being a token loyalist and a fellow crony of the Kremlin elite surrounding the President. He just have to show it and play it off too.

Not like the man has wisdom or any sort of common sense. He is just a high ranking official who comes with empty threats and tries to spread fear. That’s all he does. If it is invading Poland or using nukes in Ukraine. This man has said it and stated it in writing. He just sounds so supreme and ready for war. Like Russia has an army and combat force to take Europe all by it’s own self. That’s the sort of talk that Medvedev is known for at this point.

So, in this regard, that he comes with threats towards the ICC. No one, no one should be shocked or in awe. It is just what he does… and he just create headlines. He scores some brownie points among the Kremlin elites. It maybe gives him credit in the book of Putin. However, he looks like and sounds like a fool. A warmongering fool… and a twisted one at that.

If the Russians was all innocent and had nothing to hide. They wouldn’t mock the ICC or try to downplay the investigation or the arrest warrant. No, they could have fought the case and answered for their actions. Alas, we know that isn’t the case and would never happen. Putin and Medvedev rather bomb and annihilate the court, than answer to it. They rather act above it and say they should be worried. That’s what they are doing.

Yes, Russia isn’t a member of the ICC or have ratified the Rome Statute in their laws. Which means the jurisdiction and the possible ramifications of the arrest warrant is mute. The ICC cannot push or have any incentive to get Putin deported to the Hague. However, other nations might and the signatories of the Rome Statute is supposed to follow through. Though by history and acknowledge of similar cases, former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir was able to circumvent it and get away. Therefore, Putin would easily access the same leeway in his travels.

Alas, Medvedev is just smoke and mirrors. His a pot of hot-air with additional nonsense. Trying to spread fear and humiliate the West. Not that it’s working. Just like the Russian propaganda isn’t working outside of the Russian hemisphere either. Except for loonies who believes the Z-Apostles of our time. Peace.

Opinion: Mahmood MP speaking the truth about Braverman MP…

“The words of the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Matt Warman) must have some meaning for him. They do not for anybody else in this debate, because they do not make any sense or bring any delivery for the people we represent. This country is based on the rule of law. We are in the UN Security Council. We wrote the European convention on human rights. We were the main principals behind the Geneva convention. We penned the war crimes legislation that is now in existence. People here are being accused of being lefty lawyers for doing the right thing and standing up for people and for our rights which are enshrined in law. We have always worked to the letter of the law, and so we should. The Home Secretary takes no advice from the Bar Council and no advice from the Law Society, which both say that the Bill will create contradictions and will have problems in the courts, just like those the Government have already had. The Government do not want to do anything about that, and that is a problem. There are no safe routes for anybody to come through. Afghanistan has been closed. Hong Kong has been closed” – Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham (Perry Barr) – (13.03.2023).

In our times, there is a need for truth tellers and one of them yesterday was the MP for Birmingham (Perry Barr), Mr. Khalid Mahmood who spoke the brutal truth. He didn’t lie and came with no falsehoods. This man could have spared his words, minced them and been more diplomatic. No, he chose the honest path, and it shows. It is just so direct and sincere, that’s why Home Secretary Suella Braverman MP should be concerned about her lasting legacy. Because, when men like Mahmood can torn your flesh. You just know those wounds will never heal. It is a stain that will linger and never be repaired.

The Home Secretary should be concerned about herself and who she is. She will be remembered for this time. The choices of words and the bill itself. The actions against the weakest, the poor and the misfortunate who is taking the dangerous journey to the United Kingdom. She should be worried about them, but instead vilify them and makes their trip illegal.

His words are so powerful.

Just read them further:

“The Minister shakes his head. If he tried getting out of Afghanistan, he would see what the issues are. Women who have been trafficked will have no support under the Bill. Young children in jeopardy will have no support under the Bill. The Bill is against the people, and against the human rights and civil liberties of people. The Labour party does not say there is an open and a free door. That is what the Tories say about the Labour party. The Labour party is here to look at open and positive immigration. That is what we want to do. The Home Secretary said that she cannot be xenophobic or racist just because of her colour and origins. I say to her, being of the same colour and origin, that that is exactly what her politics are about—dividing our society and our community based on that. That is what she continues to do. The best thing that she can do is to look at what is right for the people, rather than making political decisions that she thinks will win her the next election. That is not the case. The people of the United Kingdom are not so naive as to allow this huge nonsense of xenophobia and racism from her party. She needs the knock of humanity to move forward with these issues. We are all here representing all of our constituents—the Home Secretary does not understand that. For her sake and for the sake of all the people who come here, I hope that we are responsible for human beings and show humanity moving forward” (Mahmood, 13.03.2023).

It is not just about rule of law and about international law. No, it is about principals and morals. This law is about our basic understanding and about humanity as a whole. Mahmood MP just shows the draconian path and the sinister way the Tories are handling it. The Home Secretary and the Tories are willing to address it this way. They are willing to risk the lives and endanger them even further. That’s what they are doing, while vilifying and criminalizing them. It is real dark and grim, but the reality of it all.

Mahmood MP is speaking the truth. His voice needs to be heard. It is a voice of reason and it’s sad that it isn’t amplified more. Peace.

Opinion: Sunak will rock the boat…

“People must know that if they come here illegally it will result in their detention and swift removal. Once this happens – and they know it will happen – they will not come, and the boats will stop. That is why today we are introducing legislation to make clear that if you come here illegally you can’t claim asylum…

…you can’t benefit from our modern slavery protections…

….you can’t make spurious human rights claims

…and you can’t stay.

We will detain those who come here illegally and then remove them in weeks, either to their own country if it is safe to do so, or to a safe third country like Rwanda” – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (07.03.2023).

That Prime Minister Rishi Sunak needs a case and a policy to pin his name on is clear. The “Stop the Boat” and be hard on immigration is an easy way to gain popularity or show force in the Downing Street No. 10. So, behind the black-door and on a podium he could look supreme.

Though the whole publicity and action will possibly backfire. Not only because the United Kingdom has a “Modern Slavery System” but also because it isn’t honouring it’s pledges to international law. This is an extension of the Brexit and the “self-control” of the United Kingdom. That’s the gist here, but he will possibly regret it all.

As a son of an immigrant, he should know better and the same should Suella Braverman. Nevertheless, these two rather disown their own and gain political capital by despicable means. The PM knows this, but he has to play along to these hard right policies, which would have blocked his own kin from entering the Kingdom. That’s the striking here… his parents and others in the that generation would have been sent to Rwanda… if the laws was like that.

Sunak is catering to the worst side of aisle here. Just so he get the ERG and anti-immigration sentiments of society. While the Tories are also showing the sinister side of the British Government. A side that the Tories and others has tried to hide away, but is now coming up in the open. The plans of arresting, making seeking asylum illegal and trying to migrate to the United Kingdom.

The PM even said this:

“If we can’t stop the boats, our ability to help genuine refugees in future will be constrained. Full control of our borders will allow us to decide who to help, and to provide safe and legal routes for those most in need. I understand there will be debate about the toughness of these measures… all I can say is that we have tried it every other way… and it has not worked” (Sunak, 07.03.2023).

We are seeing a harshness and a law enforcement, which will be not only questioned, but most likely challenged by international law. The United Kingdom is a bunch of islands, but not living in a vacuum. It is part of the world and has to act accordingly to the United Nations Conventions and bodies it has signed itself up too. The international laws the UK government has ratified and made as part of its own legislation. So, the possibility to seek refuge and shelter shouldn’t be gone over night. It is tough talk and spreading fear, like a fascist government does.

Sunak is just showing the evil side of the British government. Using the ones who is fighting and who has to go the worst hurdles known to mankind to get to safety. His is using them as pawns to gain political capital and sloganeer. Making asylum seekers into criminals or felons. Just so he can win favours among the hard right in the United Kingdom. Peace.

Opinion: Will Sunak tear the GFA apart?

“Article 1: (vi) recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland” (The Belfast Agreement, 10.04.1998).

Today, we should be worried, the North Ireland Protocol, which is a part of the European Union Withdrawal Agreement is up for grabs. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is playing high and mighty. He also must play this game for his own gains and office. It is not like he has a massive mandate or power on his own. The PM needs to play the support of DUP and ERG within his own ranks. That’s why he got a buck-load of trouble and little strength in the days ahead.

Why am I worried, well he answered this in the PMQ today:

“As the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, we are still in active discussions with the European Union, but he should know that I am a Conservative, a Brexiter and a Unionist, and any agreement that we reach needs to tick all three boxes. It needs to ensure sovereignty for Northern Ireland, it needs to safeguard Northern Ireland’s place in our Union, and it needs to find practical solutions to the problems faced by people and businesses. I will be resolute in fighting for what is best for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom” (Sunak, 22.02.2023).

I find it troubling with the quote of the PM. His disregarding the Irish and the GFA by doing so. His only on the side of the Unionists and the ones who wants the Northern Irish to be British. That is indirectly disregarding a lot of people in NI. The PM might not consider this, but by what he said and how he stated it… he has violated and intends to not honour Article 1(vi) of the Belfast Agreement of 1998.

If he does what he might want to do… to appease DUP and ERG within his party. He is maybe without intention or purposes changing the status of Northern Ireland. In such a manner, that endangers the whole Good Friday Agreement.

It seems like the PM should consult with the North South Ministerial Council on the matter of NI Protocol as well. Even the GFA agreement states one vital part under the second stand, which says this: “(iii) in an appropriate format to consider institutional or cross-sectoral matters (including in relation to the EU) and to resolve disagreement” (The Belfast Agreement, 10.04.1998).

This here stipulates the acts of the Council and how it works in relations to the EU. That is vital in consideration the NI Protocol and the plans of the PM. If he wants to honour the GFA and such. He should consult himself with Council and be cautious, as he is trading waters and possibly eaten by sharks. They a sensing blood and coming for him. That’s why he should read the agreements and stipulations to ensure the right actions ahead.

Now his just spewing Tory rhetoric and it’s doing no good. There are no favours earned or statements which are making things better. The way he speaks at the PMQ make it seems like a way of only safeguarding the Union and the interests of allies of Great Britain. While his disregarding and dismissing the ones wanting a united Ireland. Which is also something the British Government promised to commit too in the GFA. That’s what is striking here, and we should be worried about. It shows a sentiment and attitude from London, which is forgetting old promises. That is clear… and Sunak isn’t a man who honour this agreement apparently. He got enough to hold his head above water and steer away from the sharks. Peace.

A brief look into President Putin’s speech yesterday

“We are not at war with the people of Ukraine. I have made that clear many times. The people of Ukraine have become hostages of the Kiev regime and its Western handlers, who have in fact occupied that country in the political, military and economic sense and have been destroying Ukrainian industry for decades now as they plundered its natural resources. This led to social degradation and an immeasurable increase in poverty and inequality. Recruiting resources for military operations in these circumstances was easy. Nobody was thinking about people, who were conditioned for slaughter and eventually became expendables. It is a sad and dreadful thing to say, but it is a fact” – President Vladimir Putin (21.02.2023)

Yesterday speech by the Russian President isn’t an insignificant one, but is in a row of shady tricks and ploys to legitimize an illegal invasion of a sovereign. He is trying to use words and mechanisms to devoid himself from the issue at hand. The President knows well he instigated and has issued the war on Ukraine.

President Putin has planned, escalated and ensured the war on Ukraine. That is all in his making and with his armies. He has supported “resistance” and “armed militias” within Ukrainian territories since the Maidan revolution. Putin has also with his might and power annexed Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Therefore, he knows perfectly well the gamble and the will to undermine Kyiv. That’s his busy doing and he does on the basis of military strength.

“Responsibility for inciting and escalating the Ukraine conflict as well as the sheer number of casualties lies entirely with the Western elites and, of course, today’s Kiev regime, for which the Ukrainian people are, in fact, not its own people. The current Ukrainian regime is serving not national interests, but the interests of third countries” (Putin, 21.02.2023).

Putin himself wants his own puppets and musketeers like he has in Minsk. That’s what is aiming for so he can control Ukraine by proxy. This is his mission and that’s why he uses this sort of rhetoric. Because he knows perfectly well that the government is elected and popular in Ukraine. A government, which by default just happens to Eurocentric and not Moscow bound. He wants a fella who loves Kremlin and wants to be associated with him. That’s all that matters and he can destroy his own armies to get there.

One last piece of his speech: “In early February, the North Atlantic alliance made a statement with actual demand to Russia, as they put it, to return to the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, including admission of inspections to our nuclear defence facilities. I don’t even know what to call this. It is a kind of a theatre of the absurd. We know that the West is directly involved in the Kiev regime’s attempts to strike at our strategic aviation bases. The drones used for this purpose were equipped and updated with the assistance of NATO specialists. And now they also want to inspect our defence facilities? In the current conditions of confrontation, it simply sounds insane” (Putin, 21.02.2023).

He clearly see the world as a one-sided one and secondly also directly accepts that he can issue threats, but others has to silently look by. He is stressing the NATO and US is supporting Ukraine in its self-defence. Though the NATO and European allies are not on the ground or directly involved in the combats. Neither are the specialists or anyone else close to the battlefields. No, there is more Belarussian involvement in the war then what is happening from NATO. The Russians has used more of their allies and their connections to boost their war. While NATO and European allies has been cautious with their movements. Russians has used Iranian drones and others technical warfare to missile strike the Republic of Ukraine. Therefore, this sort of speech only shows how he favours himself and doesn’t take to account his invading forces and the war-crimes committed by itself.

We know Ukraine wants to defend itself and get rid of the threats of Russian air-forces. Who can blame them? When Russian armed forces are bombing and missile striking the nation. That just shows the tyranny and the entitlement of Putin. He can bomb nations asunder, but the defending nation cannot use force to defend itself. That’s bad and not in good fate. Seriously, how jaded is the man?

This speech isn’t a great one. Neither is it unique. It is a year of this nonsense, but the quotes have to saved. Because they are saying something. Peace.

Romania: Ministry of National Defense – MApN specifications (10.02.2023)

United Kingdom: Nadhim Zahawi MP letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (29.01.2023)

United Kingdom: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak letter to Nadhim Zahawi MP (29.01.2023)