Ukraine Anniversary, Sturgeon Resigns, Tory Talking

Fighting the Good Fight – Biden in Kyiv as Anniversary of War Approaches

There’s no end in sight, but how Putin must feel diminished. If, and that is a conditional if, Western solidarity can be maintained over the next year, there is no sign of his special military operation being successful. As we approach a year, Ukrainian morale is still as good if not better than was predicted. The leadership exhibited by President Zelensky has been exemplary. His example is being followed by President Biden, who despite his frailties, is showing that principle, common-good, and national self-interest align together. His visit to Kyiv this week was both an important act of symbolism for the international community and a practical measure in promising more assistance to Ukraine. Biden’s speech in Poland seeks to not just signal where the US stands now, but also to bind a potentially rogue GOP run House of Representatives. His commitment is unwavering, despite some noise off emanating from his administration. The western world has been shaken like a snow globe this past year, but the worst of the blackmail costs Putin sought to have imposed on the West appear to have been dissipated.  The Russian leader cut a pathetic figure when reduced to talking of his country’s wheat production. Unfortunately, like the path of the addict, his people may have to reach rock bottom before they admit they have a problem. Until them, authoritarianism rules okay, when overwhelmingly most polled say they support Putin’s inexcusable adventurism. This war may continue for many years, but Russia will not win, and the world’s democracies will be stronger from such an outcome. Might must not be allowed to be right. It is right that Russian commanders be held to account once hostilities end; any other outcome would send out the wrong message to the next generation of tyrants. Biden has found his moment.

Sturgeon Comes in from the Deep End

Nicola Sturgeon announcement that she’s standing down as Scottish First Minister drew mostly positive plaudits both from here domestic audience and abroad. Apart from a sour note from the leader of the Scot’s Tories, there were warm and calibrated tributes to her stature as her potential nation-in-waiting’s first citizen. It is a mark of how far the SNP have come since the 1980s that they are the dominant party both in Scotland and in representing their country in Westminster. While there are some question marks about the immediate cause for her decision – was it over Gender Identification or party funding – she has been rightly praised for her voice of reasonableness compared to a litany or Conservative Prime Ministers south of the border. Her resignation has been compared to that of New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, with some commentators opining whether politics is a cold place for women, but perhaps her deciding to call it a day comes down to one overarching fundamental. Brexit should have been a great boon for the cause of Scottish independence but the dial has hardly moved at all. Sturgeon – as a shrewd political observer – could well think that she’s run out of road for this great constitutional project and it may be that only another SNP leader can take Scotland to the promised land. Labour under Starmer are breathing hard down the necks of the Scottish Nationalist Party and there’s potential for a massive Labour revival in the next General Election. Sturgeon was right to admit that for her, the war is over. There’s only so much you can take in politics and she’s had enough. Nicola Sturgeon has served her country well and who knows what awaits her next. She has been a dedicated public servant and deserves a life outside of the madness.

Right-Wing Echo Chambers Make the Most Noise

Liz Truss is not the retiring type. Her latest wheeze is the suggestion that the United Kingdom should for an ‘Economic NATO’. Such vacuity has been dismissed by most but she is still given space and time in the ultra-economically right wing ecosystem that constitutes the Tory Press, think-tank’s, and blogosphere. It was from this milieu that Brexit was at first given credence and then given cheerleaders. The Spectator, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and the Guido Fawkes website have for the last 15 years allowed a witches brew of prejudice, spoofing, and outright lies to become the dominant conservative narrative around economics, culture, immigration, and sovereignty. There has been no great conspiracy, other than the lack of transparency in funding; it is simply that unpalatable political opinions, that most would not adhere to – became part of the mainstream. Jimmy Goldsmith’s Referendum Party was rightly considered a joke in the 1990s; now there’s several Tory Cabinet Ministers who wouldn’t have looked out of place 30 years ago. Be under no illusions that England can be a deeply reactionary country – see 2016 – but voters have been drip-fed a supplement of right-wing populism for decades. As long as the barmy army has an echo chamber, they will be heard.