President of the European Council: We must mobilize now

a reply to: TritonTaranis

Putin's Western European energy gambit will fail spectacularly. Countries in the warmer Mediterranean climates are better placed to cope with energy shortages during winter. Moreover, Western Europe survived the ruins and rubble in the years between the end of the war in Europe and Western Europe Reconstruction/the Marshall Program.

But my concern is Putin's fallback options are employing chemical and nuclear in Ukraine and elsewhere. If Russia slips into a second civil war after their military defeat in Ukraine, Putin might use weapons of mass destruction against the Russian people.

a reply to: xpert11

you might want to factor in the real world, first the depth of division caused by green/covid/progressve plans throughout the west which leaves the west disunited..

and Where northern europe has some credit headroom to fund the price increases and by stoks/lng ships in the face of freezing while the southern europe has the warmth it lacks the credit headroom so moves closer to bails in and haircuts than bail outs and price caps..

though to be fir i think bail in's and hair cuts will be the orthodox option to deal with coming economic crisis. bye bye pensions

originally posted by: nickyw
a reply to: xpert11

you might want to factor in the real world, first the depth of division caused by green/covid/progressve plans throughout the west which leaves the west disunited..

I am aware of those and other political divisions in New Zealand. But support for Ukraine crosses political lines. sanctioned by Russia spans across political lines. For instance, Phil Goff, the Mayor of Auckland, who isn't standing for re-election, is a former Labour MP. But Mathew Hooton is a centre-right media commentator.

IMO Putin's goal was to spread crack NATO apart by supplying energy to Germany and sowing the seeds of disunity with a divided and conquer campaign in the U.S. Thanks to Putin's useful idiots in the MSNBC crowd who spread the Russia collusion hoax. It looked like his plan was succeeding beyond his wildest dreams. But, ultimately, Putin's ploy failed miserable, with the deep political divide in the U.S. not preventing assistance to wartime Ukraine.

Moreover, Merkel did Putin's bidding by moving Germany away from nuclear power. Note how elements of those cancerous media outlets proclaimed Merkel as the leader of the free world.

a reply to: xpert11

IMO Putin's goal was to spread crack NATO apart by supplying energy to Germany and sowing the seeds of disunity with a divided and conquer campaign in the U.S. ....

Moreover, Merkel did Putin's bidding by moving Germany away from nuclear power. Note how elements of those cancerous media outlets proclaimed Merkel as the leader of the free world.

Partly false and based on a lack of understanding. I don't know how you put together 2005s German-Russian deal with "Russian collusion" in 2016. You mix up a lot. The only thing the Gazprom deal from 2005 has to do with the USA was the US government not being happy because it would mean that Germany, who was occupied by mostly the US military after WW2. Not happy because would now have ties with Russia, who we all know is Enemy No. 1 with the US. The US openly does not like these ties.

Then in 2011/2012, Merkel didn't "Putins bidding by moving Germany away from nuclear power". It was back then a shift the Green Party and SPD as well as CDU all agree to handle fast after Fukushima happened. Putin has had little to do with it.

a reply to: TDDAgain

I agree with you concerning the opponents of nuclear power in Germany. But by moving away from nuclear power, Germany increased their reliance on imported Russian energy. So there was an unholy German alliance between the detractors of atomic power and pro-Russian oil and gas commercial interests. So inadvertently, those critics of nuclear power did Putin's bidding.

First, Germany turning away from domestic energy sources was a dumb move. Ironically, after Putin annexed Crimea (2014), Germany opted for the policy of appeasement and the status quo relating to energy policy.

Welcome to what occurs when foolish morons spit energy policies away from geopolitical/economic realities. In the wake of my experiences with the Christchurch earthquakes (2010-11), my heart went out to Japan after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. But there is no magic wand to solve matters relating to energy production.

Are you referring to West Germany or Germany after unification (1990)?

a reply to: xpert11

I agree that it was a dumb and rushed move, I did not agree with it back. But it is in connection to the renewable energy act. Germany went big into renewable energy around 2009. Again 2012, a year after Fukushima a lot of resources and were offered for the public to get their own energy sources.

You're not completely wrong when you say that after 2014 we kept status quo. But the reason was not Russian related. We were five years into the renewable energy program. It had very little or nothing to do with Russia.

In my old home, the house I lived most of my life yet, we were completely self-sufficient with a PV system and a battery storage. Only during dark winter days we received energy from the grid. Everyone wanted to invest could do that via a 0% credit from the state bank.

I refer to Germany after unification.

a reply to: xpert11

as i understand it both Putin and the ccp play each side off against the other in the west leading to some disastrous decision making based on twitter and polls rather than real work and this is where the west is fracturing the most hence why a lot of it played a serious part of his speech as he knew he'd get many in the west agreeing with him.

those mistakes cost not just credit headroom through green investment, taxes and lockdowns it also distracted from fixing real infrastructure issues but it also cost social cohesion and in creating the extremes lays the foundation of sectarian clashes as everything takes on pseudo religious ideological edge.. so we have fractures that include left to right wings, and almost self sustaining entities in their own right.

Putin plays with it but doesn't seem to understand the forces he's playing with as it'll wash him and Russia away too. he'd have been better to come across as the saviuor of Europe not its latest demagogue..

the EU have made the same mistakes thinking that Ukraine as the missing piece would join up their broken internal gas network, that could have worked if they refocused on north sea gas and improving relations with the UK rather than thinking they could beat both enemies at once (UK and Russia) 2014 to now the eu would be in a far better situation not this backfoot facing internal strife..

when all is said and done the catalogue of failures will take us into the next war is not through great planning or scheming but rather due to a broken incompetent political, academic and media class, and that applies to all players..

originally posted by: TDDAgain

There was no war in 2021 when it was cut back. Try get your facts straight.

What I posted about happened end of Aug and into Sept this year, so no clue what you are talking about.

a reply to: Xtrozero

What I posted about happened end of Aug and into Sept this year, so no clue what you are talking about.

You forgot your own words? Highlighted for you:

It also seems you didn't know about this last year...


Russian energy giant Gazprom has drastically cut gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline to about 20 percent of its capacity, German authorities said.

The Russian state-run company had announced Monday that it would reduce supply to 33 million cubic metres a day – half the amount it has been delivering since service resumed last week after 10 days of maintenance work.


Russia did cut gas supplies to EU down to 20% and is the one to gain the most from the NS1/2 sabotage, so you tell me...

And here is my proof. German though, I won't spend the time coming up with a translation, you sound kind of confused about your own words but here it is. In 2021 Russia cut back gas delivery a bit, this is what your own quote above is refering to.
www.n-tv.de...

Sorry, I can't take you serious on this topic you clearly are not informed. Respectfully, TDDA.

a reply to: TritonTaranis

The West can't wait to see the EU have its ass handed to them.

Social democracies of ruling elite class and Globalism is not part of "the West"

We the USA are the West, the EU are NWO/Globalist.

The greater the suffering the greater the trend away from this ideology will be, just as covid brought to Europe.

Democracy is for them... not for you, and as much as the word is invoked and abused and forced into your psyche should speak volumes.

You will own nothing and like it via this distorted and convoluted corruption of "Democracy" without a Republic. A democratic-process is one thing, a pure democracy with nothing else is Mob Rule of the elite.

originally posted by: TDDAgain


And here is my proof. German though, I won't spend the time coming up with a translation, you sound kind of confused about your own words but here it is. In 2021 Russia cut back gas delivery a bit, this is what your own quote above is refering to.

Sorry, I can't take you serious on this topic you clearly are not informed. Respectfully, TDDA.

And I agree with you and said that wasn't what I was talking about. This happened this year in Aug...

Russia has drastically reduced gas supplies to Europe in recent weeks, with flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operating at just 20% of the agreed-upon volume.

Moscow has previously blamed faulty and delayed equipment for the sharp drop in gas supplies.

Germany, however, considers the supply cut to be a political maneuver designed to sow uncertainty across the bloc and boost energy prices amid the Kremlin’s onslaught against Ukraine.

I don't take you seriously either so we are good on that.

a reply to: iwanttobelieve70

It's no surprise that left leaning politicians all over the western world are accused and focused on attacking nations charters, constitutions and republics.

This is the main thing, democracy is being abused and misused to attack individualism and sovereignty and it is the reason why nations are a republic with constitutions in the first place.

Democracy has been hijacked and the term being used to mesmerize people into groupthink just as Hitler mesmerized his followers.

The Nazi agenda is alive and kicking hiding behind the banner of Democracy.

a reply to: nickyw

Putin's failed gambit played into China's hands nicely. Russia's dependency on exporting oil and gas to China increased or was created by Putin's self-inflicted wounds. Moreover, if Russia-China relations sour, or Putin's regime is terminal, China might invade Siberia under the guise of liberation.

IMO the creation of the EU was Germany's ploy to achieve economic domination over Europe. Moreover, German efforts concerning territorial ambitions/military conquest in those areas failed in the first half of the 20th century, so another approach was required. But, as I commented to a friend, there is no problem, like the German Problem.

Indeed, Ardern's government is intent on pushing New Zealand towards communalism, but that is another topic.

a reply to: xpert11

Post for you, @xpert11

Cheers

a reply to: xpert11

for china Russia and the west breaking itself on these issues while playing all sides looks to much like following the same path as the USA in letting Europe break itsef in conflict in the late 30ss to only to swoop in post conflict and dismantle the old world china will do the same to Russia & Europe and by default control the destiny of north America without the need to invade..

this is all self inflicted and tht they are still being inflicting by fighting themselves more passionately than those out to destroy them

originally posted by: TDDAgain
a reply to: TritonTaranis
Correction:
Russia has not launched a "energy missile" at Europe. It was the European Union member states politicians as well as the US that wanted these energy sanctions.

It's dishonest to act like Russia is holding EU states hostage via energy, it's EU states politicians -not the people- that wanted no more Russian oil and gas. Don't let yourself be gaslighted about this!

This comment is only about that part, it's undeniable and no amount of goal post moving will change this fact.

Have you not been paying attention to the European energy market in the last 20 years? Russia has held Europe hostage every winter since the late 90s/early 2000s. Europe has finally answered back.

In standard years Russia (Gazprom) hikes gas prices every year and cuts off between 60 - 100% of the supply to Europe every Christmas until they agree to pay the much higher rates; they had secrety bought up most of the gas supply to European hospitals and crtitical infrastructure in the early 2000s via front companies before getting caught.

Hopefully this means Germany will ditch the stupid anti-nuclear stance despite it being the safest and greenest energy source per GWh.

a reply to: bastion

as fr as i was aware right up to just before the invasion Crimea the bulk of eu gas came from the north sea but the green push has meant they rejected that for Russia gas yet still they've not pivoted back to north sea gas, the UK & Norway are ramping up exports to fill the tanks but still held back by the drive to be green we now understand putin part funded..

there is no excuse for the EU to be in this space.. but it would rather appease Putin and fight the UK to keep the green plans in place highlighting how self inflicted the situation really is..

a reply to: nickyw

Bingo. EU priorities are completely detached from reality.

Cheers

a reply to: nickyw

Yeah a lot of the issue is our own making by completely ignoring the problems of energy independence - we always capitulated to Russia raising prices and became incresingly reliant on their supply instead of developing our own.

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

yep totally self inflicted I was working in o&g** when it all kicked of and the first thought was to use Ukraine as gas hub (poss connection to pars pipeline) and reverse flow the pipelines in Ukraine to join up the EUs internal network which would allow it to expand into the Balkans while neutering Russians influence..

now all that could have been possible but only by expanding north sea gas extraction to gap fill Russia but hubris and greed won, someone sold them London bridge they could humiliate the UK, that the Iran deal would work and that Putin would not mind them doing that..

until they fix the flaws in their thinking they'll never be free of blackmail..

**rotary wing in the NNS and SNS (north north sea & South north sea)