Reply to: Pravda's view on the Libyan situation

[doodab]

I always hope that foreign secretaries have actually had some foreign experience prior to taking up the job. But these days all you need is a degree from oxbridge, proof that you grew up posh and met people from abroad.

I think that a track record of porking foreign ladies ought to be a prerequisite.

[stek]

Who gives a tulip about Pravda?

Under the Soviet regime Pravda was the official Communist Party newspaper, and served as a useful indicator as to what the ruling elite in Moscow might be thinking. With the collapse of the USSR it was closed down, by a decree issued by Yeltsin in 1991.

The entity that now calls itself Pravda is just some tabloid paper that picked up the old name in the hope people would be dumb enough to assume it was related to the original and therefore important. Think in terms of the Daily Star renaming itself as the Parliamentary Press Office whilst having no connection with Parliament whatsoever and you'll get the idea.

And the Soviet Government's paper was Ivestiya (News), hence the Soviet joke, 'In the Truth there is no News, and in the News there is no Truth'.

Except Russian language doesn't have articles. In Russian language that sentence shows how bloody complicated Russian is, both nouns are each shown in different cases;

V Pravde net izvestiy, v Izvestiyakh net pravdy....

Russian lang. is well interesting!

[OwlHoot]

The entity that now calls itself Pravda is just some tabloid paper that picked up the old name in the hope people would be dumb enough to assume it was related to the original and therefore important. Think in terms of the Daily Star renaming itself as the Parliamentary Press Office whilst having no connection with Parliament whatsoever and you'll get the idea.

Ah, right. That would explain the hysterical overwrought tone of the piece.

[lilelvis2000]

I always hope that foreign secretaries have actually had some foreign experience prior to taking up the job. But these days all you need is a degree from oxbridge, proof that you grew up posh and met people from abroad.

[NickFitz]

Who gives a tulip about Pravda?

Under the Soviet regime Pravda was the official Communist Party newspaper, and served as a useful indicator as to what the ruling elite in Moscow might be thinking. With the collapse of the USSR it was closed down, by a decree issued by Yeltsin in 1991.

The entity that now calls itself Pravda is just some tabloid paper that picked up the old name in the hope people would be dumb enough to assume it was related to the original and therefore important. Think in terms of the Daily Star renaming itself as the Parliamentary Press Office whilst having no connection with Parliament whatsoever and you'll get the idea.

[pacharan]

Russia today is similarly enlightening. Ate they English or RussiAns who speak hoof English?

[minestrone]

Haven't most conflicts in recent years dragged out a lot longer than expected?

It will be all over by Christmas.

[Sysman]

Agree, but that is surely down to Cameron and not Hague? Although Hague hasn't exactly shone during this period (remember the claims that Gadaffi was already flying to Venezuela?) it's Cameron who's responsible for this situation (along with Sarkozy).

I wonder how much at the mercy of the Civil Service they are. I'm thinking along "Yes Prime Minister" lines.

I think he was hoping for a quick regime change, and now we're stuck in a stalemate with dangers of mission creep.

Haven't most conflicts in recent years dragged out a lot longer than expected?

[minestrone]

I think we should get WOPR running the show and ditch the short guy who never went to public school.

[MrMark]

I'm starting to wonder if the Government hasn't botched the whole thing, in what seems like their frantic eagerness to be "doing something".

Agree, but that is surely down to Cameron and not Hague? Although Hague hasn't exactly shone during this period (remember the claims that Gadaffi was already flying to Venezuela?) it's Cameron who's responsible for this situation (along with Sarkozy). I think he was hoping for a quick regime change, and now we're stuck in a stalemate with dangers of mission creep.

[ratewhore]

I'm starting to wonder if the Government hasn't botched the whole thing, in what seems like their frantic eagerness to be "doing something".

Can't help but agree with you on that one. It's a farking mess and they have made themselves look like naive political wannabees...

[Sysman]

Well the view of Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey, a long-time Pravda columnist

Libya: Where William Hague got it wrong

crikey, he doesn't think much of Hague

Timmy-Banchy says more about himself in that little tantrum.

[AtW]

I'm starting to wonder if the Government hasn't botched the whole thing, in what seems like their frantic eagerness to be "doing something".

Most certainly but he was hang out to dry ...

[OwlHoot]

Hague is all right.

He lost some prestige with that botched "diplomat" mission into Libya though.

I'm starting to wonder if the Government hasn't botched the whole thing, in what seems like their frantic eagerness to be "doing something".

[AtW]

Hague is all right.

He lost some prestige with that botched "diplomat" mission into Libya though.