Today's discussion about the news

A thread for "half thoughts on the latest crisis", an argument of unknown length or anything else that anyone wants to discuss that doesn't have its own thread*

*The difficult subject of thread compartmentalisation has many grey areas, but be reassured that someone will pop along to argue about it and ultimately set you straight should you err.
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Comments

  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,312
    Are we allowed to discuss yesterday's news in this thread?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,662
    In the news today:
    - a spot of bother in the Middle East
    - Coldplay and ex-manager locked in multi-million pound court battle
    - Medway: Christmas lights cancelled by council
    - Coin hoard that could be linked to Glen Coe massacre found under fireplace
    - Earthquake in Afghanistan
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,662
    edited October 2023
    Pross said:

    Are we allowed to discuss yesterday's news in this thread?

    Yes. You can discuss today's news tomorrow too. So get it off your chest. Is a 5 min argument you are after?
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,312
    Tomorrow's news today? Hopefully that won't get me a solicitor's letter from the Bond producers.
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    edited October 2023
    Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


    Days
    Weeks
    Years
    Decades
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,662
    So about this ULEZ stuff. Apparently, when paying for visitor parking on the street, I'm going to have to pay based on their ULEZ status. It's not something I have much control over. For example, bloke gets sent to fix my washing machine and I need to pay if he turns up in a dirty vehicle.

  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

    Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;

        • Days
        • Weeks
        • Months
        • Years
        • Decades
      Are they going to? It will mean more dead Israelis and Hezbollah entering the fray. Far easier to just go with the carpet bombing approach while sympathy is there.
    • Jezyboy
      Jezyboy Posts: 3,539

      Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


      Days
      Weeks
      Years
      Decades

      Less than a year more than a week.
    • Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;

          • Days
          • Weeks
          • Months
          • Years
          • Decades
        Are they going to? It will mean more dead Israelis and Hezbollah entering the fray. Far easier to just go with the carpet bombing approach while sympathy is there.
        bombing is far more expensive and they need to be seen to do something

        I doubt the yanks would lend them B52s so theycould carpet bomb
      • Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
      • rick_chasey
        rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
        Looks like Israel is blowing the sh!t out of the Gaza strip, "even at the risk of harming the hostages" apparently.
      • pangolin
        pangolin Posts: 6,616

        Looks like Israel is blowing the sh!t out of the Gaza strip, "even at the risk of harming the hostages" apparently.

        Presumably the international community is fine with this
        - Genesis Croix de Fer
        - Dolan Tuono
      • rick_chasey
        rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
        edited October 2023
        pangolin said:

        Looks like Israel is blowing the sh!t out of the Gaza strip, "even at the risk of harming the hostages" apparently.

        Presumably the international community is fine with this
        Look it's a sh!tshow all round but if that's where Hamas are hiding what is the international community expecting?

        Using human/civilian shields is also a war crime.
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        pangolin said:

        Looks like Israel is blowing the sh!t out of the Gaza strip, "even at the risk of harming the hostages" apparently.

        Presumably the international community is fine with this
        Look it's a sh!tshow all round but if that's where Hamas are hiding what is the international community expecting?

        Using human/civilian shields is also a war crime.
        A prisoner swap. Kids for kids.
      • Jezyboy
        Jezyboy Posts: 3,539

        Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I would assume that if they commit it will more brutal but less drawn out than Ukraine.

        I suspect there will be less of the careful targeting of insurgents than in say, Afghanistan and Iraq.
      • rick_chasey
        rick_chasey Posts: 75,661

        pangolin said:

        Looks like Israel is blowing the sh!t out of the Gaza strip, "even at the risk of harming the hostages" apparently.

        Presumably the international community is fine with this
        Look it's a sh!tshow all round but if that's where Hamas are hiding what is the international community expecting?

        Using human/civilian shields is also a war crime.
        A prisoner swap. Kids for kids.
        That just encourages hostage taking.
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I disagree. Nothing to be gained from occupying other than pleasing a few flag wavers. The land is worthless.

        Also do you realise that a lot of the troops are reservists? Essentially middle class conscripts. Their deaths wouldn't go down well.

        This is why they withdrew from Lebanon.
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        pangolin said:

        Looks like Israel is blowing the sh!t out of the Gaza strip, "even at the risk of harming the hostages" apparently.

        Presumably the international community is fine with this
        Look it's a sh!tshow all round but if that's where Hamas are hiding what is the international community expecting?

        Using human/civilian shields is also a war crime.
        A prisoner swap. Kids for kids.
        That just encourages hostage taking.
        Well there's plenty of precedent and it's the reason they took hostages. Plus Israel doesn't need the world looking at its own hostages/prisoners.
      • rjsterry
        rjsterry Posts: 29,222

        In the news today:
        - a spot of bother in the Middle East
        - Coldplay and ex-manager locked in multi-million pound court battle
        - Medway: Christmas lights cancelled by council
        - Coin hoard that could be linked to Glen Coe massacre found under fireplace
        - Earthquake in Afghanistan

        You're supposed to end on the light-hearted one.
        1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
        Pinnacle Monzonite

        Part of the anti-growth coalition
      • veronese68
        veronese68 Posts: 27,741

        So about this ULEZ stuff. Apparently, when paying for visitor parking on the street, I'm going to have to pay based on their ULEZ status. It's not something I have much control over. For example, bloke gets sent to fix my washing machine and I need to pay if he turns up in a dirty vehicle.

        I don't have a problem with ulez, but that's ridiculous. If it's left parked up for a few days it's not emitting anything.
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        So about this ULEZ stuff. Apparently, when paying for visitor parking on the street, I'm going to have to pay based on their ULEZ status. It's not something I have much control over. For example, bloke gets sent to fix my washing machine and I need to pay if he turns up in a dirty vehicle.

        I don't have a problem with ulez, but that's ridiculous. If it's left parked up for a few days it's not emitting anything.
        It's visitor parking so for less than 4 hours. There might be an all day option too. I'm perfectly happy for them to be hit for the ULEZ charge on entry, bit not sure why I need to be hit too when I have no control.

        How many people get to tell their visitors what vehicles to drive? Obviously I tell them not to drive, but you can probably guess how successful that is based on a similar thread where cyclists have commented on the subject.
      • Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I disagree. Nothing to be gained from occupying other than pleasing a few flag wavers. The land is worthless.

        Also do you realise that a lot of the troops are reservists? Essentially middle class conscripts. Their deaths wouldn't go down well.

        This is why they withdrew from Lebanon.
        After 15 years.

        Hamas will have been planning for what is coming
      • briantrumpet
        briantrumpet Posts: 19,848

        A thread for "half thoughts on the latest crisis", an argument of unknown length or anything else that anyone wants to discuss that doesn't have its own thread*

        *The difficult subject of thread compartmentalisation has many grey areas, but be reassured that someone will pop along to argue about it and ultimately set you straight should you err.


        Damn you, this is going to be hard for the thread 👮‍♂️ to take issue with.

        Actually, good idea. Probably for the same reason.
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I disagree. Nothing to be gained from occupying other than pleasing a few flag wavers. The land is worthless.

        Also do you realise that a lot of the troops are reservists? Essentially middle class conscripts. Their deaths wouldn't go down well.

        This is why they withdrew from Lebanon.
        After 15 years.

        Hamas will have been planning for what is coming
        I think it was recent enough for Israel to remember. I think it will be more 20 years before the US tries to invade Afghanistan again.

        I think I said at the start of the Ukraine war, there are very few successful modern examples of how to occupy a country without removing all the locals. Tibet is one perhaps.
      • rick_chasey
        rick_chasey Posts: 75,661

        Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I disagree. Nothing to be gained from occupying other than pleasing a few flag wavers. The land is worthless.

        Also do you realise that a lot of the troops are reservists? Essentially middle class conscripts. Their deaths wouldn't go down well.

        This is why they withdrew from Lebanon.
        After 15 years.

        Hamas will have been planning for what is coming
        I think it was recent enough for Israel to remember. I think it will be more 20 years before the US tries to invade Afghanistan again.

        I think I said at the start of the Ukraine war, there are very few successful modern examples of how to occupy a country without removing all the locals. Tibet is one perhaps.
        Crimea? *runs and hides behind sofa*
      • veronese68
        veronese68 Posts: 27,741

        So about this ULEZ stuff. Apparently, when paying for visitor parking on the street, I'm going to have to pay based on their ULEZ status. It's not something I have much control over. For example, bloke gets sent to fix my washing machine and I need to pay if he turns up in a dirty vehicle.

        I don't have a problem with ulez, but that's ridiculous. If it's left parked up for a few days it's not emitting anything.
        It's visitor parking so for less than 4 hours. There might be an all day option too. I'm perfectly happy for them to be hit for the ULEZ charge on entry, bit not sure why I need to be hit too when I have no control.
        Ah, we have options for all day, 6 or 1 hour. So it could be left and have multiple all day permits.
        Richmond council were considering charging more for parking permits according to emissions a few years back. So for a colleague that walked or cycled to work would have found it cheaper to start driving had the plan gone ahead. Admittedly not many would fall into similar circumstances.
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I disagree. Nothing to be gained from occupying other than pleasing a few flag wavers. The land is worthless.

        Also do you realise that a lot of the troops are reservists? Essentially middle class conscripts. Their deaths wouldn't go down well.

        This is why they withdrew from Lebanon.
        After 15 years.

        Hamas will have been planning for what is coming
        I think it was recent enough for Israel to remember. I think it will be more 20 years before the US tries to invade Afghanistan again.

        I think I said at the start of the Ukraine war, there are very few successful modern examples of how to occupy a country without removing all the locals. Tibet is one perhaps.
        Crimea? *runs and hides behind sofa*
        All the locals were removed and replaced with Russians prior to the break up of the Soviet Union
      • rick_chasey
        rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
        A century before….
      • Jezyboy said:

        Assuming Israeli tanks roll into Gaza do we think they will be there for;


        Days
        Weeks
        Years
        Decades

        Less than a year more than a week.
        I am going with years not decades

        not sure where months disappeared tp
        I disagree. Nothing to be gained from occupying other than pleasing a few flag wavers. The land is worthless.

        Also do you realise that a lot of the troops are reservists? Essentially middle class conscripts. Their deaths wouldn't go down well.

        This is why they withdrew from Lebanon.
        After 15 years.

        Hamas will have been planning for what is coming
        I think it was recent enough for Israel to remember. I think it will be more 20 years before the US tries to invade Afghanistan again.

        I think I said at the start of the Ukraine war, there are very few successful modern examples of how to occupy a country without removing all the locals. Tibet is one perhaps.
        The problem with history is timeframes.

        Yours is a good question, how about Germany or the entire Eastern bloc (is 50 years long enough to be a success?
      • TheBigBean
        TheBigBean Posts: 21,662

        A century before….

        1944

        I don't count taking over and occupying a region mostly made up of your country's nationals as quite the same level of achievement. That's why I assumed you were talking about the time before that.