Shifting Sands

Politics, Economics, Culture Wars

“We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.” Orwell

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

What did say above about Ukraine honouring these figures? It’s not defensible in itself. I am not ‘excusing Ukraine’ although I don’t think this makes the current government ‘Nazi’ which is Russian propaganda. The fact remains that Poland is emphasising the massacres of Poles not the Nazi association of the Ukraine perpetrators in the dispute.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

The naziism wasn’t central to the massacres of Poles - Ukrainian integral nationalism (a la Dontsov) was the ideological basis - and it isn’t central to the dispute over Ukraine venerating these names, which it does because they were anti-Soviet and Russia has invaded Ukraine now. These figures are symbols of resistance to Russia in Ukraine. It’s fine to point out the Nazi angle but when commenting on th dispute with Poland one should probably get its central axis right.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

I don’t think it’s defensible. As I said, the Polish objection, however, seems mostly focused on the killing of Poles rather than Bandera’s wartime alignment. Both Ukraine and Poland have said vandalising the UPA memorial in Warsaw is a pro-Russian provocation.
It obviously suits a pro-Russian perspective to work Naziism into the dialogue ws the main focus whenever possible, as you do here.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@de_jever Deeply unfair. It’s just about doing the best for one’s kids. Diane Abbot sent her son to a private school. It’s also about freedom of choice in our society. As to ‘subsidy’, it’s a very thin argument given the flow of tax overall from private school families to the public purse

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@sdkassis $2m isn’t ’extreme wealth’.
Just limit campaign donations and stop stealing peoples money.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@Doranimated Selectively and in view of unfair Chinese practices

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@clashreport He would know as he’s been bombing Ukrainian infrastructure for a long time now

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

If we banned private schools, pupil numbers in the state system would expand by 7.5% with no increase in funding. In fact. With the VAT applied recently, state education system revenues would fall around 2.5%.
No doubt the solution to the resulting pressure would be higher taxes.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@clashreport Russia was hitting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine long before they got it back.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

The chances of the Russian state becoming properly functional are quite low, but improvement can’t be ruled out and its need for aggression will remain. Supporting Ukraine thus far has stretched stockpiles and revealed capability shortfalls in the west. Russia isn’t the only enemy either.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

Of course you can ‘justify’ it: the people who send their kids to private schools aren’t all wealthy but on the whole the families using private schools are already vastly higher contributors to tax revenues than average, pay many time their own children’s education cost for other kids via the state system and free capacity in the state system for the kids using it by not sending their children there too

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@admcollingwood For now. Though cycles repeat and we should assume Russia will come again until it’s a democracy.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@clashreport As a global power that works with China and Iran. Now what kind of axis would that be?

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@trefeca @irgarner Number of uni places doesn’t drive the knowledge economy. The quality of courses and students going through the system do. That you now need a degree for jobs you didn’t used to and the level of graduate unemployment and underemployment show as much

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

People seem all for minorities except those of us that use private schools

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@Gerashchenko_en China is indeed the major threat to Russia, but as a fellow totalitarian state, Russia can’t decide its own people about the Chinese threat.

[Shifting Sands @ShiftingSands2]

@annaturley I earned the money we spend on my child’s education. Her friends who had to leave her school due to the VAT increase report a large gap with the local state school though they are doing ok despite the violence and advanced leisure practices.