@ErikNervik @ryangrim Why would it probably be like South Korea or Singapore ?
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Jim Paddy
82 posts
@ryangrim Except Vietnam would probably be like South Korea or Singapore if it weren’t communist.
Vietnam is a poor country that’s a playground for rich westerners. It’s Mexico for people who don’t want to experience tropical Mexico or Guatemala
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Going to Vietnam is a very strange experience for an American, because you look around and think, we killed several million people to prevent this from happening, lost tens of thousands of Americans, we lost the war, it happened, and it looks just fine.
Jake Shields@jakeshieldsajj
I’m in Vietnam a “communist” country and they are clearly on an upward swing It’s clean safe beautiful, zero homeless, free healthcare and little crime Their GDP is growing 4 times faster than in America Now I'm not a communist but this isn’t the horror we were told
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@timstarr2001 @jonkessler20 @CliffordDMay Dont forget the Germans had also built the Siegfried line which was a very impressive defensive system. Plus the held back 40 divisions to defend the Western front.
It was very unlikely UK and France could have penatrated this before Poland was defeated.
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Germany was wide open to invasion from the West right after invading Poland, but Britain & France's forces weren't configured for a mobile offense, only static defense. And, by the time Hitler redeployed his forces to invade France, they found out that Germany was better at mobile offensive warfare than they were at static defense.
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And Germany was not badly effected by the Great Depression? And the German military was not in a "very run-down condition"? Really?
Jim Paddy@JimPaddy2
@CliffordDMay How early in the 1930s, the Nazis only came into power in 1933. 1930s Britain was really badly effected by the great depression and the Military was in a very ran down condition. Very hard to imagine Britain launching a preventive war against Germany in the early 30s.
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@jonkessler20 @timstarr2001 @CliffordDMay I think that's an unfair take, the British started a major rearmament programme in 1937 so they didn't just sit on their hands.
Some times there is gap between what you want and whats possible Eg in 1939 UK has only 4 divisions deployed in France vs Germany 100+ divisions
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@timstarr2001 @JimPaddy2 @CliffordDMay Waiting for German attack stored up trouble for Britain and France. They waited until invasion was imminent, after Germany overran Poland, declared war. They sat on their hands as the Germans killed Polish stragglers for months. Then the Heer sent them running for the Channel.
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@timstarr2001 @CliffordDMay There is a strong case that Czech could have resisted, but thats a different question to whether Britain and France could have successfully invaded German.
What was the difference between Wehrmacht in 38 vs 39. If they when form not beable to beat the Czech to defeating Poland
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@JimPaddy2 @CliffordDMay The Wehrmacht wasn't even capable of taking Czechoslovakia in 1938 if the Czechs decided to fight, as Hitler's generals said to him at the time.
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Thatcher inherited a Britain where the state owned everything from steel mills to telephone lines. Unemployment hit 11.9% in 1984, inflation ran at 18% when she took office, and strikes paralyzed entire industries for months (the three-day work week wasn't a lifestyle choice).
She privatized British Telecom in 1984, British Gas in 1986, and rolled back union power that had strangled productivity for decades. The results speak louder than any economic theory: Britain's GDP per capita rose from $10,000 in 1980 to $19,000 by 1990.
Critics still blame her for "inequality" - missing the point entirely. You can't redistribute wealth that doesn't exist first. The alternative wasn't some egalitarian paradise... it was Argentina.
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@CliffordDMay As the Germans were able to comprehensively defeat Britain & France in 1940 after they had over 3 years of intensive rearmament.
What makes you think Britain & France would have done better in 1936 before even starting rearmament.
Britain could initial send only 4 divs in 1939
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Churchill argued that Britain and France should act firmly and collectively—ideally through the League of Nations—to demand that Germany withdraw its forces from the Rhineland, backing France in a limited military move if necessary.
The lack of firm Allied response emboldened Hitler, leading to the Anschluss with Austria in 1938, the Munich Agreement and seizure of Czechoslovakia, and ultimately World War II.
Jim Paddy@JimPaddy2
@CliffordDMay No the German Military was not badly effected by the great depression, due to its scaled down size after Versailles. By 1936 the German Military was effectively rearmed. So are you saying the British and French should have attacked between 1933-1936?
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@BrianKevlin88 @TheGhostSleepi1 @DrewPavlou But aren't the majority of Lebanese Muslims, the children of people who were driven out of Plastine during the Nakba.
I don't think there is any evidence of large numbers of Lebanese Christians converting or adoption in Islamic culture.
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@TheGhostSleepi1 @DrewPavlou England is truly screwed. You can’t fight this. Islam is canny and deeply embedded in the country now. With one goal: do not co-exist with other religions. Convert.
Start softly. And then press your advantage until you have totally eliminated diversity.
See: Lebanon.
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He performs Englishness when he needs to. He might put on a flat cap & flannel coat to make himself look like a character on Last of the Summer Wine & talk about “aye ‘tis tragic them factories shut down n’ all” but his wife’s at home in a full burka.
Aaron Bastani@AaronBastani
Superb political ad. One of the best you’ll see. This is better, and resonates more, than anything coming from Labour or the Tories.
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@eliotranch @TheGhostSleepi1 If treating someone differently because of there race or religion isn't racist, how would you define racism.
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@TheGhostSleepi1 They've got it right though. 80% of people who see this will think "oh, he's just a lovely man. Only racists would hate this nice lad from Sheffield. Didn't get that 'chains' thing, but I like him." Especially the under 30s who think blinking the wrong way at a Muslim is racist.
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@BrianFNew2024 @SYS_04_ @afneil @Bryn_Celtaidd Why are we a laughing stock? Relatively to all other developed economies the UK has the lease generous state benefits.
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@SYS_04_ @afneil @Bryn_Celtaidd Years of appalling political leadership, reliance on the US and a military malaise have left us weak at arguably the most dangerous times in decades, you’re spot on. The welfare situation defies belief, even when you take out pensions and genuine claims. We are a laughing stock.
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The current state of the Royal Navy:
2 aircraft carriers — neither operational.
6 Type 45 destroyers (our most powerful warships) — one operational (in Cyprus).
7 Type 23 frigates (less powerful, much older) — three operational
5 Astute class nuke-powered subs — one operational (in Arabian Sea?).
Surely those responsible for this appalling state of unreadiness (a national embarrassment if ever there was one)— political, civilian and military — should be fired/charged.
Their incompetence has effectively left us without a navy.
Quite an achievement for an ancient island nation.
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@SYS_04_ @sheffield_tug @afneil @Bryn_Celtaidd If wages soared wouldn't that cause massive inflation and increase the cost of living. Also wouldn't it be much hard to increase the size of the military and defence industry if wages soared due to the increased labour cost?
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@sheffield_tug @afneil @Bryn_Celtaidd Yes £177bn is far too much
Wages have been kept artificially low on purpose with the tool of mass migration, Boris Johnson admitted as much, reverse it and wages will soar
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@CliffordDMay How early in the 1930s, the Nazis only came into power in 1933. 1930s Britain was really badly effected by the great depression and the Military was in a very ran down condition. Very hard to imagine Britain launching a preventive war against Germany in the early 30s.
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Churchill knew early in the 1930s that Britain and France needed to wallop Hitler -- while his troops still had no bullets. Churchill also knew that the UK urgently needed to build up its military capabilities.
Churchill called WW2 preventable -- not by better diplomacy but by doing what he had argued for (see above).
Jim Paddy@JimPaddy2
@FDD @CliffordDMay Is it the obvious example, what would have happened if Britain and France had declared war in 1938 and lost, I like they did in 1940.
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@mdubowitz How do you know the 2 officials you identify are able to stand down the Irans Military, also who would want to be one of those officials if there life is on the line.
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An Iran negotiating strategy.
1. Identify two officials in the regime.
2. Offer 15-point plan for a deal.
3. Give them five days to agree.
4. If refuse, Israel eliminates them.
5. Identify two more. Repeat.
President Trump has done 1,2,3.
Let’s see if he will do 4&5.
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@FDD @CliffordDMay Is it the obvious example, what would have happened if Britain and France had declared war in 1938 and lost, I like they did in 1940.
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In this piece @CliffordDMay's argues: "Delaying wars does not ensure lasting peace. On the contrary, delaying wars has often led to wars more costly in blood and treasure. World War II is the most obvious example."
Read more here:
fdd.org/analysis/2026/…
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@TheStalwart 95% interception rate tells the real story. Declining volume signals Iran's degrading capabilities, not growing threats. Propaganda machine working overtime.
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Iran is firing far fewer missiles than it was at the start of the war.
But the efficacy of the ones it is firing is on the rise, with an increasing number getting through and hitting their targets. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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@philippilk @lizzy_davies If the Hungarian Government has ready access to a magical truth serums. Hungarian police must be the best in the world at solving criminal investigations 🔎
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European editor @lizzy_davies this story looks really dodgy and your journalist blocked me for asking questions. Did you happen to check if the Hungarian government actually possesses “KGB truth serum”? It should be pretty easy to check government inventory data. Due diligence.
Philip Pilkington@philippilk
The fake news peddlers in Budapest are ramping up the crazy. The Guardian actually printed a story claiming that the Hungarian government injected one of the Ukrainians involved in the cash-and-gold scandal with “KGB truth serum”. This is cartoonish. 🤡
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Iran has targeted U.S radar systems with some success.
An ABC News analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos suggest that at least 10 radar sites used by the U.S. and allies have been struck by Iranian drones or missiles since the start of the war. Patrick Reevell reports.
abcnews.visitlink.me/w0-JGa
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@JimM_MI_FAO @sentdefender Isn't the ratio similar to operation to Operation Iraqi freedom.
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@sentdefender Very strange, with radar lock warning for at least a few seconds, not a single counter maneuver?
Either BS, or a pilot asleep at the wheel al la O'Grady over Bosnia.
Still, over 7000 strikes, more sorties, and only one near miss?
Never has the world seen this ratio of success.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has release a statement, accompanied by video footage, which claims to show the targeting of an American F-35A/B Lightning ll with a surface-to-air missile in the skies over Iran. This claim by the IRGC follows reports that a F-35 was damaged and forced to make an “emergency landing” at an air base in the Middle East due to hostile fire over Iran.
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@AaronBastani Iran's location is within a few miles of UAE and Qatar some of richest countries in world
If Islamist rule was removed & Iran integrated into GCC economy, should achieve $10,000 USD per capita in GDP within 5 years
LT potential to be richer than Turkey ($15k GDP per capita)
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Obviously would mean millions of refugees, possibly tens of millions.
The ‘anti-refugee’ right is cheering it on.
Marko Jukic@mmjukic
Apparently the plan is to bomb Iran (GDP per capita $5000) to the GDP per capita of the Congo ($650).
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@Suffragent_ What about all the terrorists killings over the last 25 years in North Ireland, or the white supremacist who kill the Labour MP
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"It’s hard being a Muslim in 2026. People are trying to intimidate us into being less Islamic," says Sadiq Khan.
Meanwhile, every major terrorist attack of the past 25yrs has been by muslims. Allahu akbar! 🇬🇧
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