The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

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Topper
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Topper »

Per wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 3:06 am Trudeau may have some terrible instincts, but he still hasn't invaded any neighbouring countries or assassinated any political opponents (afaik).
He is friendly with the Clintons whose foes have met dubious ends.

He, likely illegally, invoked the Emergencies Act to suppress a peaceful protest while unilaterally, freezing bank accounts of those involved.

He is proposing legislation that only government approved media and their financial backers will receive tax breaks and will be invited to cover government affairs.

He disposed of his Justice Minister for failing to interfere with the Courts in the corruption cases against a Quebec based company involved in international bribery and price fixing (much of it involving the Qadhdhāfī family).

He is proposing legislation to censor social media platforms.

He has stacked the Supreme Court with friends.

He prorogued Parliament to put an end to investigations of corruption against him in awarding a sole source contract to an inexperienced group that is represented by his wife, he has done several public appearances for, contracts his Mother and Brother and employs the daughters of his Finance Minister.

As has been said before, he is Nixon dressed as Obama.
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

I'm amazed that so many people choose to be complete twats.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Topper wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 6:07 am As has been said before, he is Nixon dressed as Obama.
Which explains the blackface... :look:

Still. Unlike the Russians you have a chance to vote your leader out of office and elect someone else.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Looking at the Economist's Democracy Index again, they look at five different criteria and then weigh them into a total score.

According to them, your electoral process is a flawless ten.

Anything above 8 counts as Full Democracy, between 6 and 8 is Flawed Democracy, between 4 and 6 is a Hybrid Regime and below 4 is Authoritarian.

Here are the different categories, the total score and the rank given to Sweden, Canada, the USA, Ukraine and Russia in their last survey:

Democracy Index Categories: - SWE - CAN - USA - UKR - RUS
Electoral process and pluralism 9.58 - 10.00 - 9.17 - 8.25 - 1.75
Functioning of government...... 9.29 - 8.21 - 6.43 - 2.71 - 2.14
Political participation............ 8.33 - 8.89 - 8.89 - 7.22 - 4.44
Political culture.................. 10.00 - 8.13 - 6.25 - 5.00 - 3.75
Civil liberties...................... 9.12 - 9.12 - 8.53 - 5.88 - 4.12
Total score: ..................... 9.26 - 8.87 - 7.85 - 5.57 - 3.24
Rank................................ # 4 - # 12 - # 26 - # 86 - #124

I mean, when you look at those scores, and ponder that Russia has the gall to criticize the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government... :roll:
Just look at the electoral process and pluralism category... I mean, neither country has a properly functioning government, but at least the Ukrainians get to pick theirs. And while their civil liberties can't measure up to those of Canada or Sweden, they are far better respected than in Russia.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

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Cousin Strawberry wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 1:53 pm Russia is all fucked up, angry and not wanting any more NATO positions on their borders. They are prepared to exert maximum force to prevent this shit from happening. The fact that he's already rattled the nuclear sabre regarding you guys signing on should give everyone pause when it comes to making things worse
Yeah, I'm doubtful this has anything to do with NATO at all. Ukraine had shelved plans to join NATO until Russia took over the Crimea, and then plans were resurrected. So you could even say expansion of NATO is actually Russia's fault!
Cousin Strawberry wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 1:53 pm The west needs to allow Russia to end the conflict without having anymore egg on their face than their military ineptitude has already demonstrated. They need an out....soon...or we may see them get desperate and deploy nasty shit like Nukes or chemicals to save face
Yes, the endgame is very interesting. Personally, I don't see the West/Ukraine stopping until Putin is disarmed to the point where he will not be able to invade another country again in his lifetime (if he lives). They're going to bomb the crap out of Russian military targets and the sanctions are going to hamper any rebuild efforts. I can even see Crimea being retaken. Nobody's worried about egg on Putin's face.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by donlever »

Per wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 7:33 am
Topper wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 6:07 am As has been said before, he is Nixon dressed as Obama.
Which explains the blackface... :look:

Still. Unlike the Russians you have a chance to vote your leader out of office and elect someone else.
...well, 1 or 2 Provinces do anyway.

Generally by the time Westerners vote the crying has already commenced.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Topper »

I just want the glue.

Image
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Cousin Strawberry »

:lol:
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Personally I hope Putin gets so much egg on his face that it suffocates him.
Or at least has him removed from office. :hmmm:

Is this Russia's Vietnam?
Lawyer Pavel Chikov, founder of the Agora legal-aid NGO, has written on Telegram that more than 1,000 military personnel and National Guard troops from at least seven regions have refused to go to Ukraine.

Ruslan Leviyev, the founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team, a Russian NGO that monitors open-source information about the Russian military, told Current Time that the actual number of these cases might be considerably larger and that the refusals could be severely hampering Russia’s efforts to regroup and renew its military operations in eastern Ukraine.

“The phenomenon of refusal is becoming systemic,” Leviyev said. “Such soldiers are found in practically every unit that has returned from Ukraine. According to our estimates, from 20 to 40 percent of the contract servicemen that returned from Ukraine and that are being readied to be sent back are refusing to return to combat.”

Leviyev said most of these soldiers are not deserters but could face legal ramifications for refusing to obey orders. To convict, however, prosecutors must demonstrate that the order was lawful and that the refusal to obey caused “substantial harm” to the military

“From the cases we have seen, they are being intimidated with threats of prosecution and being worked over by military prosecutors,” he said. “But so far no one has been prosecuted, according to what we have seen.”

Rights lawyers say the government’s unwillingness to call the invasion of Ukraine a “war” or to declare war or martial law could give dissenting servicemen some protection from the worst consequences of refusing to fight.
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine- ... 06466.html
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

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Except when donating blood.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Topper »

Maybe it is his Afghanistan V2.0?

The west is hoping the Ukraine can hold the Russians off until winter......
Over the Internet, you can pretend to be anyone or anything.

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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by donlever »

Wimbledon has banned Russians/Belarusians from this year's tournament.

Some significant names. Medvedev, Rublev and Sabalenka would have been legit championship threats...

Players Barred from Wimbledon

Nine players from Russia or Belarus currently in the top 30 of the men's or women's tennis rankings will be among those barred from Wimbledon following the All England Club's announcement.

ATP Players

No. 2 Daniil Medvedev
No. 8 Andrey Rublev
No. 26 Karen Khachanov
No. 30 Aslan Karatsev

WTA Players

No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka
No. 15 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
No. 18 Victoria Azarenka
No. 26 Daria Kasatkina
No. 29 Veronika Kudermetova
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Meds »

Per wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 7:49 am Looking at the Economist's Democracy Index again, they look at five different criteria and then weigh them into a total score.

According to them, your electoral process is a flawless ten.

Anything above 8 counts as Full Democracy, between 6 and 8 is Flawed Democracy, between 4 and 6 is a Hybrid Regime and below 4 is Authoritarian.

Here are the different categories, the total score and the rank given to Sweden, Canada, the USA, Ukraine and Russia in their last survey:

Democracy Index Categories: - SWE - CAN - USA - UKR - RUS
Electoral process and pluralism 9.58 - 10.00 - 9.17 - 8.25 - 1.75
Functioning of government...... 9.29 - 8.21 - 6.43 - 2.71 - 2.14
Political participation............ 8.33 - 8.89 - 8.89 - 7.22 - 4.44
Political culture.................. 10.00 - 8.13 - 6.25 - 5.00 - 3.75
Civil liberties...................... 9.12 - 9.12 - 8.53 - 5.88 - 4.12
Total score: ..................... 9.26 - 8.87 - 7.85 - 5.57 - 3.24
Rank................................ # 4 - # 12 - # 26 - # 86 - #124

I mean, when you look at those scores, and ponder that Russia has the gall to criticize the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government... :roll:
Just look at the electoral process and pluralism category... I mean, neither country has a properly functioning government, but at least the Ukrainians get to pick theirs. And while their civil liberties can't measure up to those of Canada or Sweden, they are far better respected than in Russia.
I forget though Per, was it Poli-Sci you said you studied when you were living here in Canada way back when?
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Per »

Mëds wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:51 pm
Per wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 7:49 am Looking at the Economist's Democracy Index again, they look at five different criteria and then weigh them into a total score.

According to them, your electoral process is a flawless ten.

Anything above 8 counts as Full Democracy, between 6 and 8 is Flawed Democracy, between 4 and 6 is a Hybrid Regime and below 4 is Authoritarian.

Here are the different categories, the total score and the rank given to Sweden, Canada, the USA, Ukraine and Russia in their last survey:

Democracy Index Categories: - SWE - CAN - USA - UKR - RUS
Electoral process and pluralism 9.58 - 10.00 - 9.17 - 8.25 - 1.75
Functioning of government...... 9.29 - 8.21 - 6.43 - 2.71 - 2.14
Political participation............ 8.33 - 8.89 - 8.89 - 7.22 - 4.44
Political culture.................. 10.00 - 8.13 - 6.25 - 5.00 - 3.75
Civil liberties...................... 9.12 - 9.12 - 8.53 - 5.88 - 4.12
Total score: ..................... 9.26 - 8.87 - 7.85 - 5.57 - 3.24
Rank................................ # 4 - # 12 - # 26 - # 86 - #124

I mean, when you look at those scores, and ponder that Russia has the gall to criticize the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government... :roll:
Just look at the electoral process and pluralism category... I mean, neither country has a properly functioning government, but at least the Ukrainians get to pick theirs. And while their civil liberties can't measure up to those of Canada or Sweden, they are far better respected than in Russia.
I forget though Per, was it Poli-Sci you said you studied when you were living here in Canada way back when?
Never lived in Canada, just visited, and the only places I have studied at the university level are Sweden, England and Spain. And of course I spent a year in an Iowa high school as exchange student and spent a summer working at a paint factory in Finland.

I did not take Poli-Sci, but International Economics, which is a bag of many different things. Mostly economics and business administration (thus the MBA title) but also some economic/cultural geography (Topper understands), statistics and law.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by Meds »

Per wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 11:50 pm
Mëds wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:51 pm
Per wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 7:49 am Looking at the Economist's Democracy Index again, they look at five different criteria and then weigh them into a total score.

According to them, your electoral process is a flawless ten.

Anything above 8 counts as Full Democracy, between 6 and 8 is Flawed Democracy, between 4 and 6 is a Hybrid Regime and below 4 is Authoritarian.

Here are the different categories, the total score and the rank given to Sweden, Canada, the USA, Ukraine and Russia in their last survey:

Democracy Index Categories: - SWE - CAN - USA - UKR - RUS
Electoral process and pluralism 9.58 - 10.00 - 9.17 - 8.25 - 1.75
Functioning of government...... 9.29 - 8.21 - 6.43 - 2.71 - 2.14
Political participation............ 8.33 - 8.89 - 8.89 - 7.22 - 4.44
Political culture.................. 10.00 - 8.13 - 6.25 - 5.00 - 3.75
Civil liberties...................... 9.12 - 9.12 - 8.53 - 5.88 - 4.12
Total score: ..................... 9.26 - 8.87 - 7.85 - 5.57 - 3.24
Rank................................ # 4 - # 12 - # 26 - # 86 - #124

I mean, when you look at those scores, and ponder that Russia has the gall to criticize the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government... :roll:
Just look at the electoral process and pluralism category... I mean, neither country has a properly functioning government, but at least the Ukrainians get to pick theirs. And while their civil liberties can't measure up to those of Canada or Sweden, they are far better respected than in Russia.
I forget though Per, was it Poli-Sci you said you studied when you were living here in Canada way back when?
Never lived in Canada,
Exactly.
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Re: The Absurd and Whimsical Humour of Vladimir "Dobby" Putin

Post by 5thhorseman »

Mëds wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:44 am
Per wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 11:50 pm
Mëds wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:51 pm
Per wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 7:49 am Looking at the Economist's Democracy Index again, they look at five different criteria and then weigh them into a total score.

According to them, your electoral process is a flawless ten.

Anything above 8 counts as Full Democracy, between 6 and 8 is Flawed Democracy, between 4 and 6 is a Hybrid Regime and below 4 is Authoritarian.

Here are the different categories, the total score and the rank given to Sweden, Canada, the USA, Ukraine and Russia in their last survey:

Democracy Index Categories: - SWE - CAN - USA - UKR - RUS
Electoral process and pluralism 9.58 - 10.00 - 9.17 - 8.25 - 1.75
Functioning of government...... 9.29 - 8.21 - 6.43 - 2.71 - 2.14
Political participation............ 8.33 - 8.89 - 8.89 - 7.22 - 4.44
Political culture.................. 10.00 - 8.13 - 6.25 - 5.00 - 3.75
Civil liberties...................... 9.12 - 9.12 - 8.53 - 5.88 - 4.12
Total score: ..................... 9.26 - 8.87 - 7.85 - 5.57 - 3.24
Rank................................ # 4 - # 12 - # 26 - # 86 - #124

I mean, when you look at those scores, and ponder that Russia has the gall to criticize the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government... :roll:
Just look at the electoral process and pluralism category... I mean, neither country has a properly functioning government, but at least the Ukrainians get to pick theirs. And while their civil liberties can't measure up to those of Canada or Sweden, they are far better respected than in Russia.
I forget though Per, was it Poli-Sci you said you studied when you were living here in Canada way back when?
Never lived in Canada,
Exactly.
That's such a bogus way of shutting out opposing viewpoints Mëds.
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