Turkey shoots down Russian jet

Written By: - Date published: 6:32 am, November 25th, 2015 - 151 comments
Categories: Syria, war - Tags: , , , ,

Late yesterday Turkey (a NATO member) shot down a Russian jet, either inside its airspace (Turkey claims) or over Syria (Russia claims). The Guardian:

Turkey downs Russian warplane near Syria border

Turkish military official says fighter jets destroyed plane after it violated country’s airspace, which Russia denies

Nato-member Turkey has shot down a Russian warplane in the first time the alliance and Moscow have come to blows directly over the crisis in Syria.

Ankara and Moscow gave conflicting accounts of the incident, which appears to have occurred in an area near the Turkish-Syrian border straddling Iskenderun and Latakia.

The Turkish military said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after a plane penetrated Turkish airspace in the province of Hatay at 9.20am on Tuesday morning, warning it to leave 10 times in five minutes before it was shot down.

It was unclear if the plane was shot down by the fighter jets or by ground-based defence systems.

Russia’s defence ministry, in a series of tweets, confirmed a Russian SU-24 had been shot down, but insisted the plane had never left Syrian airspace. …

https://twitter.com/intlspectator/status/669073980049915904

https://twitter.com/shaunwalker7/status/669094797693456384

151 comments on “Turkey shoots down Russian jet ”

  1. Paul 1

    Does Turkey want ISIS defeated?
    Clearly not.

  2. Sanctuary 2

    This won’t end well.

  3. BM 3

    If any one is interested, this is a good site for all things military.

    Official Turkish response
    http://themess.net/forum/military-discussion/47947-syrian-war?p=94708#post94708

  4. One Anonymous Bloke 4

    “There are other ways of dealing with these kind of incidents.” h/t BM.

    Deliberate provocation, then?

    Turkish foreign “policy” looks dodgy as fuck these days.

  5. Sanctuary 5

    I’m beginning to lose track.

    Israel: Can’t believe it’s luck. Happily carrying on a policy of slow genocide, militarism and racist apartheid for which it receives lavish rewards, despite the fact that it is the West’s unwavering support of Israel that started the whole radicalisation of Islam in the first place. led by a racist, rabble rousing lunatic.

    Turkey: Doesn’t support ISIS, Assad or the Kurds (who are fighting Assad and ISIS). Supports Iranian back rebels. Sometimes. Shoots down Russian jets in needlessly provocative actions just because. Appear to have forgotten the results of the 1914 Caucasus Campaign. Strutting, dangerous leader probably one more emergency decree away from a military coup.

    Russia: Does support Assad, doesn’t support ISIS. Friends with Iran. Not friends with America. Strutting, dangerous leader who pines for the military prestige of a vanished Soviet past.

    USA Who the hell knows what America is up to. Supports Saudi, which funds ISIS, opposes Iran and Assad, who are fighting ISIS, but is opposed to Hizbollah and Hamas, Supports Iraq, which is full of pro-Iranian militias. Backs anti-Assad forces, which include Al Qaeda, which it opposes. Led by Benjamin Netanyahu (see Israel above).

    UK: Foreign policy is to Just bomb whoever it can in order to prove it is still an important country. See: Trident. Led by a strutting, dangerous leader who lives in a delusional bubble.

    France: Surprised it was attacked by ISIS, despite the fact it has been bombing Syrian targets since forever. Re-doubled bombing efforts, because the previous bombing attacks have clearly worked so well. Or not. Led by no one in particular, until Marine Le Pen wins in 2017 and then it’ll be all on for young and old.

    Syria: Doesn’t actually exist anymore. Has no building over two stories in height left standing. Divided up amongst: The Syrian Army, Republican Guard, National Defence Force, Syrian pro-government militias (there are an eye watering 31+ of these!!!), Hezbollah, Quds Force, Basij, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, The Free Syrian Army, anti-government militias (about 25 of them), ISIL and a couple of ISIL hangers on.

    What a first class fuck up, and it’s largely the fault of the utter failure of US diplomacy in the middle east since 2001.

    • Excellent summary, Sanctuary!

      For mine, I’d say Turkey is sending a message to all participants about the sanctity of it’s borders.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1

        NATO ambassadors…many expressed concern that Turkey did not escort the Russian warplane out of its airspace.

        Reuters – linked at 4.

        • greywarshark 5.1.1.1

          Sanctuary
          “What a first class fuck up, and it’s largely the fault of the utter failure of US diplomacy in the middle east since 2001.”

          That prompted me to look up the quotes about diplomacy and its connection/continuation to war. A few diferent perspectives on what might be the zeitgeist going on behind the minds at the war plotting tables.

          If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely, and we don’t try to piece together clever diplomacy but just wage a total war, our children will sing great songs about us years from now.
          Richard Perle (USA Republican lobbyist, political advisor)
          http://www.wrmea.org/2003-april/the-pentagon-s-dynamic-duo-richard-perle-and-paul-wolfowitz.html

          A bit of satire:
          Diplomats are just as essential to starting a war as soldiers are for finishing it… You take diplomacy out of war, and the thing would fall flat in a week.
          Will Rogers
          “Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.” ― Winston S. Churchill Goodreads
          “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall take flack from both sides.”- Unofficial UN Motto” ― Robert Asprin, Sweet Myth-Tery of Life Goodreads

          Then there’s this:
          The war we are fighting today against terrorism is a multifaceted fight. We have to use every tool in our toolkit to wage this war – diplomacy, finance, intelligence, law enforcement, and of course, military power – and we are developing new tools as we go along. Richard Armitage USA
          Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/diplomacy.html#BL2M1fC9dPqS1GPy.99
          It seems that Richard Armitage, a State Department official in 2003, would know a lot on the subject of this comment. Having been close to USA political dodgery and mixed with Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plame_affair

          “In the end, the work of diplomats continues even while others fight. So, it’s not necessarily true that everyone needs to march.” ― David Brin Goodreads

          This man Carl_von_Clausewitz has interesting thinking..
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz#Principal_ideas
          “We maintain…that war is simply a continuation of political intercourse, with the addition of other means.
          An explanation of how large ideas get distorted by small minds:
          http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/everything-you-know-about-clausewitz-is-wrong/

          Me: We see that humans regularly like to take to war (the people at the top anyway, and often supported by bellicose public). So musing about this destructive tendency might lead to some useful self-knowledge and outcomes.
          edited

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.2

        For mine, I’d say Turkey is sending a message to all participants about the sanctity of it’s borders.

        How come ISIS militants, oil and supplies seem to be able to cross Turkey’s sanctimonious borders at will?

        • Pascals bookie 5.1.2.1

          To the extent that is happening, it’ll be for very similar reasons as to why the Russians/Assad/Iranian/Iraqi/Hezbollah forces are leaving ISIS pretty much alone right now.

          Basically in multiparty wars you rank your opponents. There are not ‘two sides’ who line up to fight, and you don’t fight all your opponents at the same time unless you cannot avoid doing so.

          So you pick who you are going to fight now based on a strategy that takes into account the threats to your interests, then you move on.

    • Ovid 5.2

      I believe the technical term is “clusterfuck”. Meanwhile Iraq’s army has no fight at all in them as ISIS advances and secures territory.

      • tracey 5.2.1

        And with so many radar/satellites focused on this region, no one can find out the truth of who was where at the time etc? Not syaing the truth will improve the situation but it rather beggars belief that no one knows the exact flight path of this plane at the point it was struck… and the audio of the warnings…

        Clusterfuck is right

        • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1

          pretty sure the key players know exactly what went down; the rest of it is spin and posturing for the voting public.

          • Tracey 5.2.1.1.1

            That was my point CV

            Interestingly the turkish are being reported overnight as saying smongst other things that they were protecting “our brothers” which seems to suggest the rebels over the border, not the good folk of turkey

    • ianmac 5.3

      … and the NZ position is umm…….

    • I have lost track.

      Everyone is committing muck ups that just make the overall situation worse and no one actually knows where the proverbial ball is, much less what they are supposed to be doing with it.

      Russia supports Assad but is doing as much damage to civilian areas as it is to I.S.I.S.

      The U.S. in the words of Admiral Willis Lee at the Battle of Guadalcanal describing U.S.S. South Dakota’s battle damage at Guadalcanal: Deaf, dumb, blind and impotent. It is flailing around striking what not; missing nearly everything and achieving nothing.

      France and Britain – the colonial powers that established Syria and Iraq in the first place as nations – are beating up their old colonies completely oblivious to what is (and is not)happening on the ground.

      I.S.I.S. winners are grinners – they are winning because the so called world powers are scared, beefing up security and talking about threats that may or may not exist.

      Turkey is obviously prepared to defend itself, whilst being a refuge for huge numbers of refugees.

      Syria and Iraq? Stuffed. These nations were probably never meant to exist except as colonial designs of Britain and France and now they are coming unstuck.

      Just remind me again what N.A.T.O. stands for: No Action Turkey _____ – I though the purpose of military alliances was a collective defence.

      And the rest of the world? “Oh dear God…..”

      • tracey 5.4.1

        The US targetting (and then killing doctors and patients in) a Medicines sans frontieres hospital….

      • Colonial Viper 5.4.2

        “Russia supports Assad but is doing as much damage to civilian areas as it is to I.S.I.S.”

        nah, thats BS. Where did you get that Battle Damage Assessment from? CNN?

    • JonL 5.5

      “Strutting, dangerous leader who pines for the military prestige of a vanished Soviet past.”
      What a load of bollocks!
      Have you actually done any research on the man other than what the western media have pumped out since he told the US to stop interfering in Russia around ’99-2000!

      “What a first class fuck up, and it’s largely the fault of the utter failure of US diplomacy in the middle east since 2001.

      The US doesn’t do diplomacy these days – other than “do what we say or else!”

      A first class fuck up – too true!

    • Halfcrown 5.6

      Shit mate, what a brilliant analysis could not have written better.

      I like this bit
      “UK: Foreign policy is to Just bomb whoever it can in order to prove it is still an important country. See: Trident. Led by a strutting, dangerous leader who lives in a delusional bubble.”

      How fucking true, but what do you expect when you have a upper crust useless pig head fucking twit in charge.

  6. Sanctuary 6

    Forgot to add:

    Saudi Arabia: led by sect of hard line austere religious fanatics who none the less contrive to have personal gold plated airliners. America’s friend, except for the fact they’ve more or less funded practically every serious terrorist attack ever carried out in the west, including 9/11. Hates Iran because of an obscure dispute about the nature of the prophets followers. Should be our enemy, but since it sits on top of all the lovely black gold we pretend we are friends. Led by strutting, dangerous, and venal aristocrats.

    Iran: Should be America’s friend, except the the awful, egregious interference in it’s internal affairs by the USA made it our enemy. Officially and personally they hate each other, but they secretly know they should be dating. Led by strutting, dangerous theocrats.

    • tracey 6.1

      Saudi Arabia should be a thorn in the side of western politicians but they seem to successfully dodge the appalling hypocrisy of supporting this nation.

    • Colonial Viper 6.2

      strutting theocrats, yes. But dangerous? Iran/Persia hasnt attacked a neighbour in hundreds of years.

      • adam 6.2.1

        All theocracies are dangerous. All are reactionary, and all mean to control the population by any means possible.

        Iran was shelling Afghanistan before the US led invasion back in 2002. Just saying

        • Bill 6.2.1.1

          You sure about that?

          I’m curious because when the Taliban over-ran (can’t remember the name of the city) in the north of Afghanistan killing several or a dozen Iranian government officials (a clear excuse for invasion) in the days when it was seeking to extend it’s control to the north, Iran was running extensive military exercises in the west of Iran, yet sought a diplomatic solution.

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.2

          All theocracies are dangerous. All are reactionary, and all mean to control the population by any means possible.

          Huh? That’s just anti-religion mumbo jumbo. What are you on about. Look at the fear based security and surveillance state the FVEYE nations are clamping down on their citizens with. Our leaders have learnt from the East German Stasi (another secular state) and pushed it to a whole new 21st century level.

        • Stuart Munro 6.2.1.3

          Yep like Tibet were real bastards – like that warmongering sod the Dalai Lama.

          Your generalisation does you no credit.

    • Halfcrown 6.3

      Blimey mate You have got it in one again.

    • Rawsharkosaurus 6.4

      Led by strutting, dangerous theocrats.

      And the Iranians aren’t much better.

  7. AsleepWhileWalking 7

    Turkey also confirmed shooting the pilots as they parachuted down, AND a Russian search helicopter out looking for them.
    Looks like the US wants to make absolutely certain this is the start of WWIII and Putin just wasn’t reactive enough for them.

    A sad day indeed.

    • It wasn’t Turkey that shot the pilots. One or other of the militias on the ground, apparently. Not that it makes them any less dead. The BBC radio news suggested the helicopter was involved in an unrelated incident much closer to Damascus, but I guess that’ll become clearer later on.

      • BBC now:

        “The Russian soldier killed during a search and rescue mission for the crew of the shot-down warplane was on board a helicopter downed by rebel fire, Russia’s military has said.

        A military spokesman said it was one of two helicopters taking part in the operation. The rest of the crew were evacuated and taken to the air base used by Russia in Syria.”

    • One Anonymous Bloke 7.2

      Nope: Turkmen “rebels” in Syria claim they shot the pilots.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 8.1

      Great. Cut off military communication with Turkey, Bolster air defences: “all the potentially dangerous targets will be destroyed.”

    • McGrath 8.2

      Turkey really has fucked it up majorly with this! Everything to lose and nothing to gain by shooting down the jet. I foresee Russia imposing a no-fly zone for Turkish jets over Syria backed with force.

  8. Stuart Munro 9

    Russia had been airstriking non-ISIS Turkmen targets in Syria. The Russian ambassador had been summoned and carpeted earlier in the day – Trend news agency, Baku.

  9. Adrian 10

    My bullshit detector has gone off here. If you look at a map of Turkey the flight path of the Russian jet crosses about 15-20 kms of Turkey , admittedly twice, but at 800kph that’s about 90 seconds max, so much for ten warnings over 10minutes as Turkey claims
    It was also hit over Syria so must have been surface to air.

    • infused 10.1

      Well it’s kinda tough. This has been going on for some time. Each time, Russian pilots ignore Turkey.

      http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/06/nato-chief-jens-stoltenberg-russia-turkish-airspace-violations-syria

      • tracey 10.1.1

        Yup. easy enough to prove or disprove, Turkey and Russia can publish their radar/satelite record of where the plane was at the exact time it was hit, cos BOTH would have that info.

        • alwyn 10.1.1.1

          Which of these records do you intend to believe Tracey?
          You can guarantee that a Turkish record would show the plane over Turkey.
          A Russian one would be certain to show it over Syria for the entire duration of the flight.
          They can’t both be right but you will have to choose that you will believe the Russian version, the Turkish one or that you don’t believe either of them.
          It’ll be like the Malaysian flight shot down over Ukraine. Ukraine, and the west in general, say that Russian supplied (or Russian troops) militia did it.
          Russia says it was anyone from Ukraine to the US Air Force.

          • tracey 10.1.1.1.1

            Yeah I know alwyn…

            I guess the thing that irks me the most is that if well intentioned, both sides could have instantly produced their evidence but both waited 24 hours, which means who the fuck knows… mind you who the fuck ever knows anyway…

            Sigh, like no one pubblished this stuff about the plane downed over Ukraine even though Russians, Ukraine and probably NATO were monitoring the airspace

    • Pasupial 10.2

      Adrian

      There were two planes, not one plane crossing twice:

      In a letter to the British ambassador to the United Nations, currently serving as the president of the UN security council, the Turkish government wrote… Disregarding these warnings, both planes, at an altitude of 19,000 feet violated Turkish airspace to a depth of 1.36 miles and 1.15 miles for 17 seconds from 9.24.05 local time.

      http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/24/nato-and-un-seek-calm-over-turkish-downing-of-russian-jet

      • greywarshark 10.2.1

        So what’s so special about being near the Turkish border high up. What is Turkey trying to hide.? Count to 17 and then explain.

        We are back in this dangerous situation that we had around 1960s wondering about some nervous or hungover person pressing something. Then there had to be a second person that would finish the exercise to send off some warhead. Reagan is supposed to have had a red button in his office for firing the big one.

        It’s a explain now call to the Russian ambassador thing, not a fire from the hip thing. I wish they would stop pointing their dicks at each other and getting all fired up like this.
        edited

    • Colonial Viper 10.3

      Russian news channels say that their plane was attacked 1km inside Syrian borders, and that the crash site is 4km inside Syrian borders.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 10.3.1

        Which is consistent with the Turkish account: air-to-air missiles having to fly to their target and so-on.

        • Colonial Viper 10.3.1.1

          OK. Despite the Russian plane being on the way out of Turkish airspace, they launched against it anyway (probably using short range Aim 9 Sidewinders).

          I still wonder if some Turkish F16 pilot or junior air controller got nervous with their trigger finger, as it seems that escalating military tension with Russia serves Turkey not at all – unless it is to protect Turkey’s ISIS/rebel proxy fighters in Northern Syria.

          • One Anonymous Bloke 10.3.1.1.1

            Yeah – the Russian response is to effectively announce a no-fly zone: see BM’s link at 8.

            This has significant consequences for NATO. SNAFU.

    • Liberal Realist 10.4

      There are conflicting reports around the amount of time the Russian jet spent in Turkish territory. I’d agree the Turkish account is bullshit. Dangerous times…

      “As for the circumstances surrounding the Turkish shoot-down of the Russian SU-24, Turkey claimed to have radioed ten warnings over five minutes to the Russian pilots but without getting a response. However, the New York Times reported that a diplomat who attended a NATO meeting in which Turkey laid out its account said “the Russian SU-24 plane was over the Hatay region of Turkey for about 17 seconds when it was struck.”

      How those two contradictory time frames matched up was not explained. However, if the 17-second time frame is correct, it appears that Turkey intended to shoot down a Russian plane – whether over its territory or not – to send a message that it would not permit Russia to continue attacking Turkish-backed rebels in Syria.”

      From here: (Robert Parry)
      https://tinyurl.com/ph79umb

      Original reference: (NY Times)
      https://tinyurl.com/pmcvzuf

  10. Brutus Iscariot 12

    Fuck the Turks.

    Run by a reactionary despot, happy to play a double game pretending ISIS is bad in public, all the while promoting them as a counterbalance to their own separatist groups.

    • tracey 12.1

      Hopefully this will make the world more empathetic toward the citizens of Turkey who have been protesting over the last few years the despotic nature of their rulers.

  11. Pasupial 13

    This seems to be the main point of the incident:

    Turkey said one of its US-made F-16 fighters fired on the Russian plane when it entered Turkish airspace after having been warned on its approach to the Turkish border through a 13-mile no-fly zone inside Syria it had declared in July.

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/24/nato-and-un-seek-calm-over-turkish-downing-of-russian-jet

    The Turks claim that the plane was in Turkish airspace when the shots were fired, the Russians say that it was in Syria. Turkey presents; a military radar image as their proof, Russia; a flight plan that contradicts this. My guess is that the planes did in fact enter Turkish airspace by accident (while intentionally flying in the no-fly zone) but was back over Syria by the time it was shot down (although not necessarily when the missile was launched – it doesn’t take long for a jet to travel a mile), after all it did crash inside Syria. The convenient TV footage is difficult to assess as it doesn’t show landmarks until the plane is headed for the ground.

    The incident seems to mainly relate to the Turk’s irritation at the Russian’s not respecting their unilaterally proclaimed no-fly border zone. Of course, there is no reason why the Russian’s should, if the Assad regime does not. The problem now is that only Russia has any legal basis for it’s airforce’s action in Syria. Despite the Assad Baathist faction being (or at least containing) vile war criminals, they are still the closest thing to a legitimate government in Syria. If Russia pressures them to consent, then any planes that enter Syrian airspace from Turkey may not be long in the air.

    Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

    • Colonial Viper 13.1

      yours is the most likely sequence of events that I have seen described thus far.

      Syrian Turkmen machinegunning dead parachuting pilots would also be considered a war crime I believe, as parachute survivors must be given the opportunity to surrender unless they are taking hostile action. (An addendum to the Geneva Convention).

    • tracey 13.2

      a military radar image as their proof, Russia; a flight plan that contradicts this. My guess is that the planes did in fact enter Turkish airspace by accident (while intentionally flying in the no-fly zone)

      Can’t the russians show us their radar image, or are we at the stage where those could be doctored by all sides and are not reliable?

      • Colonial Viper 13.2.1

        im pretty sure the US and even Israel has radar images which show exactly who was where. If the French carrier group is anywhere close by, they will have seen it too.

      • Draco T Bastard 13.2.2

        I’d like to present this radar track of a Russian spy plane as it circled over Auckland just moments ago…

        • alwyn 13.2.2.1

          Is the split in the track on the bottom right where it fired a missile to shoot down a kereru? DOC could do the pilot!

        • tracey 13.2.2.2

          Which makes it pointless for people to take sides, right? Cos no one knows whose documentation/image is “real”.

          • Draco T Bastard 13.2.2.2.1

            IMO, Occam’s Razor applies here:

            That a modern aircraft, that knows where it is to within a metre at all times, was shot down for violating territorial airspace for an extended period of time and ignored 10 warnings or that it was shot down without violating that airspace.

            • Colonial Viper 13.2.2.2.1.1

              At the UN Turkey claimed that their airspace was violated for 17 seconds. The Russians say that no warnings were broadcast to their aircraft.

              • tracey

                Given the flight path would be noted, including that the aircraft was moving in a direct path to violate Turkish airspace it is surely possible that warnings began before it entered the airsapce?

                • Colonial Viper

                  That’s possible of course. But 5 mins of warnings at 1,500km/h means that the Russian plane would have been a hundred kilometres away from the border clear in Syrian airspace.

                  Everyone listening into the area should have recordings of the broadcasted warnings as well, so let’s see if they are released into the public domain.

                  • tracey

                    You know the Russians can e deceptive bastards, right?

                    • Draco T Bastard

                      Have you noticed the actions of Turkey over the last few years? I’d say that they’ve got more reason to lie.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      yeah the Ruskies are pretty tricky operators…today though its their pilots shot dead in their ejection seats. Who has more cause to lie…

                    • Tracey

                      Yes. Noticed it and even commented on it above.

                      My comment was about the uselessness of any of us choosing a side to support in this latest BS. Both leaferships cant be trusted. Just like the US leadership denied being involved in the MSF killings.

                      The moral, if any, to this is surely that more bombing and military strikes is improving nothing

                      Interestingly the turkish are being reported overnight as saying smongst other things that they were protecting “our brothers” which seems to suggest the rebels over the border, not the good folk of turkey which they have been treating like the enemy for a few years

                  • Draco T Bastard

                    Such a warning would be in the clear which means that everybody with a radio within 50km would probably have heard the warnings. Not everybody has a radio but it would be a non zero number. Nobody seems to be coming forward.

            • tracey 13.2.2.2.1.2

              Theoretically Occams Razor always applies.

              You might want to factor in that both sides may have reason to lie, and a history of doing so.

  12. joe90 14

    The Russian public will want blood.

    BBC R4 World Tonight Verified account
    ‏@BBCWorldTonight

    “Putin has chosen the most belligerent tone – the situation is serious” – Dmitry Babich #Russianplane

    https://twitter.com/BBCWorldTonight/status/669278773821444100

    #Russianplane

    • Colonial Viper 14.1

      The Russian public will want retribution against Turkey yes – but that could be political, economic or military retribution – or a combination. The Russian public is still very wary of mission creep into an Afghanistan type situation however.

      • infused 14.1.1

        Putin won’t do shit.

        • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1.1.1

          First: All the activities of the attack aviation will be carried out only under cover of fighter aircraft.

          Second: Air defence will be reinforced. For that purpose, the Moskva cruiser equipped with air defence system Fort analogous to the S-300 one will go to the shore zone of Latakia. Russian Defence Ministry warns that all the potentially dangerous targets will be destroyed.

          Third: Contacts with Turkey will be terminated at the military level.

          Source: see BM at 8

          You were saying?

        • tracey 14.1.1.2

          by “won’t do shit” do you mean use military retaliation on Turkey?

        • Colonial Viper 14.1.1.3

          uh, thats an illogical statement. Just last week Russia added 24 long range strategic bombers to their Syrian campaign.

          They didnt produce the rap video “go hard like Vladimir Putin” for no reason.

          • infused 14.1.1.3.1

            Everyone was expecting Russia to retaliate against Turkey with force. Was never going to happen.

            Putin ain’t the bear in waiting.

            • Paul 14.1.1.3.1.1

              A.M.G. – “Go Hard Like Vladimir Putin”

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDIlQ3_lsKE

            • Pascals bookie 14.1.1.3.1.2

              I don’t think anyone was expecting him to retaliate today.

              I’ve not seen anyone serious say he’ll retaliate directly either, but Syrians are suggesting all sorts of things they could do.

              Most likely is that kurds in Turkey get delivery of some new toys ‘captured’ by their brethren in Syria.

              And the Turkmen wing of the FSA gets hammered while being called ISIS by the likes of CV in this thread.

              Russia has plenty of options. Turkey’s biggest card would be closing the Bosphorous straights to cut of Russia fuel supply, but that would be a huge escalation.

              • Colonial Viper

                and 60% of Turkey’s gas supply is Russian…

                • Pascals bookie

                  Shutting that off would hurt Russia too though to an extent, and would probably be enough to trigger Turkey closing the Dardanelles to them.

                  Which would leave Russian assets in Syria with whatever fuel they can get their hands on.

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Yep. Which means that Turkey and Russia would be crazy to keep escalating this further – question is who does escalation serve?

      • joe90 14.1.2

        Oh, they want blood.

        Трусливые шакалы, скоро вы все сдохнете, чурки ебаные!

        google translate – The cowardly jackals, soon you will die , fucking chocks !

        • Colonial Viper 14.1.2.1

          Shoigu and Putin will decide on their next steps without any rush. Turkey might not notice anything until their gas gets turned off in 3 months time.

  13. johnm 16

    Turkey Has Destroyed Russia’s Hope Of Western Cooperation — Paul Craig Roberts

    Turkey’s unprovoked shoot-down of a Russian military aircraft over Syria raises interesting questions. It seems unlikely that the Turkish government would commit an act of war against a much more powerful neighbor unless Washington had cleared the attack. Turkey’s government is not very competent, but even the incompetent know better than to put themselves into a position of facing Russia alone.

    If the attack was cleared with Washington, was Obama bypassed by the neocons who control his government, or is Obama himself complicit? Clearly the neoconservatives are disturbed by the French president’s call for unity with Russia against ISIL and easily could have used their connections to Turkey to stage an event that Washington can use to prevent cooperation with Russia.

    http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/11/24/turkey-has-destroyed-russias-delusion-of-western-cooperation-paul-craig-roberts/

    My more primitive reaction: The Turkey W*nkers have followed Warshington’s instructions for perpetuating the empire of chaos so as to grab the oil wealth and the neocon maniacs in Warshington have a small mean victory over the only decent force operating in Syria. 🙁 Shame on them!!

    On a more sober note there’s a serious risk of WW111 breaking out if Russia confronts Warshington’s Nato jackal Turkey and the U$ Satan behind them,the principle cause of all this human misery, they’re truly evil, and the Empire of Chaos.

  14. Chooky 17

    ‘Turkey’s actions show desperation and despair of regime change camp’

    https://www.rt.com/op-edge/323353-regime-change-camp-desperation/

    Dan Glazebrook is a freelance political writer who has written for RT, Counterpunch, Z magazine, the Morning Star, the Guardian, the New Statesman, the Independent and Middle East Eye, amongst others. His first book “Divide and Ruin: The West’s Imperial Strategy in an Age of Crisis” was published by Liberation Media in October 2013. It featured a collection of articles written from 2009 onwards examining the links between economic collapse, the rise of the BRICS, war on Libya and Syria and ‘austerity’. He is currently researching a book on US-British use of sectarian death squads against independent states and movements from Northern Ireland and Central America in the 1970s and 80s to the Middle East and Africa today.

  15. Stuart Munro 18

    Russian militarism could use a check now and then, having had all its own way in Chechenya, Georgia, the Ukraine, and various northern NATO incursions, crazy Ivan may have finally run across someone just as crazy and in this region, as well armed as themselves. The US will be chuffed to arm a Turkish catspaw…

    • Paul 18.1

      You talk nonsense.

    • Colonial Viper 18.2

      Western and NATO aligned powers have left the entire of the Middle East in total chaos and collapse from Yemen to Libya to Iraq to Syria. And you call Russia crazy??? All the conflicts you list, were on Russia’s front porch with plenty of western destabilisation behind each one, and they had to act.

      The US will be chuffed to arm a Turkish catspaw…

      You dice with the prospects of WWIII like its nothing. Turkey already gets billions of dollars of weapons from the US, it is NATO’s second or third best armed country.

      • Stuart Munro 18.2.1

        Mate I don’t have much to do with it – but Turkey called in the Russian ambassador the day before shooting down the plane – more than fair warning.

        http://en.trend.az/world/turkey/2460089.html

        It’s true that the US are brutish and incompetent – don’t be deceived into thinking Russia is any better, or that their objectives in the region are any nobler.

        • Colonial Viper 18.2.1.1

          Holy shit, you think that calling in the Ambassador to complain about some occasional and non-systematic airspace transgressions is sufficient to justify the shooting down of a plane from a friendly nation showing no hostile intent?

          And what a ridiculous piece you linked to. Russia is jeopardizing relations with Turkey by hitting groups supported by Turkey.

          What do you think shooting down a Russian plane does to Turkish/Russia relations?

          BTW I bet the Russian ambassador was not told that Turkish forces were going to start attacking Russian planes.

          • Stuart Munro 18.2.1.1.1

            They were systematic, and hostile.

            If they had been adventitious there would not have been time to call in the ambassador and tell him ‘these incursions must cease’.

            • Colonial Viper 18.2.1.1.1.1

              “They were systematic, and hostile.”

              Really? Were the Turkish F16s locked on by the Russian planes?

              • McFlock

                systematic transgressions = hostile, especially when previous incursions involved locking on to turkish aircraft.

                You can google the speed of a flanker, now google “locked on to turkish” for reports in the last couple of months. This was not a bolt from the blue.

                • Colonial Viper

                  the site says that the Russian flanker maintained a continuous missile lock on a Turkish F-16 for 5 mins 40 sec.

                  Thats quite something at 2,000 km/h.

                  • McFlock

                    One of the links. But then it’s the wonders of modern technology.

                    And you have to stop assuming that aircraft always travel at top speed. It fecking eats up fuel and results in a turning circle measured in light years..

                  • nadis

                    Tracey is most likely right. Russian plane, small incursion into Turkey AFTER dropping ordnance (i.e., no threat), Russians ignoring warnings like they have done for the last 2 months, Turkish govt deciding this is the time to send a message.

                    Turkey overreacted – even Nato and the US have said they should have escorted the Russians out. but the Russians have been probing Turkisih airspace for weeks – at least 7 incidents where they crossed into Turkish airspace, and they had officially apologised for at least one of these.

                    Both countries are playing to a domestic audience. Autocratic turkey trying to prove that Turkey is the regional power and only the current government can keep turks safe. Russia, a declining power, trying to maintain sphere of influence in the absence of money or a modern military. This describes their asymmetrical approach:

                    https://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/the-gerasimov-doctrine-and-russian-non-linear-war/

                    You can see them doing this all over the place – Ukraine, Syria, the ‘stan countries.

                    Turkey and Russia will both de-escalate even as they ramp up the domestic rhetoric. Nato has already said “we support Turkey blah blah blah” but have also told Turkey to pull their heads in. And told the Russians that position. Nato ain’t going to war over this.

                    Russia equally cant do much. They have 4 modern jets in turkey (SU30) which are not a match avionics wise with any of the US planes in region or the Turkish F16s. the other 24 planes the Russians have are Su24 and Su25. The Su 24 is obsolete – a knock off of the F111 which the USAF retired in 1998. Nearly 20 years ago, I believe the SU 24 that was shot down was not one of the few SU24M2 that Russia has. This means it has a non-glass analog cockpit.

                    Re a no-fly zone by either Turkey or Russia. USA won’t let Turkey impose one, and the Russians don’t have the ability to so. Yes they can deploy some of their modern S-400 missiles, that’s why the usa now has 2 F-22’s in region. A russian no-fly zone – beyond the one already around their base – will be a question of whether the US wants to test it or not.

                    • Colonial Viper

                      Russia equally cant do much. They have 4 modern jets in turkey (SU30) which are not a match avionics wise with any of the US planes in region or the Turkish F16s.

                      ? that’s just detail. The question is – what is the ability of the Su-30 in an air superiority role. And of course, it can go toe to toe with any other fighter in the area (apart from US F-22s).

                      Re a no-fly zone by either Turkey or Russia. USA won’t let Turkey impose one, and the Russians don’t have the ability to so.

                      In the sentence after this you say that the US could test a Russian no fly zone. Yet here you say that the Russians don’t have the capability to create a no-fly zone.

                      Given that the Russians have now operationally used their latest long range stealth cruise missiles, you wouldn’t be the first to underestimate what they can or will do.

                      top speed of su24 about 1200kms per hour

                      I think you will find that is in miles per hour, at optimum cruising altitude i.e. roughly 2,000 km/h. The Su-24 is a supersonic jet.

                  • nadis

                    top speed of su24 about 1200kms per hour

                    • nadis

                      no Su24 is a slow old dog 1200 maybe 1300 km top speed:

                      http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/sukhoi_su24_fencer.htm

                      The SU24 was the old soviet style – build something crappy and overwhelm with numbers. Only they cant afford to build the numbers any more. My typo above – US has 12 raptors near Syria and another 48 between 24 and 96 hours away.

                      And the SU30 avionics are vastly inferior. F16’s now have AESM radar which gives them way more stealthy threat detection at range, and the old arguments about whose best in a dogfight are gone now with off-boresight missiles. The answer now is that you are both dead if you get in to a visual range dog fight situation. What counts now is the ability to detect your opponent before he can detect you. There the F16s, and obviously F22’s have a massive advantage. Moot point anyway – a flight of 4 F22’s can take out up to 24 of any other plane in service anywhere before they now they have been targetted. Then add in the superior integration of the USAF with AWACs, satellites and superior numbers of F15/16s and the air superiority question is easy to answer.

                      But it wont come to that – both Russia and the US have shown clearly they want to de-escalate this. And Turkey has been told by Nato to pull their head in.

    • In Vino 18.3

      Come on… the US armed the Iraqis, and ISIL walked all over them. Your anti-Russian bias is showing. U.S. has more to answer for in this situation than the Russians, who ever since the West sent their armies in to support the ‘White Russians’ have had damned good reason to distrust the West, and especially the U.S.

  16. Glenn 19

    “The problem is that according to a radar map released by the Turks themselves, the Russian Sukhoi could at best be described as crossing over Turkish territory.
    It flew over a small piece of Turkey that projects into Syria – a tiny isthmus of land that would have taken the fast jet only a few moments to fly over.
    So if the plane was shot down, as the Turks say, after entering Turkish airspace, you could equally say it was downed on the way out of Turkish territory too.
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34914375

    • Colonial Viper 19.1

      it looks like the Turks really wanted to shoot down a Russian jet.

      Those same Russian jets that have been attacking the ISIL and anti-Assad forces that Turkey has been backing.

  17. johnm 20

    Looks like Turkey

    Is back on the menu boys

    http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/turkeymenu.jpg

    • Colonial Viper 20.1

      This University of London analyst says that Turkey and Russia are ostensibly on friendly terms, and the Turkish decision to shoot down a Russian plane is extremely curious. Further he says that Russia has no choice but to try and keep things patched up with Turkey.

      http://sputniknews.com/russia/20151125/1030702642/russia-patch-relationship-turkey.html

    • johnm 20.2

      Turkey Is Lying — Paul Craig Roberts

      We know that Turkey is lying for three reasons.

      One reason is that NATO governments lie every time that they open their mouths.

      A second reason is that Turkey’s claim that the SU-24 was in Turkey’s airspace for 17 seconds but only traveled 1.15 miles means that the SU-24 was flying at stall speed! The entire Western media was too incompetent to do the basic math!

      A third reason is that, assuming Turkey’s claim of a 17 second airspace violation is true, 17 seconds is not long enough for a Turkish pilot to get clearance for such a serious and reckless act as shooting down a Russian military aircraft. If the SU-24 was flying at a normal speed rather than one that would be unable to keep the aircraft aloft, the alleged airspace violation would not have been long enough to be noticed. A shootdown had to have been pre-arranged. The Turks, knowing that the Russians were foolishly trusting to the agreement that there be no air to air encounters, told pilots to look for an opportunity. In my recent article, I gave a reason for this reckless act: http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/11/24/turkey-has-destroyed-russias-delusion-of-western-cooperation-paul-craig-roberts/

      Turkey’s explanation to the UN Security Council gives itself away as a lie. The letter states: “This morning (24 November) 2 SU-24 planes, the nationality of which are unknown have approached Turkish national airspace. The planes in question have been warned 10 times during a period of 5 minutes via ‘Emergency’ channel and asked to change their headings south immediately.”

      As SU-24 are Russian aircraft, as Turkey is able to identify that the aircraft are SU-24s, how then can the nationality of the aircraft be unknown? Would Turkey risk shooting down a US or Israeli aircraft by firing at an unknown aircraft? If the SU-24 takes 17 seconds to fly 1.15 miles, the SU-24s would have only traveled 20.29 miles in five minutes. Does anyone believe that a supersonic aircraft can fly at stall speed for 17 seconds, much less for five minutes?

      http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/11/25/turkey-is-lying-paul-craig-roberts/

      • johnm 20.2.1

        No Warnings From Turkish Jets Before Attack – Rescued Russian Pilot First Interview

        http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43527.htm

        ” Red lines have been crossed Turkey is a US vassel state, Erdogan will even sacrifice his own country to please the Yanks and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Erdogan has just put his own life in danger from those inside his own party who want to get rid of him.. There will be repercussions for that despicable downing of that Russian jet. Russia now knows NOT TO TRUST ANYONE, and any incursions into Syrian air space should be viewed as an attack on Russian forces, no matter who those forces belong to, RUSSIA HAS A MANDATE FROM THE UN, and anyone working outside the international law or without the permission of the Syrian government must be deemed a terrorist. and blast them out of the sky. ”

        UN Backs Russia’s War on US-Backed Syria Terrorists
        http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43523.htm

        Is Turkey Starting a Proxy-War on Behalf of NATO against Russia?
        http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43526.htm

        • johnm 20.2.1.1

          Perhaps the best analysis so far on this crisis I’ve read. really highly recommend it. It seems on this blog that many commentators only contribution is to sidetrack the main issue into irrelevant areas, this I believe is a form of polite trolling! 🙁

          Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet and the danger of world war

          1. The downing of a Russian fighter-bomber by Turkish fighter jets yesterday on the Turkish-Syrian border is a flagrant act of war. Turkish authorities have seized on the alleged Russian violation of their airspace to launch a monumental escalation of the proxy war in Syria between Islamist opposition fighters supported by NATO and the Russian-backed regime of President Bashar al-Assad. It threatens to provoke all-out war between Russia on the one hand, and Turkey and the rest of the NATO alliance on the other.

          Turkish officials claimed that the Russian SU-24 had violated Turkish air space for one minute, while Russian officials said that it never left Syrian air space at all. The Turkish air force did not scramble jets to warn the Russian fighter or escort it back to Syrian air space, but, after allegedly warning the Russian jet for five minutes, shot it down.

          It is unthinkable that Turkey would have taken a decision against a powerful neighbor, fraught with incalculable consequences, without direct prior approval from the US government.

          2. US officials supported the Turkish downing of the Russian plane, making clear that they are willing to accept a direct military clash with Russia, a nuclear-armed power, in order to crush its intervention in Syria to defend the Assad regime.

          At a press conference yesterday with French President François Hollande in Washington, Obama endorsed the downing of the Russian jet, claiming that Turkey “has a right to defend its territory and its airspace.” This amounts to a blank check to Turkish forces to attack Russian fighter jets again, should similar circumstances arise.

          http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/11/25/pers-n25.html

          comment: ”

          Yes I totally agree that the Turks could not have dared to hit a Russian warplane in these tumultuous conditions without obtaining a tacit approval from Washington beforehand, and comments coming from Obama after this attack further reinforces this perception.

          Now I found an interesting article today on Wikileaks that I thought it was worth sharing to the readers. The tile of this article is ”
          “ISIS survives largely because Turkey allows it to: the evidence”. Please have a look. https://undercoverinfo.wordpre… ”

          “The policy of the Kremlin oscillates between surrender to imperialism and reckless military measures posing the danger of world war with the imperialist powers.” What “reckless military measures” are you referring to?

          The US and it’s NATO henchmen are continuously involved in “reckless military measures” such as the invasions of Panama, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and the proxy wars against Syria, and Yemen, but I can’t recall seeing any Russian “reckless military measures”. The have been, if anything, overly restrained in their response to US/NATO threats and aggression in Ukraine, Syria, Georgia, Poland and the Baltics.

          The US or Israel would have simply obliterated the air base the F16s came from if a similar unprovoked attack had occurred on one of their aircraft. Time will tell what Putin will choose to do in response, but his track record indicates it will likely be measured and calculated, not “reckless military measures”. “

          • johnm 20.2.1.1.1

            US-Dominated NATO Supports Turkish Aggression Against Russia

            Fact: It’s crystal clear what happened. No ambiguity exists. One or more Turkish warplanes downed Russia’s aircraft in Syrian airspace – a double crime: aggression against Russia and violating Syrian airspace either by entering it or firing one or more missiles into its territory.

            Meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Washington, Obama revealed his dirty hands, saying “Turkey, like every other country, has a right to defend itself.” He called Erdogan, expressing support, – at the same time, accusing Russia of attacking nonexistent “moderate” rebels in Syria and propping up Assad.

            General Staff official Sergey Rudskoy said a Turkish warplane attacked Russia’s aircraft after illegally entering Syrian airspace. Its pilot “made no attempts to communicate or establish visual contact with our crew that our equipment would have registered.”

            “The Su-24 was hit by a missile over Syrian territory,” not cross-border as Ankara claimed. Henceforth “(e)very target posing a potential threat will be destroyed.”

            Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev blasted Erdogan, saying “Turkey’s actions are de facto protection (for the) Islamic State. This is no surprise, considering the information we have about direct financial interest of some Turkish officials relating to the supply of oil products refined by plants controlled by ISIS.”

            Erdogan’s reckless act, with virtually certain US support, destroys chances for East-West cooperation against terrorism – at the same time, upping the stakes for direct confrontation. The Doomsday Clock inched closer to midnight.

            http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-dominated-nato-supports-turkish-aggression-against-russia/5491443

            • Colonial Viper 20.2.1.1.1.1

              i think quite a few NATO countries resent Turkey for trying to drag them into this unnecessary mess with Russia on the Syrian/Turkish border.

              The Su-24 should have been escorted out of Turkish airspace by the F-16s, not fired upon. The crazy thing is that Turkey and Russia have close economic, social and tourism ties.

  18. Colonial Viper 21

    “Go hard like Vladmir Putin” a bit of fun – but anti-Obama Republicans are pointing out that Putin is out playing a weak Obama at every turn.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDIlQ3_lsKE

  19. Thinking Right 22

    My take on this:

    One group of dodgy pricks shoots down an aircraft belonging to another (much larger) group of dodgy pricks. (The same dodgy pricks – Russians – seem to have suffered some harsh bush justice lately after their involvement in the shooting down of the airliner over The Ukraine.

    As to the outcome? Likely to escalate. Putin has portrayed the image of a military tough guy who defends Mother Russia at all costs. Given that he has now faced setbacks with the downed airliner and now this aircraft he has to respond militarily or face loosing face amongst the Russian Public.

    Perhaps it also shows up that the Russian Military Machine isn’t as invincible as is often broadcast. F 16 aircraft are technology designed in the 70’s – the same with the Sidewinder Missile used – obviously the Russian Electronic Countermeasures aren’t terribly effective.

    Without being a doomsayer I note that WW1 started with the assassination of one person and what followed was the result of a complicated entanglement of military defence treaties/alliances.

    Unfortunately in 1914 the Machine Gun was the leading military technology available to deliver death and destruction – in 2015 things are a whole different kettle of fish.

    Why is this happening?

    I believe the world is facing an era where the decline of a dominant superpower (USA) (think olden days empires) has lead to a plethora of manic wannabes arising to establish a new equilibrium where they are pushing for their own version of Age of Empires – and as usual delivering death and destruction where ever they go – human nature never changes.

    • Colonial Viper 22.1

      MH-17 was shot down by a Russian made BUK system but the knee jerk western propaganda that the Russians did it was never proven – the Ukranian military operates the same hardware.

      F 16 aircraft are technology designed in the 70’s – the same with the Sidewinder Missile used – obviously the Russian Electronic Countermeasures aren’t terribly effective.

      You need to do a bit more research before you make these statements.

      Turkey uses highly updated F-16 C/D variants which are generations ahead of the original F-16A. These jets will be in service for another two decades.

      And the modern Aim 9X sidewinder is a brilliant proven performer that has excellent heat seeking and anti-jamming characteristics. The sidewinder missile has such good potential for further modernisation that various variants will probably still be in service 25 years from now.

      NB the Su-24 is also a plane from the early 1970s.

  20. Stuart Munro 23

    Those who protest that Russia’s incursion was momentary might recall how Russia deals with non-systematic civil aircraft incursions – flight 007 – or the more recent butchering of unarmed Asian fishing crews caught in their territorial waters.

    Turkey’s position is difficult – neither ISIS, nor a husky militarised Kurdish population, nor a Syrian client state dependent on and able to call on Russian armed intervention is a very desirable neighbour.

    • Colonial Viper 23.1

      Evidence around Flight 007, which was a civilian flight that went way of course, makes it clear that the Soviets truly believed that it was a US military recon flight when it was ordered shot down.

      or the more recent butchering of unarmed Asian fishing crews caught in their territorial waters

      ?

      My first response to you is that your story is probably nonsense, as Russia has this year again reaffirmed that it will not reintroduce the death penalty for both humanitarian and legal reasons.

      • Stuart Munro 23.1.1

        Right…

        Your views of Russian conduct seem more than a little optimistic. The Koreans do not believe the Russian story.

        Not the only incident but you seem to like Russian sources:

        http://www.themoscowtimes.com/sitemap/free/2006/8/article/russians-kill-japanese-fisherman/203069.html

      • McFlock 23.1.2

        lol

        Turks shooting down an actual military ground-attack aircraft is wrong.
        Russians shooting down a civilian airliner is legitimate.

        Seems fair….

        • Colonial Viper 23.1.2.1

          Hi McFlock, if you are interested in understanding each tragic incident, you’ll have to think a bit deeper about the dynamics and background behind the two very different events.

          At the time of the shootdown of Flight 007 Reagan’s administration was actively attempting to ramp up fear in the Kremlin that the USA were preparing a large scale strategic attack, especially once his “Star Wars” missile defence programme had nullified the Soviet nuclear deterrent.

          It was also revealed later on that large US spy planes frequently flew routes near that space as many Soviet military installations were in the area.

  21. Tracey 24

    Putin managed to get back Crimea and part of Ukraine.

    • nadis 24.1

      this is an interesting read on Russia and their options on ukraine. The only result that makes strategic sense for russia is the one they cannot attain. Every other option they have results in a worse strategic outcome for Russia. It seems like the only way Russian adventures makes sense is through the lens of domestic support for Putin. Not a surprising outcome given the state of the economy and the “mis-allocation” of Russian resources. At the risk of invoking godwins law it is easy to see the clearest (but by no means the only example) of this.

      http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/515194/B2C_content/B2CWF1/Ukraine_Wargames-slideshare-final.pdf?t=1448422664384

      • Colonial Viper 24.1.1

        Stratfor has failed to advise the US Government correctly on Ukraine thus far, or to predict Russian strategy around Ukraine – what makes you think that has changed?

        Obama allowed himself to be filmed at the latest G20 having a quiet sit down chat with Putin in the hotel lobby. Jean Claude Juncker has said multiple times that Germany needs to re-establish better relations and economic ties with Russia.

        Looks to me like Russia’s strategy is winning back friends and thawing the isolation evident at last years G20 – where Tony Abbott threatened to “shirtfront” Putin. And where Putin found himself so locked out he left early in order to get some ‘extra sleep.’

  22. Pascals bookie 25

    Russia responds

    https://mobile.twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/669598149665771520?p=p

    there are numerous reports of similar stuff at border crossings

  23. vto 26

    Putin has been stepping into the western media of late ……..

    clever

    watch his popularity soar within the west

  24. johnm 27

    Sultan Erdogan’s War on…Russia

    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article43530.htm

    President Putin nailed it; it was “a shot in the back”. Because all evidence is pointing towards an ambush: the F-16s might have been actually waiting for the Su-24s. With Turkish TV cameras available for maximum global impact.

    Two Su-24s were getting ready to strike a bunch of “moderate rebels”. Ankara says they were Turkmen — which the Turks finance and weaponize. But there is just a small bunch of Turkmen in northern Syria.

    The Su-24s were actually after Chechens and Uzbeks — plus a few Uyghurs — smuggled in with fake Turkish passports (Chinese intel is also on it), all of these operating in tandem with a nasty bunch of Turkish Islamo-fascists. Most of these goons transit back and forth between the CIA-weaponized Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Jabhat al-Nusra. These were the goons who machine-gunned the Russian pilots as they parachuted down after the hit on the Su-24.
    The Su-24s posed absolutely no threat to Turkey. Turkish UN Ambassador Halit Cevik’s letter to the Security Council is a joke; two Russian jets “warned 10 times in five minutes” to change direction, both flying “more than a mile” into Turkey for an interminable 17 seconds. The whole thing has already been amply debunked. Not to mention that Turkish — and NATO — planes “violate” the Syrian border all the time.

    Basically a War Crime against a sovereign nation helping another such nation,Syria, to fight off the violent madmen assaulting it( funded and supported by Turkey and the U$ Great Satan where they get their weapons from). Great Satan the U$ is behind this. ME lives are just trash to these psychopathic monsters mark this these neocon madmen may yet start WW111.

    • Colonial Viper 27.1

      The survivor of the downed Su-24 (the navigator) says that they received no warnings, visual or radio, from the Turkish F-16, and that the missile hit them completely by surprise – the Su-24 performed no evasive actions.

      He also said that after many missions he knows the area well and there was no way they had strayed into Turkish airspace.

      https://www.rt.com/news/323431-saved-pilot-turkish-su24/

  25. johnm 28

    MUST-SEE interview with John Pilger: USA, UK and France gave birth to ISIS monster

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_XwwMokHg

    • Colonial Viper 28.1

      ‘Syria’s major crime is that it stands independently and prevents Israeli domination of the area’

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    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    11 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    11 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    13 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    16 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024
    Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024  Acknowledgements and opening  Morena, Nga Mihi Nui.  Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau  Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Early visit to Indonesia strengthens ties
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country.   “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • China Foreign Minister to visit
    Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week.  “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • Minister opens new Auckland Rail Operations Centre
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