Much of the internet is an absolute hell hole but this is what it can be at its best: two highly intelligent men using reason and thought to discuss calmly and logically what are often complex issues. It's highly impressive and we need more of this kind of quality.
@@futures2247 When it comes to a tyrant like Putin (and his hideous old dinosaur sidekick Lavrov), who is entirely responsible for the deaths of thousands of often young Ukraine and Russian conscripts and the suffering of their families, I'll give his views and those of other appeasers like Chomsky, Pilger and Corbyn a miss thanks very much.
@@futures2247No thanks - when it comes to apologists and appeasers for a tyrant like Putin, who is entirely responsible for the suffering and death of thousands of often young Ukraine and Russian conscripts, I'll give him, Chomsky, Pilger and Corbyn a miss.
such a shame that when we are living with the opportunity to learn from different ideas and develop more rounded views we are so often trapped in bias and ignorance.@@martydav9475
Public sector shouldn't outsource anything. Its literally just giving money to middle men. Why pay a private company 300,000k for a team of 5 cleaners when you can pay 10 cleaners 30k each.
@@zo7034 What! Where would all of the Tory Party donations come from? Think of your poor MP, having to scrape by on a mere pittance, reduced to driving a Range Rover Sport and having their children attend Harrow as day pupils!
@@zo7034 Yes and no. Your in-house bureaucracy can grow and harden, becoming every bit as useless and wasteful as the commercial process if you're not careful. It's simply a question for continual reappraisal.
I worked on the technology setup on a new campus for a very wealthy American university. We spent a fortune on new technology with the hope that it’ll all run itself and save a fortune in staffing. All it did was create a huge technocratic workforce that cost a fortune just to keep the lights on. It is governmental folly to think that tech will solve all problems.
I am a software developer and fully endorse this view. The best software is no software. There's a guy called John Seddon who has written a lot on this issue, both with software and non-software systems (e.g. call centres) designed to serve people. He's spent a lot of time in the public sector in the UK and has some great case studies. One of his observations which I think is important is that the system needs to be built to accommodate the complex situations and needs of the people who interact with it. Including situations that could not have been anticipated when the systems were designed. If you formalise things too much, or design things primarily for ease of management, there is no flex to cope with unexpected demands. Then when the system starts failing, this creates more problems for the people in it, which creates more demand to fix those problems (failure demand- work created by failures of the system). We go in to these automation and formalisation efforts to manage costs, and costs go up, while outcomes get worse. If you keep humans in the loop who have the tools, time and authority to figure out how to help people, they'll usually do that. "The computer says no" should never happen.
To be fair, as we've all learned in the past few months, just because someone is working at or attending a prestigious university, it is no indication at all that they are intelligent, ethical, or capable.
"Tech will solve all problems" is not a "thinking" or thought, it's the driving ideology of American industries and (especially) business tycoons. Which means it's one of the tenets of America, and a pillar of the World Order.
I really appreciate this podcast. I get more information and intelligent nuance of world affairs from R & A than from all of the conventional broadcast media. Thank you.
I was in Bavaria recently and got caught up in an AFD "roadshow" for want of a better word. They SEEMED to be very much in the minority where popular opinion was concerned. The number of protesters (mostly young people) who came out to demostrate against them was probably four or fives times that of the AFD. I see this as a good thing, however I can also understand Germany wanting to break from the whole WW2 apologist type mindset. I mean it was generations ago. What I don't think is the correct response is radicalisation back in the opposite direction.
It's a good feeling to see likes going up while listening, knowing that other people are enjoying such deep, nuanced and thoughtful content at the same time as me.
Excellent discussion, but a wake up call to our current tranche of politicians to listen to their electorate and deal with issues rather than just trying to look good, otherwise it's not going to end well.
Rory’s initial summary about Putin, Russian history, and Russia’s place in the world is superb. In my experience this is what Russians actually believe. Jade McGlynn is excellent, and what she publishes is well worth reading.
Have you had Anne Applebaum on when you discuss Ukraine? She’s extremely knowledgeable and written books about Ukrainian and Russian history and would definitely have important I sights to share.
Alistair - you were interested to know what in British politics could trigger a huge level of public protest... wasn't that exactly what happened back in February 2003?
Regarding military recruitment, there are a lot of people putting the initial application to join the armed forces in. Capita then takes 18 months to two years to get back to them, by which time they're no longer interested as they've given up waiting, have invested time in a different career, and aren't interested in joining the military on a wage that works out to be significantly less than minimum wage as the armed forces are exempt from that legislation.
Interesting you talk about military recruiting. I was in the TA (now Army Reserves) for 7 years. I was a trained recruiter for the 49 Brigade too. Recruitment back then was hard due to a hangover from the Iraq war and a distrust of the government who are defacto in charge of the military. I left because they axed funding in the Defence Strategic Review (2010 I think?) I always wanted to be an engineer in the RAF but the deal about joining up (I was an Officer) was so unbelievably poor. 12hr days as a Junior Engineering officer, 6 days a week, with call up liability, tiresome exercises....or I could get double the wage for a 37.5hr week with more progression and evenings and weekends to myself. We think engineering (and STEM) died in industry, it was so so so much worse in the military. I'm the REME we weren't even allowed to touch the new MAN trucks because of a maintenance contract. There was no point me being there, it was boring.
It seems the Tories/Pop Cons are determined to do all they can in order to lose the next election, despite the lack of threat from any of the opposition. Thank you once again for another highly informative and entertaining podcast, despite the fact that this one was also particularly bleak.
Very much enjoy your analyses. Obviously a lot of knowledge behind them and well-organised toward helping me put current events in perspective. Will definitely keep watching.
Vlad Vexler’s channel discusses one compelling view of Putin’s psychology. Not expert enough to know how correct he is, but his model certainly fits observations of Putin’s behaviour.
@@joepaluka9031Don't you understand the concept of opinion. These two guys have served at very high levels and have great political knowledge and ability, so I think i will listen to them rather than someone who says they are wrong but gives no argument for their simplistic statement.
@seymourclearly in that particular post, I did not go into detail. Fair point. Here is a brief post on why these two need to be treated with caution Campbell pushed the Iraq war Dodgy Dossier, which claimed Iraq had WMD. it led directly to the suicide of David Kelly. I am not blaming Campbell for that, but it was a consequence of it. So, I, for one, will not take Campbell views on war without doing my own research. As regards Rory Stewart, his father was high up in MI6 and there are unconfirmed reports he also worked for MI6. When it comes to issues of war you must know MI6 will not be telling the truth. My suspicion of these two is heightened by the way they always talk about the start of the war as February 2022. There is plenty of information out there to give a fuller picture of Putins attempts to have a dialogue with USA from Oct 21 onwards! Of course you are free to hold whatever opinion you wish and I agree this xhannel is a good show but there are not always telling the truth!
@@seymourclearly they both come from the same centrist echo chamber. You just have to mention the words Iraq and financial crash to reslise their views are pretty worthless
@@sunseeker9581 ah you must be one of those types who thinks if someone doesnt share your views they are "wrong" or even biased- leave politics to the adults, adults like these two
I suggest to Read Vassily Grossmann two books on Stalingrad . It gives a great introduction to the challenges and tragedies in Ukraine in period Prior to and during and world war
On the subject of defence I would agree broadly that more money is clearly needed to address emerging threats and to recover from decades of underinvestment from both Tory and Labour governments. I have a lot of respect for Rory and his views but I am not sure robbing the navy to fund the army is really a sensible decision for an island nation. All three services are, realistically, in need of investment - including in salaries as Rory suggested in order to improve both recruitment and retention. As for the Type 45's (I am sure Rory knew this and just misspoke as the Type 42 was a much older, less capable vessel which is no longer in service), the reliability of the class is actually much improved, with availability frequently over 50% which is a lot better than most foreign warship classes including in the US navy. The main issue with Type 45 is that there are only 6 of them, after Labour reduced the order from 12 to 8 and then the Tories axed the last two. I can guarentee the navy would bite your hand off to have two additional cutting edge air defence ships in the current environment.
Democrat sell out of working people and becoming a party of the white collar middle classes under Clinton and Obama led to Trump. Ditto Labour capitulating to Thatcherism in the Blair era led to Brexit. Put bread on the table, provide good jobs and a sense of tangible hope for the future and no-one will vote for populist snake oil salesmen. Neoliberalism has so much to answer for- it has poisoned societies the world over since Thatcher and Reagan. Trump and Brexit could so easily have been avoided if parties of the centre left had not abandoned their roots and core support by selling out to corporate interests and chasing chimeric votes by shifting constantly to the right.
Very true. The truth is that politicians like Trump are not rare, globally. In fact, they're very common. Treating him and his supporters as outliers is a mistake. We need to understand them both better.
has he tried to inprison or ban his political opponents from running? oh right... that was you guys... whos claling the other side domestic extremists and a direct threat to democracy?
The idea that an island nation should prioritise the army over the navy is a pretty strange opinion from Rory. The UK needs to focus on mid-tier surface combatants like the Type 31: vessels that have credible self-defence and a bit of punch, unlike the Falklands era Type 21, but also that are not going to break the bank like the Type 45 and Type 26.
Universities are losing money because tuition fees haven't kept up with inflation and fewer foreign students are permitted. However, Universities make huge sums of money from student accommodation and benefit from tax breaks. Many are simply exam factories with few job prospects or placements. Maybe we have too many Universities?
UK spending on defence as a percentage of GDP was 5.5% in mid 80s and has dropped like a stone during the 'peace dividend' since 89. We have to increase again; especially with the likelihood of the US exiting NATO.
Love this podcast, listening from here in the USA. I find in fascinating that the vast popularity of Trump is never discussed, but rather just a view of ‘How to defeat Trump’.
Vast popularity? Think youre in a bubble. The far right love him. Moderates and the left hate him. Hes the only reason democrats have any chance. Any other leader and Biden would be finished.
@@magk5226 suggest looking at what hes done to abortion rights and how hes increased racial hatred. Not to mention his cash giveaway to the rich & climate change denial. Hes dangerous.
Ukraine never got the weapons they need in the amounts required, very far from it. They did their best to conduct a counteroffensive while vastly outnumbered on equipment by their enemy - especially in the air. They did their best, with no long range missiles, no navy, and while forbidden to strike at enemy national territory with any of the weapons from the west. Having a couple hundred ATACMS missiles in May of 2023 might have made all the difference, for instance. Having a crap load of mine clearing equipment might also have made a big difference. It's really important to keep Ukraine on the agenda. Please try to give them their due, so the public doesn't write them off. Nobody should be writing them off. They just need the equipment and the ammo to win.
100% this. I made a similar comment. Most of the high-end stuff has still not reached them. They still haven't received most of the Main Battle Tanks and IFVs promised, let alone the long-range missiles they are desperate for. I understand the politics of not striking Russian territory, but frankly you can't win a war when you have a hand tied behind your back and you aren't allowed to punch your opponent in his own corner. Wars are not won by defence alone.
@kimholder I am asking the following questions in good faith. Please tell me what victory in Ukraine looks like. Does Ukraine retake all of occupied territory that includes Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolayiv, and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts? And, does Ukraine take Crimea and kick the Russians out, including the Russian naval fleet?
@@DukeLitoAurelius Military opinion I'm aware of varies widely, and I don't know what assumptions are involved when people say Ukraine will eventually have to give up land. Based on what has happened so far, it seems entirely plausible that a well-armed Ukrainian army can push Russia out of all occupied lands. For the sake of long-term peace and prosperity for Ukraine, and a win that dissuades Russia and its allies from pulling this crap again, I would say the bare minimum standard is to eject them from Crimea, including all adjacent lands in Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts, and booting their navy out of Sevastapol to another port. The thing that really deserves emphasis is that the performance achieved so far by Ukraine has been achieved while heavily underequipped. We shouldn't even be discussing what constitutes reasonable ambitions before giving them what they need to win, and seeing what they do with it. I think it's pretty likely they will have great success when so supplied. The more success they have, the less likely it is that ultranationalists in Russia will convince themselves they won and be on a war footing again after some years. The less likely it is that Russia will find ways to wedge apart NATO and leave the world open to land grabs elsewhere. NATO's mettle is being tested. Nothing risks escalation now like us blinking.
Its all very well Rory praising Johnson for his support for Ukraine (and how much of that was a performative distraction from domestic problems as Alastair says) but Johnson is endorsing Trump who is likely to betray Ukraine if he's elected. If Johnson was consistent over Ukraine he would support Biden. In any case Johnsons links with the Lebedevs (and his love of money) suggests his loyalties over Ukraine may be rather complicated.
Actually what happened is that people are increasingly disconnected from reality, because their view of the world is shaped by social media campaigns and fake news channels that are being used by a wealthy elite to exploit and exaggerate challenges that the world faces. That’s why Trump happened: big business gives him massive support because they know he will give them billions in tax cuts and millions of “fans” support him because they are effectively brainwashed. It’s not a coincidence that all the people who believe Covid was “a hoax” and that vaccines are part of a “deep state” conspiracy are Trump voters. Stupidity, ignorance and blind allegiance to a semi-god leader will lead to catastrophe.
If you haven't do so already, consider interviewing the historian Timothy Snyder who ill discuss the illegitimate claim of Russia to Ukraine. He has some interesting factualinsights.
I would argue against the statement “no one wants to join the army”. There’s still high numbers of applicants however incredibly long wait times to get from application to phase one, a medical that seems more concerned with disqualifying applicants than getting people fit for the role and next to no contact with the force for applicants for huge spells of the process. Several friends of mine applied, almost all knocked back for medical issues from years ago that do not impact them, almost all joined the police and love it. The people are there but the armed forces seem intent on pushing them away.
I dont think you have done this so far, but what about interviewing nick bryant to get an update on 'when america stopped being great' it seemed to me that a pivotal theme in the 2020 book was that the USA is not deteriorating it is disintergrating!
Good discussion, although Prof Mearsheimer has a much better understanding of the history of this conflict, which didn't start in 2022. There was a US-sponsored coup d'etat in 2014 and re-arming of Ukraine prior to 2022 and the US blowing up the Nord stream pipelines in September 2022. Russia invaded with 190,000 soldiers which is nowhere near enough to take over Ukraine. The initial aim was clearly to force a peace agreement and when that failed the objective was clearly to take control of the Russian-speaking eastern area, which is more or less complete. Now the West is stealing Russian frozen assets. The West caused this war and now they're stealing frozen Russian assets. The West are liars and thieves!!
17:18 Do you think Boris would be so popular in Ukraine if they knew about his KGB links and Russian campaign assistance? If he did anything right it was by accident or as a side-effect of something for his own gain.
And also because the military and MoD were one of the few well functioning departments, both because it's long been the case and because Wallace was in charge.
It incredibly naive to say the navy is where cuts should be made. I'm willing to pay more taxes to see a bigger defence budget but we are an island nation and seapower is how you secure our nation.
The legal cuts, and lots of other cuts as well, were all triggered by what was seen necessary to do in the wake of the late 00s financial crisis. The justification that technology will make it all so much more efficient was just that, a justification.
The UK needs to wake up and really up its defence spending. The days of 2 and 2.5% of GDP are over. We need to double that. That means we need to make some tough choices elsewhere.
When you have a demography change, such as we have and have a company like Capita in charge of something, it's no surprise we've problems with military recruitment. Too many young people also have little to no national identity. What do they have to be proud of? Then, there is no careers advice within the schooling system. Additionally, the push to go to university and if they realise early that they've not the academic ability so turn off learning early excetra. There are many reasons with very few points for improving put forward, if any.
Your answer is incorrect, First past the post and tribal politics is the surest way to this. People voting for awful people because they have a red or blue rosette. PR means they could get around 20-30% of the vote, and have to form a collation. To do that they will have to water policy down (as is happening in the Holland).
@@col.hertford9855 there is a reason why crises of democracy have periodically hit the continent while Britain has been spared for the most part. Yes, Britain is messy, but that's because progress is messy. And going back to the AfD, the reason for the protests is that PR gives germans no tools to remove these people from power if they ever reach it. The alternatives are banning them or resorting to violence. I live in Holland and if Wilder's policies are watered down by coalition negotiations, you can only pray people won't start looking for an even more right wing guy.
Politically impossible but eminently sensible; get rid of the RAF and give the aircraft to the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Huge savings in Civil Service support alone.
Why do politicians always talk about going to war ? It's not them that will do the dying? Could you just imagine Shapps, Sunak leading a charge on the battlefield?? 😅
Ukraine has NOT received any significant numbers of advanced high-end weapons from the West. Most of the Main Battle Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles promised have not reached them yet and they have only been provided with token numbers of long-range missiles. Yes they got HIMARS, but only got the small, short range GMLRS rockets for them, save for a very late and very small number of the ATACMS missiles which they really wanted. Storm Shadow and SCALP from the UK and France have been hugely successful (but they have the nerfed export version apparently) and again not in large numbers. They really need more, plus something longer range like Tarus...which Germany refuses to provide. At this point it is basically a battle of attrition and it is not like Ukraine can win that if the West stops sending more weapons and ammunition.
What I don't understand about the new "pop-con" and it's republican routes, is it's total indifference to what is actually good for the electorate. They make nothing better
Actually the better analogy is Vietnam Kennedy era pre-American boots on the ground, since the US has no taste for being dragged into another war so fighting by proxy.
Chaps - the way to defeat Trump is for the Democrat Party to put forward a credible alternative! It’s that simple. Yet, incredibly, you don’t discuss?!
Julius Caesar studied the history of Alexander "the great" (an evil marauding murdering thief) and that inspired Caesar to become an evil marauding murdering thief. I think Putin sees himself as the Caesar of contemporary Russia. At the end of World War 2, not only did Winston Churchill want to keep the British Empire, he wanted to expand it.
4:32 That’s funny that Russia thinks that WWII started in 1941 considering they invaded Poland in 1939. They just found themselves on a different side in 1941.
When politicians start to believe they belong to “A unique and special nation with a spiritual destiny to save the world”, then only catastrophe can follow. It’s the same for Putin, for many American leaders past and present and for some British conservatives, past and present.
I think we should have more ships that are versatile - but probably not the vulnerable carriers we have. Perhaps we could innovate by converting more civvy ships and buying more, cheaper drones and planes like Grippens rather than F35s. I also think we should have a bigger defence budget and a recruitment drive. Just a thought.
The carriers make sense for where Britain's strategic interests are. They are still the best way to bring hard power to the table in places like the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf. The UK won't be fighting with them in the Pacific. I can't see a reason for the UK to buy Gripens.
@@soulsphere9242 I’m not a defence expert but these carriers are extremely vulnerable. A couple of drones disabling the elevators would make them useless hence I think better to spend the money on smaller, more versatile, ships. I used the Gripens as examples - cheaper, easier to service and designed for dispersal - yet still capable apparently. Basically I think the war in Ukraine will/should make our assumptions redundant so lateral thinking required.
@@Al-Ecosse You are right that drones present new challenges for navies around the world, but that is why the Royal Navy is already testing laser weapons for ship defence. The US Navy has already started deployment of such weapons in limited numbers, so navies are thinking about the drone problem and working on ways to counter them. We are probably going to see more radar-directed small calibre guns on warships as well specifically to combat the drone problem. In terms of versatility though, carriers are pretty much the most versatile ships navies have. The carriers are a long-term strategic investment. They take a long time to design and build and are designed for 50 years of service. They bring a lot of capabilities that smaller surface combatants don't, including the ability to launch drones themselves. I think we will see the RNs carriers used in a multitude of ways: as strike carriers, as commando/helicopter assault carriers and drone carriers. A floating airfield is pretty useful. I think the UK has made the right decision two invest in a pair of them as the core of the fleet. Carriers also still have unmatched sustained strike power. In a major war the UK will run out of Storm Shadows and Tomahawks pretty quickly, but F-35s on the carriers can sustain strike sorties with cheap Paveway bombs day-in-day out. You will run out of cruise missiles before running out of cheap bombs... I do agree the UK needs more smaller ships though. I initially was sceptical about the Type 31 frigate, but I think it is turning out to be quite a balanced general-purpose design: Small crew, but ship has room for growth, credible air defence and versatile weapons fit including gun armament and a good multi-purpose mission bay. As for Gripens, I think they make a lot of sense for mainland Europe, but I think the UK would be better off with deep strike assets that can fight from afar, so I think the F-35A for the Royal Air Force is the way to go and double down on the Tempest. Probably more important at the moment is more Surveliance and Patrol aircraft like Wedgetails and Poseidons.
Highly recommended Mark Gallioti's In Moscow 's Shadows podcast for wide ranging insights into Russia and what it is doing in Ukraine The use of history to create the today is going on in the US and UK too and more or less ignored. Can you imagine trying to train the indisciplined youth of today to high military standards? Lord help those given that task! Why is the evidence not in front of your eyes now that the ARABS don't want a two state solution? Israel is just saying what the Arabs think too.
Plenty of people want to join the British military. Rory should look more deeply into the reasons why recruitment targets consistently fail to be met considering his past.
While Grant Shapps is right to say that the world is getting more dangerous, he has just reinstated the £40 million private helicopter contract that Ben Wallace cancelled.
Yes Putin is upping the propaganda but for how long will the Russian people allow him to survive the effect of the sanctions? - Eggs costing 4 times the pre war price, district heating systems not working because the equipment is mostly from Germany and they don`t have access to spares, massive reduction of oil & gas sales - some of which goes to Pakistan & China who insist on paying in their own currencies, high interest rates and subsequent high inflation etc etc
A propos recruitment, the problem here is the same as the rest of the western countries is demographics. We are not reproducing enough to fill all the roles and vacancies we need. People will have families only if they feel secure, have a decent paying job and can house and feed their children. Also on the subject of Gaza, there is an excellent analysis on the NYT pods at between Ezra Klein and Thomas L Friedman on the situation.One of the many gems is that western leaders only hear what is said in English and not what is said in the native languages.
I'm surprised how you can mention Germany political landscape and not cover the farmers protest and how is has managed to gather popular support in regards to a general rejection of the coalition poor governance and ideological agenda which is damaging the German economy.
Oh really? That's your country was directly involved in overthrowing the ukarainian government in 2014. you will give up your dreams only when substantional number of us citizens would die in war they never had in thier history before.
To improve UK Military recruitment, is very simple to fix. Bring back Military Career Offices on the High Street (Visibility) manned by Military Personnel (Authentic), feed the Military properly as before 'Pay As You Dine' arrived, that was contracted out to civilian staff and Companies away from Military Chefs (Sustain) and pay the Armed Forces properly with a Pension they use to have, as the modern Pension in 2015 was an instant de-centivisation (Support). Finally, get rid of woke political sand-bagging policies, with not allowing tattoos, allowing image wanting face hair, etc, etc (Culture). Then the equipping and manning, becomes simple. The fact is and has been evidenced since the end of the Cold War, there is no Political will, want or belief reasoning for a strong UK Military, by ALL Political Parties & sadly many Military Career Generals who are only interested in national award recognition and preference Officer Pensions compared to the non Officers. Back to more troops than Officers instead of axing the Troops, while saving the Officer cohort! Don't believe the officer dribble of reasoning 'why', as it would reportedly allow a quick build back model argument: really, look at the fine mess UK Military are now in! To stop axing the Military, change is required and that means Political change of will. Also get rid of political military dribble that has been on permanent send since the late 90's by Generals. Then and only then we could restore at least a functioning, workable UK Military. If not, in modern warfare, we may not have time, which is the opposite to that thankfully evidenced in WW2. The UK were fortunate to have a period of the so called Phoney War to start to get ready, then time to do a Dunkirk to save our Military followed by an industrial base that was able to build more aircraft than the Germans during the Battle of Britain (Often overlooked element of this Battle). Haven't heard a credible politician yet that will change current tact, as its all about quick easy wins to remain in parliament with their electorate base, by woke agendas and tax give-aways. Freedom = Sacrifice. Are the UK willing to sacrifice anything anymore for securing Freedom(s)?
The west does keep becoming progressively more liberal, but has retreats, such as Row v Wade in USA and Brexit. Both now unpopular and eventually likely to be reversed. Of course dictatorships are different.
There is a very rational reason why Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina go first in primaries despite their low population, it’s about demographics. Those three states are very reflective of the groups of people both parties need to appeal to in order to win- Iowa = working class Hew Hampshire is full of moderates, and South Carolina for democrats is full of African Americans and for republicans full of establishment conservatives
So much British elitism in the statement about republican donors and establishment not supporting Trump. Going anti-establishment was the reason we got independent in the first place 😅
Agree, the elephant in the room is NATO expansion and they failed to recognise this. I know they are on the US side, but disappointing given these two are intelligent and sensible people.
@@Ruth2475 Nato expansion is the direct result of Russian resurgent aggression to rebuild its European Empire after it was dismantled in 1989-92. The former vassal countries are all in Nato because they fear Russia. Even neutrals such as Sweden and Finland have joined for self protection.
Regarding your discussion Putin's rewriting of Russian history. Thanks for the fascinating recap, but it appeared to me you both were dancing around using plain language to describe them as the absolute lies they are. I feel it's important that they are plainly and explicitly labeled as such, especially (but not only) by the media.
I can't think of two more sensible commentators in the world than Alastair and Rory. Thank you both!
There idiots trump wants to end nato which is the most leftist thing ever to happen by a usa president
Think harder.
@@vapeymcvape5000your answer is?
Jesus wept.
@@JB-xd9dr someone that doesnt rate Blair & Theresa May highly would be a good start.
Much of the internet is an absolute hell hole but this is what it can be at its best: two highly intelligent men using reason and thought to discuss calmly and logically what are often complex issues. It's highly impressive and we need more of this kind of quality.
you might find John Joseph Mearsheimer's view on Russia/ Ukraine, the west to help balance the opening propaganda here
@@futures2247 When it comes to a tyrant like Putin (and his hideous old dinosaur sidekick Lavrov), who is entirely responsible for the deaths of thousands of often young Ukraine and Russian conscripts and the suffering of their families, I'll give his views and those of other appeasers like Chomsky, Pilger and Corbyn a miss thanks very much.
@@futures2247No thanks - when it comes to apologists and appeasers for a tyrant like Putin, who is entirely responsible for the suffering and death of thousands of often young Ukraine and Russian conscripts, I'll give him, Chomsky, Pilger and Corbyn a miss.
Ignorance and bias in all its glory.
such a shame that when we are living with the opportunity to learn from different ideas and develop more rounded views we are so often trapped in bias and ignorance.@@martydav9475
Brilliant thank you gentlemen
I am loving the frequency that this UA-cam channel is uploading lately! I watch this on the big TV in my living room. Thanks x
Also. Phone in bed in Australia
Big TV, phone, laptop, here but prefer TV as it’s like a niche show of global political eduction, and honesty that no other channel can replicate.
How big
From across the pond, wonderful discussion...as always. You guys are grappling with some big issues.
Not as big as yours though hoooooooly crud
@@dh1380 Yeah, I get the feeling we are trying to save democracy. LOL
Your channel is superb…my favourite for global nuanced comment. Keep on from Canada!
I love this program thank you both so much
It's highly impressive.
Agreed Samuel. It’s brilliant.
Great pragmatic analysis of the Rwanda / judicial system from Alistair
The MoD should never have outsourced recruitment!
Public sector shouldn't outsource anything. Its literally just giving money to middle men. Why pay a private company 300,000k for a team of 5 cleaners when you can pay 10 cleaners 30k each.
@@zo7034 What! Where would all of the Tory Party donations come from?
Think of your poor MP, having to scrape by on a mere pittance, reduced to driving a Range Rover Sport and having their children attend Harrow as day pupils!
@@zo7034
Yes and no. Your in-house bureaucracy can grow and harden, becoming every bit as useless and wasteful as the commercial process if you're not careful.
It's simply a question for continual reappraisal.
I would not trust Capita with anything
I worked on the technology setup on a new campus for a very wealthy American university. We spent a fortune on new technology with the hope that it’ll all run itself and save a fortune in staffing. All it did was create a huge technocratic workforce that cost a fortune just to keep the lights on. It is governmental folly to think that tech will solve all problems.
Oh no, don't say that! It's all Alistair's pal Blair can bang on about from dawn till dusk
I am a software developer and fully endorse this view. The best software is no software.
There's a guy called John Seddon who has written a lot on this issue, both with software and non-software systems (e.g. call centres) designed to serve people. He's spent a lot of time in the public sector in the UK and has some great case studies.
One of his observations which I think is important is that the system needs to be built to accommodate the complex situations and needs of the people who interact with it. Including situations that could not have been anticipated when the systems were designed.
If you formalise things too much, or design things primarily for ease of management, there is no flex to cope with unexpected demands. Then when the system starts failing, this creates more problems for the people in it, which creates more demand to fix those problems (failure demand- work created by failures of the system). We go in to these automation and formalisation efforts to manage costs, and costs go up, while outcomes get worse.
If you keep humans in the loop who have the tools, time and authority to figure out how to help people, they'll usually do that. "The computer says no" should never happen.
You’re underestimating the attraction of all this extra staff and the job opportunities for managers. Classic public sector
To be fair, as we've all learned in the past few months, just because someone is working at or attending a prestigious university, it is no indication at all that they are intelligent, ethical, or capable.
"Tech will solve all problems" is not a "thinking" or thought, it's the driving ideology of American industries and (especially) business tycoons. Which means it's one of the tenets of America, and a pillar of the World Order.
I really appreciate this podcast. I get more information and intelligent nuance of world affairs from R & A than from all of the conventional broadcast media. Thank you.
I second that. It’s the first place I go to for an honest and articulate explanation of global affairs.
I couldn’t agree more. Great comment 👍
Its the location for centrist views
Bangin' lamp Rory, i like it.
I was in Bavaria recently and got caught up in an AFD "roadshow" for want of a better word. They SEEMED to be very much in the minority where popular opinion was concerned. The number of protesters (mostly young people) who came out to demostrate against them was probably four or fives times that of the AFD. I see this as a good thing, however I can also understand Germany wanting to break from the whole WW2 apologist type mindset. I mean it was generations ago. What I don't think is the correct response is radicalisation back in the opposite direction.
It's a good feeling to see likes going up while listening, knowing that other people are enjoying such deep, nuanced and thoughtful content at the same time as me.
keeps my dwindling faith in humanity alive (niche but fervently there) ;)
Excellent discussion, but a wake up call to our current tranche of politicians to listen to their electorate and deal with issues rather than just trying to look good, otherwise it's not going to end well.
On criminal justice the plain fact is that justice delayed isnt justice at all!
100%
Rory’s initial summary about Putin, Russian history, and Russia’s place in the world is superb. In my experience this is what Russians actually believe. Jade McGlynn is excellent, and what she publishes is well worth reading.
Why cant the world be like this Rational.
Chaps, a warning! We are an island race we depend upon the sea that surrounds us. Don't talk down the need for the Navy!
Have you had Anne Applebaum on when you discuss Ukraine? She’s extremely knowledgeable and written books about Ukrainian and Russian history and would definitely have important I sights to share.
Would be a phenomenal guest - although she does not quite fit the bill for Leading and do they do interviews on the Rest is Politics?
Thank you
Alistair - you were interested to know what in British politics could trigger a huge level of public protest... wasn't that exactly what happened back in February 2003?
Regarding military recruitment, there are a lot of people putting the initial application to join the armed forces in. Capita then takes 18 months to two years to get back to them, by which time they're no longer interested as they've given up waiting, have invested time in a different career, and aren't interested in joining the military on a wage that works out to be significantly less than minimum wage as the armed forces are exempt from that legislation.
Why do we keep giving firms like Capita these important roles ?
Interesting you talk about military recruiting. I was in the TA (now Army Reserves) for 7 years. I was a trained recruiter for the 49 Brigade too. Recruitment back then was hard due to a hangover from the Iraq war and a distrust of the government who are defacto in charge of the military.
I left because they axed funding in the Defence Strategic Review (2010 I think?) I always wanted to be an engineer in the RAF but the deal about joining up (I was an Officer) was so unbelievably poor. 12hr days as a Junior Engineering officer, 6 days a week, with call up liability, tiresome exercises....or I could get double the wage for a 37.5hr week with more progression and evenings and weekends to myself.
We think engineering (and STEM) died in industry, it was so so so much worse in the military.
I'm the REME we weren't even allowed to touch the new MAN trucks because of a maintenance contract. There was no point me being there, it was boring.
PopCon? I would have thought 'FlopCon' describes Liz Truss more appropriately.
LettuceCon?
People have had enough of being dictated to by unelected corporate elites, organisations, or those paid for by them. It's as simple as that.
Do you see trump as an alternative?
It seems the Tories/Pop Cons are determined to do all they can in order to lose the next election, despite the lack of threat from any of the opposition.
Thank you once again for another highly informative and entertaining podcast, despite the fact that this one was also particularly bleak.
i would SO love to see the two of you on Pod Save America (or vice versa) ❤❤❤ thank you for your effort and altruism
Yes Please!!!
Very much enjoy your analyses. Obviously a lot of knowledge behind them and well-organised toward helping me put current events in perspective. Will definitely keep watching.
Thanks for putting this up
What about RFK?
Vlad Vexler’s channel discusses one compelling view of Putin’s psychology. Not expert enough to know how correct he is, but his model certainly fits observations of Putin’s behaviour.
Tell us more about Nicki Hayley
12:55 - it's less a lack of training, more that they do not have control of the air, which is a prerequisite for Western/NATO tactics to work
And that they weren't given the equipment they asked for in the numbers they asked for, and we're then politically pressured to attack anyway
Love this podcast 2 political heavyweights who speak sense
With respect you need to listen to other views. These guys are so wrong on so many things!
@@joepaluka9031Don't you understand the concept of opinion. These two guys have served at very high levels and have great political knowledge and ability, so I think i will listen to them rather than someone who says they are wrong but gives no argument for their simplistic statement.
@seymourclearly in that particular post, I did not go into detail. Fair point. Here is a brief post on why these two need to be treated with caution
Campbell pushed the Iraq war Dodgy Dossier, which claimed Iraq had WMD. it led directly to the suicide of David Kelly. I am not blaming Campbell for that, but it was a consequence of it. So, I, for one, will not take Campbell views on war without doing my own research.
As regards Rory Stewart, his father was high up in MI6 and there are unconfirmed reports he also worked for MI6. When it comes to issues of war you must know MI6 will not be telling the truth.
My suspicion of these two is heightened by the way they always talk about the start of the war as February 2022. There is plenty of information out there to give a fuller picture of Putins attempts to have a dialogue with USA from Oct 21 onwards!
Of course you are free to hold whatever opinion you wish and I agree this xhannel is a good show but there are not always telling the truth!
@@seymourclearly they both come from the same centrist echo chamber. You just have to mention the words Iraq and financial crash to reslise their views are pretty worthless
@@sunseeker9581 ah you must be one of those types who thinks if someone doesnt share your views they are "wrong" or even biased- leave politics to the adults, adults like these two
There's always money for war.
@9:29 great snapshot
I suggest to Read Vassily Grossmann two books on Stalingrad . It gives a great introduction to the challenges and tragedies in Ukraine in period Prior to and during and world war
Stalingrad, Life and Fate and Everything Flows. Three great books on the subject. Love Grossman's works
On the subject of defence I would agree broadly that more money is clearly needed to address emerging threats and to recover from decades of underinvestment from both Tory and Labour governments. I have a lot of respect for Rory and his views but I am not sure robbing the navy to fund the army is really a sensible decision for an island nation. All three services are, realistically, in need of investment - including in salaries as Rory suggested in order to improve both recruitment and retention. As for the Type 45's (I am sure Rory knew this and just misspoke as the Type 42 was a much older, less capable vessel which is no longer in service), the reliability of the class is actually much improved, with availability frequently over 50% which is a lot better than most foreign warship classes including in the US navy. The main issue with Type 45 is that there are only 6 of them, after Labour reduced the order from 12 to 8 and then the Tories axed the last two. I can guarentee the navy would bite your hand off to have two additional cutting edge air defence ships in the current environment.
Describing Nikki as "very interesting" is an absurdity.
Stop asking how to stop Trump. Instead, ask yourselves why people maybe drawn to him and his politics
Democrat sell out of working people and becoming a party of the white collar middle classes under Clinton and Obama led to Trump. Ditto Labour capitulating to Thatcherism in the Blair era led to Brexit. Put bread on the table, provide good jobs and a sense of tangible hope for the future and no-one will vote for populist snake oil salesmen. Neoliberalism has so much to answer for- it has poisoned societies the world over since Thatcher and Reagan. Trump and Brexit could so easily have been avoided if parties of the centre left had not abandoned their roots and core support by selling out to corporate interests and chasing chimeric votes by shifting constantly to the right.
That may yield some unsavoury truths about the capabilities of many Republicans to engage in critical thinking
It’s an urgent question. What’s your answer to that?
Very true. The truth is that politicians like Trump are not rare, globally. In fact, they're very common. Treating him and his supporters as outliers is a mistake. We need to understand them both better.
My answer to this post has been removed. It criticised Blair and Clinton.
Why has the GoP allowed Trump to run on the Republican ticket? Why can’t they kick him out of the party and if he wants to run let him run on his own.
It would be even more difficult for the Deep State to rig the election if it was split 3 ways.
has he tried to inprison or ban his political opponents from running?
oh right... that was you guys...
whos claling the other side domestic extremists and a direct threat to democracy?
why would they banhim, what has he done
The idea that an island nation should prioritise the army over the navy is a pretty strange opinion from Rory. The UK needs to focus on mid-tier surface combatants like the Type 31: vessels that have credible self-defence and a bit of punch, unlike the Falklands era Type 21, but also that are not going to break the bank like the Type 45 and Type 26.
Universities are losing money because tuition fees haven't kept up with inflation and fewer foreign students are permitted. However, Universities make huge sums of money from student accommodation and benefit from tax breaks. Many are simply exam factories with few job prospects or placements. Maybe we have too many Universities?
UK spending on defence as a percentage of GDP was 5.5% in mid 80s and has dropped like a stone during the 'peace dividend' since 89. We have to increase again; especially with the likelihood of the US exiting NATO.
Spot on. We need to get back to 5% or more.
Love this podcast, listening from here in the USA. I find in fascinating that the vast popularity of Trump is never discussed, but rather just a view of ‘How to defeat Trump’.
Yes would appreciate a more balanced view and comparisons to policies and actions to other presidents to compare
Vast popularity? Think youre in a bubble. The far right love him. Moderates and the left hate him. Hes the only reason democrats have any chance. Any other leader and Biden would be finished.
@@magk5226 suggest looking at what hes done to abortion rights and how hes increased racial hatred. Not to mention his cash giveaway to the rich & climate change denial. Hes dangerous.
Ukraine never got the weapons they need in the amounts required, very far from it. They did their best to conduct a counteroffensive while vastly outnumbered on equipment by their enemy - especially in the air. They did their best, with no long range missiles, no navy, and while forbidden to strike at enemy national territory with any of the weapons from the west. Having a couple hundred ATACMS missiles in May of 2023 might have made all the difference, for instance. Having a crap load of mine clearing equipment might also have made a big difference.
It's really important to keep Ukraine on the agenda. Please try to give them their due, so the public doesn't write them off. Nobody should be writing them off. They just need the equipment and the ammo to win.
100% this. I made a similar comment. Most of the high-end stuff has still not reached them. They still haven't received most of the Main Battle Tanks and IFVs promised, let alone the long-range missiles they are desperate for. I understand the politics of not striking Russian territory, but frankly you can't win a war when you have a hand tied behind your back and you aren't allowed to punch your opponent in his own corner. Wars are not won by defence alone.
lol what
Dreaming
@kimholder I am asking the following questions in good faith. Please tell me what victory in Ukraine looks like. Does Ukraine retake all of occupied territory that includes Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolayiv, and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts? And, does Ukraine take Crimea and kick the Russians out, including the Russian naval fleet?
@@DukeLitoAurelius Military opinion I'm aware of varies widely, and I don't know what assumptions are involved when people say Ukraine will eventually have to give up land. Based on what has happened so far, it seems entirely plausible that a well-armed Ukrainian army can push Russia out of all occupied lands. For the sake of long-term peace and prosperity for Ukraine, and a win that dissuades Russia and its allies from pulling this crap again, I would say the bare minimum standard is to eject them from Crimea, including all adjacent lands in Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts, and booting their navy out of Sevastapol to another port.
The thing that really deserves emphasis is that the performance achieved so far by Ukraine has been achieved while heavily underequipped. We shouldn't even be discussing what constitutes reasonable ambitions before giving them what they need to win, and seeing what they do with it. I think it's pretty likely they will have great success when so supplied. The more success they have, the less likely it is that ultranationalists in Russia will convince themselves they won and be on a war footing again after some years. The less likely it is that Russia will find ways to wedge apart NATO and leave the world open to land grabs elsewhere. NATO's mettle is being tested. Nothing risks escalation now like us blinking.
Its all very well Rory praising Johnson for his support for Ukraine (and how much of that was a performative distraction from domestic problems as Alastair says) but Johnson is endorsing Trump who is likely to betray Ukraine if he's elected. If Johnson was consistent over Ukraine he would support Biden. In any case Johnsons links with the Lebedevs (and his love of money) suggests his loyalties over Ukraine may be rather complicated.
Politicians are disconected from the public, and have been for quite some time. This is why Trump happened.
Perhaps the new politics is actually just popularism.
Actually what happened is that people are increasingly disconnected from reality, because their view of the world is shaped by social media campaigns and fake news channels that are being used by a wealthy elite to exploit and exaggerate challenges that the world faces. That’s why Trump happened: big business gives him massive support because they know he will give them billions in tax cuts and millions of “fans” support him because they are effectively brainwashed. It’s not a coincidence that all the people who believe Covid was “a hoax” and that vaccines are part of a “deep state” conspiracy are Trump voters. Stupidity, ignorance and blind allegiance to a semi-god leader will lead to catastrophe.
If you haven't do so already, consider interviewing the historian Timothy Snyder who ill discuss the illegitimate claim of Russia to Ukraine. He has some interesting factualinsights.
I would argue against the statement “no one wants to join the army”. There’s still high numbers of applicants however incredibly long wait times to get from application to phase one, a medical that seems more concerned with disqualifying applicants than getting people fit for the role and next to no contact with the force for applicants for huge spells of the process.
Several friends of mine applied, almost all knocked back for medical issues from years ago that do not impact them, almost all joined the police and love it. The people are there but the armed forces seem intent on pushing them away.
I dont think you have done this so far, but what about interviewing nick bryant to get an update on 'when america stopped being great' it seemed to me that a pivotal theme in the 2020 book was that the USA is not deteriorating it is disintergrating!
Good discussion, although Prof Mearsheimer has a much better understanding of the history of this conflict, which didn't start in 2022. There was a US-sponsored coup d'etat in 2014 and re-arming of Ukraine prior to 2022 and the US blowing up the Nord stream pipelines in September 2022. Russia invaded with 190,000 soldiers which is nowhere near enough to take over Ukraine. The initial aim was clearly to force a peace agreement and when that failed the objective was clearly to take control of the Russian-speaking eastern area, which is more or less complete. Now the West is stealing Russian frozen assets. The West caused this war and now they're stealing frozen Russian assets. The West are liars and thieves!!
17:18 Do you think Boris would be so popular in Ukraine if they knew about his KGB links and Russian campaign assistance?
If he did anything right it was by accident or as a side-effect of something for his own gain.
And also because the military and MoD were one of the few well functioning departments, both because it's long been the case and because Wallace was in charge.
What is the proof of Russian campaign assistance?
It incredibly naive to say the navy is where cuts should be made. I'm willing to pay more taxes to see a bigger defence budget but we are an island nation and seapower is how you secure our nation.
The legal cuts, and lots of other cuts as well, were all triggered by what was seen necessary to do in the wake of the late 00s financial crisis. The justification that technology will make it all so much more efficient was just that, a justification.
The UK needs to wake up and really up its defence spending. The days of 2 and 2.5% of GDP are over. We need to double that. That means we need to make some tough choices elsewhere.
How has it been 2 years
How do you go from “We shouldn’t have to keep apologizing for WWII.” To “they basically admire the Nazis.”?
That is some wild ****.
When you have a demography change, such as we have and have a company like Capita in charge of something, it's no surprise we've problems with military recruitment. Too many young people also have little to no national identity. What do they have to be proud of? Then, there is no careers advice within the schooling system. Additionally, the push to go to university and if they realise early that they've not the academic ability so turn off learning early excetra.
There are many reasons with very few points for improving put forward, if any.
On the topic of AfD...
Q: "What would have to happen in british politics for this kind of thing to happen?"
A: Proportional representation.
Your answer is incorrect, First past the post and tribal politics is the surest way to this. People voting for awful people because they have a red or blue rosette. PR means they could get around 20-30% of the vote, and have to form a collation. To do that they will have to water policy down (as is happening in the Holland).
@@col.hertford9855 there is a reason why crises of democracy have periodically hit the continent while Britain has been spared for the most part. Yes, Britain is messy, but that's because progress is messy.
And going back to the AfD, the reason for the protests is that PR gives germans no tools to remove these people from power if they ever reach it. The alternatives are banning them or resorting to violence.
I live in Holland and if Wilder's policies are watered down by coalition negotiations, you can only pray people won't start looking for an even more right wing guy.
It is really really unlikely PR would actually be the cause of it, unless a party gets over 50% of the power. Which is really unlikely.
@@col.hertford9855 how are they awful people?
@@wasdwasdedsf because they feel it’s okay to make life shitter for people, to smoke screen poor governance.
Politically impossible but eminently sensible; get rid of the RAF and give the aircraft to the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Huge savings in Civil Service support alone.
Proud to have protested in the snow this Saturday past, a very diverse demographic too.
Why do politicians always talk about going to war ? It's not them that will do the dying? Could you just imagine Shapps, Sunak leading a charge on the battlefield?? 😅
War makes money. Stimulates economy. At least that’s their mindset.
Ukraine has NOT received any significant numbers of advanced high-end weapons from the West. Most of the Main Battle Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles promised have not reached them yet and they have only been provided with token numbers of long-range missiles.
Yes they got HIMARS, but only got the small, short range GMLRS rockets for them, save for a very late and very small number of the ATACMS missiles which they really wanted. Storm Shadow and SCALP from the UK and France have been hugely successful (but they have the nerfed export version apparently) and again not in large numbers. They really need more, plus something longer range like Tarus...which Germany refuses to provide.
At this point it is basically a battle of attrition and it is not like Ukraine can win that if the West stops sending more weapons and ammunition.
35:38 Nikki Hayley a "moderate voice" no hope for Rory's judgement on this one.
correct, she is extreme left
What I don't understand about the new "pop-con" and it's republican routes, is it's total indifference to what is actually good for the electorate. They make nothing better
Actually the better analogy is Vietnam Kennedy era pre-American boots on the ground, since the US has no taste for being dragged into another war so fighting by proxy.
The fact that the whole US election is decided by 100k voters in Iowa is hilarious.
What the whole election is a republican primary to decide what republican will run against Biden? Ok whatever!
A few hundred MPs decided Rishi should be PM.
what...? its not... trump was always going to be a freewin, iowa had no relevance to anything...
How male non human animals defend their territories?
Chaps - the way to defeat Trump is for the Democrat Party to put forward a credible alternative! It’s that simple. Yet, incredibly, you don’t discuss?!
They don't have one, and everyone knows it.
Spot on! How can anyone in all conscience vote for Biden? He should be in a nursing home being cared for.
Spot on! There is no credible alternative.
There isnt a Dem who can overcome either Biden or Trump's incumbant advantage
The public school boy talks down to the plebs. Doesn't he realise that we're not stupid?????
Join the Navy today, get rid of your scurvy tomorrow.
Iowa turnout low due to the sever weather
Rory could not find a way to defeat Boris, let alone Trump.
Well that worked out well for Boris and the Tories didn't it.
Yeah , they fucked the whole country up. @@martydav9475
Julius Caesar studied the history of Alexander "the great" (an evil marauding murdering thief) and that inspired Caesar to become an evil marauding murdering thief. I think Putin sees himself as the Caesar of contemporary Russia.
At the end of World War 2, not only did Winston Churchill want to keep the British Empire, he wanted to expand it.
I’m no fan of trump, but the alternative is just as shit. All Politicians have forgotten who they are elected to serve!
Bad moment for Ron DeSantis when Blacks For Trump thought he was too racist
4:32 That’s funny that Russia thinks that WWII started in 1941 considering they invaded Poland in 1939. They just found themselves on a different side in 1941.
When politicians start to believe they belong to “A unique and special nation with a spiritual destiny to save the world”, then only catastrophe can follow. It’s the same for Putin, for many American leaders past and present and for some British conservatives, past and present.
Well said, american exceptionalism is a threat to the rest of us
I think we should have more ships that are versatile - but probably not the vulnerable carriers we have. Perhaps we could innovate by converting more civvy ships and buying more, cheaper drones and planes like Grippens rather than F35s.
I also think we should have a bigger defence budget and a recruitment drive.
Just a thought.
The carriers make sense for where Britain's strategic interests are. They are still the best way to bring hard power to the table in places like the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Gulf. The UK won't be fighting with them in the Pacific. I can't see a reason for the UK to buy Gripens.
@@soulsphere9242 I’m not a defence expert but these carriers are extremely vulnerable. A couple of drones disabling the elevators would make them useless hence I think better to spend the money on smaller, more versatile, ships. I used the Gripens as examples - cheaper, easier to service and designed for dispersal - yet still capable apparently. Basically I think the war in Ukraine will/should make our assumptions redundant so lateral thinking required.
@@Al-Ecosse You are right that drones present new challenges for navies around the world, but that is why the Royal Navy is already testing laser weapons for ship defence. The US Navy has already started deployment of such weapons in limited numbers, so navies are thinking about the drone problem and working on ways to counter them. We are probably going to see more radar-directed small calibre guns on warships as well specifically to combat the drone problem.
In terms of versatility though, carriers are pretty much the most versatile ships navies have. The carriers are a long-term strategic investment. They take a long time to design and build and are designed for 50 years of service. They bring a lot of capabilities that smaller surface combatants don't, including the ability to launch drones themselves. I think we will see the RNs carriers used in a multitude of ways: as strike carriers, as commando/helicopter assault carriers and drone carriers. A floating airfield is pretty useful. I think the UK has made the right decision two invest in a pair of them as the core of the fleet.
Carriers also still have unmatched sustained strike power. In a major war the UK will run out of Storm Shadows and Tomahawks pretty quickly, but F-35s on the carriers can sustain strike sorties with cheap Paveway bombs day-in-day out. You will run out of cruise missiles before running out of cheap bombs...
I do agree the UK needs more smaller ships though. I initially was sceptical about the Type 31 frigate, but I think it is turning out to be quite a balanced general-purpose design: Small crew, but ship has room for growth, credible air defence and versatile weapons fit including gun armament and a good multi-purpose mission bay.
As for Gripens, I think they make a lot of sense for mainland Europe, but I think the UK would be better off with deep strike assets that can fight from afar, so I think the F-35A for the Royal Air Force is the way to go and double down on the Tempest. Probably more important at the moment is more Surveliance and Patrol aircraft like Wedgetails and Poseidons.
Highly recommended Mark Gallioti's In Moscow 's Shadows podcast for wide ranging insights into Russia and what it is doing in Ukraine
The use of history to create the today is going on in the US and UK too and more or less ignored.
Can you imagine trying to train the indisciplined youth of today to high military standards? Lord help those given that task!
Why is the evidence not in front of your eyes now that the ARABS don't want a two state solution? Israel is just saying what the Arabs think too.
Here here, Mark Gallioti's In Moscow 's Shadows podcast is unbelievable detailed and gives a fantastic analysis.
Plenty of people want to join the British military. Rory should look more deeply into the reasons why recruitment targets consistently fail to be met considering his past.
You mean outsourcing it to a private company hasn't worked. 😮
While Grant Shapps is right to say that the world is getting more dangerous, he has just reinstated the £40 million private helicopter contract that Ben Wallace cancelled.
Oh, good for him! I'll be sure to keep the heating off for another day and help pay for it.
I kinda like this channel even though I very rarely agree with a word they say. lol
The lost art of disagreeing, agreeably 🤝
Yes Putin is upping the propaganda but for how long will the Russian people allow him to survive the effect of the sanctions? - Eggs costing 4 times the pre war price, district heating systems not working because the equipment is mostly from Germany and they don`t have access to spares, massive reduction of oil & gas sales - some of which goes to Pakistan & China who insist on paying in their own currencies, high interest rates and subsequent high inflation etc etc
A propos recruitment, the problem here is the same as the rest of the western countries is demographics. We are not reproducing enough to fill all the roles and vacancies we need. People will have families only if they feel secure, have a decent paying job and can house and feed their children. Also on the subject of Gaza, there is an excellent analysis on the NYT pods at between Ezra Klein and Thomas L Friedman on the situation.One of the many gems is that western leaders only hear what is said in English and not what is said in the native languages.
Rory Stewart would make a great PM, he's competent, rational and honest which means he doesn't have a chance
I'm surprised how you can mention Germany political landscape and not cover the farmers protest and how is has managed to gather popular support in regards to a general rejection of the coalition poor governance and ideological agenda which is damaging the German economy.
Orange Dawn
corpses does give off a lovely orange glow...😮
The Empire of Thanatos 🇺🇸🇬🇧
The Empire of Thanatos 🇺🇸🇬🇧
The Empire of Thanatos 🇺🇸🇬🇧💀☠☻💀☠☻
A mixture of Red and Yellow.
I thought I listened to this podcast yesterday 😮. Am I hallucinating? The headline was: 212. Why Trump’s return wasn’t inevitable.
you do know that the internet allows broad views - the opening guff on Russia is funny
Unlike Russia, we know when to give up on our dreams of empire.
Oh really? That's your country was directly involved in overthrowing the ukarainian government in 2014. you will give up your dreams only when substantional number of us citizens would die in war they never had in thier history before.
To improve UK Military recruitment, is very simple to fix. Bring back Military Career Offices on the High Street (Visibility) manned by Military Personnel (Authentic), feed the Military properly as before 'Pay As You Dine' arrived, that was contracted out to civilian staff and Companies away from Military Chefs (Sustain) and pay the Armed Forces properly with a Pension they use to have, as the modern Pension in 2015 was an instant de-centivisation (Support). Finally, get rid of woke political sand-bagging policies, with not allowing tattoos, allowing image wanting face hair, etc, etc (Culture). Then the equipping and manning, becomes simple. The fact is and has been evidenced since the end of the Cold War, there is no Political will, want or belief reasoning for a strong UK Military, by ALL Political Parties & sadly many Military Career Generals who are only interested in national award recognition and preference Officer Pensions compared to the non Officers. Back to more troops than Officers instead of axing the Troops, while saving the Officer cohort! Don't believe the officer dribble of reasoning 'why', as it would reportedly allow a quick build back model argument: really, look at the fine mess UK Military are now in! To stop axing the Military, change is required and that means Political change of will. Also get rid of political military dribble that has been on permanent send since the late 90's by Generals. Then and only then we could restore at least a functioning, workable UK Military. If not, in modern warfare, we may not have time, which is the opposite to that thankfully evidenced in WW2. The UK were fortunate to have a period of the so called Phoney War to start to get ready, then time to do a Dunkirk to save our Military followed by an industrial base that was able to build more aircraft than the Germans during the Battle of Britain (Often overlooked element of this Battle). Haven't heard a credible politician yet that will change current tact, as its all about quick easy wins to remain in parliament with their electorate base, by woke agendas and tax give-aways. Freedom = Sacrifice. Are the UK willing to sacrifice anything anymore for securing Freedom(s)?
The west does keep becoming progressively more liberal, but has retreats, such as Row v Wade in USA and Brexit. Both now unpopular and eventually likely to be reversed. Of course dictatorships are different.
On Trump Rory is living a fantasy if he thinks he might lose to Haley. Trump enjoys huge poll leads. On the election that is much more balanced
There is a very rational reason why Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina go first in primaries despite their low population, it’s about demographics. Those three states are very reflective of the groups of people both parties need to appeal to in order to win- Iowa = working class Hew Hampshire is full of moderates, and South Carolina for democrats is full of African Americans and for republicans full of establishment conservatives
So much British elitism in the statement about republican donors and establishment not supporting Trump.
Going anti-establishment was the reason we got independent in the first place 😅
Get Prof John Mearsheimer on
That 19th century pro Russian publicist? No thanks.
And Professor Jeffery Sachs
Agree, the elephant in the room is NATO expansion and they failed to recognise this. I know they are on the US side, but disappointing given these two are intelligent and sensible people.
@@laogong52 Sachs was fine 30+ years ago as communism collapse in Europe. But not now dealing wuth a resurgent aggressive Russia.
@@Ruth2475 Nato expansion is the direct result of Russian resurgent aggression to rebuild its European Empire after it was dismantled in 1989-92. The former vassal countries are all in Nato because they fear Russia. Even neutrals such as Sweden and Finland have joined for self protection.
Regarding your discussion Putin's rewriting of Russian history. Thanks for the fascinating recap, but it appeared to me you both were dancing around using plain language to describe them as the absolute lies they are. I feel it's important that they are plainly and explicitly labeled as such, especially (but not only) by the media.
45:07 zinger!!!!