"The Black Sea is not safe for Putin's fleet. Until recently, this was unimaginable. If we give Ukrainians what they need, the bravery and skill of the Ukrainian Armed Forces can unlock victories once thought impossible."
I see #GrantShapps (currently #defence secretary) has said the era of the 'peace dividend' is over & we need to spend more on defence given the current international climate.
I'm not goitre to get into whether this is the right or wrong analysis & approach... what I want to question is: 'peace dividend'?
After a decade & half of #Tory#austerity, an engineered crisis in the public sector & #NHS, with the #costofliving crisis & stagnated economic development.... what peace dividend, was that?
"Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being drawn, the tanks are literally on #Ukraine's lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads", said Mr #Shapps
This morning I imagine #GrantShapps is bitterly disappointed that in #RishiSunak's #reshuffle he has been left sitting in the same chair when the music stopped... a chance to increase his tally of Ministerial jobs (for the time being) frustrated...
Shapps ministerial bingo will pause, but maybe not for long?
In the UK (in Govt. & in the private sector) too often the amateur (or generalist) is appointed.
In Govt. we have the example of #GrantShapps who in the last year has had five different cabinet posts... whatever his knowledge & skills they can't have fit all five jobs.
In #retail Sharon White's lack of retail experience looks to have ended her stint at JLP
“Is #GrantShapps – a man who, let’s not forget, used a fake name after becoming an MP to pose as a “multimillion-dollar web marketer” for his second job running a get-rich-quick scheme, and then lied about it for three years – up to one of the most sensitive jobs in government?”
In a functioning democracy he’d have been kicked out of Parliament for being deceitful.
In the Conservative Party lying and dishonesty are rewarded with jobs way above competency.
Hey #Ukraine, in case you thought we take things seriously round here....we don't!
Good luck getting anything out of this cowboy grifter, he'll probably sell your confidential deets online given half a chance.🤡
Oh sorry, did you think us Brits were grown ups? We're very good at pulling the wool over people's eyes (that's an idiom for 'lying')
Q. is the latest 'surge' in #gas prices a further short period of volatility or the shift back to higher prices driven by storage & #supplychain issues in the #energy sector?
Its always difficult reading short-term changes (especially across the last couple of month of volatile prices), but equally if prices are about to head up #GrantShapps may be looking at (another) UTurn on #energyprices support in the Autumn.
Now, wouldn't it have been refreshing, if citing #energy security, he had announced a massive programme of #renewableenergy & energy storage investments to drive a fast improvement in existing technologies....
but no, his chums in #BigOil would not like that at all.... whatever BP claim about being 'beyond petroleum' (they aren't!)