The warheads may soon be dropping from the upper atmosphere, so it only seems polite to mention yet another European war. In some ways, one of the most worrying parts, from a purely selfish perspective, is the extreme incompetence of most western governments at present. Throw in a handful of dictators with insane world-views plus a few more powerful voices for whom personal advancement and world politics are much the same thing, and you have a recipe for fun times.

What are some governments in history that you consider competent? A lot of governments are hobbled by superannuated political boundaries and foundational structures, and extreme polarization of their populations. The ones that appear successful in hindsight, were usually done on the backs of others who have brought forward their grievances at precisely the moment the government(s) have become fat and weak. There are similarities and lessons to be drawn from e.g. the Wiemar era, but it only goes so far. It's a whole new (old) ballgame.

From a purely personal point of view, while I'm slightly concerned about the impending fiery death that awaits me should Russia decide to nuke Faslane or Glasgow (or both), I think it's also hilarious that the Russians are blaming Liz Truss for it. Less hilarious is the breathless reporting of what is quite clearly Kremlin fuckery by the mainstream news sites, but that's the world we live in now.

It doesn't seem to be working out quite how Putin intended. By this point, he was supposed to have a puppet government in Kyiv, but instead all that's happened is that Aeroflot can't fly anywhere, assets are being seized and frozen, the Ruble's value has plummeted, and the actions of his kleptocrats, propogandists, infiltrators and influencers are finally coming under more scrutiny, at long last.

Meanwhile Ukraine remains resolute, and has united behind the man who was the voice of Paddington Bear to them. Not a sentence I ever thought I'd write.

 

...and planetary politics veering to the right, via populism and xenophobia.