Vladimir Putin: Pathetic bully or admirable political operator?
In today’s MetroTalk, readers react to Nigel Farage’s recent comments on the Russian president and the Ukraine war, leaving many questioning the Reform UK leader’s allegiances.
Meanwhile, should speaking out about bullying result in death threats? And with the current struggle to secure an NHS dentist, why aren’t parents doing more to prevent their children from developing tooth decay?
Share your thoughts on these topics and more in the comments.
‘No Nigel, Putin is a pathetic bully’
Trump-lover Nigel Farage speaks drivel when he says the expansion of the EU and Nato provoked Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine (Metro, Mon).
No, Nigel, what bothers Putin is that his people will learn that you can have an effective political opposition without being imprisoned on trumped up charges or being poisoned or falling out of hotel windows. He is worried that his people will discover that he has robbed them.
Putin is not a clever political exponent, Nigel, he is a pathetic bully who cannot win anything by fair means.
John (MetroTalk, Fri), meanwhile, is worried that politicians are leading us into World War III with their continued support of Ukraine.
If we don’t stand up to bullies, our descendants will end up slaves. There are many countries in this world who would make us slaves given the chance – China, North Korea, Iran and others.
Putin has made little meaningful headway in Ukraine yet reports suggest he has lost more than 50,000 Russian soldiers, 342 planes and 325 helicopters and he is having to raise taxes on the wealthy and businesses to pay for it.
Do you think these people will be happy about that? There is no way that Putin can take on the 32 countries of Nato with its 3.5million-strong army personnel.
The millions of law-abiding unsubjugated people in this world will never be truly free until we stand up to bullies and ignore the supporters of bullies, like the Trump-loving Farage. Roger Watts, Walsall
METRO TALK – HAVE YOUR SAY
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A warped election campaign? It’s avoiding WW3
John thinks it is a ‘warped election campaign’ because we are not discussing withdrawal of support from Ukraine in order to avoid World War III.
Putting aside whether this is Russian or Faragist propaganda and the fact that there is little difference between the two, the reality is the complete opposite. If Putin is allowed to keep a huge chunk of Ukraine then in a few years he will attempt to seize the rest, and then the Baltic states. He has made no secret of that intention. That would mean war with the West. At the same time China would attack Taiwan hoping that the US could not sustain a two-front war.
It would be unlikely to escalate into nuclear war because all major powers possess the ultimate deterrent but is that what we actually want?
Time to grow up, support Ukraine to the hilt, and stop being a Russian apologist. Chris Shepherd, London
I wonder how John thinks we should end the war in Ukraine. Appeasement?
Perhaps Putin would be willing to end the war if we sincerely apologised for trying to help Ukraine defend itself and let him have, say, half of it.
After all, cheap oil and gas is more important than principles or lives.
And yes of course the war in Ukraine is clearly the fault of our warmongering political leaders, and not the man who invaded Ukraine in the first place! Andrew, Essex
The transition from Brexit Party to Reform Party was handled well by Nigel Farage. Looking at his rhetoric around Russia and Ukraine I should think he could competently handle the change from Reform Party to Appeasement Party. Robert Boston, Kent
The media orchestrated pile-on against Nigel Farage for daring to question the wisdom of the expansion of Nato to Russia’s border is further proof of how much our politics is constrained by kow-towing to US global policy.
It never made any sense to continue to point missiles at Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union but for the fact that it has been the aim of Western governments to destabilise and break up Russia so that global investors can reap the spoils.
The prospect of all-out war in Europe to achieve this seems not to deter the likes of Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer who, while serving the ambitions of a megalomaniacal clique within US politics, pose as ‘patriots’ when they are quite the opposite. Though warmongers Sunak and Starmer do not want us to realise the fact, this election is, above all, a vote for peace or a vote for war. C Porter, Greater Manchester
Nigel Farage has exposed all the warmongering politicians by revealing the real reason Russia is at war with Ukraine.
Now maybe we will stop funding this proxy war and spend the money on the people of Britain Roger, Wolverhampton
Nigel Farage thought the American elections were more important than our elections. Then he decides to support the Reform Party.
Then he decides to run in the elections and lead the Reform Party.
Now he supports Putin. He’s doing what Donald Trump wants him to do. Mick, West Midlands
The Farage appeal
I agree with Andrew Edwards (MetroTalk, Fri) that while Nigel Farage may be popular, his appeal is as ‘the bloke down the pub’ and these sorts can ‘be all mouth and fail to deliver’. Furthermore, the bloke down the pub has simplistic solutions to complex problems. Glen Donegan, Streatham Vale
We say we need a change of government but what is actually needed is a change of public. Since it is from us that the government comes, until there is a nationwide change of heart, nothing will change. We are the cause, and so have the opportunity – just don’t hold your breath while waiting. CT Parry, Clapham
Strictly death threats, and is tooth decay a parental responsibility?
Where are we heading in this world when an actress such as Amanda Abbington can apparently receive death threats just because she had accused her dancing partner Giovanni Prentice of bullying behaviour in Strictly Come Dancing (Metro, Mon)?
No doubt these came from keyboard warriors online. Elsewhere in yesterday’s Metro, comedian Nish Kumar described social media as a ‘sewer’. He wasn’t wrong. Dec, Essex
I was amazed to read that as of 2022, the biggest cause of children aged six to ten going into hospital was tooth decay (Metro, Thu).
Although it is scandalous that it has become such a struggle for people to register with an NHS dentist, I find it really difficult to understand how so many parents have seemingly relinquished responsibility for the care of their children’s teeth.
It is surely not beyond the means of anyone to buy their child a toothbrush and toothpaste and maybe cut down on sugary sweets and drinks, which are largely responsible for the problem in the first place.
And, if they can’t be bothered to spend two minutes twice a day supervising their child’s brushing, I’m sure there’s an app or YouTube video for that! Vince, Coventry
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