And not before time. Those Rolls-Royce small nuclear reactors sound promising. Each one about the size of a nuclear submarine’s reactor and would power a large town. I think the big advantage would be that we could build these ourselves - assuming the useless government don’t decide to sell them off to foreign competitors to save a bit of money (ie, to line their own pockets). Relying on the Frogs and Chinese was a big mistake.
Would you say Putin is a communist? I mean I know he was in the KGB but it’s not like anyone living there had a choice but to be part of the communist system.
Weren’t we getting the Chinese to build them and the French to run them or has that been changed now?
We didn’t defend Czechoslovakia, but then at that time nobody realised Hitler would try to attack Britain too. Although I wouldn’t say Putin is anything like Hitler. He is pragmatic and not hot headed. He will do what’s best for Russia (in his opinion).
We also have this definite article that can be used in the same way to make such a political distinction. It was interesting that just at the same time around 2014 when this article was published, a similar debate on whether such a differentiation be made between using the article or not was about to begin over here, too. It has never really got off the ground, though.
That’s why I was particularly curious about how the country would be called in the middle of a rapidly unfolding political crisis like this one by political exponents. The result is: The article is still being used everywhere, by the media, in political statements made by our Foreign Minister herself in Moscow and in parliament at home, and also when such statements are translated.
I reckon that this is no coincidence which makes me wonder what the official stance of (the) Ukraine now is on this matter? Wouldn’t Kiev have intervened when they realise that hardly anyone seems to be using the word without article if this is what they prefer? And also to what extent the article is or will be used in English? Blinken seems to be the only protagonist not using it. Is that true?
Here is another article dated 2019 quoting what the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington tweeted :
“Let us kindly help you use words related to ukraine correctly,” the Ukrainian embassy in Washington D.C. wrote on Twitter Saturday. It’s “Ukraine, not ‘the’ Ukraine,” the embassy wrote. And the capital city, it said, is spelled “Kyiv, not Kiev.”
“These are the only politically correct terms that express respect to the country and its nation. Be smart and avoid Soviet style clichés,”
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As far as I know, Hinckley is still being built by China.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to have China involved building our nuclear power stations needs to be jailed.
I don’t yet know who will be building the new stuff, but it had better be Britain or there is no point, we may as well be reliant on other countries for energy forever. T
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He was a member of the communist party in previous years, but when you have an elected president and he changes the terms of his premiership to be 2036 as a minimum the leapord doesn’t seem to have changed his spots. Its certainly not democratic over there.
Anyway, Putin is an authoritarian and all authoritarians are socialists, they just differ between the national or international variety 
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He wouldn’t have attacked Britain if the glorious French had stood up to him! 
Of course, that’s another story.
Thanks, AnnieS. Most interesting.
It does raise the question why there are differences? And, on another note, why bother about being politcally correct here when PC is abhored elsewhere?
Just saying.
I doubt it very much but I would go as far as to say he is probably the Capo di Capi of the Russian Mafia gangs.
Everyone who had a job that held any responsibility in the Soviet Union had to be a member of the party whether they liked it or not. So yes he would have been a member but it hasn’t been demonstrated in his policies that he is a socialist as such at least I haven’t picked that up. Maybe I’m not close enough to the policies he has rolled out.
They say he models himself on the Russian “strong man” role model. All the bare chested horse riding, karate (or is it judo) etc. Russia is a fascinating country and culture. Like the awkward introvert of world nation personalities. Perhaps introvert isn’t the right term, but the opposite of glasnost.
Quite. I just find it interesting that BBC and other news outlets who consider themselves PC are ignoring this. Choice words can be very powerful when you are giving a political message. As in Ukraine not being taken very seriously as a nation. Overlooked in general.
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Could you provide a definition of “socialist” so that we can evaluate that claim? 
Why ? Don’t you know what a socialist is ?
I don’t know what you mean by socialist, and I’m curious as to whether you know what you mean.
Look it up or start your own thread on it.
If you don’t know what the word means, just say so.
Moving swiftly on…it seems that both sides are pulling back. It’s a pity that we cannot start a poll within a thread. So answer do you think :
a) Russia will invade Ukraine
b) Russia will not invade Ukraine
a? or b?
My view is b).
Let’s hope you are right otherwise there might be another European war in the offing. Not that Europe did anything when the USSR invaded Hungary.