And Finally…
In this week’s episode of London Calling, James and I engage in a bit of throat-clearing about James’s meeting with Jason Miller, CEO of Gettr, then get to the main event – Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – which we disagree about. James is sceptical about the fact that so much of the MSM is “hot for war”, as he puts it, while I argue that the reason there is almost universal condemnation of Putin is because he has engaged in an unprovoked act of military aggression against an independent sovereign state and his forces are currently cluster-bombing civilians. James insists it’s “more complicated” than that and believes the political leaders of Ukraine, as well as the West, bear some responsibility for the crisis. Then, in Culture Corner, James says how much he’s enjoying jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, while Toby continues to praise Pam and Tommy, although he’s not convinced Pam is quite as innocent as she’s portrayed as being by Lilly James.
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Toby: “Almost universal condemnation.”
World: China and India do not condemn. Three billion disagree with the chief of Daily Sceptic. Plus large parts of South America.
Well said. Out of the 195 countries in the world, we’ve only heard from the usual US groupies.
“Unprovoked” … you are either kidding or willfully ignorant of the NATO encroachment and continuing US aggression towards Russia. As the deputy Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, testified before congress in 2014,, they spent $20 billion trying to get regime change in Russia.
“Cluster bombing civilians”? … how do you know? I remember the supposed Iraqi soldiers tipping babies out of respirators leading to Desert Storm … and the many other lies by our government and media.
I do not support the Russian attack on Ukraine – but I do understand it. If you push someone into a corner he will eventually push back.
Remember, this feast of social and legacy media drama is brought to us by the very same people that brought us the Great Pandemic, from which we all had to run and hide.
I take non of it on trust.
Indeed. One look at the front pages in the rabid MSM today is absolute confirmation that we are on the evil side. This level of propaganda is inexcusable. It is giving me a headache now because the future is looking more dark than I ever thought possible, and it is all because people like Toby trust their country with the same unthinkingly rigid loyalty that they give their football team.
Toby Young is just one man/politician who created this site where armchair experts can pontificate and bitch and moan. If people keep criticising him he might just think, one day, sod this, and close the site down.
Many of the “armchair experts” on here have been sceptical of the official narrative for decades. Not the two years that Toby has been sceptical.
Disagreement and debate are healthy.
I agree that if Toby receives personal attacks then he may decide to close this site down which would be a tragedy.
Even as one who has generally preferred Young’s side on the Young/Delingpole debates over the covid stuff, it’s difficult not to share Delingpole’s frustration with Young’s determined refusal to confront reality rather than manufactured sentiment on the Ukraine war. Especially when his rationalisations for it are so simplistic. It’s hard to know where to begin, and doubtful that he’d be willing to listen anyway, but Young needs to be sat down in front of Professor Mearsheimer and required to listen to his lectures until he can pass an exam on their content. The crowning silliness was when Young began to wax misty-eyed about NATO: “I do still believe in the values of the west…I think NATO managed to keep the peace in Europe since, what, 1948” It’s as though people like Young have just wiped from their minds that NATO waged an illegal war of aggression against Yugoslavia in 1998-9. The most self-exculpatory conclusion even the House of Commons whitewash could bring itself to reach afterwards was: “we conclude that NATO’s military action, if of dubious legality in the current state of international law, was justified on moral grounds.“ Illegal, but justified, basically – so much for the supposed “rules… Read more »
If we were to remove the names of the nations involved and replace them with symbols which don’t carry emotional weight, we would see a very different discussion.
Say “Russia” and (I suspect) many hear “Red Russia” or “Commie Russia”, however historically absurd that is. Then they head straight to their internalised Manichean files and judge accordingly.
Agree. Professor Mearsheimer is very enlightening.
One can disapprove of war but still recognise the deep culpability of the west in creating this conflict.
The worst element is that conflict between Russia and the west is in neither parties interests. My belief is that this is being goaded along by the military industrial complex in the aftermath of Afghanistan; and that they are being allowed to through there being an absence of proverbial adults in the room in Washington. Britain just follows the US, as Mearsheimer rightly points out.
Disappointed by the Daily Sceptics editorial position on this. Totally agree with James.
Totally agreed. Mr Young is doing a great job for free speech. But he has his limits on how bold he can be with the establishment and the people’s conditioning. From his comments today on London Calling I get the feeling he’s reached the limit on what he’s willing to say before losing his privileges. Very curious and interesting.
And Mr Dellingpole, for whose support of an evil elite I do not subscribe to, nevertheless my respect for his bold talk is on the up.
‘… his forces are currently cluster-bombing civilians.’
Do you have independent corroboration of that slur? Or are you just parroting what the shrieking msm and twatterati might claim or even, for that matter, our unhinged political class?
Mr Young, I suggest you watch this and remove your cranium from your backside.
He’s in Kiev btw.
https://youtu.be/1vdiEABLFoo
Then do what the guy says near the end and apply some critical thinking.
Excellent video, thanks.
Ditto.
If people want to argue with it, fine. But they should mot be afraid of watching and listening and thinking, before they argue: with this or any other form of evidence or opinion.
Exactly what I thought.
For some reason, it might be just coincidence, Mr Young seems to be ‘turning’.
If so, one must look at his balance sheet and annual report to determine who or what is now leading his thought. Or could it be that his children are at the age they might be called up to fight?
This has been noticeable for about a month now.
I genuinely find it astonishing that Toby was able to apply solid critical thinking for the last two years, repeatedly pointing out the lies and propaganda of Gov and MSM, but is completely incapable of applying the same critical thinking to the Russian-Ukraine situation. It’s as if, mentally, he just can’t get past the “West good, Russia bad” line that’s been fed to Western populations, by the West, for decades. I think for most, including Toby, this is a mental wound that just runs too deep. A sharp reminder to us all – many ‘critical thinkers’ reached their limit of critical thinking with their experience of Covid and bodily autonomy i.e. many can only think critically over a situation in which they are directly negatively impacted.
My feelings too. It’s not at all clear what might be changing Toby Young’s heart.
How telling that, when James and Toby disagree, Toby is always on the mainstream side whilst James is always right!
That’s a bit weird … moving from the first person to the third.
“there is almost universal condemnation of Putin is because he has engaged in an unprovoked act of military aggression against an independent sovereign state and his forces are currently cluster-bombing civilians.”
The Toby Young fact-free zone.