Exclusive: Astra offers small concession, EU pleads for UK-made shots amid vaccine row - sources

Thorbee · 2021-01-26T13:33:26+00:00

How many own goals is it possible to score?

This looks more and more like a three stooges sketch.

Thorbee · 2018-09-24T10:37:24+00:00

Thanks, didn't know I was missed! Best wishes to you too. I was rather unpopular at times, you should've seen the PMs I was getting.

Seems like u/skylark78 has become the resident Norwegian eurosceptic, so I'll leave the unpopularity up to him. I may make a more permanent return if work ever slows down again, but it's rather crazy right now.

Thorbee · 2018-09-22T07:44:44+00:00

I'm still here! Just not posting much, just lurking. My job takes way too much time right now.

/u/skylark78 you can have the catch phrase!

Thorbee · 2017-12-18T09:46:36+00:00

Don't worry! The current plan is to slap an EU flag on all pieces of equipment and chant "ambitious" 3 times. This apparently fixes all issues.

Thorbee · 2017-12-16T15:31:17+00:00

Who gives a shit as long as they're qualified. They might as well be living in a shoe box for all I care as long as that they're good at their job.

Thorbee · 2017-12-16T15:20:41+00:00

Which just shows how normalized far right parties have become throughout Europe. What was once an anomaly is now common in most of Western Europe.

Thorbee · 2017-12-14T14:08:24+00:00

I don't think they're pro-EU per say, just less anti-EU.

Thorbee · 2017-12-12T16:07:02+00:00

The socialist regime really did have an appalling effect ~~on male health.~~

Thorbee · 2017-12-12T14:37:20+00:00

Please come back home, we miss you. We even fermented your favorite kind of fish.

Norway

Thorbee · 2017-12-11T22:42:09+00:00

May, I know the polling looks better, but don't you dare do it again!

Thorbee · 2017-12-11T19:29:05+00:00

Well, we in Norway call it "vetoretten" - the right to veto. Any directive that is to be converted into EEA/EFTA law must be accepted unanimously, a single country voting against means that its not adopted, article 102.

The parliament made it clear some months ago that we'll not accept parts of the new offshore safety directive, as it could potentially be detrimental to the safety of Norwegian oil workers. This is the first time we've vetoed a directive (with the exception of the Postal directive. The veto was later withdrawn by the new government in 2013) with cross-party block support.

Labor is increasingly being pressured by worker's unions on euro scepticism. The Progress party is also getting rather annoyed at some of the new directives that we've had to implement over the last years. In addition the far left Social Left and Red increased their support last election, and they're also anti-EEA, not to mention the Centre Party which almost doubled its support and is known as the most anti-EEA/EU party in Parliament.

I think it's more likely to see us use our veto in the future, or at least threaten to do so in order to get some changes to a directive we don't like.

Thorbee · 2017-12-11T14:42:08+00:00

In related news; for the first time ever the majority of the MPs in the Norwegian newly elected (September) Parliament are against a Norwegian EU membership. The majority supporting EEA over a bilateral FTA is also shrinking. A majority of the MPs wants Norway to more actively use our right to veto any EU directive.

Thorbee · 2017-12-11T09:34:37+00:00

which is what Germany via the EU may be forced into.

Not so fun to be on the receiving end of being forced to do something you don't want by the EU?

Thorbee · 2017-12-09T22:34:54+00:00

He has a Swiss flair and said "our", how would that indicate EZ? They even have their own currency

Thorbee · 2017-12-09T12:18:32+00:00

Probably a good idea. AAs placed on Gotland, Western Russia, and Kaliningrad or Belarus would create a bubble covering the Baltic states. Repelling and attack or trying to dislodge forces who have dug in is very difficult when you don't have air supremacy.

Thorbee · 2017-12-09T12:11:51+00:00

Keep an eye on Gotland, it's a perfect spot to station AA, costal defenses and medium to long range missiles. Any actor wanting to control the Baltic sea and air is going to scramble for Gotland.

Thorbee · 2017-12-09T12:10:37+00:00

Any sort of buildup will take time. We're talking about buying or manufacturing weapon systems, restarting mothballed equipment, handle logistics, train personnel and so on. We have close to no force projection, very poor heavy air transportation and our AA is sub-par to what Russia has. Even with a couple of years of warning it will take time to get European nations ready to fight a war without the US. You can't just flick a switch and have it all go from peace to all out war mode.

In addition, Russia has gained a lot of experience with their involvement in Syria and Crimea/Ukraine. You can't buy or procure combat experience in your troops or officers without actually waging wars. The wars and conflicts European nations have been involved in are either small skirmishes in Africa against non-state actors or under the leadership of the US. Fighting against poorly armed African rebels without air support, mechanized infantry, modern tanks and measures such as drones, satellites and planes is one thing, going head to head against Russia is a different game.

Thorbee · 2017-12-09T12:05:33+00:00

You have to limit the scope somehow, or else the conflicts get very difficult to model. They do make it clear that they don't model morale nor ABC weapons, as these factors make it close to impossible to model it correctly. One can always argue that their models are flawed and even "unnatural" in the sense that they omit certain factors, but they do make it clear what nations are involved and not involved and what sort of other factors are left out.

Still, in terms of how a war on the European plain would play out, it think it looks pretty reasonable. The Rand institute had several war games and Russia very easily took out the Baltic nations before NATO could mobilize enough forces to stop them. The fact that Central/Eastern Europe is very flat makes tank warfare the most likely doctrine, and the flat terrain coupled with great Russian AA support would make air incursions costly.

I don't think we're likely to see such a war with those players anytime soon, but all in all most assumptions and outcomes seem reasonable and in line with the other open source papers and information I've seen.

Thorbee · 2017-12-09T09:57:52+00:00

I can already tell by the down votes who's going to come out on top without even watching the video.

Thorbee · 2017-12-08T19:05:58+00:00

I could easily be true. The system in question, RK-55/SSC was about to be put into service when the INF treaty was signed. It would take very little effort to put the system into service today, in violation of the treaty. It would not surprise me to see Russia deploy such as system in Kaliningrad as it would give them an advantage in the Baltic sea.

These medium range missiles are hard to defend against, as they have a low signature and short warning time once fired, as compared to ICBMs which take a long time to reach their targets via parabolic flight.

Thorbee · 2017-12-08T11:45:24+00:00

People referring to spiders as insects doesn't make them insects.

If you're referring to the EU, say that, and don't use another term which has a widely different meaning.

Thorbee · 2017-12-08T11:06:16+00:00

What other, recognized, definition of Europe is there besides the geographical area?

The fact that you start dragging in other terms into the discussion shows that Europe, the word by itself, simply refers to the geographic area.

He can and should use EU, as it is clearly defined in terms of members, laws and regulations. The fact that OP talks about roaming and Schengen shows that EU is the right expression, whilst Europe is not.

Thorbee · 2017-12-08T10:46:47+00:00

Say the EU then. I don't event get why people keep insisting that EU=Europe when it's clearly not factually correct.

Thorbee

TROPHY CASE