Comments on: Is Russia everyone’s best friend now?

By: Ellee

Ellee — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:35:53 +0000

Q9, I’m delighted you enjoyed the post and responded to comments, it’s not a problem. Regarding Putin, country’s can be held to ransome in different ways, not just the might of its armed forces, and whatever that might entail.

By: Quasar9

Quasar9 — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:16:31 +0000

Hi Elle,
didn’t mean to intrude or intervene so often on William’s post, but Alan ‘kept’ prompting me – lol!
Didn’t mean to rattle any cages or step on too many toes … but so often double standards appear when talking about international policy or geo-politics.

PS – Putin & Russia have been criticised over the last few years for using their economic or natural ‘resources’ muscle aggressively to influence the previous ’satellite’ states, but at least they haven’t invaded anyone lately to impose the soviet will (or rule of law)

By: nick drew

nick drew — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:46:55 +0000

A quick factoid that may give a bit of perspective: we imported about one third of our gas (from Norway) until the 1990’s when we became self-sufficent (your Mardell quote – it was only a couple of years ago that we started importing any gas – invites the inference that we’ve never been importing until recently).

Obviously Norway is a different kettle of fish to Russia, but I don’t recall large-scale imports giving rise even to comment, let alone disquiet.

Diversification is the key.

By: Ellee

Ellee — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:32:20 +0000

Welshcakes, I had no idea you had all those restrictions, it’s true about people here leaving applicances on in the home.

Joe, I’m not convinced about Putin like you, I know English bloggers who live there say he is doing a good job, but how can his country justify switching off gas/oil supplies to other countries? Are you not concerned that could happen to other parts of Europe if we fell out. After all, the Litvinenko affair still has to be resolved, though it probably never will be.

By: Welshcakes Limoncello

Welshcakes Limoncello — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:35:21 +0000

David, I forgot to say that most central heating is by gas here, so you might think that if you lived in one of the non-autonomous-heating blocks of flats, you could just buy an electric space heater or two. And so you could, only that would restrict you as to what other appliances you can have switched on, as we are restricted to 3kw per home. [You can buy more but that puts you on a higher tariff so friends have advised me not to do it.] It just means that you have to think about what you have got switched on at the same time – for instance, I can’t have the oven and the washing machine on together and I’d never had to think before about how much electricity an electric kettle uses! – otherwise the power supply will just go. The first thing that struck me when I was “home” for a visit in October was how everyone leaves everything switched on nearly all the time in Britain – and I used to, too! So maybe the Italians are doing their bit in this! [I have posted on all this but can't remember where on my blog!]

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 18:29:01 +0000

Ellee- I hope there isn’t a tinge of Russophobis here.
I find it quite alarming that the media encourages us to reignite our cold war paranoias about Russia- a country whose friendship can only be valuable to the west.
Putin is not Stalin, he’s a guy doing his best to bring his country back to where it should be- and doing a good job with it too. So, there’s along way to go, but we should finally accept Russia as one of the good guys.
In the world we live in, it’s folly not to.
If we continue to rtely on Oil, it is inevitable that RRussia is going to be our best bet here- far more reliable than the misddle east.
But then of course, there’s nuclear…
Sense of Deja vu, anyone?

By: Welshcakes Limoncello

Welshcakes Limoncello — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 18:21:29 +0000

David, it has been the case in Italy for as long as I can remember and that’s a long time! The restrictions are said to be in place to save energy but I have days when I am convinced it is to make life awkward! Different areas of Italy are allowed to “light up” – ie., put their heating on, at different points during the winter, so the generally colder north switches on about a month before we are officially allowed to do so. Then each town imposes limits on how long you can have your heating on for each day. But the 20 C limit applies all over Italy, reduced by one degree by central government last year as I said. Private homes are not checked up on, but if you live in an apartment block where the heating in each flat is not “autonomo” then the rules will be adhered to, with your heating automatically coming on for about 2 hours in the early morning and then off again until about 6pm. [My flat is "autonomo".] I think businesses can be checked and you often go into shops and see the staff shivering in their coats in winter!

By: Quasar9

Quasar9 — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:22:14 +0000

Funny, I was watching that report where the EU is trying to impose speed limits on German autobahns to reduce green house gases. Needless to say Germans are not amused, and BMW claim they have reduced emissions on their powerful (and fast) machines.

But staying on topic. Yes, the next war will not be about water – but about fossil fuels

hmmm the next one? I mean the one after kuwait, … Afghanistan, and Iraq.

By: David Allen

David Allen — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:32:09 +0000

Welshcakes, I am sure most of us here in the UK had no idea there were government-imposed restrictions on domestic heating temperatures nor hours of operation! How long has this been the case and how is it policed?

By: Welshcakes Limoncello

Welshcakes Limoncello — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:14:17 +0000

Here the events regarding energy in the Ukraine last year had an immediate effect: the government cut the temperature we are allowed to heat our homes to from 20 to 19 C and in Modica we were told we could have the heating on for 9 hours a day, not 10 [from November to March].