Saudi Arabia

[Rico1304]

It’s funny you didn’t put a cross selling arms to Saudi but I managed to cause the invasion of Libya with mine.  Weird that. 

[skend04]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/20/uk-arms-trade-no-moral-or-economic-sense-liam-fox-killing-machines

 

Gnasher supports the increasing of sales of arms to these regimes. Its a fucking cheek that he's posting otherwise. 

[Gnasher]

23 minutes ago, Rico1304 said:

It’s funny you didn’t put a cross selling arms to Saudi but I managed to cause the invasion of Libya with mine.  Weird that. 

Easy, you voted for a tory government that engaged in the disastrous mission in Lybia, I didn't..  I also didn't put my cross to an organisation fronted by a warmonger in Vonn der Leyen..

 

You got it right when with your first few words I "didn't put a cross" I didn't indeed, nothing  weird about it.

 

Edit, the EU referendum was not an endorsement of the Tory government, the Labour Party campaigned to stay in. 

[Captain Turdseye]

On 12/01/2018 at 10:56, Captain Turdseye said:

House of Saud: A Family at War - New documentary series started on the BBC the other night.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09m53d9

 

Did anyone watch it? Admittedly my knowledge of the situation in the Middle East isn’t the greatest so I found it very interesting. How do people see things going for this new Crown Prince?

 

Going well for him so far. If you forget about Yemen for a minute, and don’t mention Khashoggi, you have to say the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was superb and some of the boxing matches there have been pretty entertaining. 

[polymerpunkah]

"In our defense, we were aiming at a school."

 

Saudi Arabia

[Rico1304]

25 minutes ago, Gnasher said:

Easy, you voted for a tory government that engaged in the disastrous mission in Lybia, I didn't..  I also didn't put my cross to an organisation fronted by a warmonger in Vonn der Leyen..

 

You got it right when with your first few words I "didn't put a cross" I didn't indeed, nothing  weird about it.

 

Edit, the EU referendum was not an endorsement of the Tory government, the Labour Party campaigned to stay in. 

So I didn’t cause it, phew.  

[Gnasher]

5 minutes ago, Rico1304 said:

So I didn’t cause it, phew.  

Er yeah, you voted for the party that caused it.. The EU referendum meanwhile was not a vote to endorse the then tory government.

[Rico1304]

19 minutes ago, Gnasher said:

Er yeah, you voted for the party that caused it.. The EU referendum meanwhile was not a vote to endorse the then tory government.

But my MP was a Lib Dem?  Anyway.  Enjoy your weekend off.  

[Gnasher]

30 minutes ago, Rico1304 said:

But my MP was a Lib Dem?  Anyway.  Enjoy your weekend off.  

A Lib Dem? Even worse.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

2 hours ago, Gnasher said:

I can indeed blame a woman who proposes dropping VAT for arms dealers, 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/15/von-der-leyen-eu-state-of-union-speech-political-will-build-own-military

 

2 hours ago, Gnasher said:

 Vonn der Leyen has proposed an EU army recently, she also thinks army's are not used enough.

Not discussing Brexit, I'm discussing war mongers who feed murderers, Der Leyen is one of those people however uncomfortable it should make you feel.

As I already pointed , I didn't go to the ballet box and put a cross to our government selling arms to Saudi. 

Nothing daft about blaming a person with hugh political power suggesting arms deals should be VAT exempt.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/15/von-der-leyen-eu-state-of-union-speech-political-will-build-own-military

Literally none of that has anything to do with Yemen or Saudi Arabia.

Take your weird Von Der Leyen obsession to the correct thread.

[Moo]

2 hours ago, Gnasher said:

 

 

Edit, the EU referendum was not an endorsement of the Tory government

Only if you were thick enough not to realise it.

[Gnasher]

55 minutes ago, Moo said:

Only if you were thick enough not to realise it.

Well as we've seen three different prime ministers since the vote and were possibly about to see another one I'd suggest that proves the situation to be changeable enough to suggest it wasn't. If it was as you suggest it was very odd that Jeremy Corbyns opposition Labour Party took the same position as the Conservative Party.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

It's reassuring to know that the Government doesn't necessarily agree with 81 killings in a single day.

 

[Section_31]

If it's the same dude that did it though, that's some skills to be fair. 

[Gnasher]

Posted it on his own thread but this is excellent from Starmer 

 

 

[polymerpunkah]

A two month cease fire agreed to by both sides in the tragedy in Yemen.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/yemen-s-warring-parties-agree-to-2-month-truce-in-major-breakthrough-1.6406162

 

They've been down this road before, but perhaps this time something might take.

 

Some real concrete concessions made re allowing aid, fuel etc into Yemen--things that might, if they happen, alleviate at least a little of horror.

 

 

 

 

[Captain Turdseye]

Sound that. Now we just need Putin to do the same and we can all get back to arguing about Israel. 

[Bjornebye]

On 16/03/2022 at 11:32, Section_31 said:

If it's the same dude that did it though, that's some skills to be fair. 

Some job that. 

[dockers_strike]

Oh my, doesnt your heart bleed for them?

 

When Newcastle United were bought by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund last October, English football braced itself for the arrival of a new superclub.

 

The talk was of galacticos signing, with the club's new powerbrokers Amanda Staveley and her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi , saying the ambition was winning the Premier League within “five to 10 years”.

Ten months on, and the reality is proving to be more low-key. Evolution, not revolution, is the mantra behind the scenes, with the 'world's richest club' modelling themselves more on Leicester than Manchester City.

So, what are the reasons behind the strategy?

Financial fair play and slow progress with sponsors

According to the people running the club on a day-to-day basis, Newcastle cannot spend more than £100 million on transfers in this window - and that, according to senior sources, is at the very top end of the budget. In April, this figure was even lower at £60 million.

 

Having spent £52 million on Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett it is understood there is around £50 million left. Many fans had wondered whether this was simply a bluff, but after weeks of scrambling around trying to find the cash to sign the two attacking players Howe still wants, and many financial experts also insist Newcastle could spend more than this under FFP rules.

 

Yet the reality is that there really is a tight budget. Part of that is down to the fact the club wants to remain nimble in future windows, so they can invest in more talent when needed. The other reason is the flood of sponsorship deals from companies linked to Saudi Arabia simply has not materialised.

 

That is expected to change, but the new rules introduced by the Premier League to stop PIF pumping money into the club through companies they control or invest in, have worked. It is taking time to prove what fair market value is while keeping on the right side of rival clubs who are scrutinising every move.

 

A new shirt sponsor will be unveiled at the start of the 2023-24 season but for now the only extra income is a £7.5 million-a-year shirt sleeve sponsorship deal with Middle East online shopping website Noon. In other words, income levels remain pretty much the same as they were under former owner Mike Ashley and there is only so much new owners - who have already injected more than £10 0million to fund January signings and operating costs - can do.

A focus on young emerging talent

Newcastle do not want to sign big name players on huge wages. The idea is to sign emerging talent - players at the start of their career with the potential to be world class - and grow organically. It is cheaper, but it is also built around the idea these players will mature with the club and turn them into European contenders in the next two to three years.

Brazil international Bruno Guimarães, signed from Lyon in January in a deal that will eventually cost be worth around £42 million, is the blueprint for this approach. Botman, signed from Lille last month for an initial £32 million, is another.

 

It is a similar strategy to the one used by Leicester so effectively but seems to ignore the fact that they also have to sell their marquee names after two or three years. Bruno arrived saying he had been sold a dream of winning the Premier League with Newcastle, but how long will he be willing to remain if they do not look like doing that in the next two to three years?

 

He will want to see evidence of progress and he will want more world-class players alongside him. When you have a strict budget, that is hard to do when so many clubs have a similar business model.

The wage budget of a mid table Premier League team

This is the hidden restraint and perhaps the biggest problem. The transfer budget would have stretched, with a buy-now, pay-later approach, to signing established international forwards like Sweden’s Alexander Isak or France Moussa Diaby. But Newcastle realised they would not be able to match their wage demands and ended their pursuit.

 

The highest paid player at St James’ Park is currently on around £110,000-a-week and although Newcastle are happy to offer the right player more, it would not be hugely in excess of that figure.

 

The Big Six clubs are all paying their star players more than £200,000-a-week and Newcastle cannot compete with that. Agents and clubs, who remember the 'richest club in the world' tag, have been shocked to find Newcastle are unwilling and unable to offer those kinds of terms.

 

Again, FFP is being used as the excuse to explain why. Until the sponsorship deals come in, Newcastle have the financial muscle of clubs like Leicester, West Ham and Aston Villa. The latter two are also said to be offering far bigger wages this summer to transfer targets.

Improving the infrastructure, not just the first team

This is very important. As Ghodoussi said on Twitter last week - the owners have stopped talking publicly to the media - they are building a skyscraper so need to make sure the foundations are strong.

 

With this in mind the two most important signings this summer are director of football Dan Ashworth and chief executive Darren Eales. This is adding football expertise to the operation and they are going to gradually take control of the day-to-day running of the club.

 

Where this leaves Staveley and her husband remains to be seen. They only have a 10 per cent stake and all the major decisions are being made by chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in Riyad.

 

As well as appointing a new management team in the boardroom, Newcastle have also invested in modernising the training ground. These costs are separate from FFP rules, although Telegraph Sport understands there was a strict budget in place for this work, too.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/07/19/newcastle-worlds-richest-club-why-not-spending-money/

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

Slightly harsh…

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/16/saudi-woman-given-34-year-prison-sentence-for-using-twitter

[Kepler-186]

You may have seen the promos for “The Line” in Saudi on the Red Sea. 

 

 

PC Gamer dude has built a version on Cities:Skyline and has called it “Skinny City” for fear of being sued or murdered. 
 

https://www.pcgamer.com/welp-i-built-saudi-arabias-stupid-skinny-city-in-cities-skylines/

 

Would you like to know more? 

[Anubis]

1 hour ago, Kepler-186 said:

You may have seen the promos for “The Line” in Saudi on the Red Sea. 

 

 

PC Gamer dude has built a version on Cities:Skyline and has called it “Skinny City” for fear of being sued or murdered. 
 

https://www.pcgamer.com/welp-i-built-saudi-arabias-stupid-skinny-city-in-cities-skylines/

 

Would you like to know more? 

 

 

"Outside the boundary walls, a desert. A cursed earth. Inside the walls, a cursed city, stretching from the Upper Valley to The Gulf of Arabia. An unbroken concrete landscape. 800 million people living in the ruin of the old world and the mega structures of the new one. Mega blocks. Mega highways. Mega City One. Convulsing. Choking. Breaking under its own weight. Citizens in fear of the street. The gun. The gang. Only one thing fighting for order in the chaos: the men and women of the Hall of Justice. Juries. Executioners. Judges."

[Anubis]

The reality is that the vast majority of Saudi Arabians will be on the outside, looking in at the elites. Room for nine million. Some of whom will be non-Saudi's. Population thirty four and a half million. 

[Kepler-186]

5 minutes ago, Anubis said:

The reality is that the vast majority of Saudi Arabians will be on the outside, looking in at the elites. Room for nine million. Some of whom will be non-Saudi's. Population thirty four and a half million. 

Exactly, unfortunately we’re heading the same way here. 

[polymerpunkah]

"Beyond the Pale"

 

Would make a decent username.