Inside: Putin’s endgame, Yoko Ono, the so-called “positive male role model”, Munch’s portraits, Andrew Marr on Britain’s defence delusions, the White Lotus and Erdogan’s fate.
All the talk about the coalition of the willing ignores the fact that Ukraine needs more and better drones. The Russians are using the same meat grinder tactics they have always used and know that eventually Ukraine will run out of soldiers. We cannot supply soldiers to die for another country, after Iraq and Afghanistan, so it is munitions that we can and must supply. Is this happening? Or are we going to keep talking to the French and Germans about it and never get around to increasing our munitions supply?
Thank you for the Andrew Marr link. He defines the problem but questions the possible solutions. We supplied troops to Iraq and Afghanistan in recent memory so there must be someone in Uniform who remembers what a Regiment is, what logistics means. If necessary we can ask Rory Stewart to define the limits of our capabilities. By the end of the first three months of the invasion of German occupied Europe in 1944 we had run out of British troops available to add to the mainly American Army that took the majority of the war effort. Nothing like that is required now but the defeat of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is absolutely necessary to avoid a continuation of the threat to eastern Europe. Even if this is essentially in the supply of armaments it must be done.
Really loved this edition—especially the through-line of power dynamics, both geopolitical and personal. The Putin piece felt like a sobering reminder that narratives don’t win wars—strategy and attrition do. And Marr’s take on Britain’s “coalition of the willing” nailed the cognitive dissonance in projecting might without means.
The Yoko Ono piece was haunting and tender—less a profile, more a study in myth and memory. Same with the Munch piece: the idea that art can be an act of revenge is both chilling and oddly relatable.
Also, this line from “Eat The Rich Syndrome” stuck with me: "It sounds like what someone critical of this type of wealth thinks the upper classes say." There’s a broader theme here—the danger of writing from inside an echo chamber while claiming to critique one.
Thanks for continuing to blend sharp analysis with surprising emotional resonance. Always a worthwhile read.
Really enjoyed this edition of The Saturday Read! The insights on strategy and decision-making were especially compelling. Always a great mix of thought-provoking content!
Finally some logic and reason on the Starmer - Macron follies. It makes no sense and it will never happen. These men need to get back to doing the jobs they were elected to do. Forget Russia. There's nothing to be done about it outside what the Americans are doing.
All the talk about the coalition of the willing ignores the fact that Ukraine needs more and better drones. The Russians are using the same meat grinder tactics they have always used and know that eventually Ukraine will run out of soldiers. We cannot supply soldiers to die for another country, after Iraq and Afghanistan, so it is munitions that we can and must supply. Is this happening? Or are we going to keep talking to the French and Germans about it and never get around to increasing our munitions supply?
Thank you for the Andrew Marr link. He defines the problem but questions the possible solutions. We supplied troops to Iraq and Afghanistan in recent memory so there must be someone in Uniform who remembers what a Regiment is, what logistics means. If necessary we can ask Rory Stewart to define the limits of our capabilities. By the end of the first three months of the invasion of German occupied Europe in 1944 we had run out of British troops available to add to the mainly American Army that took the majority of the war effort. Nothing like that is required now but the defeat of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is absolutely necessary to avoid a continuation of the threat to eastern Europe. Even if this is essentially in the supply of armaments it must be done.
Andrew Marr gets into some of these details in this pretty prescient piece from last month! https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/02/defenceless-britain-defence-spending-review
Really loved this edition—especially the through-line of power dynamics, both geopolitical and personal. The Putin piece felt like a sobering reminder that narratives don’t win wars—strategy and attrition do. And Marr’s take on Britain’s “coalition of the willing” nailed the cognitive dissonance in projecting might without means.
The Yoko Ono piece was haunting and tender—less a profile, more a study in myth and memory. Same with the Munch piece: the idea that art can be an act of revenge is both chilling and oddly relatable.
Also, this line from “Eat The Rich Syndrome” stuck with me: "It sounds like what someone critical of this type of wealth thinks the upper classes say." There’s a broader theme here—the danger of writing from inside an echo chamber while claiming to critique one.
Thanks for continuing to blend sharp analysis with surprising emotional resonance. Always a worthwhile read.
Really enjoyed this edition of The Saturday Read! The insights on strategy and decision-making were especially compelling. Always a great mix of thought-provoking content!
Finally some logic and reason on the Starmer - Macron follies. It makes no sense and it will never happen. These men need to get back to doing the jobs they were elected to do. Forget Russia. There's nothing to be done about it outside what the Americans are doing.