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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on TheJournal.ie that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re looking for readers who will keep a money diary for a week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
Last time around, we heard from a product manager living in Dublin. This week, a process scientist balances the family finances while her husband returns to college to upskill.
I live in Dublin with my husband, our almost-two-year-old daughter and our dog. We bought our house over three years ago, a couple of months after getting married. I work in the biopharma industry and as a result of the pandemic, I generally work both onsite and from home, but it can vary week to week. I will probably keep working from home one-two days per week when normality resumes.
After our daughter was born, my husband decided to change career and is currently back in college doing a four-year degree in an entirely different field. While he could work alongside this, the course is challenging and it would undoubtedly add strain to family life so he made the decision to look after her, meaning he could focus on the course and his new career path. He loves it and especially enjoys having this time with her while she is young.
We are extremely grateful to be able to afford this option and be saving on childcare costs. However, we have still taken a hit financially, and as such we have to manage our money carefully every month. Thankfully we have been in this habit (albeit with a larger budget) over the last six years from saving so diligently for our wedding and house deposit. We have always more or less pooled out income. This just works for us and we will do this when my husband is earning an income again. Our goal for the moment is keep things tipping along without debt if possible, and build our emergency fund back up.
We use our joint current account to pay for monthly/bimonthly bills. We use our joint online saving account to save for annual and non-routine expenses when they arise. We our joint credit union account to save our emergency fund. We use a Revolut account, which we both have a card for, for the small amount of discretionary income left over.
Thankfully, we have no overdrafts or car loans etc., but can end up using our credit card sometimes when money is tight towards the end of the month if an unexpected expense crops up that we hadn’t planned for. With respect to annual college fees due, these are paid using company shares that I sell annually as they mature.
We enjoy cooking, baking, and spending time together as a family with the dog.
Occupation: Process Scientist
Age: 31
Location: Dublin
Salary: €57,991 excluding annual bonus
Monthly pay (net): €3,555.96 (after pension contribution and paying for additional annual leave)
Child benefit: €140
Transport: Diesel, tolls, and parking €140
Mortgage: €1,329.16
Household bills: Mortgage protection €35.65, monitored house alarm €30, gas and electricity allowance €125, TV and broadband €109, bins €17, monthly bank fee €6
Phone bill x 2: €25.98
Health insurance: Family policy paid for by my employer
Groceries: €423.5 including dog food and work lunch money
Subscriptions: Standard Netflix €12.99, Spotify Premium Family €17.99
Medications and contacts: €44.43
Counselling: €100
Annual/non routine expense allowance: €850-1000 – this may seem excessive but this I try to estimate everything that it is not a monthly/bimonthly bill for the year and then save monthly i.e. Christmas, car insurances and tax, health expenses, family days out, house maintenance, clothes, gifts etc. Currently targeting the higher amount to pay off some credit card debt.
Savings: €125
As we have one income, I have completed the diary on behalf of us, jointly.
***
Monday
6.45 am: Get up and ready for the day, let the dog out and get his breakfast. Catch up on the news on my phone, make an oat and fruit smoothie for breakfast and take a coffee upstairs as I head into meeting first thing.
8.00 am: Working from home today so I head upstairs to the office and log on to start the day. Very lucky to have a designated room to work in. Helps keep the dog and toddler from video bombing meetings!
9.30 am: After the morning of meetings, I check in on the family. While it’s definitely different than the office chats, I really enjoy having these snippets throughout the day when working from home, particularly as our daughter is learning new skills and words so quickly at the moment.
12.00 pm: Head downstairs to make lunch for us as my husband, daughter and dog arrive in from a walk. It’s a random combination of some leftover takeaway and some ham salad sandwiches.
1.00 pm: Head back up for with a cup of tea, ready to tackle the afternoon of meetings.
3.15 pm: Pop down for a quick snack and see how everyone is getting on. My husband and daughter are heading out to the local park, so I help get her ready.
5.30 pm: Finish up work and head downstairs. My husband has made a start on dinner and it smells delicious. I play with our daughter and before I know it, it’s time for prawn and pea risotto, inspired by the incredible Italian win of course! After dinner, we clean and tidy up while having a quick kitchen disco, and then I put laundry away.
7.10 pm: Bring our daughter up to bed. I do bedtime most evenings but I don’t mind as it’s a nice bonding time and good for me to wind down. After a new Julie Donaldson story, she’s out like a light. Head back downstairs and catch up on last night’s Love Island (no judgment please, it’s easy entertainment!), that we missed due to the final of the Euros.
8.20 pm: My husband heads out to play football and I log back on to try get a grapple on emails and my to-do list. I also check to make sure we have enough money to see us through to pay day.
10.00 pm: My husband is home from football. Time to watch tonight’s episode of Love Island. It’s easy watching and requires little energy, ideal for tired parents. Have a polar sandwich aka an iceberger – a truly underrated ice cream.
11.00 pm: Head up to bed.
Today’s total: €0
7.55 am: Wake up later much than planned as I fell back asleep after my alarm. Our daughter was awake 5.30 am for a bit. Quickly get up and ready for the day, usual routine. Make a smoothie for breakfast again and take a coffee upstairs – badly needed this morning.
8.15 am: Log on for the day and the morning meetings.
9.00 am: Go downstairs and help get our daughter dressed and ready. My husband brings her to his parents’ and my parents’ house at least once a week each. They are great support to us and really cherish this time with her after so many months of video calls. He generally uses this time to attend lectures or complete course work, and also catch a break. He has an essay due for an additional certificate course he just completed. He’s under time pressure this morning as he forgot he has an appointment in the opticians. Opticians check-up is free for him due to PRSI contributions but new glasses cost a cool €236.63. They’d want to be magic glasses for that price.
1.15 pm: Go downstairs and make lunch – a ham salad sandwich. We started buying a ham fillet and cooking it to have as lunch meat. We slice it and freeze some of it when it’s cooked and just defrost as necessary. Much tastier and works out much cheaper too. Have a cuppa and some chocolate I found in the press. Take the dog out for a quick 20 minute walk to stretch the legs and get some fresh air. My husband buys lunch for €5.00.
2.00 pm: Head back upstairs for the afternoon.
7.30 pm: Finally log off from work – got dragged into something and had to get it over the line. Usually I can’t really stay late but luckily my husband is still at his parents’ house. He comes home later to miss the traffic and avoid a danger nap that would mess up bedtime. I go down and get started on dinner, stirfry rice and veg with salmon. My husband calls to let me know he will be later than usual as the bank card got stuck in the pump in the garage. After a 30 minute calamity, my husband manages to fill up his car (€50.16). The 0.16 surely is to wind me up! I clean the kitchen while waiting for them. When they arrive home, I transfer our daughter to bed while dinner is getting dished up.
9.00 pm: Head downstairs for a late dinner and to chill out and watch TV. I continue sewing a felt giraffe I’m making. I’ve already made a little elephant and our daughter loves it. I bought the kits in the middle aisle of Aldi and have really enjoyed them. Think I might attempt to make some sort of decorative mobile with them.
10.30pm: Head up to bed.
Today’s total: €291.79
7.30 am: Get up and ready for the day. Tired this morning as daughter was up in the middle of the night, I blaming the warm weather. Also received a phone call late to inform us about an emergency situation with a family member. I contact work and let them know I won’t be in or online for today.
9.00 am: Husband makes coffee and breakfast, toast with penaut butter and some fresh berries. We all leave the house to go attend the situation and support in whatever way we can. We bring the dog as we don’t know how long we’ll be.
3.00 pm: The day was spent assessing the situation, planning and organising the immediate situation, as well as putting a longer term plan with numerous phone calls to the relevant supports. A family friend paid for parking at the hospital as I had no change and also bought lunch in a local cafe for us. Simple kindness like this is very appreciated in situations like this. We leave feeing relieved that we have plan in place and the person is safe, but frustrated at the system.
4.00 pm: I have a follow up hair appointment to correct something from my previous appointment. It doesn’t cost me anything but I buy a product I had been thinking about since the previous appointment for €27.50. I notice the mortgage protection direct debit has come out €35.65.
6.15 pm: Home after an intense day. I play with our daughter while my husband whips up a Chinese style fake-away chicken curry from scratch, a fav in our house. Clean and tidy up afterwards and get our daughter ready for bed.
8.45 pm: Bring our daughter up to bed, much later than usual with the day was in it. Head back downstairs and watch TV. I make us hot chocolates. Not the season I know, but exactly the comfort I need today.
11.00 pm: Head up to bed.
Today’s total: €63.15
06.45 am: Get up and ready for the day. I take the dog out for a short walk to clear my head. Make a coffee and some porridge when I come back and take it upstairs to the desk.
07.45 am: Log on for the day and try catch up on what I missed yesterday.
9.00 am: Go downstairs and help get our daughter dressed and ready. My husband brings our daughter to his parents’ house to try and finish the essay. He also has a dental appointment, costing €260.00. This is the second part of some his treatment. Parking costs €2.65.
12.15 pm: Head downstairs to make lunch. I throw an omelette together with some bits from the fridge. Window cleaner knocks in to let me know he’s here and to open the side gate. He is a new guy who came around recently. I was impressed with the price and his professional manner. He does a great job and it’s €40.00 well spent. Our estate still has some construction going on, so we won’t get it done very often, maybe three times a year. I take the dog out for a short walk. My husband buys lunch for €4.50.
1.00 pm: Back upstairs for a full afternoon of meetings.
4.00 pm: Head downstairs for a snack. Remove a load of washing that my husband put on and put on another load. Play with the dog in the garden for a couple of minutes.
6.30 pm: Finish up work. My husband and daughter are home. I play with our daughter while my husband makes dinner, chicken burger, salad and chips. Clean and tidy up afterwards and get our daughter ready for bed.
8.00 pm: Bring my daughter up to bed. Head downstairs and watch TV.
11.00 pm: Head up to bed.
Today’s total: €307.15
7.00 am: Get up and ready for the day, usual routine. Take overnight oats and coffee upstairs.
8.00 am: Log on for the day and the morning meetings.
11.00 am: Help get our daughter packed and ready to go to my parents’ house. My mum rang this morning to say they would like to take her for the night. I’m delighted and very grateful. My husband drops her out and picks up some delicious freshly baked bread and coleslaw for our lunch on the way home costing €2.69.
1.30 pm: Head downstairs for lunch. I hard boil some eggs and assemble salad bowls for us. It’s nice to chat together without interruption.
2.15 pm: Head back upstairs to work.
5.00 pm: We plan out the meals for the week ahead and then head to do the food shop in Aldi – a much calmer experience sans toddler. Had to be creative with the meal planning for the following week as money is tight enough until payday. Shopping comes to €51.65. I pick up a book and game for an upcoming birthday of a friend of our daughters. I throw in a copy of the same book for our own daughters upcoming birthday. Total is €13.26. We head to Dunnes to get a couple of remaining items that we can only get in Dunnes €15.26. While we’re there we pick up some summer clothes that are badly needed €82.50. Feel a bit guilty even though they’re needed. I always find it easier to spend money on my husband and daughter than myself. Notice that the direct debit for tolls came out €7.80.
8.00 pm: Head out for a walk with the dog. Everyone is in good form with the weather and we get stopped a few times along the way. I’m biased obviously but our dog is beautiful. He’s not quite fully grown yet but always draws attention and I never mind chatting to people. This was an unexpected bonus of getting a dog.
9.00 pm: Husband dishes up steak and chips. We had initially planned falafel but couldn’t resist the steaks for date night. Chill out for the evening and watch TV.
10.00 pm: Head up to bed. Try on the clothes we bought and decide some will be returns as they are too big or don’t suit. Organise our wardrobe a bit while we’re at it.
11.30 pm: Hit the hay.
Today’s total: €173.16
7.00 am: Up early to get organised for the day. I am going to visit family and stay overnight with our daughter to support them. Make a veggie-packed beef chilli for dinner later, taking out a portion for my husband, and some homemade burgers for their freezer. Pack an overnight bag for myself, and pack some toys and books to keep our daughter entertained. My husband has a professional workshop for the day so he gets ready to log onto that.
9.30 am: I make a takeaway coffee, and some almond butter and banana toast to bring with me. En route, I drop a birthday present I bought a while ago, into a friend for her little boy’s 2nd birthday. I arrive to my mum and dad’s house to collect our daughter. Have a little catch up with them and then head back on the road.
12.00 pm: Arrive down and see how things have been. I make some sandwiches for lunch a while later and the afternoon is spent playing and pottering in the garden and paddling pool in the sunshine.
6.00 pm: We have dinner and afterwards our daughter plays for a bit at the sink, simple games are the best. I clean and tidy up afterwards. Then I get our daughter ready for bed and bring her up.
8.30 pm: Head out for a walk with the dogs to a very peaceful nearby beach. Sea looks incredibly tranquil and serene, after a glorious day of sunshine.
10.30 pm: Head up to bed but takes a while to fall asleep with the heat.
Today’s total: €0
4.00 am: Up and dressed early to relieve my family members’ partner. My family member is not very well so it’s important to have somebody awake in the case of emergency. I had hoped our daughter would stay asleep but it was wishful thinking. I give up trying and she comes downstairs with me. We watch some Peter Rabbit and have some cereal and fruit a while later. She falls back asleep for a while. She wakes full of energy and we do some colouring and watch a film.
10.30 am: My mum arrives to take over from me. Briefly catch up with her and then repack the car with the ridiculous amount of bags needed for one night, and get going.
12.00 pm: During the week I have arranged to meet friends so I drop our daughter into my dad and head out with a couple of friends for lunch and a walk afterwards. It has been at least 18 months and feels great to catch up with them. Lunch costs €22.00 including a tip.
3.00 pm: Pick up our daughter and spend some time catching up with my Dad and telling him about my upcoming DIY plans. Eventually, coax our daughter to leave the paddling pool and slide. Get home to my husband and the dog. The weather is amazing so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the garden. My husband gets charcoal BBQ going in preparation for cooking a whole chicken and gets dinner for our daughter as the chicken won’t be ready before her bedtime.
7.15 pm: I bring our daughter up to bed and she’s out like a light. We prep the couscous salad and salad dressing for dinner.
8.00 pm: Chicken is ready and worth the wait! Dinner al fresco – could get used to this! Clean and tidy up afterwards. Then chill out and watch TV.
11.30 pm: Head up to bed.
Today’s total: €22.00
***
What I learned –
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it’s bad for both EU and Russia business wise, but EU has more to lose and especially Ukraine when winter comes alone Russia will raise the gas prices for heating for the Ukraine people.
The ones driving this are the Americans. They do negligble trade with Russia so a round or two sanctions hardly affects etiher party. Europe on the other hand does huge amount of trade with Russia. Europe has to stop dancing to Washington’s tune. A new cold war benefits nobody except the American defense industry.
And the greedy Federal Reserve.
Scipio it’s Russia doing the annexation and invasions here not the US, are you that biased against them that you can’t see that? Russia is playing the part of Germany late 1930s and you’re blaming the US
I’m not biased against anybody. I just have not forgotten about the Kiev coup encouraged by the likes of Nuland and backed by fascist/ultra nationalists that ousted a democratically elected head of state that the vast majority of easterners voted for, that started this mess.
If you wish to swallow silly Washington rhetoric about 1930s Germanay, you’re free to do so.
Ryan Carroll ,, Its NATO sh*t*ing on Russia’s doorstep….Get over it.
“it’s Russia doing the annexation and invasions ” lmfao have you tried comedy?
Amerikaw annexed california new mexico and others, they are invading countries all over the middle east, nato is a murdering terrorist organisation and you blame putin…………………..lmfao
Ablitive, the Ukraine is not Russia’s doorstep. They are a sovereign nation which has a right to choose who they decide to work with.
Ryan, you’ll find that there are plenty of people on this site who are of the impression that the US or the EU are entirely to blame for the overthrow of Yanukovych. They somehow seem to ignore the fact that secretly organising 400,000 people to protest would be an almost impossible organisation task or the fact that Yanukovych was incredibly corrupt and elected on a false election manifesto.
A ’400,000′ protest including many who were ultra nationalists out of a nation of over 40 million is not a democratic mandate to overthrow a democratically elected president. and replace him with ironically, the ousted president’s finance minister.
Jason.. NATO assured Russia in the past that it would not expand eastwards….they LIED.
NATO is based on one big LIE. …They use false flags and deception as a means to illegally expand and invade soverign nations, rob their resources, ethnic cleanse the place and leave it FAR WORSE OFF than they were to begin with.
We will soon see Syria turned into another mid eastern terrorist run wasteland thanks to US “liberation & democracy”
BTW.. Barack Obama is arming ISIS in Syria to Fight ISIS….explain this Jason,
http://www.pakalertpress.com/2014/09/11/obama-plans-to-fight-isis-by-arming-isis/
Frank, I can’t take anything you say seriously when you openly blame the Ukrainians for shelling occupied cities yet blame Syrian rebels for the Syrian government forces bombing occupied cities. Your blatant hypocrisy is awe-inspiring.
Scipio, do you deny that Yanukovych was corrupt and elected on a manifesto which he later completely disregarded?
Jason …Ukraine would not be in the mess that it is in only for this Zi0nist puppet junta that is currently in power and it is only going to get worse.
We see the same cancer spreading right across the middle east, same hallmarks. How long will it be before NATO starts its proxy terrorist regime changing campaign in Iran?
ISIS is not going to dissapear too quickly, they are too much of a convience for Western Backed forces. We will see plenty of “make believe” assaults on Isis on television media for the gullible masses to believe in.
How is that ironic?
Whether he is corrupt or not is besides the point. I suppose you’re naive to think Porshenko who served as Yanukovyvh’s finance minister is corruption free? Corruption seems to be an essential characteristic of Ukraininan politcs. As for not fulfilling his manifesto, there would be a coup every election in Ireland if the basis for launching one was the failure to fulfill a manifesto. That’s ludicrous reasoning and you know it.
@Ryan if the Americans are so worried about invasions where are the sanctions against Israel for not only killing hundreds of innocent Palestinians but for yet another land grab in the West Bank?
Jason you’re talking crap again
Cosmo Kramer … The US is in Bed with the Zi0nist regime, same excuses for the same war mongering, If this was not so the US would have intervened in GAZA but NO.. You can be damn sure Israel’s stock of Hellfire missiles will be replenished fully within the coming months.’ Israel has every right to defend its self” we will hear again from this equally fascist regime….
israel also benefits, with the russian military busy with events in ukraine they and the us have less resistance in the middle east. israels war crimes are largely ignored with the media promoting this (falsely i would add).
Abilitive, I couldn’t agree with you more France building warships for the Russian navy was certainly against NATO assurances of not expanding eastwards. You were right to pick up on this point and lets hope that Nato strengthens its resolve against Russia’s regression to cold war politics and Putin will see a bit of sense in future.
@ryan what fu*** invasion are talking about Ryan ? the imaginary one that the fu*** dogs in the State Department came up with ? If i hear another person saying Russia invaded Ukraine or the Crimea I will blow my top ……..mother of jesus..
Russia invaded Ukraine (crimea is Ukraine btw)
Justin Mc Nulty .. and US NATO FORCEFULLY INVADED….Afganistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria (Arming headhacking ISIS terrorists by proxy).
No..its the openly swastika wearing Ukraine members of government in kiev that resembles Germany in the 1930s…..people in crimea voted 96 percent to re join Russia…….eastern Ukraine people are fighting the right wing nazis wearing swastika murderers claiming to be the Ukraine army……they are referred to as pro Russian rebles but actually and factually are Ukraine people who don’t except the coup government that hijacked their country and immediately ban the language of half the country.
Didn’t the Russians invade Afghanistan as well and brutally repress Chechnya, also Hungary, checezlovakia and stl shouting abtlitive, it makes you look unhinged.
@ Ryan Carroll . I suppose you can see all this with your 3D vision, lets broaden the vista from your flat world for a moment. It is America and its allies that rely on wars of expansion to keep their economy’s at the top, 1.5 Mil dead in Iraq ! Always wars, never peace. Yes Ryan, most of the world is biased against America, after all, their children have to migrate to find a decent life, your 3D vision failed to see this in Ireland ?
You ask others if they are so biased against America ? Why not ask yourself why you are so biased in favour of wars and economic oppression. It is clearly America that is acting like the Nazis, the world wants peace, America wants war, like the Nazis it has brainwashed people to believe it is the master race, invincible.
“Author: Maurice Rodgers
Comment:
No…..the Russians never did any invasion of Afghanistan….hungry or any other country actually. ………it was the Soviet union…….Gorbachev was from Ukraine….so was kruschev who actually gave crimea to Ukraine for
political gain. ….Stalin was from Georgia.
..blaaa….blaa…..blaa”
Not sure why you deleted this comment Maurice, Maybe you realised that Kruschev was actually born on the Russian side of the border with Ukraine, Maybe you copped that the leaders at the time of Afghanistan, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Chechnya were all actually Russians and made you look like a clown with a bags of ………..’s and blaaa’s Anyway it renders all of your Russian propaganda null and void so I’ll be paying you no attention in future. Ta Raa!!
The EU fools are at it again. Do these morans know what they are doing? Russia will have no problem turnng to China to sell it’s oil and gas and raise finance. We are approaching winter in Europe. Large swaths of central Europe rely on Russian gas and oil for heating and manufacturing. Watch the price of oil for the coming months while European exporters to Russia go out of business. Cheese and some other produce prices have collapsed. Oh……I forgot….silly me….shur when oil and gas prices rise so does government revenue!
I wouldn’t count on Russia turning to China do quickly. They have at best a cold shoulder relationship on a Buber of fronts, not least the expansion of Chinese interests into border areas of Russia.
don’t be so sure I saw something the other day that they were going to setup their own payments system outside of Swift. And I believe Russia is accepting Yuan as payments for oil instead of dollars.
In fairness Jack I can see where they are stuck. Russia is in violation of international law. All the people on here harping about how the US should be chastised when it does this, and I agree, ought to be saying the same for Russia.
”All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”
So there are two ways to deal with this:
1. The Gulf War/Korean War way: Assemble a coalition and drive them back from the area they have conquered. The Russian Armed Forces have deteriorated badly, esp their navy, since the end of the Cold War. If NATO went full-throttle against them the Russians would begin to loose, badly. Then pressure would come on Putin to use tactical nukes to regain the initiative, and once they start flying it’s not a big step to a major strategic exchange. Even if it stayed conventional, estimates are that a NATO-Russia war would kill well into the millions of civilians.
NATO don’t want to go this route, esp since none of their members have been attacked, I think Obamas too weak to do this even if Russia did attack NATO tbh
2. Economic and Diplomatic pressure. Nobody gets killed, accounts are frozen, trade is disrupted, it’s not MEANT to cut them all from all weapons, it’s just meant as an irritant.
The only other option besides those two is to do nothing, and we’ve seen in past history what happens when appeasement is used against a country that is annexing neighbors based on the fig leaf of uniting all peoples of the same ethnicity.
Doing nothing at all will only encourage him to push harder. Putin is going to push as far as he can until he’s sure another move will start a war. He is determined to redress the strategic balance of NATO creeping closer to the Russian border, taking over former Warsaw Pact states, this has jack all to do with local ethnicity and everything to do with that bigger strategic picture, he wants to make sure no more NATO blue creeps closer, he want’s that balance redressed AND he wants to use it as an opportunity to play the strongman at home, where he has the makings of a personality cult with censored media and a rubber stamp parliament. He is gonna keep pushing until he can push no more without starting a war.
@Ryan Carrol, I read a lot of opinions, but I’ve never read so much drivel the likes you have written in all my life.
Ryan, I follow your logic but it is not as simple and straight forward as you set it out. When Ukraine gained it’s ‘freedom’ after the collapse of the USSR it was on the understanding that it would not join NATO and understand the need for Russia to maintain security of it boarders. The EU and USA in the guise of NATO have been steadfastly expanding East right up to the boarders of Russia. Look at the reaction of the US to the Cuba missile crises and then ask why Russia is not entitled to take the same view. The US has been engaged in an expansionist policy for the last 50 years and one has only to look at the middle east to see the mess that has been created there. We have to learn and accept that nation states are entitled to be different to us and we must respect their right to exist on their terms. Russia was faced with a civil war on its doorstep where Russian and pro Russian people were being murdered by Ukraine forces encouraged by the West. It’s like saying that we in the 26 counties should not have had an interest or acted to protect the nationalists in Northern Ireland. No country can ignore this sort of thing on its doorstep.
The proper approach the EU should take and an option you have not considered: USA and NATO……stay put of it! Their involvement serves merely to provoke. The EU does have an interest and should be saying to Putin ‘ OK let’s fix this together’. What do the Ukraine people want? What would reasonably satisfy Russian interests.
Maybe shorten it a tad. Most people come to the comments section to read a comment, not a 500 word opinion piece.
Jack, NATO is a voluntary defensive organisation. Why are countries bordering Russia feeling the need to apply to a defensive alliance? It wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with their long history of invading and bullying their neighbours, would it?
I’ve seen longer pro-russian rants from the conspiracy gang in fairness.
More nonsense Jason
Jason Culligan ..”Jack, NATO is a voluntary defensive organisation”..
I never heard such sh*ite from you before since I started posting . Tell that to the hundreds and thousands killed and injured in the illegal wars of Iraq and Lybia and Syria by proxy. Nato is an aggressive power grabbing military cult that is starting to show its true colours in the middle east and Eastern Europe.
@dee4 that is correct Dee4 …
@ . T U C . Ah, sure hes great at writing drivel, in fact he excels, probably looking for a job in the Garda or government God help us all !
Russian’s defeated Japan in china and stopped the massacre. .then handed back china to the Chinese in WW2…….. its a serious relationship Russia and china have…very serious actually. …….
All this and what did the international community do to Israel. F all
The eu is backing the wrong side we should strengthen business links with our European neighbours Russia.
Russia has proven to be an unreliable nation many times. They’re prone to cutting off trade agreements at will, they’ve driven foreign companies in Russia out of business to seize assets for Russian state companies. They imprison political rivals of Putin and his party or drive them out of the country/label them ‘mentally insane’. Most media is state owned/funded and those which aren’t are driven underground or intimidated or ‘acquired’ by the government.
Hell Putin even openly fudged the constitution so he could keep himself and his buddies in power longer than was previously legal. Lets be perfectly honest here, Russia is not a country Europe can rely on.
‘ they’ve driven foreign companies in Russia out of business to seize assets for Russian state companies’ In other words Putin brought those assets back under Russian control after the country was plundered by foreign interests during the kamikaze capitalism of the Yeltsin years, with the approval of course of the vast majority of the Russian people.
So Scipio, what about Yukos then? The company Putin had driven into the ground and who’s assets he moved into the hands of Gazprom to cripple a political rival.
Maybe we will strengthen our business links when they stop invading our neighbors!
Yukos was involved in a case of tax evasion on a colossol scale.
But with very little benefit to the average Russian.
Not really Scipio. Yukos was chosen as the means by which to bring down Khordorkovski. If it had not been tax it would have been some other corporate law breach and if that did not work he would have ended up like Politkovskaya or Litvinenko. Let’s not forget that Putin also tried to kill Yanukovych and did all in his power to dislodge Timoshenko. The election you talk about which brought Yanukovych was broadly accepted as Democratic but Yanukovych did not rule democratically. His cronies in the police provoked wider protests than might have happened if they had been less heavy handed. His handling of the 2012 parliamentary election was dictatorial. His removal was inevitable, given the state of Ukraine.
Yukos is not the issue here. His removal would have been legal and accepted by Ukraininans east and west if it had been though democratic means,there was an election due anyway, rather then a ultra nationalist backed coup.
Putin tried that trick with BP and it cost the Russian government billions in the internationaal courts. Presently BP owns around 20% of Russia’s biggest oil company.
Stop repeating state department nonsense Jason no one is listening to your pile of DUNG……..you are talking out your arse again…….
Please Russia sanction the living daylights out of us please maybe then the people of Europe will wake up to the scam which is the s-called “Union” …… SANCTIONS PLEASE……
Same ould nonsense a gain …….RUSSIA BAD MAN v WEST GOOD MAN…….what a load of bollo* ……..we are so good and clean west who murdered hundreds of thousands on a PACK OF LIES and even worse look at the state of the place now ……..their should be sanctions but not for Russia……these people are SICK Satan loving GIMPS
Yes we’ll really miss those Russian imports! Ha ha
Bit late for humanitarian aid from UN. Merkel, Obama and Cameron – congratulations on restarting the cold war.
Anne tell me, what do you think they should do then?
@Ryan. A ceasefire has been called. According to poroshenko all the alleged Russian troops have left. Why impose more sanctions and further destabilize relationships when hostilities are meant to have ended. It now seems clear that western intentions all along were not to protect Ukraine, but rather to punish Putin.
Anne Marie Devlin – Have you forgotten about Crimea?
ann
spot on,
putin gave obamacare a black eye in syria, obama was humiliated throughout the world, the yanks don’t like people standing up to them,
EU is the new tyrant.
The EU is the revived ancient Roman Empire set up by the treaty of Rome in 1957. The tyrants are starting to come out of the woodwork…
meanwhile in Russia….better start stocking up of wollies for the winter….. gotta love the EU, screwing with farmers and risking gas supplies being cut, I’d hate to be at the end of that pipeline…oh wait that us
http://news.yahoo.com/russian-gas-supplies-poland-drop-093035904.html
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A spat has broken out between Poland and Russia over what Warsaw claims is a sharp drop in natural gas supplies. The move comes amid concerns Moscow is ready to use its energy exports as a political weapon over the crisis in Ukraine.
Russian gas supplier Gazprom was elusive in its position: while it claimed its deliveries didn’t drop, it warned that they depend on volumes available for export. It also argued that the problem is due to Poland ramping up its demand, something the Polish state gas company didn’t want to confirm.
Russia will bankrupt itself cutting the gas supply off to Europe. Their economy is already shrinking, the Ruble is worth at least 20% less than what it was when they invaded Crimea and the main earner for the Russian economy is exports of oil and gas to Europe.
“invaded crimea”
i seem to recall a referendum being held which the citizens of Crimea voted to be part of Russia
I seem to remember only 6 countries in the world recognising that referendum as valid while 100 rejected it as illegal. I also remember the real results being leaked to the public showing that, even though Tatars were prevented from voting and even non-Ukrainian Russians being allowed to vote and multiple times per person, the leaked results showed only a tiny majority wanting to leave the Ukraine.
they will deal with China
Eventually, but selling oil and gas needs infrastructure to transport it. Russia will need to survive off borrowed money until 2018 when the oil and gas will start to flow into China if they stop supplying Europe. Until then nobody in their right mind would lend money to Russia.
jason
you mean like the poor black people in miami were prevented from voting in the us elections which handed the presidency to the bushmongers.
The horse has already bolted, it was a take over, you should rename yourself liedy lies.
Straws and clutching come to mind.
point out one lie that i wrote just one you lying hypocrite
Jason Culligan “Russia will bankrupt itself cutting the gas supply off to Europe”
Have you ever heard of BRIC nations? China? Iran has just signed a 60 Billion trade contract with Russia. There is no fear with Russia and it is better for them to deal with the truth than deal with the Devil.
BTW Jason.. Obama who now dictates to the EU is going from Halo to the Devils Horns.
@ . Jason C .. I think the Russians already planned for that, you seem to believe the last 20 years of working on a new alternative economic system for half the world was just words. When this is over the world will no longer have to fear America and its camp followers.
@ . Justin McNulty . They would come to your mind, after all, its all you can do.
Whatever
The eu have mismanaged this from start to finish. Sanctions only hurt the little people. The eu should not support use of ukr military against its own people. Eu should not support the ukr government allowing private armies financed by the likes of igor kolomoski or others or right wing groups to cause havoc kidnapping beating up the people in the east. Those people have rights too and these have been trampled on.
What about the rights of the people of the Donbass who have had fake referendums claiming they want to join Russia when the reality is the opposite? What about the rights of the people in cities occupied by armed terrorists funded,led and armed by Russia?
What about the rights of the vast majority of easterners who voted for Yanukovych only to see him ousted by a fascist backed coup?
Well Scipio, they had a chance to vote for a new president yet many couldn’t due to Russian-backed thugs attacking polling stations and threatening/beating people who dared to go out and vote.
You’ll also note that the fascist groups who were involved in Maidan were crushed in the presidential election.
They voted for Yanukovych who was ousted by ultra nationalist thugs who now provide units such as the Azov brigade which are acknowleded to be the most effective fighting forces Kiev has at it’s disposal.
‘You’ll also note that the fascist groups who were involved in Maidan were crushed in the presidential election’
And you should also note the ultra nationalist Svoboda party controls 25 % of government ministries.
@ . Jason Culligan . Qui the BS Jason, next you will be telling us the people that funded and instigated a coup are good people to guarantee the elections by their Kiev muppets was a fair one.
That’s like the rapist getting to judge his own crime.
From Russia with love.
Ah FFS, I just ordered an AK47 on Ebay, what a joke! DHL tracking should be interesting on this one!
ted
i just got mine but wwhen i was signing for it the gun went off, the dhl guy is dead, what you you suggest i do? there’s a woodchipper out the back……………………………………..
How unbelievably stupid do you have to me to think that Putin is not behind all of this situation in Ukraine? He created it, nurtured it, encouraged it and backs it. All in the name of his own vanity, gambling addiction and aspirations to reconstruct the USSR again. All you anti EU, Anti USA conspiracy theorists are just too stupid to argue with because if I do argue with you your superior stupidity will drag me down and beat me with you superior experience in stupidity and your breathtaking lack of any logical thought process.
Cold war again??? It’s a cover for the bigger picture..
have your say