Leeds Ram

Yeah, nothing to disagree with here.  Seems perfectly plausible to me that the Iranian regime is trying not to look weak in response to Israeli aggression while at the same time it wants to suppress any dissenting voices regarding it's policies among it's own population.  Those two points don't seem like a contradiction to me. 
I don't think anyone needs any convincing on how awful the regime in Iran is and how unfortunate Iranians are to have to suffer through it. 

In fairness a fair few of people now wanting a ticket have had plans change. 

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

In fairness a fair few of people now wanting a ticket have had plans change. 

I'm not so sure about that. The Iranian regime has been suffering on multiple fronts from a direct lack of legitimacy. The 'hybrid' system initially developed at the beginning of the Republic has now all but broken down into simple authoritarianism. The regime's foreign adventures in Syria and Yemen are not popular with Iranians who have demanded resources be spent at home rather than abroad. I'm not sure how launching this kind of attack helps with that tbh. Nor do I think the Iranian regime is that bothered about the 'pr consequences' of their foreign policies as if they were they wouldn't still be propping up the Assad regime or arming the Houthi rebels. 

Admittedly I've not kept a close eye on the reaction domestically to this though so I may be wrong. 

I'm just not sure the Iranian public overall would want that kind of strike against Israel given how they are opposed to the actions in Yemen and Syria which has cost them a lot in blood and treasure. It strikes me as a little incongruent as a reasoning. It wouldn't surprise me if it was done more with regional dynamics in mind than domestic consumption tbh.
On the question of does the regime care about public opinion- yes and no I would say. The Grand Ayatollah has recently bemoaned the lack of public religiosity which is partly down to the regime itself becoming increasingly reliant upon the armed forces as a separate wing to enforce control, as well as the 'basij' as a separate civilian militia. The danger for the regime is when the Ayatollah dies (I believe he's 83 if my memory is correct) what happens then as the legitimation for the regime has gotten too narrow to be considered stable. However, Iran is a sophisticated state, unlike Syria, which has significant capacity militarily to quell uprisings. Their response to challenges has not been to listen but to project 'strength' and crackdown on increasing numbers of opposition activists. 

I'm not so sure about that. The Iranian regime has been suffering on multiple fronts from a direct lack of legitimacy. The 'hybrid' system initially developed at the beginning of the Republic has now all but broken down into simple authoritarianism. The regime's foreign adventures in Syria and Yemen are not popular with Iranians who have demanded resources be spent at home rather than abroad. I'm not sure how launching this kind of attack helps with that tbh. Nor do I think the Iranian regime is that bothered about the 'pr consequences' of their foreign policies as if they were they wouldn't still be propping up the Assad regime or arming the Houthi rebels. 

Admittedly I've not kept a close eye on the reaction domestically to this though so I may be wrong. 

I'm not so sure about that. The Iranian regime has been suffering on multiple fronts from a direct lack of legitimacy. The 'hybrid' system initially developed at the beginning of the Republic has now all but broken down into simple authoritarianism. The regime's foreign adventures in Syria and Yemen are not popular with Iranians who have demanded resources be spent at home rather than abroad. I'm not sure how launching this kind of attack helps with that tbh. Nor do I think the Iranian regime is that bothered about the 'pr consequences' of their foreign policies as if they were they wouldn't still be propping up the Assad regime or arming the Houthi rebels. 

Admittedly I've not kept a close eye on the reaction domestically to this though so I may be wrong. 

I may be wrong but I believe the attack technically was not on the embassy but a building adjacent to the embassy itself. 

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

I don't think many people who have watched or seen many of these marches really think they're simply calling for peace in a pleasant manner. I've seen marches where I have witnessed speakers valorise Hezbollah and Hamas. The rise in anti-Semitic incidents alone (600% I believe) is staggering and speaks to something darker and more dangerous in politics. Galloway's election in rochdale speaks to the uglyness and hypocrisy of so many who believe in 'freedom for Palestine' tbh too. Willingly voting for a man who sucked up to Saddam Hussein and Bashar Al-Assad just says it all really. 

On the ceasefire there should be one but without a broader strategy for peace it's simply a stop the clock situation. Ocotber 7th has unleashed Israeli public opinion against the idea of a Palestine at all and has opened the floodgates to a maelstrom of violence and destruction. The region is in a disastrous state with authoritarianism surviving the Arab Springs and the regions only real democratic player now certainly guilty of war crimes if not genocide. It's ugly and no-one has an answer beyond trying to make it stop which is no real solution at all.

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

A good few clubs sang that song, but the vitriol of the Brum mob really left an impression on me. I'd love to see them suffer what we did, not that it'll happen. I know I should not be so small-minded but I feckin loathe them.

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

Thought we played well and managed the occasion excellently. I can't believe anyone would be moaning or disappointed after winning 3-0 and our rivals dropping points. Really feeling like we can do this now! Thought the atmosphere in the first 20 minutes was excellent as it was in the second half. I can't wait for Carlisle as I'll imagine we'll take the roof off if we go up! 

Before others go off on tonight's matchthread tangent, I just wanted to say what an enjoyable afternoon at Pride Park. A cracking atmosphere, good football and a deserved win. 
I  had assumed Warne would revert to a back three, simply because it allows Sibley and Wilson to get forward more. I thought both were excellent,  but it was the inclusion of Thommo that made all the difference.  It gave us a midfield three with tenacity and bite. As a result, all the other parts of the team played better than midweek. Collins, especially,  looked so much better in the role today, and although Mendez-Laing's traditional wing play is sacrificed in this formation, he managed to get out wide at times, delivered good set pieces and could have had a couple of goals on the break.
Although I loved the set-piece goals, I do wish we could finish some of our chances created in open play, as it would do our confidence the world of good. 
Still, the defence was excellent,  snuffing out the few chances that Orient created, and providing the goals, too. 
It was difficult to choose a MOTM today as there are so many contenders. 
And as Warne said afterwards, no further injuries. 
Results went our way so automatic promotion is back in our hands. Play like this for the last two games and we are there! 
 

I don't see Bolton beating Portsmouth and Peterborough but I can see Peterborough winning their last 5. I think they'll edge us out by a point or two in the end. We'll look back at this game and Northampton being the clinchers. Maybe we'll win in the playoffs but I'm far from confident. We possessed no composure and second half ran around like headless chickens. Poor game management from the coaches and the players who needed to keep their heads and stick to the formula which has won us 12 away games this year. 

The problem with your example here is that we didn't negotiate terms of surrender with the Nazis... their surrender had to be unconditional and absolute for us to accept it. I was merely highlighting that it's very easy to say let's get a ceasefire. Almost everyone can agree with that tbh. The bigger problem, besides stopping the clock for a few months or even a few years, necessitates trying to dig out a form of a solution from this mess. Finding a solution that both Israel and Palestine can stomach is further away than it likely has been since 48 itself if current surveys are to be believed. 

read two faces of liberalism by John Gray and This is Europe by Ben Judah which are both great books. Although Gray's critiques are a bit worn these days. About to start the novelist by Jordan Castro which has had strong recommendations too.

Always hate this month as it would have been my dad's birthday. This year he'd have been 60. Also got the additional stress of my academic job contract running down and trying to work out if I'll get an extension or not... with my industry in the doldrums it's not a fun time to say the least. Also been feeling really down generally with work and struggling to find the motivation to finish what needs to be done. 

Need to follow our work on from Portsmouth. Don't get drawn into Wycombe's games, stay above the fray and knock them out with a clean punch. Attack with pace and movement and they simply won't be able to cope. 

This does help 🙂 Thanks for the kind words I really appreciate them 🙂