Awesome and delusional straw-man hypothetical there, Gordon.

The Ukrainians are defending their own territory (one branch of my own Ukrainian family is from the Donbass, and some managed to survive the Stalinist Holodomor, with no love for any authority identified with Moscow/Russia)..

No outside power is even considering "spending the lives of 400,000 soldiers" in defense of this Ukrainian territory. But Ukraine will, while regretting every life spent, knowing that to capitulate now just means a worse fate further down the road, as the Putin regime is emboldened by capitulation. This is Ukraine's WW2, with Putin's Russians substituting for Germany in the aggressor role.

We've gone from a "look at me, hasn't my life been really interesting, let me tell you about it in the guise of asking about life's turning points" to full Vatnik. This thread has run its course.

In these circumstances I will not continue any discussion with you on the war. When it becomes personal, it is no longer a place for outsiders.

I hope you will accept that I sincerely wish your family/relatives well, and that they will survive this war. Over and out. G

I'm sorry your life has not been interesting, but I think you just have to accept what little joy has come your way. An interesting life requires taking chances once in a while, and that's not for everybody. And comfort yourself with this: you have encountered a word that's many of us on this thread have never heard of. "Vatnik" - it doesn't look English, which means you must have discovered it by doing something interesting, right? Be grateful for small mercies!

I discovered it by reading a post on this thread. It wasn't that big a thing, no great experience involved.

I had to look it up on Urban Dictionary. Not life changing, but interesting.

.

But his life has been interesting.

Sorry, Jingsa: I don't seem to have answered your question of a while back. It was lost in the diversion to other topics... Some of the colonies really are self-sufficient without Income Tax or corporate-profits tax - maybe all of them; I don't know. It helps that most of them have very small populations. Cayman has 70-80,000, of which about half are migrants on Work Permits, who have to leave the Islands after seven years' residence - sometimes nine years, but never ten, unless they marry a citizen. That's a requirement of our masters, the UK FCO. Ten years' residence entitles a migrant to be granted citizenship, and that is granted only grudgingly.

Our education is about the same standard as Britain's; so is the policing, judiciary and other local services. The healthcare is superb. We have two hospitals - one government, the other owned and run by a well-regarded Indian surgeon from Bangalore. My wife received wonderful care for her cancer, and I have no fear of poor treatment for any health problem. I might go to Jamaica if ordered by my Jamaican doctor, and maybe Cuba. Nowhere else. I have it in my DNR ("Living Will") that I must not be sent to the USA. Reason: hospitals there have the reputation of keeping patients alive for just as long as the family's money holds out!

But they prefer to remain British.

But please can we let you and your pompous posturing go?

bats. What would be truly bats - and pompous posturing - is if Britain were to throw away the lives of 400,000 of its soldiers to defend the Falklands, yet that's what you seem to be advocating. Come on, man!

You're being bloody ridiculous

So maybe they could contribute financially to being British?

You might want to check your facts before whining on

Indeed you should. UK taxpayers cover the cost of Falklands defence requirements, Falklanders do not pay UK income tax.

As for whining, look to yourself.

Time to stop the sniping. Those that can’t help themselves, please take it to PM. Thanks.