I vacillate between the view that Ukraine is hopeless, and that there is some possibility for redemption. The tendency of Ukrainian offensive to melt away as they move east suggests that all hope should be abandoned, but I wonder if looking deeper at the causes of this a possible solution doesn't emerge.

One of the reasons that the ability to keep order is failing is because the police are passive. To some extent this is because they are incompetent, but at another level I wonder if a lack of motivation is at work here. These Ukrainian copes are getting paid something like $200 a month. Russian cops get ten times that.  Maybe before the West dumps small arms, we ought to consider fronting the cash to immediately bring police pay into line with that in Russia. This could generate a lot of "motivation," but alas austerity.

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg