tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7741861999194728080.post8331009456150731553..comments2023-10-07T12:15:50.446+01:00Comments on The Centre Left: Alarm bells in the UkraineRob Marchanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534810369839848312noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7741861999194728080.post-19550699170613666782014-01-26T15:11:33.731+00:002014-01-26T15:11:33.731+00:00Pedantry corner: the distance between Moscow and t...Pedantry corner: the distance between Moscow and the Ukrainian border is actually the width of a Poland or a Germany.<br /><br />And Peter the Great actually moved the Russian capital to St Petersburg which up until 1809 was on the Swedish frontier.<br /><br />London is of course much closer to Calais (and in the days when the fastest mode of transport was a sailing ship even closer in travel time) than it is to most of England let alone the rest of the UK.<br /><br />Paris is closer to Brussels (or indeed London) than it is to Toulouse.<br /><br />Etc.<br /><br />Centrally located capitals are in fact something of a rarity as historically most nations did not start out as city states expanding equally in all directions - and indeed the concept of a capital city is actually a relatively modern one.<br /><br />And in an age where no major power will ever be invaded by conventional armies surely mere territory no longer has the same strategic value? Roger McCarthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741665797773605921noreply@blogger.com