May's deal and the triumph of Russia over the past two years.

The past two years have been the best years for Russia in memory. Through rat-fucking the Brexit referendum and the US Presidential election, they've thrown the West into disarray. That the US has lost standing in the world, I think, cannot be disputed. And whether we can recover from the disaster of Trump and his followers after he leaves office remains an open question.

Britain's Brexit has put the UK in a similar seemingly unrecoverable position. Even if there ultimately is a second referendum and Remain wins, how is the EU supposed to consider the UK a trusted member in good standing? It seems to me the best that can be hoped for is what May negotiated: non-voting member status in the EU. Of course, if there is a second referendum and No-Deal Brexit wins or if the parliament votes down May's deal (which would result in the same No-Deal Brexit imo) then I believe it extremely likely that the troubles will return to Ireland. That is not getting enough mention and is the most devastating part of Brexit imo.

Whatever the outcome of Brexit and the US Presidential election of 2020 (which, make no mistake, holds a non-zero chance of a Trump victory) the Russians have clearly won the past couple of years. The damage to the West is clear and lasting. The EU will be weaker, the US is obviously weaker, and in the next 5 to 10 years there's really nothing to be done about it.

..a pretty Shitty Season’s Gratings (..such as truthiness oft manages to derail anyway?)
You’ve put it more succinctly than most-often I'd have managed; indeed Putin’s Poltroons Have won the--[obligatory Fucking- ]--Gold-plated pot-metal Ring, for the Present and foreseeable. Complexifying that accomplishment in The Craftsmanship of Evildoing are the Techno-in-hands-of-Idiots factors:

A) P. possesses advanced [miniaturized, ‘smart’ engines of destruction, already extant ] ..and like our Orange Menace, P. could never be accused of possession of any ‘moral-compass-thing’ whatsoever. Clearly he would ‘defend’ most attempts to roll-him-back: with that impulsive-ferocity of our own Troglodyte.

B) Already discussed in various places is the Long Record of dis-USA Presidential ploys (like war-with-Mexico: Get More Land™) based solidly on the many-times-tested *theory that: DISTRACTION from some political danger to the POTUS is best accomplished by starting-a-New-war, getting the flags & trumpets blaring, gaining kudos from the vox-pop—who prove repeatedly how easily Are these distracted unto idiotic-ends, after the marching bands deflect them from sports and pron.
* tested sufficiently to now be a Principle?

C) As clearly; This very day: The Menace is near-to-being Out-menaced, his epaulets ripped off, the Swinging-sword shattered and the Perp drummed outta The Corps(e). (Worst case for That one: HUMILIATED.. rears its Gorgon-head right-in-his puffy-orange-face, as we speak.) W.T.F. do We Think that this über-Madman would/Will! Do Next? (as he awaits impatiently the ramping-up of the now beckoning New Arms Race AND Our Own powerful-but-smaller/faster Death toys on-order??) Hmmm?

D) See C) What other lies/tricks/bribes/Dictats ‘lie’/no pun within his now scared-shitless purview? other than Save ME!!/screw the consequences for sanity ever returning locally, climate/planetary matters ever becoming a full-consensus-Action worldwide … [fill-in-Listicle].

[Bonus for ‘evangelicals’ of all stripes, jes evah er, a Pinin' fer ~~the Fjords~~ Rupturing-Out, to sit at the Right ‘hand’ of that-Thing-we-constructed (after too many bumps-in-the-night were too-ƒear-ƒull), to bear-without-a-crutch to lean on.]

tl;dr (all the above)
Indeed I currently believe that the Bulletin Clock should show ~ 1 picosecond-before-Midnight, even though that symbol is both too-sub-tull AND too-unKnown amidst the unTeachables everywhere. But (like that Restaurant at the Edge of the Universe© scenario), I deem it a privilege in having my popcorn/OK cashews and Moscato Amabile to-hand, having experienced already a sufficiency of cheated-death events and while still.. in possession of a not-noticeably infirm body-casing. What, Me Worry?

It’s gonna be a Hoot!! ..this alleged ‘2019', innit? :-)

PS-on-a-lighter note:
Just heard on BBC: 20% of Russians are at poverty level; alleged is that Putin's rep is suffering (and on the ^up-swing^). :-)
Ya just cannot-Tell ..about 2019. Yet.
('Course too; Orange Menace's Options curtail significantly after Jan 1. Full-Panic within next 12 Days: what. are. these Odds?)

:oTpy

Welcome to IWETHEY!