Best Of

When facing Carlson, would you want to be in Rubio's shoes? Or even Vance's?

I suspect little Marco is going to end up taking the blame for Iran.

Certainly Vance will try to pin it on both Trump and Rubio.

Er...Hegseth?

It will be like Putin, not being told the true state of the armed forces because bad news get rewarded with falling out a window.

He would have got away with keeping the Straits of Hormuz open, if it weren't for those pesky Iranian kids...

I'm starting to think that whoever is the Democratic nominee in 2028, they are going to ride a landslide win based on bringing Biblical retribution upon everybody involved with this Adminisration. Ezekial 25:17 shit. Including the promise of show trials, very long jail terms and seizure of ALL the wealth garnered from the grift. America will demand it; the incoming President will need to offer it to the world by way of an apology.

Anything less will be deemed cowardice.

Starmer ends up in the worst of all worlds .

Which seems to sum up his premiership !

If you tether yourself to an incontinent donkey you're going to get showered. To the great British public Starmer has joinied Trumps madcap army.. The fact that he's been assigned the job of cleaning the toilets just makes us look worse.

Would Carney or Macron have volunteered?

You are facing down an economic event of Biblical proportions thanks to Trump and Bibi's ghost. I can't see that doing nothing to defend access to the straits is an option. How to strategize that without loss of military personnel is quite the conundrum.

Trump wants to stop and declare victory. Iran wants him to stop so they can declare victory. So I see a Stop coming soon. Certainly hope so. After that, who knows, probably a lasting mess, but I'm keen to reach that stage. Having no plan didn't stop him starting the war and by the same token it shouldn't stop him stopping it. Going to war with no plan and then not stopping until you do have a plan is a recipe for ongoing mayhem. It's madness. Esp since it becomes harder to plan things once conflict has commenced. So c'mon Donald, turn a bug into a feature and just stop 'obliterating' Iran and move on to Cuba or more pretend Ukraine talks or fixing the midterms or whatever. Just be you.

Give credit to Iran here. Lobbing an IRBM at Diego Garcia is showing just how not demolished they are.

Trump now his two choices. The forever war. Or the everyone laughing at Trump forever capitulation.

He has way more latitude than that. He can declare victory, withdraw US forces and pressure others to take the incoming to reopen the strait. Starmer and others will fold and do it before too long.

E2A: Trump only needs one of Starmer or Macron on board to get the other. Neither the UK nor France could bear the other getting the limelight and, who knows, it might all go brilliantly. I mean, it won't, but it might.

I can't imagine Starmer and Macron are stupid enough to try and police that Strait - there is zero upside and a lot of downside in doing so..

Mr. eek, just tell Starmer it's a legal requirement and he'd do anything

Hearing Trump's absolute refusal to accept that the Ukrainians have helped the US with drone defence in the Middle East makes clear *again* how deep-seated his personal animus against Zelensky and Ukraine is.

I think this bet is terrible, btw. Three weeks into the war, still fighting, yet 100% won, the US doesn't use Hormuz, yet gas prices are up, easy to keep it open, but the US can't do it alone. Even despite all of these massive contradictions Trump is able to keep the overwhelming support of his MAGA base.

I know I've been surprised that the war is still going, but it's clear that Trump is desperate for it to end (100% won is a tell) so I just can't see it dragging on for long enough for his base to finally recognise they've been had.

One thing that has surprised me about Trump47, and something that I was totally wrong about, is how much he likes a military misadventure.

Trump45, quite correctly, realised that overseas military interventions were a waste of everything and largely counterproductive. Now, he fucking loves them even when executing them is contrary to his interests. All that the SPO gets him are the good graces and unreliable largesse of Miriam Adelson and others of the Zionist Pro Max ilk.

Trump likes power; it's the ultimate expression of that.
Venezuela made him think it's easy.

Agreed completely. To quote, well, myself from 3 January:

Anyone focussing on the positives and negatives of this for Venezuela itself is missing the point.

This is the first shot fired in a new era of US imperialism. There is a practically zero percent chance that Trump will stop here after things have (seemingly) gone so smoothly.

Starmer ends up in the worst of all worlds .

Which seems to sum up his premiership !

If you tether yourself to an incontinent donkey you're going to get showered. To the great British public Starmer has joinied Trumps madcap army.. The fact that he's been assigned the job of cleaning the toilets just makes us look worse.

Would Carney or Macron have volunteered?

You are facing down an economic event of Biblical proportions thanks to Trump and Bibi's ghost. I can't see that doing nothing to defend access to the straits is an option. How to strategize that without loss of military personnel is quite the conundrum.

As John McDonnell said it starts with an acorn and before you know it you're facing an oak tree.

John McDonnell is a stain on the Labour Party.

Gutless coward like Corbyn, Abbott, Long Bailey, Burgeon.

They cannot be allowed to regain influence. Should have been binned off long ago.

Really? You encourage me to leave and join the Greens, after 13 years in Parliament (not a member of any pressure group or consistently left-wing) and 50 years in the party, though I'm waiting for the local elections and any aftermath before deciding. Defining a party by exclusion is ultimately self-defeating, not least as once you start you end up excluding moderate people who disagree with you on anything.

I joined the Geens this week. I don't agree with every policy, but they are a breath of fresh air compared to the legacy parties.

Starmer ends up in the worst of all worlds .

Which seems to sum up his premiership !

If you tether yourself to an incontinent donkey you're going to get showered. To the great British public Starmer has joinied Trumps madcap army.. The fact that he's been assigned the job of cleaning the toilets just makes us look worse.

Would Carney or Macron have volunteered?

You are facing down an economic event of Biblical proportions thanks to Trump and Bibi's ghost. I can't see that doing nothing to defend access to the straits is an option. How to strategize that without loss of military personnel is quite the conundrum.

As John McDonnell said it starts with an acorn and before you know it you're facing an oak tree.

John McDonnell is a stain on the Labour Party.

Gutless coward like Corbyn, Abbott, Long Bailey, Burgeon.

They cannot be allowed to regain influence. Should have been binned off long ago.

Really? You encourage me to leave and join the Greens, after 13 years in Parliament (not a member of any pressure group or consistently left-wing) and 50 years in the party, though I'm waiting for the local elections and any aftermath before deciding. Defining a party by exclusion is ultimately self-defeating, not least as once you start you end up excluding moderate people who disagree with you on anything.

@NickPalmer

For many years on this forum you have been the most interesting and decent poster never turning to foul language or personal abuse and actually provided one of the most gobsmacking and amusing moments in your life and though we are politically a distance apart, your love of animal welfare is very much a cause for our family and the Welsh government's ban on greyhound racing has been well received

You were an excellent MP and a wise advisor and if anyone could persuade me to your views you can

Compare and contrast that with @Brixian59 who makes nastiness an artform and simply just does not understand how much damage he causes for is own political views

Starmer ends up in the worst of all worlds .

Which seems to sum up his premiership !

If you tether yourself to an incontinent donkey you're going to get showered. To the great British public Starmer has joinied Trumps madcap army.. The fact that he's been assigned the job of cleaning the toilets just makes us look worse.

Would Carney or Macron have volunteered?

You are facing down an economic event of Biblical proportions thanks to Trump and Bibi's ghost. I can't see that doing nothing to defend access to the straits is an option. How to strategize that without loss of military personnel is quite the conundrum.

Apart from anything else, I cannot see a way for us to keep the Strait open by military force. If 2 carrier groups of the US Navy cannot, then how can we?

The only realistic way to open the strait is through negotiation with Tehran. In which case bombing Iran is unlikely to help.

Overnight Iran launched 2 ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia 4,000 kilometres away

London is 4,400 kilometres way from Iran

Let that sink in

Starmer promises increased defence spending but no defence review yet and no agreement with the treasury

Trump has created the most extraordinary and dangerous crisis for he wes,t and in particular UK and European defence spending requiring billions of immediate invesrtment

Labour and the treasury are complaining about how unlucky they are, but welcome to the world of Johnson and the conservatives who saw covid and the war in Ukraine erupt on their watch and we all saw what happened in 2024

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/20/uk-ministers-begin-contingency-planning-amid-fears-for-economic-effects-of-iran-war?CMP=share_btn_url