Best Of

That's Badenoch's best PMQs and Starmer is a national embarrassment

Lord Yum Yum must be gone before the State visit. The UK needs a British Ambassador, not a shifty self serving networker. How Starmer orchestrates it will be interesting to see - as what is abundantly clear from today’s PMQs, WHAT CLEARLY MAKES A RESIGNATION MATTER NOW WAS ALREADY KNOWN TO STARMER WHEN HE MADE THE APPOINTMENT. Who predicted the first weeks after the holidays would be such fun politics. Looking back, these weeks, days and hours may be redefining British Politics for a generation.

A Labour Party implosion in the polls with benefit Kemi and the Conservatives most of all.

Yes. Starmer needs to send a clear message that any association with Epstein is beyond the pale. However, for the sake of preserving international relations, perhaps he should wait until after the state visit of that other bloke in the photos.

So Putin has concluded (correctly) that he's faced with the weakest most naive and clueless American president in history and is acting accordingly. Dangerous times.

It's not just about Trump. It's also that European leaders are scared to act without American support.

We can't afford to let this be about Trump. Europe has to determine its own fate.

A bit of bellicose ranting on here and nobody wants to go where that might end up.

I'm happy to concede Russia might not have the control over its drones we imagine and while Belarus might have no objections, Poland has quite rightly chosen to defend its airspace.

I doubt it's any kind of serious "test", more logistical bumbling and technological over-reach in Moscow. Had Polish planes shot down drones over Ukraine, that would be different - Ukrainian anti-drone technology is doing no more than the Poles have done.

This conflict has seen the unprecdented use of drones in warfare and as with all new battlefield technologies, they don't always work.

Once again, we can rely on the media (both old school and social) to create a mountain out of a molehill and a crisis out of a small drama.

What an utter fool you are.

Russia does everything it does - not just last night, but all of the political interference in western democracies, the attacks on Ukraine, Georgia etc - and you accuse *us* of being bellicose.

I sometimes wonder what Russia would have to do before some idiots say: "Okay, Putin's gone a little too far..."

A hell of a lot more than flying a few drones over Poland. A 100 division armoured invasion towards Warsaw would do it but are we seeing that? No.

Yet there are people on here openly advocating some sort of retaliatory strike into Russia - seriously?

And you accuse ME of ridiculing the term "beliicose".

Russia won't ever send divisions into Poland. It will be kilometre by kilometre, coup by coup. Boiling frog syndrome - at every stage it won't be rational to respond with force, but they'll keep on creeping up towards Berlin/Vienna/Helsinki.

Russian Invasion - Salami Tactics | Yes Prime Minister (90 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg-UqIIvang

Thank goodness you posted that. I couldn't do it cos I'm on the tablet in work.

While we’re (rightly) vexed by Mandelson and Poland this is on fire in America

“I am offering $500k in $10k grants to paint murals of the face of Iryna Zarutska in prominent US city locations

Please contact katie@eoghan.com for more details

Please also share this message

If you would like to contribute to this fund, please contact Katie also”

https://x.com/eoghan/status/1965567989002240125?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw

Musk just promised $1m

Wouldn’t they be better starting a fund for basic treatment for the psychotically ill?

Not a psycho, apparently.

There are 65 homicides per day in the US, 49 firearm related.
Why do they only care about 1? There's 1 every 20 minutes, take action that will reduce them all.

That was true of the George Floyd case too.

Floyd was murdered by a policeman. That's why that case stood out. The police are meant to be the ones doing the protecting. I am surprised this needs explaining.

That's Badenoch's best PMQs and Starmer is a national embarrassment

Lord Yum Yum must be gone before the State visit. The UK needs a British Ambassador, not a shifty self serving networker. How Starmer orchestrates it will be interesting to see - as what is abundantly clear from today’s PMQs, WHAT CLEARLY MAKES A RESIGNATION MATTER NOW WAS ALREADY KNOWN TO STARMER WHEN HE MADE THE APPOINTMENT. Who predicted the first weeks after the holidays would be such fun politics. Looking back, these weeks, days and hours may be redefining British Politics for a generation.

A Labour Party implosion in the polls with benefit Kemi and the Conservatives most of all.

Yes. Starmer needs to send a clear message that any association with Epstein is beyond the pale. However, for the sake of preserving international relations, perhaps he should wait until after the state visit of that other bloke in the photos.

Is Andrew invited to the State Dinner?

(((Dan Hodges)))
@DPJHodges
·
33m
It’s not possible to overstate how much trouble Starmer’s now in on Mandelson, having backed him in the House.

Hodges is wrong yet again, of course it is possible. How about "Starmer will not just have to resign, but will be found guilty of treason, hung, drawn and quartered, sent to hell for eternity, and be forced to become a Man United fan". I suspect that overstates it quite substantially.

It's not Starmer resignation but Mandelson that is on the line but Starmer prevarication is not helping him at all

Sure Mandelson will probably have to go. It makes almost no long term difference to Starmer. His fate rests on ending asylum hotels, a big reduction in the boats combined with the fluctuations of the global economy, not this.

Not quite sure this is right. How about this progression; could it be where the media/opposition go?

1) Mandelson had a significant relationship with Epstein both before and after he went to prison for sex offences.including post prison business consultancy. (This looks certain)

2) M must have been fully vetted before the ambassadorial appointment. (This must be true)

3) Starmer must have been advised of the relevant facts. (This must be true, especially as M has form from the past, but no doubt attempts can be made to fudge it)

4) If 1-3 above are true and established, then M's appointment is a potential resignation issue for Starmer.

What do others think?

Spot on. The resignation of Mandelson a mere formality now - what the media and opposition leaders are chasing is the resignation of Starmer over this. He was very careful not to tell porkies at PMQ, but at expense of making it crystal clear he likely knew all this even more besides when making the appointment.

He hid behind “due process was followed” questions can be asked about that due process. Indeed LOTO asked for it to be published in full ASAP.
He hid behind “elements of due process that are strictly private” which he won’t get away with for it inevitably means he can’t close off “what did you know and when.”

Can Starmer latch on to something “new” to everyone for the sacking that saves him?
Is there anything new, something substantial not known during due process Starmer didn’t know? Otherwise Starmer is finished now by this “fluffy bed robe cover up”

I think the first signs of Number Ten softening its support will come from “number 10 spokesperson or source” look there for possible backing away from Mandleson.

“I think the first signs of Number Ten softening its support will come from “number 10 spokesperson or source” look there for possible backing away from Mandleson.”

At the moment they are not at all softening their stance, in fact number ten choosing to dig themselves deeper into the mire.

From live Grunidan Blog
No 10 says Mandelson subject to 'extensive' vetting before appointment as ambassador to US
At the post-PMQs lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson would not discuss in detail what Keir Starmer knew about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein before he appointed him ambassador to Washington. But he stressed that the pre-appointment vetting was “extensive” – implying No 10 did know quite a lot about this.

The spokesperson said:

We have been very clear that the victims of Jeffrey Epstein are at the forefront of our minds, he was a despicable criminal who committed the most heinous crimes and destroyed the lives of so many women and girls.
On the appointment process, any candidates for ambassador positions are subject to extensive vetting and background checks by the Foreign Office and Cabinet Office as a matter of course.
Asked if Starmer was surprised by the latest revelations, the spokesperson said that Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein “has been a matter of public record for some time and the ambassador himself has repeatedly addressed questions on it”.

Again, mind boggling

This position cannot hold. Even if you accept Mandelson’s claim that he saw nothing and understood nothing, despite several visits to pedo island, and even if you accept that the cringey innuendo laden sexual banter in his ten page love letter to Epstein is all innocent - the fact is Mandelson stayed in Epstein’s house as Epstein’s guest when Epstein was serving time for pedophilia and trafficking

There is no plausible escape from that fact. Mandelson knew all that and still thought it was a great idea to accept hospitality from his best pal, the convicted pedophile Jeff