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David Gauke
@DavidGauke

I didn’t vote for either of the winners of the last two General Elections but “traitors” for whom a “reckoning is coming”? Really? This very excitable, angry & hyperbolic man should be nowhere near a position of responsibility in a political party that aspires to power.

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Zia Yusuf

@ZiaYusufUK

Recent events demonstrate why I view the Tory and Labour politicians who created the burning injustice of modern Britain as traitors to their country.

A reckoning is coming.



https://x.com/DavidGauke/status/2060479604481986575

Is this a Trumpian- style reckoning where opponents of the Reform Party and Reform personnel are hounded by the stolen levers of power and phenomenal amounts of dodgy cash find their way into the bank accounts of friends and family of the great and the good of Reform? Although it is happening already I can't wait until it shifts into overdrive!

Yusuf

An odious little shit never elected by anyone to anything

I preferred him when he was plain old Cat Stevens🤣

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The US, UK and Australia say they will develop underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables and boost defence, under their military alliance known as Aukus.

The uncrewed undersea vehicle (UUV) technology is expected to be ready by next year. While the project's total cost was not stated, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said his nation would contribute £150m ($201m).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y8wjvd1ypo

"The announcement, made by the countries' defence ministers at a security summit in Singapore, follows claims of slow progress in Aukus's projects.

Acknowledging the criticism, Healey said "for too long in Aukus, we talked too much and delivered too little", adding "that has now changed under our three governments"."

Translation: the multi tens of billions submarine project is stuck in the mud, so here's something shiny that's 50 times cheaper. It's a success!

You say that like it's a bad thing..

The problem is again that they are latching onto the latest thing while not understanding it.

Firstly even with drones, assuming the other side has them too, even if yours are better, just exactly how do you protect it. The four main cables are between them 4.5k km, 6.2k km, 6.7k km and 13k km, any or all of which can be cut at any point.

Much like the challenge fired at my lot, the SNP; "How would you defend the Rigs!!!" The honest answer isn't to talk about Frigates, it's to admit we can't and neither can you, because there are just too many spread over too big an area!

The real solution to the cables is to stop relying on sending data back and forth to the US as well as accepting that Musk and Bezos are as cable of cutting it off ,and probably more so, than the Chinese. The classic response to that has always been but the US is an ally, but that was before Trump.

Secondly drones will soon be abe to replace SSN's like Aukus. They are far cheaper, can be built far faster, can stay at sea longer and go deeper and they are expendable. Much like unmaned aircraft or kamakazie drones Politicians who camapigned on spending billions to keep us safe, while backing British business and creating thousands of high quality jobs, are having to come to terms with a future where theose promises can't be met.

An new SSN can cost more than £3bn, a Chinese armed underwater drone less than £20m, so you can get forty drones for less than a quarter of the price of an SSN which only carries less than thirty torpedos. You run out of ammo before they run out of drones.

You can build large drones on a production line split across a number of much smaller yards.

It can take a year to build a large underwater drone but that will shorten as production ramps up and China across multiple yards could easily turn out dozens a year. The time line to build an Aukus is estimated at 8-10 years each and we are unlikely to be able to build more than four in twenty years given capacity.

Sooner or later ,and probably later after wasting billions, we will abandon Aukus altogether.

Peter.

What's the odds on both Starmer and Burnham losing

Indeed it is not beyond possibility Starmer could survive as PM

Labour are in a mess

Why do you bother to write this bullshit? Or if if you feel compelled at least put forward an argument

I think you are rhe expert on writing 'b......t' and not engaging

I raise an uncomfortable question and in typical fashion of the left you go off on one

Read Bloomberg I posted earlier, look at the polls, and expect the unexpected

Your filly is currently 500-1. If you are confident of Labour being 'in a mess' I can only think you are suggesting it's between Restore and Reform.

One at 11-1 the other 4-1.

As Labour are so clearly out of it which of 'Restore' or 'Reform' are you recommending we go for?

Or are you thinking Kemi could still pull it off?

Filly sums you up

I have no idea about the result but the conservatives, lib dems, and greens are unlikely to gain 10% between them

There is some reason to doubt Burnham will win but I hope he does as he has to beat Farage

It is undeniable labour are in a mess

This is getting circular. Why are labour in a mess?

I have no particular preference. As I see it Burnham will probably win and I have no idea what happens next. That's why I come on here. A greater array of election and betting specialists will be hard to find so your synchronised cheering for Kemi under all circumstances is unhelpful.


(Though it's Saturday and I have Arsenal losing to look forward to so don't take it personally)

How is wanting Burnham to win cheering for Kemi ?

There are a growing number of voters warming to Kemi as you can see in the polling and even on here

The nightmare for the UK is either Farage or Polanski having any influence on the next government

They are both extreme and dangerous

Afaics the growing number of voters warming to Kemi are not so heated up as to give her their vote, or have I missed some polling?

3 years to the next GE and with a leader improving,labour all over the place, and the ludicrous Surgeon Murrell scandal at the heart of the SNP, anything can happen

Murrell was pretending to be a surgeon as well as everything else?!

12 days to the World Cup.
Can anyone ever recall less excitement?

Reasons? Possibles:

It's in the USA so the Trump problem applies. He will barge in. We don't trust or admire the USA currently. Some who always go will stay away.
The sense that it's a rip off for those who go.
The USA hasn't got any interest in football
The time difference problem.
The English game is so dominated by foreign stars that the England squad don't feel like familiar superstars.
Far too many teams in the finals (48). In 1966 there were 16. So far too many obscure games. Too much, too long, diluted quality.
Cape Verde are there and Italy are not.
According to the rankings England are the 4th best in the world, which suggests that this isn't going to be a feast of genius, as we are mostly unwatchable.
You can watch football on telly if you are a fan more or less 365 days a year. It isn't special.

Football was more exciting when you went with your Dad at 3pm on a Saturday to watch your local team, with local men playing in the team.

https://youtu.be/3NeRoSFZWbs?si=3nY5Dl9a42llnROv

In the 1950's my late dad used to take me to watch Berwick Rangers complete with travel blanket and thermos

It was my first experience of regular Saturday football

When my dad took me to my first football match, it was my first experience of really bad language.

Was it a tough journey there?

My dad didn't really swear - Blumming Heck was his go-to, occasionally a "Ruddy" would slip out.

12 days to the World Cup.
Can anyone ever recall less excitement?

Reasons? Possibles:

It's in the USA so the Trump problem applies. He will barge in. We don't trust or admire the USA currently. Some who always go will stay away.
The sense that it's a rip off for those who go.
The USA hasn't got any interest in football
The time difference problem.
The English game is so dominated by foreign stars that the England squad don't feel like familiar superstars.
Far too many teams in the finals (48). In 1966 there were 16. So far too many obscure games. Too much, too long, diluted quality.
Cape Verde are there and Italy are not.
According to the rankings England are the 4th best in the world, which suggests that this isn't going to be a feast of genius, as we are mostly unwatchable.
You can watch football on telly if you are a fan more or less 365 days a year. It isn't special.

Football was more exciting when you went with your Dad at 3pm on a Saturday to watch your local team, with local men playing in the team.

https://youtu.be/3NeRoSFZWbs?si=3nY5Dl9a42llnROv

In the 1950's my late dad used to take me to watch Berwick Rangers complete with travel blanket and thermos

It was my first experience of regular Saturday football

When my dad took me to my first football match, it was my first experience of really bad language.

Was it a tough journey there?

12 days to the World Cup.
Can anyone ever recall less excitement?

Reasons? Possibles:

It's in the USA so the Trump problem applies. He will barge in. We don't trust or admire the USA currently. Some who always go will stay away.
The sense that it's a rip off for those who go.
The USA hasn't got any interest in football
The time difference problem.
The English game is so dominated by foreign stars that the England squad don't feel like familiar superstars.
Far too many teams in the finals (48). In 1966 there were 16. So far too many obscure games. Too much, too long, diluted quality.
Cape Verde are there and Italy are not.
According to the rankings England are the 4th best in the world, which suggests that this isn't going to be a feast of genius, as we are mostly unwatchable.
You can watch football on telly if you are a fan more or less 365 days a year. It isn't special.

Football was more exciting when you went with your Dad at 3pm on a Saturday to watch your local team, with local men playing in the team.

Still very possible in the Conference League, or even lower leagues. Leicester City will be playing the Academy kids at 3PM with no VAR next season.

Its just if you want to follow the international mercenaries in the Prem that you won't, though that is its own form of entertainment.

Enjoy the new season, with the opportunity to visit new grounds and the chance of promotion.

I enjoyed the last season in League One, but not convinced that we will be Promotion contenders this season. Maybe we might win a few more games.

Amongst the "Sack the Board" and "You're not fit to wear the shirt" chants at the last home match we sang the Que sera sera song, but rather than "we're on our way to Wembley", the lyric was "we're on our way to Bromley"

12 days to the World Cup.
Can anyone ever recall less excitement?

Reasons? Possibles:

It's in the USA so the Trump problem applies. He will barge in. We don't trust or admire the USA currently. Some who always go will stay away.
The sense that it's a rip off for those who go.
The USA hasn't got any interest in football
The time difference problem.
The English game is so dominated by foreign stars that the England squad don't feel like familiar superstars.
Far too many teams in the finals (48). In 1966 there were 16. So far too many obscure games. Too much, too long, diluted quality.
Cape Verde are there and Italy are not.
According to the rankings England are the 4th best in the world, which suggests that this isn't going to be a feast of genius, as we are mostly unwatchable.
You can watch football on telly if you are a fan more or less 365 days a year. It isn't special.

Football was more exciting when you went with your Dad at 3pm on a Saturday to watch your local team, with local men playing in the team.

I went with our next door neighbour to St Andrews. So it really wasn't.