Best Of

Kemi is lowering standards, ferfuxake, what a terrible idea.

Builders as Tory MPs? I mean no wonder she keeps on getting mullered in elections.

Badenoch: I want teachers and builders to become Tory MPs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/30/badenoch-want-teachers-builders-future-tory-mps/

'Future Tory candidate selection, she said, would focus on the five C’s – cleverness, charisma, communication skills, conviction and Conservatism.

“I will not allow people who do not share our beliefs to use the Conservative Party as a vehicle to further their personal ambitions,” she added.'

What is capital C Conservatism? People have very different ideas about that.

Thesedays around half the people who might be interested in Conservatism are more excited by Reform - never mind if they are conservative or Conservative.

Will they have to provide certification for cleverness, whatever that is as she palpapbly can't according to US sources

Will she have yo evidence she has any charisma, she has none.

Will they only communicate on Twitter like her?

Will they have the conviction to deny saying she wanted to go to war with US v Iran when she definitely did, or will you need a conviction for web hacking?

FFS

She makes Truss look like Theresa

Kemi is a software engineer and systems analyst not a lawyer or PPE or Humanities graduate so I suppose she wants some more practical people like her

FINALLY...Kemi brags about being an Engineer!

The word has connertations of the Golden Industrai era, a Golden technology age, hands dirty in oil.

But NO

"Kemi is a software engineer and systems analyst "

That is plain English (at the very low level of work experience she had is)...

"I'm sorry your Computer is not working please turn it off at the plg, count to 30 and see if it works, if it doesn't ring the IT Call Centre back and me or one of my 200 colleagues sat in this old warehouse will tell you to do the same again"

I'm obviously no fan of Badenoch's but that post is just offensive stupidity.

Gemini summarises her pre-politics work experience thus:

Private Sector & Professional Experience (2003–2016)

Badenoch holds a degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Sussex and a part-time Law degree from Birkbeck, University of London.

Software Engineer at Logica: Worked in the information technology sector from 2003 to 2006 for the tech firm Logica (which later became part of CGI Inc).

Systems Analyst at RBS: Moved into financial tech, working on systems analysis and technology change programmes for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

Associate Director at Coutts: Spent several years (2006–2013) at the private wealth manager and bank Coutts & Co., transitioning from tech infrastructure roles into financial compliance following the 2008 financial crisis.

Digital Director at The Spectator: Headed up the non-editorial digital department for The Spectator magazine from 2015 to 2016.

Impossible to tell the depth or quality of those roles from that but it's clearly more than 'very low level of work experience'.

Kemi is lowering standards, ferfuxake, what a terrible idea.

Builders as Tory MPs? I mean no wonder she keeps on getting mullered in elections.

Badenoch: I want teachers and builders to become Tory MPs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/30/badenoch-want-teachers-builders-future-tory-mps/

'Future Tory candidate selection, she said, would focus on the five C’s – cleverness, charisma, communication skills, conviction and Conservatism.

“I will not allow people who do not share our beliefs to use the Conservative Party as a vehicle to further their personal ambitions,” she added.'

What is capital C Conservatism? People have very different ideas about that.

Thesedays around half the people who might be interested in Conservatism are more excited by Reform - never mind if they are conservative or Conservative.

Will they have to provide certification for cleverness, whatever that is as she palpapbly can't according to US sources

Will she have yo evidence she has any charisma, she has none.

Will they only communicate on Twitter like her?

Will they have the conviction to deny saying she wanted to go to war with US v Iran when she definitely did, or will you need a conviction for web hacking?

FFS

She makes Truss look like Theresa

Kemi is a software engineer and systems analyst not a lawyer or PPE or Humanities graduate so I suppose she wants some more practical people like her

FINALLY...Kemi brags about being an Engineer!

The word has connertations of the Golden Industrai era, a Golden technology age, hands dirty in oil.

But NO

"Kemi is a software engineer and systems analyst "

That is plain English (at the very low level of work experience she had is)...

"I'm sorry your Computer is not working please turn it off at the plg, count to 30 and see if it works, if it doesn't ring the IT Call Centre back and me or one of my 200 colleagues sat in this old warehouse will tell you to do the same again"

I'm obviously no fan of Badenoch's but that post is just offensive stupidity.

Gemini summarises her pre-politics work experience thus:

Private Sector & Professional Experience (2003–2016)

Badenoch holds a degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Sussex and a part-time Law degree from Birkbeck, University of London.

Software Engineer at Logica: Worked in the information technology sector from 2003 to 2006 for the tech firm Logica (which later became part of CGI Inc).

Systems Analyst at RBS: Moved into financial tech, working on systems analysis and technology change programmes for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

Associate Director at Coutts: Spent several years (2006–2013) at the private wealth manager and bank Coutts & Co., transitioning from tech infrastructure roles into financial compliance following the 2008 financial crisis.

Digital Director at The Spectator: Headed up the non-editorial digital department for The Spectator magazine from 2015 to 2016.

Impossible to tell the depth or quality of those roles from that but it's clearly more than 'very low level of work experience'.

I wonder why we get Rachel from accounts and Kemi from work experience. It never seems to be Michael's or Graham's.

Another 1,560 Russian troops not reporting for duty today in Ukraine. This follows on from 1,430 yesterday.

Wanting to believe that but: where do you get those numbers from? And where do those Russians disappear to?

They are figures from the Ukranian government but our own GCHQ figures are around the same.

BBC News - Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, GCHQ says
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g44gprnnvo

Double it for severe wounds, add in some missing and prisoners and thr figures look about right.

Those are horrific numbers for a country whose population is already naturally declining by 500,000 a year.

This is an interesting substack on the Ukrainian strategy of collapsing the Russian army from behind. The 524 logistics vehicles Russia lost yesterday are as significant as the personel, and oil refineries (Saratov in flames again this morning). By the nature of the drone surveilled battlefield casualties are probably the most documented of any war.

https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/weekend-update-187-trying-to-collapse?r=1tgexa&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

The main highway connecting Russia to Crimea via the occupied territory is now almost unusable, due to drone and missile strikes.

I don't think the highway is unusable yet, but it does look to be the Ukrainian intention to cut the land bridge. Which was also the aim of the failed 2023 counteroffensive.

The Ukrainians are capable of making their own decisions, and need to be allowed to do so. In their shoes however I would put my efforts into cutting off Crimea and then trading it for everything else, on the basis that Crimea is the only bit of Ukraine Russia really cares about. Also if Russia subsequently reneges an armed-to-the-teeth, Ukraine can cut off Crimea again.

The problem is that with Crimea under Russian control Ukrainian access to the Black Sea and therefore its ability to trade internationally is very severely restricted. This is why Lenin seized Crimea for the RSSR in the first place in 1920 - to thwart any attempt at Ukrainian statehood.

So I can see your logic but that's actually a worse outcome for Ukraine in some quite important ways than the loss of Donetsk and Luhansk would be.

Another 1,560 Russian troops not reporting for duty today in Ukraine. This follows on from 1,430 yesterday.

Wanting to believe that but: where do you get those numbers from? And where do those Russians disappear to?

They are figures from the Ukranian government but our own GCHQ figures are around the same.

BBC News - Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine war, GCHQ says
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g44gprnnvo

Double it for severe wounds, add in some missing and prisoners and thr figures look about right.

Those are horrific numbers for a country whose population is already naturally declining by 500,000 a year.

This is an interesting substack on the Ukrainian strategy of collapsing the Russian army from behind. The 524 logistics vehicles Russia lost yesterday are as significant as the personel, and oil refineries (Saratov in flames again this morning). By the nature of the drone surveilled battlefield casualties are probably the most documented of any war.

https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/weekend-update-187-trying-to-collapse?r=1tgexa&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

The main highway connecting Russia to Crimea via the occupied territory is now almost unusable, due to drone and missile strikes.

A driver along that highway is going to have a life expectancy akin to WW2 u-boat crews...

Crimea has been the base for a huge amount of manpower and kit. But it is just sat there, an army of occupation having no active role in supporting the SMO since the remains of the Black Sea Fleet skidaddled out of Sevastopol. The air defence is being significantly downgraded. Ukraine can choose its targets at will.

There will come a point within months rather than years when the only reason for Russia hanging on to Crimea is Putin's bruised ego. Arguably it is already at that point. It can't be much fun there, either as a military posting or as a holiday destination. No fuel, food is going to be blockaded, ditto water. There can be no bigger neon sign that Russia Has Lost than losing Crimea.

Which is why Putin will probably take a flying lesson from a high window first than withdraw.

New rules, which come into force this week, will allow benefits claimants aged 25 and over to receive PIP awards for four years after an initial assessment, and then a further six years after a review. Under the current system, claimants face reviews as often as every nine months.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/30/starmer-makes-easier-stay-on-benefits/

This news depresses me enough to claim PIP.

It is only a phone call away

The vocal ‘scrap the triple lock’ brigade are always very quiet about the other side of the benefits bill.

PiP is about 9% of welfare spending, state pension about 45%. You can, and should, clamp down on PiP fraud, but it's never going to save you much compared to pensions.

I’m talking about all non pension welfare.

Fine at the moment but the rate of increase is worrying and this chart worries me.

Now you cannot just cut what people get now, but slowing the rate of growth, as SKS and Reeves wanted to do, is the solution.

Do you really worry about spending projections decades into the future? The trend on government spending this parliament is downwards on that chart.

The solution to welfare and NEETs is to increase the health and employability of recipients rather than browbeat and punish them. If we got the employment rate back to 2018 levels the finances would improve significantly.

I would target mental health in particular, both in terms of treatment and prevention. Very often the best treatment for anxiety, depression and neurodiversity is appropriate employment with support.

Kemi is lowering standards, ferfuxake, what a terrible idea.

Builders as Tory MPs? I mean no wonder she keeps on getting mullered in elections.

Badenoch: I want teachers and builders to become Tory MPs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/30/badenoch-want-teachers-builders-future-tory-mps/

She is right and good on her

The full context

Leader of the British Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch speaks to the media outside Westminster Town Hall after winning the Westminster Council from the ruling Labour Party at the local elections, in London, Britain, 08 May 2026

Kemi Badenoch vowed to ‘reverse the culture that has turned legislators into social workers’

Kemi Badenoch has pledged that the next generation of Conservative MPs will “focus on the big decisions” instead of acting as glorified social workers.

The Tory leader also promised that parliamentary business would not be allowed to overwhelm the busy schedules of the professionals she is seeking to attract to the party.

“Britain needs serious people to steer us through serious times,” she said, and believed people working as teachers, engineers, electricians and builders should consider entering political life.

Writing for The Telegraph, she called the current Labour Government the most economically illiterate and the most unserious the country has ever had.

Under her watch there's not going to be another generation of Tory MPs.

In your opinion-other opinions are available

Not my opinion, just have a look at the recent elections.

She says this 'the current Labour Government the most economically illiterate and the most unserious the country has ever had' so why are the Tories going backwards in every election fought under her watch, the Tories should be making net gains.

The Conservatives can't shake off their record in government, in the eyes of right of centre voters.

Correlation isn't causation, but it's interesting that the Reform decline started when they accepted that run of defectors from the Conservative party.

As for 'the current Labour Government the most economically illiterate and the most unserious the country has ever had', I'm impressed that Kemi has managed to memory hole Johnson and Truss so efficiently. Maybe it's that software engineering.

I think that Kemi is playing an atrocious hand about as well as she can. The problem is, the hand is atrocious.

Kemi is lowering standards, ferfuxake, what a terrible idea.

Builders as Tory MPs? I mean no wonder she keeps on getting mullered in elections.

Badenoch: I want teachers and builders to become Tory MPs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/30/badenoch-want-teachers-builders-future-tory-mps/

'Future Tory candidate selection, she said, would focus on the five C’s – cleverness, charisma, communication skills, conviction and Conservatism.

“I will not allow people who do not share our beliefs to use the Conservative Party as a vehicle to further their personal ambitions,” she added.'

If she's serious, this is good news. The party has been destroyed by selecting candidates ranging from merely awful to sociopathic in recent times. There are endless horror stories about it. Even as Boris removed the wets the party management was selecting worse ones. I hope there's also a significant role for local associations.

Where did they get him/her from?, is a question I have frequently asked myself, over the past 25 years.

Kemi is lowering standards, ferfuxake, what a terrible idea.

Builders as Tory MPs? I mean no wonder she keeps on getting mullered in elections.

Badenoch: I want teachers and builders to become Tory MPs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/30/badenoch-want-teachers-builders-future-tory-mps/

She is right and good on her

The full context

Leader of the British Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch speaks to the media outside Westminster Town Hall after winning the Westminster Council from the ruling Labour Party at the local elections, in London, Britain, 08 May 2026

Kemi Badenoch vowed to ‘reverse the culture that has turned legislators into social workers’

Kemi Badenoch has pledged that the next generation of Conservative MPs will “focus on the big decisions” instead of acting as glorified social workers.

The Tory leader also promised that parliamentary business would not be allowed to overwhelm the busy schedules of the professionals she is seeking to attract to the party.

“Britain needs serious people to steer us through serious times,” she said, and believed people working as teachers, engineers, electricians and builders should consider entering political life.

Writing for The Telegraph, she called the current Labour Government the most economically illiterate and the most unserious the country has ever had.

Under her watch there's not going to be another generation of Tory MPs.

In your opinion-other opinions are available

Not my opinion, just have a look at the recent elections.

She says this 'the current Labour Government the most economically illiterate and the most unserious the country has ever had' so why are the Tories going backwards in every election fought under her watch, the Tories should be making net gains.

The Conservatives can't shake off their record in government, in the eyes of right of centre voters.

Correlation isn't causation, but it's interesting that the Reform decline started when they accepted that run of defectors from the Conservative party.

As for 'the current Labour Government the most economically illiterate and the most unserious the country has ever had', I'm impressed that Kemi has managed to memory hole Johnson and Truss so efficiently. Maybe it's that software engineering.