Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost rpvinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
He had a great win against Bournemouth today too. What a multi talented guy.
Meanwhile Liverpool on fire, best football team on the planet right now,
What an appointment Slot is. He is unflappable and smart dealing with media. Didn’t insist on playing it his way (I only ever play 3 at back he could have brought with him) or insist on only working with players he knows (first thing is give me £90M to sign my favourite winger). As a result Slot has created a great team mentality, who are a winning game after game.
Slots line ups are full of creation and goals, this success not being built on defensive mindset, far from it.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost rpvinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
Naaah. ARE Your ex communist views coming to the fore.??No way should Ukraine cede an inch to the Russians.
If Trump's team really is blocking Mandelson's appointment, it is both hostile and stupid.
Allies don't reject ambassadors. Can you imagine the stink if the UK government refused to accept a US ambassador? (We accepted Joe Kennedy for Christ's sake.)
It's also stupid: Trump should want the highest powered UK ambassador possible. That's Peter Mandelson. Whatever you think of him personally, he has 10x the ability of any of the other proposed candidates.
The fact it is the Mirror reporting it seems it is possible
Hideous person but probably would be good at the job.
This site is never at its best when there isn't an election in the offing to bet on.
It’s also good when something big is happening. The Wagner Group work jolly to Moscow was a good day on PB as were the days of and after HMQ’s death. But there are lulls where we all get snippy and bored.
This site is never at its best when there isn't an election in the offing to bet on.
It’s also good when something big is happening. The Wagner Group work jolly to Moscow was a good day on PB as were the days of and after HMQ’s death. But there are lulls where we all get snippy and bored.
Something big, indeed very big, has happened with unknown consequences not just for the UK, EU and Ukraine but for climate change and international trade
Maybe many are just traumatised and really have not come to terms with events
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
If Nunez doesn’t score, it’s a sending off. There’s no defender or keeper covering that could save him.
Why not sending off as well?
You can't send a player off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity if the other team score.
Villa player on floor praying Darwin goes on to score? Villa manager, fans and all their players urging Darwin not to miss, including the keeper who allows him to score. Because arguably Villa would be in a far worse position in this game, reduced to 10 so early on, if ref didn’t didn’t play on but blew for the obvious foul.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
ydoethur said: » show previous quotes “Really? Lincoln, York, Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester, Canterbury, Winchester, Exeter, Chester, Norwich, Coventry, Carlisle, Rochester, Bristol, Lichfield, Wakefield, Liverpool all spring to mind without any great effort on my part.”
Big cities. And Liverpool’s don’t count, they’re out of the centre and modern. All the rest are small cities or large towns with the exception of Bristol.
Neither Wakefield nor Coventry are small cities.
Nor London, for the matter of that.
From my perspective Coventry is a small city. My sister lives there - you can walk across the centre in 15 minutes. Wakefield is even smaller.
A story about Wakefield. I once went there and parked in a nice little landscaped car park near the centre, noting the relation to the spire of the cathedral over the rooftops.
I later discovered that Wakefield Cathedral Spire above the rooftops looks pretty much identical from every side, and that Wakefield centre is surrounded by what seems to be a plethora of identical looking car parks.
Upshot: I walked around Wakefield for the best part of 90 minutes looking for my car before swallowing my pride and calling in help from 50 miles away to be driven around to find it more quickly.
I nearly died of embarrassment.
A friend of mine lost his 2005 Renault Clio somewhere in the Southside of Edinburgh. He found it several weeks later while out on a run - the interior was completely infested with fungi and had to be scrapped.
Airport long stay car parks after you’ve been away for a week, it’s late at night and you just want to get home. The worst.
That's why I always go to airports by train.
The best train-terminal experience in Britain is Southampton. Hop off on to the platform, amble into the bus station-like terminal and pretty much straight on to the plane.
Or cruise ship ???
Is that the same? My parents used to do cruises (they seem to have gone off them recently which is understandable after one of those situations where everyone in the shop gets norovirus and aren’t allowed off).
But they always refused to go from Southampton because they have that amusing sort of Anglophobia that involves trying to go on holiday to places where there aren’t too many Brits. They enjoyed the company of Scandinavians and “nice democrat types” from USonia.
We have sailed many times from Southampton to Norway, the Med and a 28 day round trip to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New England, New York and it was amazing though ve4y rough sea coming back over the Atlantic
However, our cruise and worldwide travel is over but we have many happy memories of our international travel
ydoethur said: » show previous quotes “Really? Lincoln, York, Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester, Canterbury, Winchester, Exeter, Chester, Norwich, Coventry, Carlisle, Rochester, Bristol, Lichfield, Wakefield, Liverpool all spring to mind without any great effort on my part.”
Big cities. And Liverpool’s don’t count, they’re out of the centre and modern. All the rest are small cities or large towns with the exception of Bristol.
Neither Wakefield nor Coventry are small cities.
Nor London, for the matter of that.
From my perspective Coventry is a small city. My sister lives there - you can walk across the centre in 15 minutes. Wakefield is even smaller.
A story about Wakefield. I once went there and parked in a nice little landscaped car park near the centre, noting the relation to the spire of the cathedral over the rooftops.
I later discovered that Wakefield Cathedral Spire above the rooftops looks pretty much identical from every side, and that Wakefield centre is surrounded by what seems to be a plethora of identical looking car parks.
Upshot: I walked around Wakefield for the best part of 90 minutes looking for my car before swallowing my pride and calling in help from 50 miles away to be driven around to find it more quickly.
I nearly died of embarrassment.
A friend of mine lost his 2005 Renault Clio somewhere in the Southside of Edinburgh. He found it several weeks later while out on a run - the interior was completely infested with fungi and had to be scrapped.
Airport long stay car parks after you’ve been away for a week, it’s late at night and you just want to get home. The worst.
That's why I always go to airports by train.
The best train-terminal experience in Britain is Southampton. Hop off on to the platform, amble into the bus station-like terminal and pretty much straight on to the plane.
Or cruise ship ???
Is that the same? My parents used to do cruises (they seem to have gone off them recently which is understandable after one of those situations where everyone in the shop gets norovirus and aren’t allowed off).
But they always refused to go from Southampton because they have that amusing sort of Anglophobia that involves trying to go on holiday to places where there aren’t too many Brits. They enjoyed the company of Scandinavians and “nice democrat types” from USonia.
We have sailed many times from Southampton to Norway, the Med and a 28 day round trip to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New England, New York and it was amazing though ve4y rough sea coming back over the Atlantic
However, our cruise and worldwide travel is over but we have many happy memories of our international travel
Have you tried Fred. Olsen from Liverpool?
We sailed to Oslo with Fred Olsen on our honeymoon in 1964 from Newcastle, and to Norway and separately the Baltics from Dover and Southampton, though we will not be travelling anymore due to our ages and health issues
Mind you we have travelled so extensively we have no regrets
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
What the hell is going on in the US Senate? Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the senate. Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s. The election is Wednesday, it’s by secret ballot, and it will determine whether or not the new administration succeeds. Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump. Call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott. Don’t let McConnell get away with it again.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost provinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
If that were on offer, then Ukraine might consider it. But it’s not, and under a Trump administration, it seems even more unlikely. He’s barely on board with staying in the existing structure. (As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost provinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
If that were on offer, then Ukraine might consider it. But it’s not, and under a Trump administration, it seems even more unlikely. He’s barely on board with staying in the existing structure. (As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
What the hell is going on in the US Senate? Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the senate. Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s. The election is Wednesday, it’s by secret ballot, and it will determine whether or not the new administration succeeds. Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump. Call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott. Don’t let McConnell get away with it again.
Many thanks to Tucker Carlson, for flagging up there may yet be proper thoughtful opposition to the crazier excesses of Trump, ensuring government is smarter and stronger the next four years, so everyone in the secret ballot will know what to do now.
It appears they have run out of patience and reshoots. Captain America: Brave New World is out in February. It depicts a President driven insane by pressure and desire to exert power unconstrained. So it's obviously fiction then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pHDWnXmK7Y
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost provinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
If that were on offer, then Ukraine might consider it. But it’s not, and under a Trump administration, it seems even more unlikely. He’s barely on board with staying in the existing structure. (As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
Whether or not that theory has any truth to it (they usually don’t), with Musk in his current privileged position we are as close as we’ve ever been to living in a Bond film plot.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
It appears they have run out of patience and reshoots. Captain America: Brave New World is out in February. It depicts a President driven insane by pressure and desire to exert power unconstrained. So it's obviously fiction then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pHDWnXmK7Y
It appears they have run out of patience and reshoots. Captain America: Brave New World is out in February. It depicts a President driven insane by pressure and desire to exert power unconstrained. So it's obviously fiction then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pHDWnXmK7Y
"Before We Get Started, Does Anyone Want To Get Out?"
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
Ah - forgotten him. The exception that proves the rule? Have there been any/many non professional diplomat ambassadors from the UK since him?
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost provinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
If that were on offer, then Ukraine might consider it. But it’s not, and under a Trump administration, it seems even more unlikely. He’s barely on board with staying in the existing structure. (As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
Whether or not that theory has any truth to it (they usually don’t), with Musk in his current privileged position we are as close as we’ve ever been to living in a Bond film plot.
Good evening Copilot. Every Bond film has an introductory sequence where M and Bond describe the villian and the problem to be solved. Please write such a sequence with Elon Musk as the villian.
Good evening [redacted]. The sequence is as follows:
* M: "Good morning, 007. We have a situation that requires your immediate attention. Our intelligence has identified a new threat, and it's someone you might find... intriguing. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and CEO of multiple companies, has gone rogue. His latest venture, a secretive project codenamed 'Project Prometheus,' aims to monopolize global energy resources and control the world's power supply."
* Bond: "Elon Musk? The man behind electric cars and space travel? What's his endgame?"
* M: "Precisely. Musk's public persona as a visionary entrepreneur is a perfect cover. In reality, he's developed a network of advanced satellites capable of harnessing solar energy on an unprecedented scale. If he succeeds, he will have the power to dictate terms to every nation on Earth. Governments will be at his mercy, and the balance of power will shift dramatically."
* Bond: "Sounds like he's playing a dangerous game. What's our plan?"
* M: "Your mission is to infiltrate Musk's inner circle, gather intelligence on Project Prometheus, and neutralize the threat. We've arranged for you to attend a high-profile tech summit in Silicon Valley where Musk will be unveiling his latest innovations. Use your charm and skills to get close to him, but be cautious. Musk is highly intelligent and has a network of loyal followers who will protect him at all costs."
* Bond: "Understood, M. I'll make sure Musk's ambitions don't see the light of day."
* M: "Good luck, 007. The world is counting on you."
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
Ah - forgotten him. The exception that proves the rule? Have there been any/many non professional diplomat ambassadors from the UK since him?
I thought on PB we had already agreed on all this. UK is sending Malc.
Sky News: had 123,750 voters voted differently in certain states Harris would have won.
Is not the problem with such calculations put against outcome of all elections, the probability of such precision is actually going to be long odds unlikely?
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
Ah - forgotten him. The exception that proves the rule? Have there been any/many non professional diplomat ambassadors from the UK since him?
I thought on PB we had already agreed on all this. UK is sending Malc.
Problems -
1) @malcolmg is far too restrained 2) The cost of moving that much turnip juice across the Atlantic.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost provinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
If that were on offer, then Ukraine might consider it. But it’s not, and under a Trump administration, it seems even more unlikely. He’s barely on board with staying in the existing structure. (As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
Whether or not that theory has any truth to it (they usually don’t), with Musk in his current privileged position we are as close as we’ve ever been to living in a Bond film plot.
Good evening Copilot. Every Bond film has an introductory sequence where M and Bond describe the villian and the problem to be solved. Please write such a sequence with Elon Musk as the villian.
Good evening [redacted]. The sequence is as follows:
* M: "Good morning, 007. We have a situation that requires your immediate attention. Our intelligence has identified a new threat, and it's someone you might find... intriguing. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and CEO of multiple companies, has gone rogue. His latest venture, a secretive project codenamed 'Project Prometheus,' aims to monopolize global energy resources and control the world's power supply."
* Bond: "Elon Musk? The man behind electric cars and space travel? What's his endgame?"
* M: "Precisely. Musk's public persona as a visionary entrepreneur is a perfect cover. In reality, he's developed a network of advanced satellites capable of harnessing solar energy on an unprecedented scale. If he succeeds, he will have the power to dictate terms to every nation on Earth. Governments will be at his mercy, and the balance of power will shift dramatically."
* Bond: "Sounds like he's playing a dangerous game. What's our plan?"
* M: "Your mission is to infiltrate Musk's inner circle, gather intelligence on Project Prometheus, and neutralize the threat. We've arranged for you to attend a high-profile tech summit in Silicon Valley where Musk will be unveiling his latest innovations. Use your charm and skills to get close to him, but be cautious. Musk is highly intelligent and has a network of loyal followers who will protect him at all costs."
* Bond: "Understood, M. I'll make sure Musk's ambitions don't see the light of day."
* M: "Good luck, 007. The world is counting on you."
Copilot (via Viewcode) - try a little less clunky on the exposition and include at least one inappropriate innuendo referring to one of Musk's gadgets
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
How would they have got sight of the cable?
The rumour at the time was that colleague(s) at the Foreign Office really didn't like him, for some reason.
Sky News: had 123,750 voters voted differently in certain states Harris would have won.
Is not the problem with such calculations put against outcome of all elections, the probability of such precision is actually going to be long odds unlikely?
Similar analysis was done in 2016 when Trump squeaked home by razor-thin margins in several rust-belt states. You could do something similar with any close election.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
How would they have got sight of the cable?
The rumour at the time was that colleague(s) at the Foreign Office really didn't like him, for some reason.
They were taking a huge risk in leaking it though. A prison sentence style risk.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
How would they have got sight of the cable?
The rumour at the time was that colleague(s) at the Foreign Office really didn't like him, for some reason.
They were taking a huge risk in leaking it though. A prison sentence style risk.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Musk also has persuaded the president-elect to legislate against social media censorship, pitting the American government against TwiX's rivals and also the EU.
Perhaps an indication of where Trump is going to go with Ukraine can be seen in this Tweet from Musk:
In response to: "The most under-reported story in Washington is how much corrupt Ukrainian cash is trying to buy influence. It wasn’t just Hunter Biden. Most of the warmongers are PAID."
Do you think the story is false or just inconvenient so shouldn't be discussed?
I see why PB doesn't need a new Saturday Morning Poster any more.
Bit harsh.
We are at war with Russia.
It might not look like it, as it is a proxy war, but it is a war nonetheless.
If Williamglenn was a paid shill, I'd at least have respect for the fact he was getting paid...
The use of the word 'warmongers' in that tweet is quite instructive. Implying that Ukraine are the warmongers here, not Russia.
PB's own Lord Haw Haw can do one, as far as I'm concerned.
Attacking other posters weakens debate on PB. I'm not a fan of Williamglenn, but he's entitled to give his views without being compared with a traitor. The effect is to make open debate less likely.
Personally, I think Ukraine needs a compromise, such as yielding Crimea and the easternmost provinces in return for the majority of the country to be free to join the EU and NATO, rather than N more years of conflict. Whether a compromise is in fact available isn't clear, but it needs to be explored. Others feel that no reasonable compromise is possible, and we should step up aid to Ukraine. Both are legitimate views and it gets us nowhere to regard either as treacherous.
If that were on offer, then Ukraine might consider it. But it’s not, and under a Trump administration, it seems even more unlikely. He’s barely on board with staying in the existing structure. (As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
Whether or not that theory has any truth to it (they usually don’t), with Musk in his current privileged position we are as close as we’ve ever been to living in a Bond film plot.
Well Vance already seems to be the billionaires’ poodle. On this occasion, Musk’s.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
Ah - forgotten him. The exception that proves the rule? Have there been any/many non professional diplomat ambassadors from the UK since him?
I thought on PB we had already agreed on all this. UK is sending Malc.
Problems -
1) @malcolmg is far too restrained 2) The cost of moving that much turnip juice across the Atlantic.
"The anti-fireworks lobby is a symptom of our ageing society Pet-owners are the most indulged class in the country. By Will Dunn
One of the most troubling statistics from the UK economy is this: in the year to June of this year, customers of Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, spent £51.8m on pets and £37.1m on childcare. As a nation, Britain appears to spend more looking after the children of other species than it does on its own offspring. The roughly £10bn a year the British public spends on dogs is ten times what the government spends tackling homelessness."
"The anti-fireworks lobby is a symptom of our ageing society Pet-owners are the most indulged class in the country. By Will Dunn
One of the most troubling statistics from the UK economy is this: in the year to June of this year, customers of Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, spent £51.8m on pets and £37.1m on childcare. As a nation, Britain appears to spend more looking after the children of other species than it does on its own offspring. The roughly £10bn a year the British public spends on dogs is ten times what the government spends tackling homelessness."
The ST headline overstates the case. Cummings was merely an interested observer. Basically the Mirror was sitting on Partygate stories it could not corroborate, and then the Allegra Stratton tape was leaked which tipped the Mirror's hand. Boris then did what he always does which is to deny reflexively any charges before making any effort to investigate whether they might be true (and he did the same with other scandals).
Cummings did not leak the Stratton tape, nor arrange for Boris to lie, even if he did predict it. Cummings appears to have played no active role at any stage.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
How would they have got sight of the cable?
A chunk of loose masonry in the wall of an old tobacco kiosk, look for the tattered green ribbon tied to the railing.
This looks like a Brexit redux as the Tories now want to bend over and let Trump bang them mercilessly .
They see this as a chance to pull the UK even further away from the EU , to put all their eggs in the Trump basket.
Starmer is in a difficult position given the vast majority who voted Labour loathe Trump and will be disgusted if he tries to ingratiate himself to the manchild .
The Tories at the moment seem quite happy to beg for scraps from Trump .
Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
FWIW - high profile, on twitter, Harris activist - Victor Shi - has really been bigging Newsom the last couple of days.
Good grief Newsom would be an absolute gift to the GOP. And sorry to say the crowd pushing Buttigieg are delusional, do they really think the USA is ready for a gay President . In an ideal world it wouldn’t be an issue but it is .
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
President Trump forced or persuaded Boris to remove our previous Ambassador, Kim Darroch.
After Darroch's views on Trump were leaked, it became untenable for him to remain ambassador.
The leaking of the cable has never been properly resolved.
My moneys on Moscow with the espionage and dirty tricks, passed to Daily Mail via friends in UK. Does Putin have any fellow Trump supporting friends in UK?
How would they have got sight of the cable?
The rumour at the time was that colleague(s) at the Foreign Office really didn't like him, for some reason.
They were taking a huge risk in leaking it though. A prison sentence style risk.
They really really didn’t like him.
Well how do you know? If you have info I suggest you pass it to the police.
"The anti-fireworks lobby is a symptom of our ageing society Pet-owners are the most indulged class in the country. By Will Dunn
One of the most troubling statistics from the UK economy is this: in the year to June of this year, customers of Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, spent £51.8m on pets and £37.1m on childcare. As a nation, Britain appears to spend more looking after the children of other species than it does on its own offspring. The roughly £10bn a year the British public spends on dogs is ten times what the government spends tackling homelessness."
Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
FWIW - high profile, on twitter, Harris activist - Victor Shi - has really been bigging Newsom the last couple of days.
Good grief Newsom would be an absolute gift to the GOP. And sorry to say the crowd pushing Buttigieg are delusional, do they really think the USA is ready for a gay President . In an ideal world it wouldn’t be an issue but it is .
And yet one thread of MaxPB's header is to say that if Buttigieg went out with a solid basket of policies to sell, it would cease to matter.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Agree it is unseemly. Though there is precedent with it being offered. I think Thatcher offered Heath the American ambassadorship to get him out of the Commons. Obviously the sour old tosspot refused.
Politically for Starmer, sending Farage would be a masterstroke. Appeal to Trump, giving him his buddy, remove Farage from the board politically, leave Reform without their charismatic leader, potentially (though I doubt it would go back to Labour - perhaps a local independent?) deprive Refuk of a seat. So much of an open goal that Starmer will clearly flunk it, if indeed it's still on offer.
Sky News: had 123,750 voters voted differently in certain states Harris would have won.
Is not the problem with such calculations put against outcome of all elections, the probability of such precision is actually going to be long odds unlikely?
I think the problem is that it doesn't matter.
"Had 85billionty people voted differently then...."
I mean, nice basis for an alt-history novel, but other than that.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
Ah - forgotten him. The exception that proves the rule? Have there been any/many non professional diplomat ambassadors from the UK since him?
I thought on PB we had already agreed on all this. UK is sending Malc.
Problems -
1) @malcolmg is far too restrained 2) The cost of moving that much turnip juice across the Atlantic.
The chip on his shoulder would also exceed the dimensions allowed for hand luggage by all airlines.
Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
What are the issues around several European countries making decisions in parallel and moving to implement.
Obviously Putin's patsies in the new USA Government will start mouthing threats and throwing tantrums.
But if they want to isolate themselves from Europe 1920s (I think) style, then the corollary is that expect European countries to start taking decisions for themselves.
So let's do it.
If only it was that simple
If we are to have a USA withdrawing from the wider world, as seems fairly clear, then relationships will adjust, and need to adjust. And as always we start from here.
Why is such a measure not possible?
It is just wishful thinking and the EU itself is bitterly divided with some openly supporters of Putin
Trump has just made everything unpredictable with no easy solutions
I note the Mirror is reporting that Trump would block Mandelson's appointment
Allegedly because Lord Mandelbrot's of his association with the EU.
So that's presumably Cathy Ashton done as well, since she was the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for five years. Has anyone told hin?
Why is Trump so scared of the EU, and why does he think it's any of his business whom we make our Ambassador?
He really is a frightened little mouse, isn't he?
Nigel must be feeding him this stuff. I can't see Trump giving a God damn shit about the EU otherwise.
Musk hates the EU because it interferes in his business interests. Secondly Trump cannot block the appointment of an ambassador. He can refuse to talk to him but that's it. And nothing to stop Mandelson building contacts in Washington more broadly. Perhaps he is just testing Starmer to see if he is weak. More likely it's part of Trump's plan to separate us from the EU by exempting us from tariffs. The question there is why is Trump so keen to cut us off from the EU, or stop us entering the EU orbit?
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Actually, any state can refuse an Ambassador from another state . It is nearly never done - the protocol is that the name of the Ambassador to be is suggested in back channel discussions, everyone agrees first, then the formal request goes through.
I don't actually think Mandelson would be a good choice anyway. He's a former senior politician himself, has a big ego and is used to being a player on the pitch not acting as a servant. Aren't Ambassadors generally best being low key figures?
The thing I find strange about the story, is that the UK ambassador to the US has always been a professional diplomat, as far as I am aware.
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Umm no. Sunny Jim Callaghan appointed Peter Jay (his son in law) to the position. PJ did okay sfaicr
Ah - forgotten him. The exception that proves the rule? Have there been any/many non professional diplomat ambassadors from the UK since him?
I thought on PB we had already agreed on all this. UK is sending Malc.
Problems -
1) @malcolmg is far too restrained 2) The cost of moving that much turnip juice across the Atlantic.
The chip on his shoulder would also exceed the dimensions allowed for hand luggage by all airlines.
Trump would send Air Force One.
A kindred Scot as UK Ambassador, Donald would love it.
Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
Arizona latest is Trump has pulled further ahead, whilst Lake has drawn closer to becoming a Senator.
Senator Kari Lake. We’ll hear the orgasmic scream all the way from Korea to the UK.
Why is it taking so long and will it declare before Trump becomes President in January
Let’s not trigger Viewcode....
I was born triggered. Imagine a gently vibrating jello mould going "wobble, wobble, fckng Arizona" and you get the image. However I did pop into town today and picked up my Oct/Nov winnings from one bookmakers, which was nice. I love the smell of fifties generated by honest gambling, and it really does take the edge off.
Comments
Why not sending off as well?
Guest Essay
The Elites Had It Coming
By Thomas Frank
Mr. Frank is the author of “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” among other books."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/opinion/democrats-trump-elites-centrism.html
Marks the first taste of strings attached to the big budget boost...
https://x.com/SophiaSleigh/status/1855348350029115522
I delivered them from a postbox to the local sorting office, but they were letters to the PM
Meanwhile Liverpool on fire, best football team on the planet right now,
What an appointment Slot is. He is unflappable and smart dealing with media. Didn’t insist on playing it his way (I only ever play 3 at back he could have brought with him) or insist on only working with players he knows (first thing is give me £90M to sign my favourite winger). As a result Slot has created a great team mentality, who are a winning game after game.
Slots line ups are full of creation and goals, this success not being built on defensive mindset, far from it.
https://x.com/yuanyi_z/status/1853486105146060875
I might well write one, petitioning the King to buy Royal Mail
It stank.
© Oscar Wilde
Maybe many are just traumatised and really have not come to terms with events
It is going to be a long 4 years in politics
Again it's him again aligning with Russian foreign policy.
Mind you we have travelled so extensively we have no regrets
What the hell is going on in the US Senate? Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the senate. Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on. One of them, John Cornyn, is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s. The election is Wednesday, it’s by secret ballot, and it will determine whether or not the new administration succeeds. Rick Scott of Florida is the only candidate who agrees with Donald Trump. Call your senator and demand a public endorsement of Rick Scott. Don’t let McConnell get away with it again.
https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1855344652422951054
(As an aside, “reasonable compromise” is pretty damn insulting to describe a deal with a country which invaded without excuse, and has murdered, and continues to murder, thousands of civilians, but I’ll accept the point that emotion shouldn’t overwhelm analysis.)
Meanwhile, this seems a plausible hypothesis.
If you don’t understand. Musks goal is to take sanctions off russia to gain access to their mineral exports.
https://x.com/Teoyaomiquu/status/1855336847528034799
Let’s start with Keir Starmer.
Cute
(ICYMI, see calculations upthread)
It's an American thing to use ex-politicians and chums of the President as Ambassadors.
Good evening [redacted]. The sequence is as follows:
* M: "Good morning, 007. We have a situation that requires your immediate attention. Our intelligence has identified a new threat, and it's someone you might find... intriguing. Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and CEO of multiple companies, has gone rogue. His latest venture, a secretive project codenamed 'Project Prometheus,' aims to monopolize global energy resources and control the world's power supply."
* Bond: "Elon Musk? The man behind electric cars and space travel? What's his endgame?"
* M: "Precisely. Musk's public persona as a visionary entrepreneur is a perfect cover. In reality, he's developed a network of advanced satellites capable of harnessing solar energy on an unprecedented scale. If he succeeds, he will have the power to dictate terms to every nation on Earth. Governments will be at his mercy, and the balance of power will shift dramatically."
* Bond: "Sounds like he's playing a dangerous game. What's our plan?"
* M: "Your mission is to infiltrate Musk's inner circle, gather intelligence on Project Prometheus, and neutralize the threat. We've arranged for you to attend a high-profile tech summit in Silicon Valley where Musk will be unveiling his latest innovations. Use your charm and skills to get close to him, but be cautious. Musk is highly intelligent and has a network of loyal followers who will protect him at all costs."
* Bond: "Understood, M. I'll make sure Musk's ambitions don't see the light of day."
* M: "Good luck, 007. The world is counting on you."
1) @malcolmg is far too restrained
2) The cost of moving that much turnip juice across the Atlantic.
On this occasion, Musk’s.
JD Vance says US could drop support for NATO if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk’s platforms — Independent
https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/5026515/#Comment_5026515
Pet-owners are the most indulged class in the country.
By Will Dunn
One of the most troubling statistics from the UK economy is this: in the year to June of this year, customers of Nationwide, the UK’s largest building society, spent £51.8m on pets and £37.1m on childcare. As a nation, Britain appears to spend more looking after the children of other species than it does on its own offspring. The roughly £10bn a year the British public spends on dogs is ten times what the government spends tackling homelessness."
https://www.newstatesman.com/thestaggers/2024/11/the-anti-fireworks-lobby-is-a-symptom-of-our-ageing-society
Cummings did not leak the Stratton tape, nor arrange for Boris to lie, even if he did predict it. Cummings appears to have played no active role at any stage.
They see this as a chance to pull the UK even further away from the EU , to put all their eggs in the Trump basket.
Starmer is in a difficult position given the vast majority who voted Labour loathe Trump and will be disgusted if he tries to ingratiate himself to the manchild .
The Tories at the moment seem quite happy to beg for scraps from Trump .
https://youtu.be/q2pfhD1Bu4g?si=Sqj0p7svtv3jkEKH&t=150
Politically for Starmer, sending Farage would be a masterstroke. Appeal to Trump, giving him his buddy, remove Farage from the board politically, leave Reform without their charismatic leader, potentially (though I doubt it would go back to Labour - perhaps a local independent?) deprive Refuk of a seat. So much of an open goal that Starmer will clearly flunk it, if indeed it's still on offer.
"Had 85billionty people voted differently then...."
I mean, nice basis for an alt-history novel, but other than that.
Jello® = jelly
jelly = jam
A kindred Scot as UK Ambassador, Donald would love it.
Anyway, Malc’s already agreed, so it’s settled.
With Gravy = wallpaper paste