What strikes me about Trump and his clique is how self-defeating they are.
They talk about making America great, when all that they’re doing is retreating before people who hate America.
That’s where the comparison with Rome fails.
For all their faults, Roman leaders were not cowards. Trump and his clique are.
Russians hate America in the same way that the French hate America. They're not really implacable enemies.
If Trump succeeds, he will usher in a new era that will transform European politics as profoundly as 1989 did.
What, if we fake referendums in Talinn and Warsaw where 99.8% of the population want to join Russia?
No, I'm talking about Moscow becoming an ally of the West.
Ha, you mean Washington become one of Putin's puppet states.
A delusional view of the balance of power.
Putin gets everything he wants. What does the USA get? Destruction of alliances that have been decades in the making and the foundation of their economic power.
Sure the US has more power than Russia, but if it is used maniacally it does not maintain its value.
He wanted to conquer Ukraine and reestablish Russia as an equal of America and China. He’s failed and now needs to turn towards the West to avoid becoming a vassal state of China.
People like Putin don't believe in failure. He'll loo at ways he can still get to his aims. Therefore it isn't a peace.
And he didn't just want to conquer Ukraine; his geopolitical ambitions are much wider. And he still holds them.
So what if he still holds them? The French still dream of evicting America from Europe and uniting it under their geopolitical leadership, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be allies with them.
WTAF.
Do they not?
Okay. I'll spell it out so even you can understand - and hopefully your response will not be another stupid question.
Over the last two decades, Putin has physically invaded two countries and grabbed territory. All as part of his aims.
France has not, and shows no inclination to. Macron is not producing maps of Napoleon's empire to show what he wants. Putin is showing maps of the USSR.
If Trump can end the Ukraine war, finally provide a solution for Gaza, get the Greenlanders on Ozempic, destroy all Wokeness, and unite the Anglosphere into a mighty new Empire ready to face down China, then he will be the greatest leader since Alexander of Macedon
Discuss
Leon: When he bends over his bottom is visible from space.
A good job, quite a few folk on PB trying to get at it.
Trump is to start negotiations with Putin to end the Ukraine war with Trump and Putin visiting each other and are to tell Zelensky accordingly
That feels like more Trumpist overreach, based on somebody's delusion. Is it another beyond-his-ken starting position?
If he's not getting involved militarily, how does he propose to tell anyone what to do in the end?
Ukraine won't stop fighting, whatever he does, because they know what happens.
If Trump & his manipulators try to make that happen, there will be a lot of behind the scenes threats being made to soon-not-to-be-allies. I'm not sure it will work.
The Ukrainians depend wholly on US support. Of course they'll stop fighting.
Yes, comrade.
As well as your statement being factually wrong, in the real world, there are many, many examples of freedom fighters fighting imperialists and fascists and winning. Eventually.
Well, I'm sure you'll be giving the guerilla resistance forces every support from your armchair.
I'm unsure why you think that's in any way an intelligent riposte. Although feel free to go to Russia to fight for Putin.
Your statement was factually wrong, and there are many, many examples of freedom fighters fighting imperialists and fascists and winning.
"It promoted videos of raids and deportations – a grim and vindictive spectacle, but ultimately the kind of thing you could just about accept as the enforcement of pre-existing rules."
I find this attitude very weird, as if we should be selectively enforcing the law.
I do find it rather a tawdry spectacle but there's a simple reason why are doing it - people don't believe things anymore unless they see it with their own eyes. I think there was some polling about deportations and people simply refused to believe they were increasing and speeding up, despite the fact they are.
"It promoted videos of raids and deportations – a grim and vindictive spectacle, but ultimately the kind of thing you could just about accept as the enforcement of pre-existing rules."
I find this attitude very weird, as if we should be selectively enforcing the law, that being here illegally really shouldn't be illegal at all and we should never look to remove anybody.
That is totally different from the argument of granting asylum.
You find people will often complain about a 'strict' enforcement of rules which are, in fact, just basic enforcement of rules.
There are sometimes gentler or harsher ways to do things, but you will also get complaints which really are just about the existence of a rule in itself, and usually descents into arguments about terminology.
One things seems likely now that it is clear how worthless US "security guarantees" are there is likely to be a lot more nuclear weapons proliferation.
Biden and Obama’s failure to deter Putin is indeed an ugly stain on America’s reputation.
Don’t forget Dubya standing idly by when Russia invaded parts of Georgia too. A supposed ally at the time.
What strikes me about Trump and his clique is how self-defeating they are.
They talk about making America great, when all that they’re doing is retreating before people who hate America.
That’s where the comparison with Rome fails.
For all their faults, Roman leaders were not cowards. Trump and his clique are.
Russians hate America in the same way that the French hate America. They're not really implacable enemies.
If Trump succeeds, he will usher in a new era that will transform European politics as profoundly as 1989 did.
What, if we fake referendums in Talinn and Warsaw where 99.8% of the population want to join Russia?
No, I'm talking about Moscow becoming an ally of the West.
Ha, you mean Washington become one of Putin's puppet states.
A delusional view of the balance of power.
Putin gets everything he wants. What does the USA get? Destruction of alliances that have been decades in the making and the foundation of their economic power.
Sure the US has more power than Russia, but if it is used maniacally it does not maintain its value.
He wanted to conquer Ukraine and reestablish Russia as an equal of America and China. He’s failed and now needs to turn towards the West to avoid becoming a vassal state of China.
People like Putin don't believe in failure. He'll loo at ways he can still get to his aims. Therefore it isn't a peace.
And he didn't just want to conquer Ukraine; his geopolitical ambitions are much wider. And he still holds them.
So what if he still holds them? The French still dream of evicting America from Europe and uniting it under their geopolitical leadership, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be allies with them.
WTAF.
Do they not?
Okay. I'll spell it out so even you can understand - and hopefully your response will not be another stupid question.
Over the last two decades, Putin has physically invaded two countries and grabbed territory. All as part of his aims.
France has not, and shows no inclination to. Macron is not producing maps of Napoleon's empire to show what he wants. Putin is showing maps of the USSR.
When the French president, Emmanuel Macron, landed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Monday for a two-day visit, France’s puppet leaders across Africa were assured of one thing: Françafrique is back. The question is what this means for the future of millions.
The answer – and Macron’s legacy – is more repression, more coups, more corruption, more violence, more suffering and, ultimately, more refugees and migrants making dangerous journeys to Europe in search of safety.
"It promoted videos of raids and deportations – a grim and vindictive spectacle, but ultimately the kind of thing you could just about accept as the enforcement of pre-existing rules."
I find this attitude very weird, as if we should be selectively enforcing the law.
I do find it rather a tawdry spectacle but there's a simple reason why are doing it - people don't believe things anymore unless they see it with their own eyes. I think there was some polling about deportations and people simply refused to believe they were increasing and speeding up, despite the fact they are.
I don't think its that people don't believe its happening at all and if you were conspiracy theorist you wouldn't believe seeing a handful people on a plane means that the government has actually increased the numbers.
It is very common for the police to film raids on drug dealers etc and then release them. Its showing they are doing something to both the government and the public, they are also signalling to criminals, we will come for you. How much the second part works I don't know, but its clearly nudge theory.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
One things seems likely now that it is clear how worthless US "security guarantees" are there is likely to be a lot more nuclear weapons proliferation.
Biden and Obama’s failure to deter Putin is indeed an ugly stain on America’s reputation.
And Bush and Sarkozy and Merkel and Brown and...
There are a lot of guilty men and women out there.
Gerhard Schroeder should be in jail for life. At best
Lawbreakers should be in jail. Like your heroes Trump and Musk.
Whereas the annexations go back to 2014 and the west sat idly by and did nothing. As they did when Russia invaded Georgia 2008.
The betrayal of Ukraine did not start today and it is n easy to blame Trump. But let’s put the blame where it belongs.
In 2022, for a time, the West realised that doing nothing in 2014 (which like many others I expect I accepted as nothing realistic could be done) had blown up in their faces. After 3 years, time and cost mean the lesson is being unlearned again.
Trump is to start negotiations with Putin to end the Ukraine war with Trump and Putin visiting each other and are to tell Zelensky accordingly
That feels like more Trumpist overreach, based on somebody's delusion. Is it another beyond-his-ken starting position?
If he's not getting involved militarily, how does he propose to tell anyone what to do in the end?
Ukraine won't stop fighting, whatever he does, because they know what happens.
If Trump & his manipulators try to make that happen, there will be a lot of behind the scenes threats being made to soon-not-to-be-allies. I'm not sure it will work.
The Ukrainians depend wholly on US support. Of course they'll stop fighting.
Yes, comrade.
As well as your statement being factually wrong, in the real world, there are many, many examples of freedom fighters fighting imperialists and fascists and winning. Eventually.
Well, I'm sure you'll be giving the guerilla resistance forces every support from your armchair.
I'm unsure why you think that's in any way an intelligent riposte. Although feel free to go to Russia to fight for Putin.
Your statement was factually wrong, and there are many, many examples of freedom fighters fighting imperialists and fascists and winning.
The idea people cannot comment or support something if they don't go out onto the battlefield - or at least that it renders opinions worthless as an armchair opinion - is a surprisingly enduring one despite being nonsense. If people are going around suggesting invading all over the place or show no appreciation for any practical realities whatsoever maybe, but almost everyone on earth is an armchair commenter on these matters - even, for example, an armed forces veteran will, unless very specific, have no greater insight into these affairs than others.
Whereas the annexations go back to 2014 and the west sat idly by and did nothing. As they did when Russia invaded Georgia 2008.
The betrayal of Ukraine did not start today and it is n easy to blame Trump. But let’s put the blame where it belongs.
That's a load of bullshit.
Russia attacked Ukraine unprovoked and unexpectedly in 2014 and the response was not nothing but instead the West spent the next decade arming Ukraine.
That's why when Russia went back for more, Ukraine were so much stronger than they'd expected or planned for and why Kyiv didnt fall in days as many had expected it would.
Had we done nothing, that wouldn't be the case.
Cameron, May and Johnson as well as Obama Parliament and Congress deserve a lot of credit for what happened between 2014 and 2021 to bolster Ukraine.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
If you go by the Sir Humphrey ratios of about 1/3 being too old and silly, 1/3 being too young and too callow, that leaves around 40 MPs of quality left for the party to make use of.
Presumably some of those number will not be on good terms with the leadership or just unacceptable for other reasons, so the real number is probably close to 25?
Then out of those how many are actual leadership material?
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
The PPB tonight was uninspiring too. Luckyguy called it before she won.
Same people calling Starmer a traitor in respect to Chagos are more than happy to crawl up Donald's arse when he sells out Ukraine and NATO.
Some of us are more than happy to oppose both.
By shitposting on a tiny forum read by a handful of people. Truly the resistance is inspirational.
Yes it is tiny, but so what? It's a forum, people are supposed to post in such places about matters of interest, they don't need to then post evidence of real life actions. For all we know he spends the rest of his time donating to charities to help Ukraine or lobbying their MP to reject the Chagos deal.
Who cares what actions people take in real life, this is the internet and it's just about words, I don't get criticism of people for, apparently, just using words on things.
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 15m BREAKING: White House confirms it has lost at least 12 cases, at least temporarily, since becoming president. Acting illegally and losing cases is a hallmark of Trump.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
She is though forecast to deprive Labour of their majority, which is more than Hague ever achieved
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
If you go by the Sir Humphrey ratios of about 1/3 being too old and silly, 1/3 being too young and too callow, that leaves around 40 MPs of quality left for the party to make use of.
Presumably some of those number will not be on good terms with the leadership or just unacceptable for other reasons, so the real number is probably close to 25?
Then out of those how many are actual leadership material?
How many Commons frontbenchers did Kemi end up appointing? Some way short of a full deck.
But they're just the talent. The actors whose job consists of staying sober, standing up and saying their script reasonably accurately.
The other bit that must have been utterly hollowed out is all the backstage staff- the makeup, the scriptwriters and so on.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
And yet Jenrick is good. He gets it. He uses social media very effectively. He’s a sharp and plausible speaker. He has the common touch (he’s not posh - arguably Kemi as an African haute bourgeois is posher than him)
He’s actually a bit of a star. And he’s smart
The trouble is he also comes across as an archetypal Tory shit and Alan bstard. Indeed he probably is all that
But do the Tories have much choice? If they go for a pathetic wet centrist like Hunt, Stride or Cleverly they are finished and will turn into the Lib Dems
Jenrick is the one guy who might simultaneously worry Reform AND Starmer
The west is swinging hard right. This is not the time for Tories to tack to the centre, FFS
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
Kemi isn't a total dud, but I think her skillset is limited. She isn't actually (unless my feeling is wrong) an engineer and a details person, but she is actually pretty good at delivering soundbites/ideas and communicating *when* she has mastered her brief or someone has tutored her in it. That isn't nothing.
We have to place some blame on the wider party structure though. Boris was seen as quite a polished operator as MOL. But as Tory leader and PM he was a clown show. Liz Truss got put into power and had no food because she didn't know how to get a Sainsbury's delivery. Kemi has come in and I just see no support structure at all.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
And yet Jenrick is good. He gets it. He uses social media very effectively. He’s a sharp and plausible speaker. He has the common touch (he’s not posh - arguably Kemi as an African haute bourgeois is posher than him)
He’s actually a bit of a star. And he’s smart
The trouble is he also comes across as an archetypal Tory shit and Alan bstard. Indeed he probably is all that
But do the Tories have much choice? If they go for a pathetic wet centrist like Hunt, Stride or Cleverly they are finished and will turn into the Lib Dems
Jenrick is the one guy who might simultaneously worry Reform AND Starmer
The west is swinging hard right. This is not the time for Tories to tack to the centre, FFS
I don't really get why the Reform curious/leaning like Jenrick more, he is a changling and personally I think he is a bit slimy in his manner.
But whoever is leader big risks probably need to be taken, and with Reform riding high playing it safe might look too passive.
There's a real mixture in remaining Tory ranks though - I've met some who despise Reform, whilst others want to be Reform.
My son is ten. I am *very* worried that by the time he is eighteen, this country will be at war.
I pray that all he ever has to be is an 'armchair general'...
If we’re at war we’re at war, if we’re not we’re not, pointless worrying about it. May never happen. If it does deal with it, if it doesn’t you’ve stressed for nothing. Trump is gone in 4 years and probably neutered in 2 with the house flipping.
I’m more optimistic but concerned for the economy.
That's ominous. Vlad will chew Trump up and spit him out. We're talking an ex-KGB man against a game-show host here.
As awful as Trump is, he is dangerous as well as stupid. We need to set aside 5% of GDP for defence. We need to treat the USA as an enemy and a threat, not just Russia. The two of them will be happy to gang up together to destroy Europe, including the UK. They won’t think that, just because of Brexit, we are no longer European.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
Last week I gave Kemi advice for PMQs: to properly use six questions; not to waste them on speechifying; not to cram two questions into one; not to respond to Starmer but to move on.
She did not listen but combined all her usual faults while blundering repeatedly into Starmer's stock response – it was the last Tory government – and earning a lecture on how the criminal justice system has worked for centuries.
There were also at least two moments that reinforced my belief that Starmer will follow Wilson into early retirement.
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 15m BREAKING: White House confirms it has lost at least 12 cases, at least temporarily, since becoming president. Acting illegally and losing cases is a hallmark of Trump.
He likes to find where the line is, and push it back where he can. He will win some, and reset expectations either way.
That's ominous. Vlad will chew Trump up and spit him out. We're talking an ex-KGB man against a game-show host here.
As awful as Trump is, he is dangerous as well as stupid. We need to set aside 5% of GDP for defence. We need to treat the USA as an enemy and a threat, not just Russia. The two of them will be happy to gang up together to destroy Europe, including the UK. They won’t think that, just because of Brexit, we are no longer European.
So are we going to close down their bases and kick out their multinationals?
Most people on PB will loathe this. But most people on PB are middlebrow 115 IQ centrist dads who like Radio 4 and think Rory Stewart is admirable and “clever”
That's ominous. Vlad will chew Trump up and spit him out. We're talking an ex-KGB man against a game-show host here.
As awful as Trump is, he is dangerous as well as stupid. We need to set aside 5% of GDP for defence. We need to treat the USA as an enemy and a threat, not just Russia. The two of them will be happy to gang up together to destroy Europe, including the UK. They won’t think that, just because of Brexit, we are no longer European.
So are we going to close down their bases and kick out their multinationals?
I am in full support of that, starting with Faslane and X.
My son is ten. I am *very* worried that by the time he is eighteen, this country will be at war.
I pray that all he ever has to be is an 'armchair general'...
If we’re at war we’re at war, if we’re not we’re not, pointless worrying about it. May never happen. If it does deal with it, if it doesn’t you’ve stressed for nothing. Trump is gone in 4 years and probably neutered in 2 with the house flipping.
I’m more optimistic but concerned for the economy.
Many people thought like you in the mid-1930s. The parallels are all too obvious.
That's ominous. Vlad will chew Trump up and spit him out. We're talking an ex-KGB man against a game-show host here.
As awful as Trump is, he is dangerous as well as stupid. We need to set aside 5% of GDP for defence. We need to treat the USA as an enemy and a threat, not just Russia. The two of them will be happy to gang up together to destroy Europe, including the UK. They won’t think that, just because of Brexit, we are no longer European.
So are we going to close down their bases and kick out their multinationals?
It could hardly be worse than bowing and scraping to the lunatic.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Same people calling Starmer a traitor in respect to Chagos are more than happy to crawl up Donald's arse when he sells out Ukraine and NATO.
He's simply codifying what previous US policy already was. Obama didn't support Ukraine in 2014, Biden pulled back from NATO and prioritised APAC. It was up to us in Europe to be ready to pay for our own defence, we've had 10 years since Ukraine was first invaded and relied on an increasingly detached US administration Dem or GOP. It was a mistake and continues to be a mistake. People like you who blame America for not protecting our border are the problem. Maybe we should cut benefits by £20bn per year and pay for the defence of our own border properly and not, as first world countries rely on others to do it for us.
My son is ten. I am *very* worried that by the time he is eighteen, this country will be at war.
I pray that all he ever has to be is an 'armchair general'...
If we’re at war we’re at war, if we’re not we’re not, pointless worrying about it. May never happen. If it does deal with it, if it doesn’t you’ve stressed for nothing. Trump is gone in 4 years and probably neutered in 2 with the house flipping.
I’m more optimistic but concerned for the economy.
Many people thought like you in the mid-1930s. The parallels are all too obvious.
I bet you’re scared of your own shadow. Pussy. The parallels are not obvious and I speak from personal experience worrying bout nuclear war, economic meltdown, CJD, losing my job, losing my home. Did me no good. I offered my advice out of kindness. Your reply was shitty because that the kind of guy you are. I became a far more relaxed person when I learned to not worry about stuff I couldn’t control.
You want to spend your life worrying and insulting people you’ll never meet online. Crack on.
They spent £30 million on a building...for a supercomputer that would have made the UK only the third country in the world with this capability...and the government cancelled it. I bet they are in the hole for that £30m, as previous government said fund the building, we give you £1bn for the computer.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
I know. But he's now got 3 'useless duds' into the leadership, so perhaps he should just stop?
He's a serial commentator, he should just find a message board to post in.
Perhaps he does.
We need to find a right wing poster prone to mood swings, with limited practical experience of running anything, a tendency to be highly influenced by the last thing he read/watched, and some kind of evident link to a widely read right wing magazine.
They spent £30 million on a building...for a supercomputer that would have made the UK only the third country in the world with this capability...and the government cancelled it.
70-90% of universities will go bust in the next 5-15 years - or they will convert into something radically different
As a historian it amazes me that for so many people the lessons about appeasement appear to have either been forgotten or never been learned.
Appeasement gets a bad reputation but was entirely understandable. The politicians of the day had, for the most part, fought in the first war, or at least had close family that did. Even the UK, who got of relatively lightly, had around 850,000 dead as a result. There was no appetite in the UK for fighting another war.
And many of Germanies demands were not unreasonable. I think history judges Versailles to have been overly harsh on the German nation - the war guilt stuff etc. (Not to say that the Germans would not have been equally bad winners - Brest Litovsk shows that. Drang nach osten didn't start in 1933 after all). Remilitarising your own territory? Fine. Actually having an air force and expanded military? Ok. Re-integrating ethnice Germans into the Reich - well self determination ought to apply to all really.
And then in reality appeasement bought time. Time to build spitfire factories and design the Lancaster. And also by failing, it gave the causus belli - Hitler said 1938 was the end and he lied. So now we must fight.
Understandable but wrong. We know what happened after the fact. It's also worth pointing out that it meant handing over lots of people to a regime that was going to kill or enslave them, in the hope we could keep out of t. So it was morally questionable at the time - and was questioned by those who were clear-eyed about the nature of Nazism.
In terms of national self interest, I think he is right. The optimal strategy for the UK back in the 1930s would have been to stay out of the obviously impending conflict, wait for Germany and the Soviet Union to go to war, and then pitch in towards the end to avoid either of them dominating post war Europe. That course would have retained our empire - at least for some while longer - spared our cities and countless British lives - and avoided our tremendous post-war indebtedness to the US. But, given the evil spreading across Europe, that would have been a cynically and morally wrong stance to adopt.
The risk of course, is we’d have finished up with a very dangerous and hostile power, Soviet or Nazi, dominating the Continent.
That would have almost been a certainty.
The Soviets only stopped on the West German border because we were there with other Allies. And France had a credible enough communist movement for it to have taken root there, with their military backing.
They spent £30 million on a building...for a supercomputer that would have made the UK only the third country in the world with this capability...and the government cancelled it.
70-90% of universities will go bust in the next 5-15 years - or they will convert into something radically different
I see the Danes are trying to buy California. Not a bad idea. Could combine with a swap for Greenland. Trump hates California.
I think there's a ballot initiative calling for independence under way in California.
That would condemn the rump 49 to decades of MAGA...
Once they have Canada they’ll be back to parity again.
More likely Oregon and Wahington would join and deprive the rump 47 of a contiguous Pacific coast and a warm water port. (Hawaii might join in too. Alaska less likely, but you can never be entirely sure of Alaskans.)
They spent £30 million on a building...for a supercomputer that would have made the UK only the third country in the world with this capability...and the government cancelled it.
70-90% of universities will go bust in the next 5-15 years - or they will convert into something radically different
Or the government steps in. Remember university for little Johnny is seen as defacto right of passage now among parents rather than for the top few % of achievers. The Tories even daring to suggest cutting some courses was massively unpopular.
I have long since said on here, too many universities, too many people going full time and living away from home.
And despite this massive expansion in university sector, UK people getting PhDs, in particular in STEM, has been on the decline. Good job the future of top tier work doesn't require such skills.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
For me the issue with Kemi's approach is she is trying to be calm and collected and talk about the details, but she's never going to beat a KC that way. She needs to go for more of a Boris-style bombastic approach with sarcasm and humour to get under Starmer's skin. Also throw a few curveballs.
I would have opened with the fact that Margaret Thatcher became Con leader 50 years ago this week, while national Lab have had 9 male leaders (if he says how regrettable, then you can suggest he resigns) Then pivot onto the Andrew Gwynne scandal and how it shows Lab to be sexist and how they hate the elderly.
They spent £30 million on a building...for a supercomputer that would have made the UK only the third country in the world with this capability...and the government cancelled it.
70-90% of universities will go bust in the next 5-15 years - or they will convert into something radically different
Or the government steps in. Remember university for little Johnny is seen as defacto right of passage now among parents. The Tories even suggesting cutting some courses was massively unpopular.
As a historian it amazes me that for so many people the lessons about appeasement appear to have either been forgotten or never been learned.
Appeasement gets a bad reputation but was entirely understandable. The politicians of the day had, for the most part, fought in the first war, or at least had close family that did. Even the UK, who got of relatively lightly, had around 850,000 dead as a result. There was no appetite in the UK for fighting another war.
And many of Germanies demands were not unreasonable. I think history judges Versailles to have been overly harsh on the German nation - the war guilt stuff etc. (Not to say that the Germans would not have been equally bad winners - Brest Litovsk shows that. Drang nach osten didn't start in 1933 after all). Remilitarising your own territory? Fine. Actually having an air force and expanded military? Ok. Re-integrating ethnice Germans into the Reich - well self determination ought to apply to all really.
And then in reality appeasement bought time. Time to build spitfire factories and design the Lancaster. And also by failing, it gave the causus belli - Hitler said 1938 was the end and he lied. So now we must fight.
Understandable but wrong. We know what happened after the fact. It's also worth pointing out that it meant handing over lots of people to a regime that was going to kill or enslave them, in the hope we could keep out of t. So it was morally questionable at the time - and was questioned by those who were clear-eyed about the nature of Nazism.
In terms of national self interest, I think he is right. The optimal strategy for the UK back in the 1930s would have been to stay out of the obviously impending conflict, wait for Germany and the Soviet Union to go to war, and then pitch in towards the end to avoid either of them dominating post war Europe. That course would have retained our empire - at least for some while longer - spared our cities and countless British lives - and avoided our tremendous post-war indebtedness to the US. But, given the evil spreading across Europe, that would have been a cynically and morally wrong stance to adopt.
The risk of course, is we’d have finished up with a very dangerous and hostile power, Soviet or Nazi, dominating the Continent.
That would have almost been a certainty.
The Soviets only stopped on the West German border because we were there with other Allies. And France had a credible enough communist movement for it to have taken root there, with their military backing.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
And yet Jenrick is good. He gets it. He uses social media very effectively. He’s a sharp and plausible speaker. He has the common touch (he’s not posh - arguably Kemi as an African haute bourgeois is posher than him)
He’s actually a bit of a star. And he’s smart
The trouble is he also comes across as an archetypal Tory shit and Alan bstard. Indeed he probably is all that
But do the Tories have much choice? If they go for a pathetic wet centrist like Hunt, Stride or Cleverly they are finished and will turn into the Lib Dems
Jenrick is the one guy who might simultaneously worry Reform AND Starmer
The west is swinging hard right. This is not the time for Tories to tack to the centre, FFS
I don't really get why the Reform curious/leaning like Jenrick more, he is a changling and personally I think he is a bit slimy in his manner.
But whoever is leader big risks probably need to be taken, and with Reform riding high playing it safe might look too passive.
There's a real mixture in remaining Tory ranks though - I've met some who despise Reform, whilst others want to be Reform.
Is it not that, slimy toad that he is, he understands the basics of politics in a way Badenoch simply does not? He'd have a ceiling but would also have an obvious strategy would stick to. He might end up being the new Michael Howard in terms of being unlikeable to most but rescuing the Tories from disaster but maybe not quite having the juice to get over the line and become PM.
What strikes me about Trump and his clique is how self-defeating they are.
They talk about making America great, when all that they’re doing is retreating before people who hate America.
That’s where the comparison with Rome fails.
For all their faults, Roman leaders were not cowards. Trump and his clique are.
Russians hate America in the same way that the French hate America. They're not really implacable enemies.
If Trump succeeds, he will usher in a new era that will transform European politics as profoundly as 1989 did.
What, if we fake referendums in Talinn and Warsaw where 99.8% of the population want to join Russia?
No, I'm talking about Moscow becoming an ally of the West.
Ha, you mean Washington become one of Putin's puppet states.
A delusional view of the balance of power.
Putin gets everything he wants. What does the USA get? Destruction of alliances that have been decades in the making and the foundation of their economic power.
Sure the US has more power than Russia, but if it is used maniacally it does not maintain its value.
He wanted to conquer Ukraine and reestablish Russia as an equal of America and China. He’s failed and now needs to turn towards the West to avoid becoming a vassal state of China.
People like Putin don't believe in failure. He'll loo at ways he can still get to his aims. Therefore it isn't a peace.
And he didn't just want to conquer Ukraine; his geopolitical ambitions are much wider. And he still holds them.
So what if he still holds them? The French still dream of evicting America from Europe and uniting it under their geopolitical leadership, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be allies with them.
WTAF.
Do they not?
Okay. I'll spell it out so even you can understand - and hopefully your response will not be another stupid question.
Over the last two decades, Putin has physically invaded two countries and grabbed territory. All as part of his aims.
France has not, and shows no inclination to. Macron is not producing maps of Napoleon's empire to show what he wants. Putin is showing maps of the USSR.
Two countries? Three. Ukraine, Georgia and… Moldova! Arguably, Transnistria isn’t quite the same, but it has Russian “peacekeeping” troops defending a Russian-speaking population and there’s been talk of annexing it.
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 15m BREAKING: White House confirms it has lost at least 12 cases, at least temporarily, since becoming president. Acting illegally and losing cases is a hallmark of Trump.
He likes to find where the line is, and push it back where he can. He will win some, and reset expectations either way.
The attached video is quite funny. That is temporary injunctions, which means the Judge thought there was enough evidence that the case is likely to succeed.
There are several dozen others proceeding - at around 2.5 news ones per day.
'They present no evidence, and it is all a continued attack by Democratic activists on President Trump.'
Currently it seems to be 12-0. Notts Forest would be proud.
I see the Danes are trying to buy California. Not a bad idea. Could combine with a swap for Greenland. Trump hates California.
I think there's a ballot initiative calling for independence under way in California.
That would condemn the rump 49 to decades of MAGA...
Once they have Canada they’ll be back to parity again.
More likely Oregon and Wahington would join and deprive the rump 47 of a contiguous Pacific coast and a warm water port. (Hawaii might join in too. Alaska less likely, but you can never be entirely sure of Alaskans.)
The ensuing civil war would be interesting, because it would be fought largely in mountain and desert terrain.
What strikes me about Trump and his clique is how self-defeating they are.
They talk about making America great, when all that they’re doing is retreating before people who hate America.
That’s where the comparison with Rome fails.
For all their faults, Roman leaders were not cowards. Trump and his clique are.
Russians hate America in the same way that the French hate America. They're not really implacable enemies.
If Trump succeeds, he will usher in a new era that will transform European politics as profoundly as 1989 did.
What, if we fake referendums in Talinn and Warsaw where 99.8% of the population want to join Russia?
No, I'm talking about Moscow becoming an ally of the West.
Ha, you mean Washington become one of Putin's puppet states.
A delusional view of the balance of power.
Putin gets everything he wants. What does the USA get? Destruction of alliances that have been decades in the making and the foundation of their economic power.
Sure the US has more power than Russia, but if it is used maniacally it does not maintain its value.
He wanted to conquer Ukraine and reestablish Russia as an equal of America and China. He’s failed and now needs to turn towards the West to avoid becoming a vassal state of China.
People like Putin don't believe in failure. He'll loo at ways he can still get to his aims. Therefore it isn't a peace.
And he didn't just want to conquer Ukraine; his geopolitical ambitions are much wider. And he still holds them.
So what if he still holds them? The French still dream of evicting America from Europe and uniting it under their geopolitical leadership, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be allies with them.
WTAF.
Do they not?
Okay. I'll spell it out so even you can understand - and hopefully your response will not be another stupid question.
Over the last two decades, Putin has physically invaded two countries and grabbed territory. All as part of his aims.
France has not, and shows no inclination to. Macron is not producing maps of Napoleon's empire to show what he wants. Putin is showing maps of the USSR.
When the French president, Emmanuel Macron, landed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Monday for a two-day visit, France’s puppet leaders across Africa were assured of one thing: Françafrique is back. The question is what this means for the future of millions.
The answer – and Macron’s legacy – is more repression, more coups, more corruption, more violence, more suffering and, ultimately, more refugees and migrants making dangerous journeys to Europe in search of safety.
I don't know how the French get away with it.
If we tried that we'd be called neo-colonialist before a single ship left Portsmouth and it just simply wouldn't happen.
What strikes me about Trump and his clique is how self-defeating they are.
They talk about making America great, when all that they’re doing is retreating before people who hate America.
That’s where the comparison with Rome fails.
For all their faults, Roman leaders were not cowards. Trump and his clique are.
Russians hate America in the same way that the French hate America. They're not really implacable enemies.
If Trump succeeds, he will usher in a new era that will transform European politics as profoundly as 1989 did.
What, if we fake referendums in Talinn and Warsaw where 99.8% of the population want to join Russia?
No, I'm talking about Moscow becoming an ally of the West.
Ha, you mean Washington become one of Putin's puppet states.
A delusional view of the balance of power.
Putin gets everything he wants. What does the USA get? Destruction of alliances that have been decades in the making and the foundation of their economic power.
Sure the US has more power than Russia, but if it is used maniacally it does not maintain its value.
He wanted to conquer Ukraine and reestablish Russia as an equal of America and China. He’s failed and now needs to turn towards the West to avoid becoming a vassal state of China.
People like Putin don't believe in failure. He'll loo at ways he can still get to his aims. Therefore it isn't a peace.
And he didn't just want to conquer Ukraine; his geopolitical ambitions are much wider. And he still holds them.
So what if he still holds them? The French still dream of evicting America from Europe and uniting it under their geopolitical leadership, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be allies with them.
WTAF.
Do they not?
Okay. I'll spell it out so even you can understand - and hopefully your response will not be another stupid question.
Over the last two decades, Putin has physically invaded two countries and grabbed territory. All as part of his aims.
France has not, and shows no inclination to. Macron is not producing maps of Napoleon's empire to show what he wants. Putin is showing maps of the USSR.
Two countries? Three. Ukraine, Georgia and… Moldova! Arguably, Transnistria isn’t quite the same, but it has Russian “peacekeeping” troops defending a Russian-speaking population and there’s been talk of annexing it.
Wasn't Moldova/Transnistria in 1992, before Putin?
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
And yet Jenrick is good. He gets it. He uses social media very effectively. He’s a sharp and plausible speaker. He has the common touch (he’s not posh - arguably Kemi as an African haute bourgeois is posher than him)
He’s actually a bit of a star. And he’s smart
The trouble is he also comes across as an archetypal Tory shit and Alan bstard. Indeed he probably is all that
But do the Tories have much choice? If they go for a pathetic wet centrist like Hunt, Stride or Cleverly they are finished and will turn into the Lib Dems
Jenrick is the one guy who might simultaneously worry Reform AND Starmer
The west is swinging hard right. This is not the time for Tories to tack to the centre, FFS
I don't really get why the Reform curious/leaning like Jenrick more, he is a changling and personally I think he is a bit slimy in his manner.
But whoever is leader big risks probably need to be taken, and with Reform riding high playing it safe might look too passive.
There's a real mixture in remaining Tory ranks though - I've met some who despise Reform, whilst others want to be Reform.
Is it not that, slimy toad that he is, he understands the basics of politics in a way Badenoch simply does not? He'd have a ceiling but would also have an obvious strategy would stick to. He might end up being the new Michael Howard in terms of being unlikeable to most but rescuing the Tories from disaster but maybe not quite having the juice to get over the line and become PM.
Michael Howard didn’t really take the Tories forward a great deal electorally and gifted them Cameron which, in hindsight, was not great.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
They spent £30 million on a building...for a supercomputer that would have made the UK only the third country in the world with this capability...and the government cancelled it.
70-90% of universities will go bust in the next 5-15 years - or they will convert into something radically different
Or the government steps in. Remember university for little Johnny is seen as defacto right of passage now among parents. The Tories even suggesting cutting some courses was massively unpopular.
Most people on PB will loathe this. But most people on PB are middlebrow 115 IQ centrist dads who like Radio 4 and think Rory Stewart is admirable and “clever”
Jenrick has a fair speaking style but if you watch the video, he uses the phrase "months later" which makes one wonder who was the government when the fly-tipping occurred. This is Kemi's problem – it was Jenrick's Tory government who "trashed Britain". Later on there's a case that took 18 months to prosecute – again, back to the last Tory government.
Jenrick is just Kemi mark 2. The blue team needs a new flagbearer.
My son is ten. I am *very* worried that by the time he is eighteen, this country will be at war.
I pray that all he ever has to be is an 'armchair general'...
If we’re at war we’re at war, if we’re not we’re not, pointless worrying about it. May never happen. If it does deal with it, if it doesn’t you’ve stressed for nothing. Trump is gone in 4 years and probably neutered in 2 with the house flipping.
I’m more optimistic but concerned for the economy.
Many people thought like you in the mid-1930s. The parallels are all too obvious.
I bet you’re scared of your own shadow. Pussy.
(Snip)
You want to spend your life worrying and insulting people you’ll never meet online. Crack on.
I like the way you manage to put the first and final sentences in the same post...
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
And yet Jenrick is good. He gets it. He uses social media very effectively. He’s a sharp and plausible speaker. He has the common touch (he’s not posh - arguably Kemi as an African haute bourgeois is posher than him)
He’s actually a bit of a star. And he’s smart
The trouble is he also comes across as an archetypal Tory shit and Alan bstard. Indeed he probably is all that
But do the Tories have much choice? If they go for a pathetic wet centrist like Hunt, Stride or Cleverly they are finished and will turn into the Lib Dems
Jenrick is the one guy who might simultaneously worry Reform AND Starmer
The west is swinging hard right. This is not the time for Tories to tack to the centre, FFS
I don't really get why the Reform curious/leaning like Jenrick more, he is a changling and personally I think he is a bit slimy in his manner.
But whoever is leader big risks probably need to be taken, and with Reform riding high playing it safe might look too passive.
There's a real mixture in remaining Tory ranks though - I've met some who despise Reform, whilst others want to be Reform.
Is it not that, slimy toad that he is, he understands the basics of politics in a way Badenoch simply does not? He'd have a ceiling but would also have an obvious strategy would stick to. He might end up being the new Michael Howard in terms of being unlikeable to most but rescuing the Tories from disaster but maybe not quite having the juice to get over the line and become PM.
I think my view was that Kemi was a bigger risk but also potentially bigger reward, but that's an outsider's view obviously. From my perspective she's struggled to get attention, she might as well be a LD with the media attention she gets.
My son is ten. I am *very* worried that by the time he is eighteen, this country will be at war.
I pray that all he ever has to be is an 'armchair general'...
I woudn't worry about it. I think the age distribution of the electorate will ensure the UK will either surrender or never engage in the war. I'm not being sarcastic.
However, the odds on a one/few-warhead nuclear strike on the UK on a first-strike basis from Russia has grown. A combination of new Russian delivery systems and lowering the threshold in Russian doctrine. It was discussed a year or three ago and determinedly ignored by PB.
After praising Kemi last week, sadly Starmer (I know, Starmer!) made mincemeat of her this week. Or at least he was doing so three questions in when I had to stop watching.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Kemi is a total dud, I think even worse than one would have imagined. Starmer is no Blair or Hague at PMQs and so many open goals, but she is like Harry Kane taking that penalty in the WC quarter-final.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
Hunt is the best option.
He probably is, but he is tarnished with so long in government. He won't attract the Reform voter and probably not the Lib Dem switchers, also Labour can easily pin their "tough decisions" on some very dodgy decisions he made as chancellor.
Most people on PB will loathe this. But most people on PB are middlebrow 115 IQ centrist dads who like Radio 4 and think Rory Stewart is admirable and “clever”
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 15m BREAKING: White House confirms it has lost at least 12 cases, at least temporarily, since becoming president. Acting illegally and losing cases is a hallmark of Trump.
He likes to find where the line is, and push it back where he can. He will win some, and reset expectations either way.
The attached video is quite funny. That is temporary injunctions, which means the Judge thought there was enough evidence that the case is likely to succeed.
There are several dozen others proceeding - at around 2.5 news ones per day.
'They present no evidence, and it is all a continued attack by Democratic activists on President Trump.'
Currently it seems to be 12-0. Notts Forest would be proud.
We lose every week We lose every week You're nothing special We lose every week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUfLg2hBVRw (13-second video of football chant, not Arsenal btw!)
Comments
Over the last two decades, Putin has physically invaded two countries and grabbed territory. All as part of his aims.
France has not, and shows no inclination to. Macron is not producing maps of Napoleon's empire to show what he wants. Putin is showing maps of the USSR.
The betrayal of Ukraine did not start today and it is n easy to blame Trump. But let’s put the blame where it belongs.
Your statement was factually wrong, and there are many, many examples of freedom fighters fighting imperialists and fascists and winning.
There are sometimes gentler or harsher ways to do things, but you will also get complaints which really are just about the existence of a rule in itself, and usually descents into arguments about terminology.
Migration debates are particularly prone to it.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/jul/26/francafrique-is-back-macrons-visit-to-cameroon-signals-colonisation-20
When the French president, Emmanuel Macron, landed in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Monday for a two-day visit, France’s puppet leaders across Africa were assured of one thing: Françafrique is back. The question is what this means for the future of millions.
The answer – and Macron’s legacy – is more repression, more coups, more corruption, more violence, more suffering and, ultimately, more refugees and migrants making dangerous journeys to Europe in search of safety.
It is very common for the police to film raids on drug dealers etc and then release them. Its showing they are doing something to both the government and the public, they are also signalling to criminals, we will come for you. How much the second part works I don't know, but its clearly nudge theory.
Just horrible. Why on earth go on the ECHR? Ok if her stance was the Jenrickite scrapping of it, but that's not her stance. So she was trying to 'trap' Labour into saying that they 'might get a little bit cross with the ECHR', to which Starmer, who is currently trying to impersonate Farage, was only to happy to say "YES". It was an absolute bloodbath.
I hope she finished better than she started.
What I want to know is who's supporting her? Ok, the Machiavellian forces of Gove, Dougie Smith and Dom Cummings got her in, so how are they looking after their girl? She seems to be going into PMQs with zero coaching, there's not much happening on the media or social media fronts.
I'll admit this is what I would like to happen politically, but what she should do is say fuck it and go right. Let Jenrick and Sir John Hayes have their way with the PCP, and let David Campbell Bannerman have his way with CCHQ. Bugger the forces of darkness, they're sodding HOPELESS.
Russia attacked Ukraine unprovoked and unexpectedly in 2014 and the response was not nothing but instead the West spent the next decade arming Ukraine.
That's why when Russia went back for more, Ukraine were so much stronger than they'd expected or planned for and why Kyiv didnt fall in days as many had expected it would.
Had we done nothing, that wouldn't be the case.
Cameron, May and Johnson as well as Obama
Parliament and Congress deserve a lot of credit for what happened between 2014 and 2021 to bolster Ukraine.
The problem the Tories have is in the current parliament they don't have much talent at all, certainly not talent that is untarnished, willing to stand and experienced enough to know the dark arts of being an effective opposition / running a political party.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
·
1h
As it becomes clear that @DOGE
is working, you will see the long-term Treasury bill yields fall.
And all Americans will benefit from lower interest payments on mortgages, small business debt, credit card and other loans.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1889732109528388059
Presumably some of those number will not be on good terms with the leadership or just unacceptable for other reasons, so the real number is probably close to 25?
Then out of those how many are actual leadership material?
Who cares what actions people take in real life, this is the internet and it's just about words, I don't get criticism of people for, apparently, just using words on things.
·
15m
BREAKING: White House confirms it has lost at least 12 cases, at least temporarily, since becoming president. Acting illegally and losing cases is a hallmark of Trump.
I pray that all he ever has to be is an 'armchair general'...
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/02/politics-age-chiefs-of-staff-morgan-mcsweeney-dominic-cummings
But they're just the talent. The actors whose job consists of staying sober, standing up and saying their script reasonably accurately.
The other bit that must have been utterly hollowed out is all the backstage staff- the makeup, the scriptwriters and so on.
He’s actually a bit of a star. And he’s smart
The trouble is he also comes across as an archetypal Tory shit and Alan bstard. Indeed he probably is all that
But do the Tories have much choice? If they go for a pathetic wet centrist like Hunt, Stride or Cleverly they are finished and will turn into the Lib Dems
Jenrick is the one guy who might simultaneously worry Reform AND Starmer
The west is swinging hard right. This is not the time for Tories to tack to the centre, FFS
The reaction on that was mainly a displacement activity from peeps who still in mourning from the Election, who have nowhere to go yet.
We have to place some blame on the wider party structure though. Boris was seen as quite a polished operator as MOL. But as Tory leader and PM he was a clown show. Liz Truss got put into power and had no food because she didn't know how to get a Sainsbury's delivery. Kemi has come in and I just see no support structure at all.
But whoever is leader big risks probably need to be taken, and with Reform riding high playing it safe might look too passive.
There's a real mixture in remaining Tory ranks though - I've met some who despise Reform, whilst others want to be Reform.
I’m more optimistic but concerned for the economy.
I think there's a ballot initiative calling for independence under way in California.
She did not listen but combined all her usual faults while blundering repeatedly into Starmer's stock response – it was the last Tory government – and earning a lecture on how the criminal justice system has worked for centuries.
There were also at least two moments that reinforced my belief that Starmer will follow Wilson into early retirement.
He genuinely has *it*
Most people on PB will loathe this. But most people on PB are middlebrow 115 IQ centrist dads who like Radio 4 and think Rory Stewart is admirable and “clever”
https://x.com/robertjenrick/status/1888141559247307138?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw
https://x.com/yuanyi_z/status/1889738393002631271?s=61
Edinburgh University going bust
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd648x1dww8o
Not Lampeter or Newent, EDINBURGH
You want to spend your life worrying and insulting people you’ll never meet online. Crack on.
We need to find a right wing poster prone to mood swings, with limited practical experience of running anything, a tendency to be highly influenced by the last thing he read/watched, and some kind of evident link to a widely read right wing magazine.
No, not that one.
The Soviets only stopped on the West German border because we were there with other Allies. And France had a credible enough communist movement for it to have taken root there, with their military backing.
I have long since said on here, too many universities, too many people going full time and living away from home.
And despite this massive expansion in university sector, UK people getting PhDs, in particular in STEM, has been on the decline. Good job the future of top tier work doesn't require such skills.
That isn't going to happen. Ian Dunt will need to go LD or cry into his soup.
I would have opened with the fact that Margaret Thatcher became Con leader 50 years ago this week, while national Lab have had 9 male leaders (if he says how regrettable, then you can suggest he resigns) Then pivot onto the Andrew Gwynne scandal and how it shows Lab to be sexist and how they hate the elderly.
There are several dozen others proceeding - at around 2.5 news ones per day.
'They present no evidence, and it is all a continued attack by Democratic activists on President Trump.'
Currently it seems to be 12-0. Notts Forest would be proud.
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lhysc7atsl23
If we tried that we'd be called neo-colonialist before a single ship left Portsmouth and it just simply wouldn't happen.
Jenrick is just Kemi mark 2. The blue team needs a new flagbearer.
I'm even more worried.
However, the odds on a one/few-warhead nuclear strike on the UK on a first-strike basis from Russia has grown. A combination of new Russian delivery systems and lowering the threshold in Russian doctrine. It was discussed a year or three ago and determinedly ignored by PB.
Here is a link
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/02/06/the_implications_of_russias_new_nuclear_doctrine_1089640.html
Here is Ryan McBeth discussing the possibility
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYWcgF4Wwog
It's no wonder some people can't be arsed. Or other less reputable traders offer to "get rid of it" for a tenner, and then dump it.
We lose every week
We lose every week
You're nothing special
We lose every week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUfLg2hBVRw (13-second video of football chant, not Arsenal btw!)