This is like wandering into a Convention of Professional Hysterics
And you as a pro bedshitter should know!
Well, quite
Anyhow here’s my calming photo from the archives
This is from 2009!!
It’s the Buddhist windhorses by the stupa of Balagezong, in remote (at least then) Yunnanese Tibet. The Chinese guys who drove me up there said I was probably the first westerner to ever enter the village
What you can’t see is that above me there are 20,000 foot Himalayan icecaps and yet way down below in the gorges: tropical rainforest
It was so beautiful - the fluttering prayer flags petitioning Eternity, sending their endless whispers to Heaven - I started to cry. My guide got concerned that I was sick or sad
I had to reassure him
Be at peace PB, this too shall pass
I'm not sure bringing up Tibet is the best way to assuage fears of the subjugation of a smaller nation by an authoritarian state.
Where exactly does the party leading in the polls stand on today's extraordinary events? At least I have an idea of where Lab and LDs stand; and where the Tories stand has ceased to matter much. But domestically where Reform stands matters a lot. I think it is silence so far.
Kemi has put out a statement in support of Zelensky, Ukraine and increased defence spending
Farage and Reform are silent and that cannot continue
I think we now need to stop pretending that this guy has any noble intentions at heart here and it’s all just a clever negotiating ruse.
The man clearly holds democratic Europe in distain and we should shape our policy accordingly.
Maybe it's a little unfair to take the statements of someone with dementia at face value.
I would just say and having had experience of dementia Trump is not suffering dementia but certainly is causing great concern across the west
Maybe all those of us here with experience of dementia should take a vote on it.
Having visited my dad in a care home for several years, I can only say that dementia symptoms seem to very considerably between individuals. And in the early stages, doctors aren't all that good at diagnosing it with any degree of certainty either.
I've no idea either way with Trump. But I'm comfortable with the colloquial diagnosis of a screw loose.
It's bad not mad, I think. He's a nasty nasty guy.
Where exactly does the party leading in the polls stand on today's extraordinary events? At least I have an idea of where Lab and LDs stand; and where the Tories stand has ceased to matter much. But domestically where Reform stands matters a lot. I think it is silence so far.
Kemi has put out a statement in support of Zelensky, Ukraine and increased defence spending
Farage and Reform are silent and that cannot continue
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
But note how she feels she has to include a prominent "President Trump is right that ..." para.
It's a gangster dynamic he's established and it's totally deliberate.
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
Except she claims there is a fully funded plan to raise Defence spending to 2.5% - if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you.
There has to be now though
The obvious concern is that the notion of raising defence spending only lasts as long as the Government doesn't have to make a decision on who pays the bill.
Zelensky should visit the new German Chancellor, likely the more hardline anti Putin Merz, after the German elections next week then follow that with a visit to Beijing and Xi.
He needs to show Trump cannot dictate peace terms to Ukraine with Putin but he has world powers also demanding he be involved
Vance warns Zelensky he will regret "badmouthing" Trump and condemns his "atrocious" response to peace talks — DailyMail
Tell Trump to read up on his history: Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 AND 2022, not the other way round.
The Vance tweet is incredibly childish. Are these people 9 years old?
They're not nine years old. They're brutes. Thugs. Or, to be more polite, people with a brutal realist view of power and how to apply it. And if we are to survive in this brave new world we have to do one of the following
i) fight: Get strong fast, build up the armed forces, compete as near-peers
ii) run/hide. Leave NATO et al and leave the world to its own devices
iii) kneel. Agree and obey Trump at every opportunity
I hope for i). I fear iii). Looking at Starmer, Badenoch and Farage I believe iii) will come to pass. If anybody can offer me a better prognosis I will be pleased to listen...
The European Union is considering the possibility of redirecting unused funds in the amount of €93 billion, intended for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, to defense, - FT https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1892208656600408172
Would that be the EU leadership can decide, QMV or Unanimity?
TLDR: can Hungary stop it?
I might be quite inclined to say send most of it straight to Ukraine not to EU members, if they like with a condition to spend on European or Ukrainian defence equipment.
“The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square…. This is not a good way to deal with President Trump”
Adds: “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
But note how she feels she has to include a prominent "President Trump is right that ..." para.
It's a gangster dynamic he's established and it's totally deliberate.
Nothing Kemi said about Trump was anything but accurate and as a conservative I am pleased with her statement and of course, Farage and Reform look increasingly on the wrong side of history
Why has the Conservative Party remained mute on this unfolding nightmare?
Why has it not expressed 100% support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine?
(My email is bombarded daily with CCHQ crap, but nothing so far on something so existential. But maybe I’ve missed it).
For some of us, it’s now make or break time with the party.
Yes, quite.
Why aren't they taking a hard line and putting pressure on Starmer over this? Are they seriously worried about the 37% of Reform voters who have an unfavourable view of Zelensky? Everyone else is massively in favour.
Politically it would be the sensible thing to do and would be the kind of issue that could help them steal votes from Labour and the Lib Dems.
I get the sincere impression that Kemi wants to ignore all of the geopolitics because its too hard & too divisive. Why get into Ukraine when you can fight a war against woke? The threat to people is bathrooms, not bombs...
Don't forget the nice people who get church roofs fixed. They're just as bad.
(Which of the voices in her head fed her that line? Has any politician ever risen to the top via a sucsessful fundraising campaign for St Edward's?)
The omnishambles budget clobbered them with VAT. First George Osborne came for the pasty-eaters, then for ‘the Conservative Party at prayer’ maintaining their churches.
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
The European Union is considering the possibility of redirecting unused funds in the amount of €93 billion, intended for recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, to defense, - FT https://x.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1892208656600408172
Would that be the EU leadership can decide, QMV or Unanimity?
TLDR: can Hungary stop it?
I might be quite inclined to say send most of it straight to Ukraine not to EU members, if they like with a condition to spend on European or Ukrainian defence equipment.
I don't know; we'll see. Either way, they don't have long to make their minds up. Act now, or face irrelevance. Or worse.
While Conservative and Reform voters prefer nearly every former Conservative PM to Starmer in that Yougov poll, only Reform voters prefer Truss to Starmer with Tory voters split. Maybe a Liz defection to Farage on the cards?
Labour voters unsurprisingly prefer Starmer to every former Tory PM as do LD voters except for where John Major is the alternative, they split evenly between Major and Starmer
“The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square…. This is not a good way to deal with President Trump”
Adds: “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
It’s the MAGA snowflake machine in action. They love to give it but can’t take it. The hypocrisy is off the scale.
@BorisJohnson When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?
Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor.
Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from 1935 to 1945.
Of course Zelenskyy’s ratings are not 4%. They are actually about the same as Trump’s.
Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action.
In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets - mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support.
Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash?
The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking. It’s absurd. We need to get serious and fast.
Where exactly does the party leading in the polls stand on today's extraordinary events? At least I have an idea of where Lab and LDs stand; and where the Tories stand has ceased to matter much. But domestically where Reform stands matters a lot. I think it is silence so far.
Kemi has put out a statement in support of Zelensky, Ukraine and increased defence spending
Farage and Reform are silent and that cannot continue
Nigel must feel he's in a frightful bind. He's been dining out on his friendship with Donald for years, but must know Donald will terminate it in a jiffy at the slightest hint of disloyalty. It's not as if Donald would even grant him some leeway for tactical reasons - it's either slavish loyalty with Donald or you're a sworn enemy. What to do?
Vance warns Zelensky he will regret "badmouthing" Trump and condemns his "atrocious" response to peace talks — DailyMail
Tell Trump to read up on his history: Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 AND 2022, not the other way round.
The Vance tweet is incredibly childish. Are these people 9 years old?
They're not nine years old. They're brutes. Thugs. Or, to be more polite, people with a brutal realist view of power and how to apply it. And if we are to survive in this brave new world we have to do one of the following
i) fight: Get strong fast, build up the armed forces, compete as near-peers
ii) run/hide. Leave NATO et al and leave the world to its own devices
iii) kneel. Agree and obey Trump at every opportunity
I hope for i). I fear iii). Looking at Starmer, Badenoch and Farage I believe iii) will come to pass. If anybody can offer me a better prognosis I will be pleased to listen...
ii is a possibility for several currently very quiet Southern and Western European countries, and they’re in an enviable position in that respect, though not a particularly honourable one.
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
@BorisJohnson When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?
Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor.
Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from 1935 to 1945.
Of course Zelenskyy’s ratings are not 4%. They are actually about the same as Trump’s.
Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action.
In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets - mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support.
Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash?
The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking. It’s absurd. We need to get serious and fast.
When governments lie to people to get their way, as was his policy, it corrodes and degrades us all.
Where exactly does the party leading in the polls stand on today's extraordinary events? At least I have an idea of where Lab and LDs stand; and where the Tories stand has ceased to matter much. But domestically where Reform stands matters a lot. I think it is silence so far.
Kemi has put out a statement in support of Zelensky, Ukraine and increased defence spending...
“The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square…. This is not a good way to deal with President Trump”
Adds: “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
But Trump can smear and slag off anybody and that's just fine.
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
The problem with any tax rise is it is rare to be hypotecated and of course there are many different taxes, but we are approaching the time to address the tax and ni unfairness on the workers and increase taxes for those on unearned incomes
But then, everyone is happy for tax rises as long as it is not them
I have just noticed to add to the problems gilts seem to be rising
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
Easily. They can demand defence be funded through cuts instead (provided, as always, that they that they don't affect the state pension, property or other assets - disability benefits and universal credit are the obvious targets.)
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
“The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square…. This is not a good way to deal with President Trump”
Adds: “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
But Trump can smear and slag off anybody and that's just fine.
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
Where exactly does the party leading in the polls stand on today's extraordinary events? At least I have an idea of where Lab and LDs stand; and where the Tories stand has ceased to matter much. But domestically where Reform stands matters a lot. I think it is silence so far.
Kemi has put out a statement in support of Zelensky, Ukraine and increased defence spending
Farage and Reform are silent and that cannot continue
Nigel must feel he's in a frightful bind. He's been dining out on his friendship with Donald for years, but must know Donald will terminate it in a jiffy at the slightest hint of disloyalty. It's not as if Donald would even grant him some leeway for tactical reasons - it's either slavish loyalty with Donald or you're a sworn enemy. What to do?
Whatever he decides, he has about forty minutes until he's on GB News to tell... not everyone, but a few thousand viewers.
I'm sure that Mr Tell-It-Like-It-Is will have something to say.
The Trump statement reads like somebody asked AI to write Putin talking points in the style of Trump
A Russian-speaking friend, who keeps an eye on the Russian media, just asked me, "Why is Trump repeating the same wording as Russia uses?"
In all likelihood Trump doesn't read anything that says otherwise. He's vastly more likely to read promoted comments on social media, like Truth Social and Twitter that both swing heavily MAGA/Russia, than mere trifles like the top secret Daily Presidential Brief. In fact we know that's beyond him because we've been told the intelligence agencies had to dumb it down before.
So the US President is manipulated or disinformed by social media like many of his followers, and you can be certain that all sorts of malign actors bend his ear, and those of his associates, as well.
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
Easily. They can demand defence be funded through cuts instead (provided, as always, that they that they don't affect the state pension, property or other assets - disability benefits and universal credit are the obvious targets.)
Yes, they could. I am not sure the politics of it works, though. Saying you will back increased defence spending and then opposing it does not look great.
There's clearly some personal dislike for Zelensky. Maybe as someone who has always steered clear of drink and drugs, Trump doesn't like the rumours about Zelensky's habit.
That is truly pathetic even by your standards as one of the few Trump apologists on PB.
There's clearly some personal dislike for Zelensky. Maybe as someone who has always steered clear of drink and drugs, Trump doesn't like the rumours about Zelensky's habit.
That is truly pathetic even by your standards as one of the few Trump apologists on PB.
@williamglenn is the site’s clown and a little sh*t. Nothing more, nothing less…
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
The problem with any tax rise is it is rare to be hypotecated and of course there are many different taxes, but we are approaching the time to address the tax and ni unfairness on the workers and increase taxes for those on unearned incomes
But then, everyone is happy for tax rises as long as it is not them
I have just noticed to add to the problems gilts seem to be rising
Gilts are rising across Europe in anticipation of defence bonds. They do look like the best option as things stand. If we are serious about our defence, if we really do believe in the Blitz spirit stuff, we are all going to have accept a hit. Our grandparents sacrificed a hell of a lot more than it will cost us.
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
The soldiers just wandered into Ukraine on their own.
You probably think pronouns justify a Russian invasion of the EU.
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
So does Putin have a right to invade Blighty for being a member of NATO?
“The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square…. This is not a good way to deal with President Trump”
Adds: “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
But Trump can smear and slag off anybody and that's just fine.
Trump and his acolytes like to slap America's ex-allies about the face. They don't treat the autocrats like that. By their friends shall ye know them.
@BorisJohnson When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?
Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor.
Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from 1935 to 1945.
Of course Zelenskyy’s ratings are not 4%. They are actually about the same as Trump’s.
Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action.
In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets - mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support.
Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash?
The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking. It’s absurd. We need to get serious and fast.
Man, that’s going to be my go to excuse when caught out.
My suggestion that the dog was responsible for that dreadful fart was not intended to be historically accurate.
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
People should at the very least give him credit for doing the right thing on Jan 6th 2021. He might have wavered, and maybe not acted as promptly as we like, but he did ultimately choose the right path and saw to it that the election was certified. That alone makes him more fit for office than essentially the entire US Cabinet now.
Today has been a very sobering and worrying day when Trump showed his true colours, and finally lost any support a fair minded person may have been wanting to give him
His words today about Zelensky and Ukraine were abhorrent, and Zelensky is a million times more a leader than the tragic and dangerous figure of Trump
It seems political parties are united in their criticism of Trump apart from the abject Farage and Reform
Remember a vote for Reform is a now a vote for Trump
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
The problem with any tax rise is it is rare to be hypotecated and of course there are many different taxes, but we are approaching the time to address the tax and ni unfairness on the workers and increase taxes for those on unearned incomes
But then, everyone is happy for tax rises as long as it is not them
I have just noticed to add to the problems gilts seem to be rising
Gilts are rising across Europe in anticipation of defence bonds. They do look like the best option as things stand. If we are serious about our defence, if we really do believe in the Blitz spirit stuff, we are all going to have accept a hit. Our grandparents sacrificed a hell of a lot more than it will cost us.
I still don't understand this. What's the point in increase defence spending when there is no appetite to ever use it? We've had Salisbury, Ukraine, MH17, cables in the Baltic and we've done nothing at all.
I think this sudden interest in increasing spending is a displacement activity, designed to make people feel good while having zero effect on Russia (but costing us billions).
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
Bollocks we do.
I'm surprised that you're able to post this evening after the unsavoury incident at the Raducanu match. I assume that was you?
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
"NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia,"
Is that actually the case? In which treaty or agreement is it mentioned?
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
1) No such promise was made - quite the opposite- at one time we spoke of Russia joining!
2) Russia doesn’t get to decide things about countries other than Russia. Its view is irrelevant. It’s a medium sized power whose only influence comes from natural resources we need less and less, and a decrepit Cold War nuclear stockpile. Russian conventional forces have certainly been shown up. It’s about time we took it down a peg or two.
Zelenskyy may not have singlehandedly have canceled elections, but he definitely banned opposition parties, jailed critics, and shut down media he didn’t like but sure, let’s pretend he’s a beacon of democracy.
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
I didn't get round to replying to your previous post due to work. But it is worth pointing out that Kyiv has only been Russian since 1709. Before that it was Polish, and before that Lithuanian. Kyivan Rus broke up in the 11th century and then the assorted Slav grand duchies and principalities were occupied by Lithuania and then the Rzeczpospolita in the West, and the Golden Horse in the East. Which was the beginning of the cultural divide between Ukraine and Muscovy. To give any credence to the idea that Kyiv is the foundation stone of Russian culture is presposterous.
There's clearly some personal dislike for Zelensky. Maybe as someone who has always steered clear of drink and drugs, Trump doesn't like the rumours about Zelensky's habit.
That is truly pathetic even by your standards as one of the few Trump apologists on PB.
@williamglenn is the site’s clown and a little sh*t. Nothing more, nothing less…
Why do you two always wade in to put a nasty boot in from the left-wing to anyone who doesn't share your politics?
Rather unedifying, to say the least.
William is a professional devil's advocate. We don't need the abuse.
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
"NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia,"
Is that actually the case? In which treaty or agreement is it mentioned?
No, it's another Russian lie. Frankly it should even need refuting, about 1 seconds thought ought to be enough to realise that NATO would never give Russia a veto on expansion, because if NATO did so Russia would block all expansion.
Zelenskyy may not have singlehandedly have canceled elections, but he definitely banned opposition parties, jailed critics, and shut down media he didn’t like but sure, let’s pretend he’s a beacon of democracy.
Wait until you find out what Churchill and Chamberlain did in WW2…
Zelenskyy may not have singlehandedly have canceled elections, but he definitely banned opposition parties, jailed critics, and shut down media he didn’t like but sure, let’s pretend he’s a beacon of democracy.
He doesn't have to be. I'm happy with him killing more Russians, preferably until their army collapses
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
"NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia,"
Is that actually the case? In which treaty or agreement is it mentioned?
@KemiBadenoch President Zelenskyy is not a dictator. He is the democratically elected leader of Ukraine who bravely stood up to Putin’s illegal invasion. Under my leadership, and under successive Conservative Prime Ministers, we have and always will stand with Ukraine.
President Trump is right that Europe needs to pull its weight - and that includes the UK. We need to get serious. The PM will have my support to increase defence spending - there is a fully funded plan to get to 2.5% sitting on his desk. That should be the bare minimum. Starmer should get on with it, get on a plane to Washington and show some leadership. We cannot afford to get this wrong.
That's something.
Good to see Kemi confirming conservatives support for Ukraine in view of Trumps incendiary comments this pm , and seeking increased defence spending
She has given unconditional backing to increased defence spending. Politically, that could turn out to matter a lot. Could the Tories now vote against a tax rise to fund it, for example?
The problem with any tax rise is it is rare to be hypotecated and of course there are many different taxes, but we are approaching the time to address the tax and ni unfairness on the workers and increase taxes for those on unearned incomes
But then, everyone is happy for tax rises as long as it is not them
I have just noticed to add to the problems gilts seem to be rising
Gilts are rising across Europe in anticipation of defence bonds. They do look like the best option as things stand. If we are serious about our defence, if we really do believe in the Blitz spirit stuff, we are all going to have accept a hit. Our grandparents sacrificed a hell of a lot more than it will cost us.
I still don't understand this. What's the point in increase defence spending when there is no appetite to ever use it? We've had Salisbury, Ukraine, MH17, cables in the Baltic and we've done nothing at all.
I think this sudden interest in increasing spending is a displacement activity, designed to make people feel good while having zero effect on Russia (but costing us billions).
The world of tomorrow may not be the world of yesterday.
There's clearly some personal dislike for Zelensky. Maybe as someone who has always steered clear of drink and drugs, Trump doesn't like the rumours about Zelensky's habit.
That is truly pathetic even by your standards as one of the few Trump apologists on PB.
@williamglenn is the site’s clown and a little sh*t. Nothing more, nothing less…
Why do you two always wade in to put a nasty boot in from the left-wing to anyone who doesn't share your politics?
Rather unedifying, to say the least.
William is a professional devil's advocate. We don't need the abuse.
I hold no candle for Reform but let's not pretend they're exactly the same as the praetorian guard of MAGA.
Only 67% think Russia entirely or mostly responsible for the war.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Russia isn’t entirely responsible for the war
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
"NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia,"
Is that actually the case? In which treaty or agreement is it mentioned?
Gorbachev denied that the promise was ever made
I know, which was why I asked the question.
It does sound like there was some discussion at one meeting back in the early nineties, but that's very different from a signed-and-sealed agreement or treaty. Especially given Russia's imperialist behaviour since.
Zelenskyy may not have singlehandedly have canceled elections, but he definitely banned opposition parties, jailed critics, and shut down media he didn’t like but sure, let’s pretend he’s a beacon of democracy.
Zelenskyy may not have singlehandedly have canceled elections, but he definitely banned opposition parties, jailed critics, and shut down media he didn’t like but sure, let’s pretend he’s a beacon of democracy.
putin apologist!!
After today you have to ask the difference between Trump and Putin as I cannot detect any at all
There's clearly some personal dislike for Zelensky. Maybe as someone who has always steered clear of drink and drugs, Trump doesn't like the rumours about Zelensky's habit.
That is truly pathetic even by your standards as one of the few Trump apologists on PB.
@williamglenn is the site’s clown and a little sh*t. Nothing more, nothing less…
Why do you two always wade in to put a nasty boot in from the left-wing to anyone who doesn't share your politics?
Rather unedifying, to say the least.
William is a professional devil's advocate. We don't need the abuse.
If it a parody account then I apologise, if not then everything I have said about him holds…
Today has been a very sobering and worrying day when Trump showed his true colours, and finally lost any support a fair minded person may have been wanting to give him
His words today about Zelensky and Ukraine were abhorrent, and Zelensky is a million times more a leader than the tragic and dangerous figure of Trump
It seems political parties are united in their criticism of Trump apart from the abject Farage and Reform
Remember a vote for Reform is a now a vote for Trump
A vote for Reform is a vote for Trump which is a vote for Putin.
This is a huge political opportunity for the Tories. They should be laser-like on this.
@Mike_Pence Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
Comments
And no, Zelensky didn’t write that bit.
Farage and Reform are silent and that cannot continue
It's a gangster dynamic he's established and it's totally deliberate.
He needs to show Trump cannot dictate peace terms to Ukraine with Putin but he has world powers also demanding he be involved
- i) fight: Get strong fast, build up the armed forces, compete as near-peers
- ii) run/hide. Leave NATO et al and leave the world to its own devices
- iii) kneel. Agree and obey Trump at every opportunity
I hope for i). I fear iii). Looking at Starmer, Badenoch and Farage I believe iii) will come to pass. If anybody can offer me a better prognosis I will be pleased to listen...TLDR: can Hungary stop it?
I might be quite inclined to say send most of it straight to Ukraine not to EU members, if they like with a condition to spend on European or Ukrainian defence equipment.
@MrHarryCole
Now Vance piles in on “disgraceful ” Zelensky — tells
@RaheemKassam
“The idea that he’s going to litigate his disagreements with the president in the public square…. This is not a good way to deal with President Trump”
Adds: “Of course, the Ukrainians are going to have their perspective. The way to surface that is in a private discussion with American diplomats… he’s attacking the only reason this country exists, publicly, right now. And it’s disgraceful. And it’s not something that is going to move the President of the United States. In fact, it’s going to have the opposite effect.”
It isn't worth it.
Lifting sanctions on Russia ought also to knock a couple of dollars off the price of a barrel of crude.
Either way, they don't have long to make their minds up. Act now, or face irrelevance. Or worse.
Reform in noticeably more pro-putin than the other parties.
Labour voters unsurprisingly prefer Starmer to every former Tory PM as do LD voters except for where John Major is the alternative, they split evenly between Major and Starmer
https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/51645-how-do-britons-feel-keir-starmer-compares-to-previous-prime-ministers
Spain reverses nuclear phase-out plans
https://www.neimagazine.com/news/spain-reverses-nuclear-phase-out-plans/
@BorisJohnson
When are we Europeans going to stop being scandalised about Donald Trump and start helping him to end this war?
Of course Ukraine didn’t start the war. You might as well say that America attacked Japan at Pearl Harbor.
Of course a country undergoing a violent invasion should not be staging elections. There was no general election in the UK from 1935 to 1945.
Of course Zelenskyy’s ratings are not 4%. They are actually about the same as Trump’s.
Trump’s statements are not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action.
In particular the US can see $300bn of frozen Russian assets - mainly in Belgium. That is cash that could and should be used to pay Ukraine and compensate the US for its support.
Why is Europe preventing the unfreezing of Putin’s cash?
The US believes Belgium, France and other countries are blocking. It’s absurd. We need to get serious and fast.
Mr. President, Ukraine did not “start” this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.🇺🇸🇺🇦
“Russia Invades Ukraine in Largest European Attack Since WWII”
https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1892271536394162229
But then, everyone is happy for tax rises as long as it is not them
I have just noticed to add to the problems gilts seem to be rising
https://bsky.app/profile/paulsingh.bsky.social/post/3likeokj7rc2f
Musk has offered to speed up the process, by eliminating things like safety checks.
Go ahead lads. Have at it. Soon as you like...
It took a phone call to Potato Boy to get Pence to do the right thing.
"Pipe down while we sell you out."
In between offshoring their wealth and whining about the wealthy not paying tax, copy & pasta MAGA talking points.
I'm sure that Mr Tell-It-Like-It-Is will have something to say.
So the US President is manipulated or disinformed by social media like many of his followers, and you can be certain that all sorts of malign actors bend his ear, and those of his associates, as well.
I may have more.
NATO and the West promised not to push NATO to the frontiers of Russia, then we did exactly that. Then we wrestled over Ukraine itself, part of which is regarded as sacred Russia by Russians
Is Putin an evil murderous autocrat who launched a barbarous invasion causing a European tragedy and killing half a million purple? Yes yes yes. Does the west have *some* responsibility for stupidly goading and mishandling Russia? Also yes
I’ve made it a mission to reintroduce them in as many cocktail bars as I can.
You probably think pronouns justify a Russian invasion of the EU.
My suggestion that the dog was responsible for that dreadful fart was not intended to be historically accurate.
His words today about Zelensky and Ukraine were abhorrent, and Zelensky is a million times more a leader than the tragic and dangerous figure of Trump
It seems political parties are united in their criticism of Trump apart from the abject Farage and Reform
Remember a vote for Reform is a now a vote for Trump
I think this sudden interest in increasing spending is a displacement activity, designed to make people feel good while having zero effect on Russia (but costing us billions).
I'm surprised that you're able to post this evening after the unsavoury incident at the Raducanu match. I assume that was you?
Is that actually the case? In which treaty or agreement is it mentioned?
2) Russia doesn’t get to decide things about countries other than Russia. Its view is irrelevant. It’s a medium sized power whose only influence comes from natural resources we need less and less, and a decrepit Cold War nuclear stockpile. Russian conventional forces have certainly been shown up. It’s about time we took it down a peg or two.
Rather unedifying, to say the least.
William is a professional devil's advocate. We don't need the abuse.
https://www.nato.int/cps/ra/natohq/115204.htm
It does sound like there was some discussion at one meeting back in the early nineties, but that's very different from a signed-and-sealed agreement or treaty. Especially given Russia's imperialist behaviour since.
Just extraordinary times we are living through
This is a huge political opportunity for the Tories. They should be laser-like on this.